A/N: Alex's outfit for this chapter can be found on my Tumblr, under the name 'darksideofparis'.
Of course, she wasn't fine, not really. Alex screwed her eyes shut tighter, vaguely aware she was now entering a half-asleep state. She curled up into a tight little ball on her new bed: the couch. After she had failed to go to sleep because of the Doctor's fiddling, she'd moved onto the couch in the living room. While not an ideal bed, it was far more comfortable than a mattress on the floor.
In her half-asleep state, Alex was vaguely aware of a few things. She sensed the Doctor coming in when she felt a slow stream of adrenaline enter her system, revitalizing her a little until he left. Just as she was drifting off again, she heard the sound of running footsteps and the rattling of cabinets and the high whistle of a tea kettle boiling.
Alex groaned and covered her head with a pillow. She had barely slept last night. Why couldn't he act like he usually did and try not to disturb her or wake her?
She was about to drift off again when she suddenly felt someone shaking her. "Alex! Ally! Wake up!"
Alex rolled over . . . and right off the couch. She landed on the floor with an unceremonious thump. She groaned. "Dear God," she muttered.
"No God, just me," the Doctor said, smiling in spite of himself at Alex's falling off of the couch. He reached down and pulled her up.
"It's not funny," Alex grumbled as she tugged the blanket away from her legs.
"Never said it was." The Doctor pulled her close and hugged her. "How'd you sleep?"
"Not well," Alex admitted. Between her moving rooms and beds and her continuous headache, she'd only managed to get at least three hours of sleep. "What's going on? I thought I heard you running all around."
The Doctor sighed. "Ah, yes. Craig was poisoned. He touched that stain over there." He nodded over to the large gray stain, which had increased in size over the short three days.
Alex's eyes widened. "Oh my God! Is he going to be okay?"
"He's fine now," the Doctor nodded, "just needs a bit of rest. I need you to take care of him. That's what girls are good at, right? You need to make sure he keeps breathing while he's asleep. He should be fine, but check on him every now and then just to be safe."
"And just where will you be all day?" Alex demanded, crossing her arms. He couldn't just put total responsibility for another living, breathing human on her for no reason!
"I'm going to go and fill in for Craig at the call center. He can't go anywhere, so I'll take his place."
"I can do that," Alex argued. She had no idea what one did at a call center but it couldn't be that hard!
"No, you have to stay here. And why would you want to fill in at a call center anyway?"
"Because I am human and can assume an air of normalcy, unlike someone else in this room."
The Doctor frowned at her. "That's rude, Ally."
"Well, it's logical!" Alex protested.
"Listen, you'll be fine," the Doctor assured her, stepping forward to grip her shoulders. "I have the utmost confidence in you. Just stay inside, don't go upstairs, don't touch that stain, and don't chase off any cats that come in."
"Cats?" Alex frowned, wrinkling her nose as she tried to figure out how that fit in with their current situation. But before she could ask the Doctor anything, he had released her, ducked into Craig's room, and was coming back out with the house keys in hand. "Wait!" she cried, running after him. "What am I supposed to tell Craig when he wakes up?"
"Just tell him everything's fine and is taken care of," the Doctor shrugged. "What's most important is that you keep him in bed, resting." He went over and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, Ally. I'll be back soon."
~Living the Life of Ally~
A few hours later, these words rang in Alex's mind. She groaned and flipped to a new position on the couch. I'll be back soon? That was perfectly fine for a person who intended to return in half an hour, but not for someone who was still gone at . . . 2:45 p.m. She was trying to get absorbed in Jeremy Kyle, but she just couldn't concentrate.
There was nothing else to do though. Shortly after the Doctor left, she had quickly showered and changed into a graphic tee with a silver and pink lipstick on it, a black and gray plaid button-up, skinny jeans, black Converse, and a new pair of hoop earrings. She had checked in on Craig several times, ate some potato chips, and attempted to get lured into the fantasy world of TV. However, she was still bored.
She sighed and stood up. She could go check on Craig again. That would distract her for a few minutes, at least.
She was just about to head over there when she heard a loud ruckus coming from that direction. "What?! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
Alex took off down the hall, entering the room just in time to see Craig clambering out of bed. "Why the bloody hell didn't you wake me?!" he demanded when he caught sight of her.
"The Doctor told me not to! He said you were sick!" Alex watched him run around the room for a moment before adding, "Craig, everything is fine. You're ill and you need to rest—"
"Get out!" he cried, partly mad at her and partly not wanting her to see him get changed.
Alex sighed and went back to the living room, where she began to pace rapidly. It was times like this she wished she had liquor. This whole mess was going to result in her getting very drunk when she got back to the TARDIS. "I'm going to kill him," she muttered under her breath. "I mean it this time!"
Right then, Craig came rushing in, dressed and ready for work. Alex darted in front of him and attempted to block the front door from him. "Craig, listen to me!" she begged. "You really need to get back in bed! The Doctor—"
"Might have cost me my job, Alex!" Craig snapped, shoving her out of the way and running out the door.
Alex stuck her head out the door. "Don't you people have sick days?!" she shouted after him. She huffed and turned away, only to see the same guy with the Pomeranian from her first day here standing across the street, glaring at her. Alex felt her blood pressure rise and she merely stuck her tongue out at him before slamming the door.
Alex leaned against the wood and sighed, burying her head in her hands. God, she didn't know if she could take much more of this. Why couldn't they just go upstairs and see what this guy was doing? She was tempted to do just that, but she knew the Doctor would kill her if she tried.
Her head pounded again and she groaned. Alex peeled herself off of the door and went back into the living room. She had no idea when Craig would be back, but she needed to come up with a way to get him back into bed without asking questions.
Not being able to come up with anything, even after pacing for a good half hour, Alex headed into the kitchen. She dug around in the cabinets before finding a decent sized tumbler glass and a bottle of Irish whiskey. Alex poured some out into the glass before taking a long sip. The whiskey burned down her throat but in a nice, good way. Alex was about to pour some more into the glass before suddenly remembering her last encounter with alcohol. Grimacing, she drained the rest of the glass and put the tumbler and bottle back in their original places.
Still, the whiskey shot had cleared her head a little, allowing her to fully cope with what was going on. She went back into the living room and switched the TV off. The place felt alarmingly quiet. Alex longed for a bang from upstairs or even to be back on the TARDIS, the familiar soothing of the machine lulling her to sleep.
But before Alex could get caught up in her longing, the front door banged open. She turned around in time to see Craig marching towards her. "Give me the keys," he ordered.
"Why?" Alex questioned.
"I need to see your room."
Shit, Alex thought. She couldn't do that! Aloud, she said, "Why, to make sure it's clean? Because I can assure you, it is."
"Don't be flippant, Alex," Craig said exasperatedly. "You know that's not what I meant!"
Alex crossed her arms. "I know and I don't agree with you. It's a very bad idea." She narrowed her eyes for further intimidation but then noticed that Craig was looking down at her nose, safely avoiding her dark gaze.
"Let me in there, or I'll get the spare key and go in myself," he threatened.
Alex was at a total loss for words, a first, for only the Doctor could really get her to do that. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't let Craig go in there. Not knowing what else to say, she simply kept her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. "No."
Craig turned away from her and headed over to a chest of drawers by the front door. Alex watched in terror as he dug through them before finally producing a single key on a chain. Alex immediately ran and threw herself in front of the door as Craig came up.
"This really isn't a good idea!" Alex protested as he tried to shove the key into the lock under her arm. "Everyone's entitled to privacy, right?"
"What are you hiding?" Craig demanded.
"Nothing!" Alex lied. "Just privacy! I mean, do you really want to see mine and the Doctor's clothes strewn everywhere?"
She had been hoping this mental image would disturb him just as much as it had her when she thought of it. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Craig wrenched her away from the door, sending her stumbling back a few feet. By the time she regained her balance, Craig had already gotten the door open.
"What the hell?" he breathed as he took in the still spinning gadget on the bed. He turned to Alex, who looked slightly pained and slightly irritated. "What is that?!"
Alex shrugged. She wasn't about to tell him that the Doctor was really a time-traveling alien, she was his companion, and that a possible alien was living upstairs. The Doctor could handle that one. "Modern art?" she suggested. "Frankly, I'm not sure. Never have liked modern art. Too weird."
"This is not real," Craig breathed, venturing in the room further to reach out and touch the contraption.
Alex threw herself in between him and the detector. "I wouldn't do that if I were you! The Doctor is horribly territorial of his stuff. Talks to his . . . car, if you can believe that."
But Craig refused to let the matter drop. "What the bloody hell is that?!" he cried, waving a hand behind Alex to the device.
Alex sighed. "I can't tell you," she insisted. "I'm sorry, but this is more the Doctor's territory."
"Well," Craig said slowly, looking down at her, "let's just wait for him to return to his territory."
~Living the Life of Ally~
Alex wrung her hands nervously as she waited for the Doctor to get back. She was seated on the fourth step from the bottom on the stairs, but she could feel her headache increasing by the second the longer she sat there. She was about to get up and move when she heard a soft mew from behind her. Alex turned to see a fluffy white cat sitting on the step behind her.
Well, at least the cat was a welcome distraction. "Hi, kitty," she cooed, reaching out to pet it under its chin. The cat purred loudly and Alex continued talking to it. "Aren't you pretty? Where'd you come from?" Despite the excitement, she was pretty sure she'd have spotted a cat coming into the house.
The front door suddenly opened and the Doctor stepped in. Alex whirled around, picking up the cat and sitting it in her lap. "Doc, I have to talk to you—"
"One sec, Ally," the Doctor interrupted as he kneeled down next to her. He leaned in close to the cat in Alex's lap. "Have you been upstairs?" he asked it.
"You are kidding me," Alex deadpanned as the cat mewed back. Apparently, her theory about him bribing someone off the street wasn't that far off!
The Doctor shushed her and sat down on the stairs next to her. "Yes?" Once the cat gave a throaty meow, the Doctor continued. "You can do it. Show me what's up there." There was another mew from the cat and the Doctor frowned. "Yes, I know Alex is lovely and you like her, but try and concentrate. What's behind that door? Try to show me. Ever see anyone go up there? Lots of people go up there? Good, good. What kind of people?"
Alex couldn't help but smile as the Doctor petted the cat as it gave another mew. The Doctor let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, yes, I know you like her. Consider yourself this cat's new best friend, Ally. Now, people who never come back down? Oh, that's bad. That's very bad."
The cat meowed again but the time-traveler's attention was distracted by the door next to the stairs opening, revealing a very angry Craig. "Oh, hello," the Doctor greeted, blissfully unaware of the turmoil that had recently happened.
"I can't take this anymore," Craig blurted. "I want you to go."
As he went further into the living room, the Doctor turned to Alex. "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"
No, I wanted to tell you Tom Cruise is in a new movie! But, knowing her sarcasm would not be appreciated at a time like this, she instead nodded and said, "Yes."
The two went down the stairs, Alex still clutching the cat to her chest, and went after Craig. "You can have this back and all," he said shortly, handing the Doctor the bag filled with the rent money.
The Doctor only tossed it over his shoulder, just barely missing Alex. "What have I done?" he demanded.
"For a start, talking to a cat!"
"Lots of people talk to cats!" the Doctor argued as Alex petted the aforementioned cat.
"And everybody loves you!" Craig continued, his jealousy over the Doctor finally showing its true colors. "And you're better at football than me, and my job, you get the pretty girls, like your hot blonde friend!"
"Brunette," Alex corrected, but Craig ignored her.
". . .and now Sophie's all oh, monkeys, monkeys, and then, there's that!" All throughout this rant, Craig had been leading the Doctor back to his and Alex's room. He threw the door open and pointed at the weird contraption in the middle of the bed as he said the final two words of his explosion.
"Thank you, Alex!" the Doctor snapped, glaring at her.
"He had a freaking key!" Alex argued as the Doctor rushed into the room after Craig. "What did you want me to do? Whack him over the head with a frying pan? Put a sleeping pill in his tea?!"
"It's art!" the Doctor lied as he ran into the room and put a hand on the scanner to stop it from spinning anymore. "A statement on modern society."
"Told you!" Alex called from her place in the doorway. "Isn't modern society awful?"
"Me and you two, it's not going to work out," Craig insisted. "You've only been here three days. These have been the three weirdest days of my life!"
"Your days will get a lot weirder if we go," the Doctor ominously warned.
"It was good weirdness!" Craig babbled, clearly hysterical. "It's not, it's bad weird! I can't do this anymore!"
"Craig, I can't leave this place," the Doctor insisted. "I'm like you, I can't see the point of anywhere else. Madrid? Ha! What a dump! I have to stay."
"No, you don't!" Craig argued. "You have to leave!"
"I can't go!"
"Just get out!"
"For God's sake, tell him!" Alex screeched. All of these charades and pretending was beginning to get exhausting. Frankly, she just wanted it to end.
Craig grabbed the Doctor's jacket, apparently ready and willing to make him leave by force. The Doctor grabbed Craig's jacket in return. "Right, only way," the Doctor babbled, a slight bit of annoyance in his voice. Apparently, he was about to do something he really didn't want to do. "I'm going to show you something, but shush. Really, shush. Oh, I am going to regret this."
Alex watched him nervously. "Doctor?" she called out fearfully.
"Don't worry, Ally," the Doctor called over to her, his eyes never wavering from Craig. "Okay, right. First, general background."
Alex screamed as the Doctor suddenly head-butted Craig. The two staggered back, both shouting in pain. The Doctor collapsed on the bed, Alex rushing over to sit next to him. A moment later, Craig looked up and pointed at the Doctor, giving him a long gasp. "You're a. . .!" he breathed.
"Yes," the Doctor nodded wearily, still clutching his head.
"From. . ." Craig pointed up and ignored the Doctor's protests as he tried to shush him. "You've got a TARDIS!"
"Yes, shush," the Doctor told him before standing up and motioning to his face. "Eleventh."
"What the bloody hell are you two doing?!" Alex demanded. As far as she could determine, the Doctor was somehow passing Craig information through the head-butts, which seemed to be painful either from the transfer of information or just from banging into each-other.
"Not now, Alex!" the Doctor snapped. He grabbed Craig's jacket again. "Right, okay. Specific detail!"
They head-butted again, staggering backwards again, giving Alex the sense of déjà vu. Once their shouts of pain died down, Craig looked at the Doctor in wonder. "You saw my ad in the coffee shop window!"
"Yes, with this right above it," the Doctor explained, picking up Amy's note from the bedside table and holding it up. "Which is odd, because Amy hasn't written it yet."
"Another job we have to do," Alex quipped, remembering that they needed to fix that will.
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Time travel, it can happen," he said to Craig.
But Craig was now focused on the device on the bed. "That's a scanner!" he shouted. "You used non-technological technology of Lammasteen!"
The Doctor leapt away from the bed to cover Craig's mouth. "Shut up!" he screeched.
"BOTH of you, shut it!" Alex snapped, going over and pulling the Doctor away from Craig. She adjusted the cat in her arms, barely realizing she was still holding it.
"You're his companion!" Craig suddenly cried, pointing at her.
Alex and the Doctor ignored him. "I am never, never doing that ever, ever again," the Doctor panted, rubbing his head. He reached up and activated the Bluetooth. "Amy?" he called.
"That's Amy Pond!" Craig realized.
"Oh, of course, you can understand us now," the Doctor said sarcastically, rolling his eyes for added benefit. "Hurrah. Got those plans yet?"
"Still searching for them!" Amy replied.
"I've worked it out," the Doctor explained, "with psychic help from a cat."
Alex could practically see Amy frowning. "A cat?"
"Yes," the Doctor confirmed as Alex absently petted the cat. "I know he's got a time engine in the flat upstairs. He's using innocent people to try and launch it."
Alex's eyes widened in realization as the pieces began clicking in her head. "The stain!" she cried. "Whenever those people try and launch the craft, they get burned up! That's the stain!" She shuddered, imagining all those innocent people now reduced to what looked like dry rot on a ceiling.
"From the ceiling!" Craig cried, unable to believe it all.
"Well done, Craig," the Doctor sarcastically complimented. "And you, Miss Pond, nearly get thrown off into the Vortex."
"Lovely," Amy said in the type of voice that meant it really wasn't lovely at all.
Right then, a loud crash came from upstairs. Everyone's gazes shot to the ceiling. Alex's eyes widened in terror and she unconsciously clutched the cat closer to her chest. "People are dying up there!" Craig exclaimed before saying this again . . . and again . . . and again.
Amy began screaming on her end as the TARDIS reacted violently to this new time loop. "Amy!" the Doctor called to her.
A second later, the time loop ended and Craig shook his head, evidently clearing his mind of all the repeating he had been doing. "They're being killed!"
"Someone's up there," the Doctor and Alex deduced.
The two shot out the door, sprinting for the stairs. Alex felt her head pound in protest, but she ignored it. They had to save whoever was up there. "Doctor? Alex?" Amy called.
"Hang on," the Doctor told her before turning to Craig, who had followed them to the bottom of the staircase. "Craig, come on! Someone's dying up there!"
Alex turned to look at the frazzled human, but her gaze drifted past him towards the open front door. She felt her heart jump into her throat as she stared at the fluffy pink keys she recalled Craig fondling two days ago.
Craig was also looking at this. "Sophie," he breathed before turning to run up the stairs. "It's Sophie that's dying up there! It's Sophie!"
"Doctor!"
"Where's Sophie?" Craig wondered frantically.
"Wait, wait," the Doctor shushed him. "Amy?"
"Are you upstairs?"
"Just going in."
"But you CAN'T be upstairs!"
"Of course I can be upstairs!"
"No, I've got the plans," Amy protested. "You cannot be upstairs; it's a one story-building!"
It was at that moment that Alex felt a burst of pain so big, that it actually sent her stumbling back against the wall. It felt like something had cracked or snapped. She looked down, only to feel her heart stop. She couldn't see the stairs. There wasn't anything there. There were no stairs. She was standing on nothing.
The truth dawned on her. "There is no upstairs," she breathed as she stared at the far away ground in horror.
The Doctor and Craig looked down at the stairs beneath them, their minds nowhere near as strong as Alex's. The Doctor looked over at Alex, feeling a tremor of fear run through him as he saw her cowering back against the wall, eyes fixated on the floor.
"Ally?" he said slowly as Craig also looked at her.
"There's nothing there," Alex whimpered, shaking a little. The cat in her arms licked her finger comfortingly. "There's nothing there!"
"Ally, don't be scared," the Doctor drilled. "You're not going to fall."
"Yes, I will!"
"No, you can only see past it. To your mind, there isn't anything there. But there is something here. It's not real, but at the moment, it can support you."
"No! That doesn't make any sense!"
"Ally, it's okay," the Doctor soothed. "Just . . . grab hold of my jacket. I promise I won't let you fall."
Alex knew his words were true, but she couldn't seem to get her feet to understand the message. However, she thought about Sophie. Sophie could be dead or dying right now. They'd never know unless they went in there and Alex knew that the Doctor wouldn't go anywhere without making sure she was okay first. Ever so slowly, she pried herself away from the wall and over to the Doctor. She removed her eyes from the ground to look into his deep green ones, feeling so much safer as she stared into them.
The Doctor beamed at her. "Good job, Ally! Now, come on!" He withdrew his sonic, hurriedly using it on the door. Once it was unlocked, they all marched in, only to stop in their tracks in the doorway.
"What?" Craig breathed, not believing what was in front of him. "What?"
The room was huge, old-fashioned wallpaper decorating the walls. In the center of the room was a large round console that looked a lot like the TARDIS console, only darker and a bit more disheveled and ruined. The Doctor stepped further into the room, Alex and Craig just a step behind him. "Oh," he breathed. "Oh, of course! The time engine isn't in the flat, the time engine is the flat! Someone's attempt to build a TARDIS."
"No, there's always been an upstairs," Craig feebly protested.
Alex and the Doctor turned to look at him, just in time to see the door they came through flicker on and off and, in Alex's case, disappear entirely. "Has there?" the Doctor asked him, trying to see if the perception filter could do anything else other than make a second floor appear on a one story flat. "Think about it."
"Yes," Craig quickly answered before pausing to reconsider his answer. "No! I don't—"
"Perception filter," Alex explained. "In this case, it's more than a disguise."
"It tricks your memory," the Doctor finished.
Before the two could elaborate further, a bloodcurdling scream sounded from around the console. They all turned to see Sophie being pulled over to the console, tendrils of light wrapped around her hand like ropes.
"Sophie!" Craig shouted as they ran towards her. "Oh my God! Sophie!"
"Craig!" Sophie pleaded as she continued to be pulled towards the console.
"It's controlling her!" the Doctor revealed as he rushed forward to help Craig pull Sophie away from the console. "It's willing her to touch the activator!"
"That's not going to have her!" Craig declared as he strained to pull Sophie away.
The Doctor whipped out the sonic and buzzed it over the activator and Sophie's hand, but this only resulted in Sophie's hand landing on the activator, her shouting in pain as the other three jumped. "Deadlock seal!" the Doctor growled, mentally swearing in every language he knew.
"You've got to do something!" Craig shouted at him.
Sophie suddenly fell back, released. Alex hurried over to hover over the unconscious girl with Craig as the Doctor frowned at the console. "What? Why's it let her go?"
"Shouldn't we be grateful that it did?" Alex questioned, the cat in her arms craning to lick Sophie's cheek.
The Doctor paced to the end of the room. Just as he reached it, a hologram of an old man appeared in front of him. "You will help me," it stated.
"Right," the Doctor murmured, thinking fast. "Stop! Crashed ship, let's see. Hello! I'm Captain Troy Handsome of International Rescue! Please state the nature of your emergency."
"The ship has crashed," the hologram replied. "The crew are dead. A pilot is required."
"You're the emergency crash program," the Doctor realized. "A hologram. What, you've been luring people up here so you can try them out?" He aimed the sonic at the hologram and Alex watched in wonder as different images went by in rapid fashion, all saying you will help me.
"Craig, what is this?" Sophie asked wearily as she started to regain consciousness. She looked around in confusion at the strange surroundings. "Where am I?"
"Hush," the Doctor ordered, not even turning to look at her. "Human brains aren't strong enough, they just burn. But you're stupid, though. You just keep trying."
"Seventeen people have been tried," the hologram revealed. "Six billion four hundred thousand and twenty-six remain."
"You're going to kill everyone on Earth!" Alex shouted. How could a machine do something like that?
"Seriously," Sophie interjected, "what is going on?"
"Oh, for goodness sake," the Doctor groaned.
"The top floor of Craig's building is, in reality, an alien space ship intent on slaughtering the population of this planet," Alex explained quickly, her eyes never straying from the Doctor and the hologram. "Any questions?"
"No, good," the Doctor jumped in.
"Yes, I have questions!" Sophie argued.
"The correct pilot has been found," the hologram said, interrupting any Q&A sessions.
The Doctor's face paled. "Yes, I was a bit worried that you were going to say that."
"Oh no," Alex breathed in realization.
"He means you, Doctor, doesn't he?" Amy asked.
The tendrils of light that had grabbed Sophie shot out, wrapping around the Doctor's chest and dragging him towards the console. "The correct pilot has been found. The correct pilot has been found," the hologram chanted. "The correct pilot has been found!"
"Doctor!" Alex cried, running over to him. She was vaguely aware of setting the cat down at her feet before gripping the Doctor's shoulders to try and pull him back. The tweed material scratched at her skin, but Alex refused to let go. "Doctor!" she screamed as he was pulled closer to the console.
"What's happening?" Amy shouted from the earpiece.
"It's pulling me in," the Doctor revealed. "I'm the new pilot."
"Could you do it? Could you fly the ship safely?" Alex paused slightly in her pulling as she awaited his answer. She certainly hoped he could!
"No, I'm way too much for this ship!" the Doctor said, forcing Alex to resume her pulling. The Doctor struggled to keep back from the machine, but his hand continued to be pulled closer and closer to the activator. "My hand touches that panel, the planet doesn't blow up; the whole solar system does!"
"The correct pilot has been found!"
"No!" Alex screamed, feeling tears fill her eyes as she continued to tug and pull in vain. She knew her efforts were wasted but she wasn't going to let her Doctor go. She'd rather die with him than let him die alone.
"No! Worst choice ever, I promise you! Stop this!" the Doctor ordered.
"Doctor?" Amy called out. A bunch of shaking and rattling emitted from her end. "It's getting worse!"
"Little busy right now, Amy!" Alex shot back. But as she continued to pull, her mind was in overdrive. Why was the machine targeting certain people? Way more than seventeen people walked by this house and one person actually lived in it. Which brought up an interesting point. . .
"It doesn't want everyone," Alex murmured. She looked over at Craig, who was still tending to Sophie, and shouted, "Craig, it didn't want you! You live here, why not?!"
"I spoke to him," Craig recalled, "and he said I couldn't help him!"
"It didn't want Sophie before though, but now it does!" Alex frowned.
"What's changed?" the Doctor jumped in, following her train of thought despite his current predicament. He was pulled closer to the machine, letting out a groan as this happened. "Argh! No, no! I gave her the idea of leaving!"
"It's a machine that needs to leave!" Alex jumped in as she started pulling on his arm.
"It wants people who want to escape!" the Doctor realized. Of course! That made total sense! It wanted him and Sophie because they wanted to leave, but it hadn't chosen Alex because she was perfectly fine wherever he was. But Craig. . . Craig was different. "And you don't want to leave, Craig! You're Mister Sofa Man!"
Amy shouted again, but the two ignored her. "Craig, you can shut down the engine!" Alex called over to him.
"Put your hand on the panel and concentrate on why you want to stay!" the Doctor directed.
"Craig, no!" Sophie pleaded.
Craig looked at the panel thoughtfully. "Will it work?" he asked.
"Yes!" the Doctor answered.
"Are you sure?!"
"Yes!"
"Is that a lie?!"
"Of course it's a lie!" the Doctor shouted as he was pulled closer to the machine.
"Rule One! The Doctor lies!" Alex informed him.
"It's good enough for me!" Craig declared. "Geronimo!" With that, Craig slammed his hand down on the activator and began screaming in pain while the tendrils of light keeping hold of the Doctor released him. He stumbled back into Alex's arms.
"Thank God," she muttered, clutching the tweed material like it was a lifeline, which it kind of was.
The Doctor grabbed her hand and together, they ran over to Craig. "Craig, what's keeping you here?" the Doctor questioned rapidly as smoke began pouring out from beneath Craig's hand.
Alex stepped over to Sophie, carefully holding the hysterical blonde back. "Think about everything that makes you want to stay here," she ordered.
"Why don't you want to leave?" The Doctor reached over and slapped Craig's face.
"Sophie!" Craig blurted. "I don't want to leave Sophie! I can't leave Sophie! I love Sophie!"
Sophie pushed Alex away to step forward. "I love you, too, Craig, you idiot!" With that said, she slammed her hand down on top of his.
Craig looked at her, stunned. "Honestly, do you mean that?"
"Of course I mean it! Do you mean it?"
"I've always meant it," Craig insisted. "Seriously though, do you mean it?"
"Yes!"
"What about the monkeys?"
"Oh, not now, not again!" the Doctor shouted, pulling Alex over to his side. "Craig, the planet's about to burn! For God's sake, kiss the girl!"
"Kiss the girl!" Amy piped up over the Bluetooth.
Needing no further encouragement, Craig and Sophie kissed. Alex beamed, quite proud of herself for getting another couple together. She watched as Craig's hand was released from the panel, allowing him to pull Sophie closer to him as he deepened the kiss.
Suddenly, it was a little uncomfortable to watch.
"Doctor, Alex, you've done it!" Amy cheered. "Oh, now the screen's just zeroes. Now it's minus ones, minus twos, minus threes . . . big yes!"
But the Doctor and Alex's attention was quickly diverted from celebrating by the sounds emanating from the hologram next to them. "Help me, help me, help me, help me," it chanted as it switched forms several different times, going from an old man to a little girl to a young adult to countless others.
"Big no," the Doctor corrected as the hologram continued chanting help me.
Noticing this, Craig and Sophie came up for air. "Did we switch it off?" Craig asked, looking over at the hologram.
Then, the house began shaking. "Emergency shutdown," the Doctor revealed as he looked around at the shaking room. "It's imploding! Everybody out, out, out!"
Alex reached down and grabbed the cat just before the Doctor pushed her out the door. Alex concentrated on feeling something solid beneath her instead of panicking that she could no longer see the stairs. She yanked the door open and rushed outside across the street, the Doctor, Craig, and Sophie just steps behind her. Just as they skidded to a stop beside her, the top floor of the building disappeared to reveal a large black spaceship with eight stands on it, making it resemble a large spider. As it flew away, a man walked past, carrying a child. He didn't even look up.
"Look at them," Craig noticed. "Didn't they see that? The whole top floor just vanished!"
"Perception filter," the Doctor and Alex said together, the Doctor coming up behind Alex. "There never was a top floor."
"Who did it belong to?" Alex inquired. "I mean, what kind of aliens?"
The Doctor sighed. "I don't know. We may never know. The crew was dead anyway."
It was then that the Doctor noticed something. "Alexandria," he said slowly, "why do you have a cat?"
Sure enough, that white cat was still in Alex's arms, curled into her chest and purring loudly.
~Living the Life of Ally~
"But—"
"No."
"Oh, come on!"
"No."
Alex stuck her bottom lip out. "Please?" she begged.
The Doctor only gave her a flat look. "Adorable, but no. For the tenth time, Alex, I am not letting you keep that cat."
Alex looked down at the white cat in her arms. The cat adored her alright. It hadn't left her side ever since they went back inside the newly one-story flat. And Alex did love cats. What was the Doctor's problem? It wasn't like he'd be taking care of it! "Why not?" she demanded.
"Two things. One, the TARDIS isn't really the best place to have animals. And two, I do not clean litter-boxes."
"I'm not asking you to take care of it!" Alex protested. "It would be my cat. You'd barely know he was there!"
"No, Alex." This was said in a voice that signified the subject was closed and there was no use in arguing anymore. The Doctor was willing to do many things for Alex, but even he had to draw the line somewhere.
Alex frowned at him and sighed. "Fine." She released the cat, shooing it out into the hall and watching as it reluctantly went through the cat door.
"Don't be sad, Ally," the Doctor said in a much more cheerful voice. "The fifth moon of Cindie Colesta is very nice. You'll enjoy it."
Alex nodded and moved over to him, watching as he fixed the bedsheets. She sighed exasperatedly as he attempted to smooth out some wrinkles but only ended up getting it more wrinkled. "Here, move," she said, pushing him out of the way. "You're hopeless at this."
"I'm 907, Ally! I think I know how to make a bed!" he protested, crossing his arms for emphasis.
"You think?" Alex snorted.
Once she finished making the bed, she pulled her trench coat on and grabbed the shopping bags she had amassed during her shopping spree. She peered out into the hall, hearing faint giggling and a sucking sound, which meant that kissing was going on somewhere. "Are we saying goodbye?" she asked.
"How long have you known me, Ally?" the Doctor questioned.
"Don't you think this is different? Craig really helped, if I recall."
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, he did," he agreed.
The Doctor stepped out into the hall, Alex putting the arm not covered in shopping bag handles through the crook of his. They stepped into the living room, only to see Craig and Sophie kissing on the couch. The two stepped back, the Doctor putting a finger to his lips as he quietly placed the keys on a chest of drawers before wordlessly pulling Alex towards the door.
"Oi!" Craig called just as the Doctor grabbed the knob.
The two turned to see Craig and Sophie walking towards them. Sophie smiled at them. "What, you're trying to sneak off?" she questioned.
"He was," Alex said.
The Doctor shot her a look before replying. "Yes, well, you were sort of . . . busy."
Craig chuckled before reaching over and grabbing the keys off the chest. "I want you two to keep these," he said as he handed the keys to the Doctor.
"Thank you," the Doctor said, accepting them. "Because I might pop back soon, have another little stay."
"No, you won't," Craig scoffed. "Alex might, but I've been in your head, remember? I still want you to keep them."
"Thank you, Craig."
"Thank you, Doctor. See you, Alex."
"You're not getting off that easy," Alex smiled before grasping him in a tight hug. Pulling away, she proceeded to do the same to Sophie before stepping back, allowing the Doctor to swing an arm around her shoulders.
"Now then," the Doctor said, opening the door. "Six billion four hundred thousand and twenty-six people in the world. That's the number to beat."
And then, the Doctor and Alex Locke left the flat, returning to the TARDIS.
~Living the Life of Ally~
"I'm so glad to see you both!" Amy cried the second they stepped into the TARDIS. She threw her arms tightly around Alex before turning to the Doctor to do the same to him. Unlike Alex, the Doctor seemed a little uncomfortable with it. He still vividly remembered her attempt to seduce him. "Oh!" Amy exclaimed, pulling back from him as she caught sight of Alex's shopping bags. "You went shopping!"
"That I did!" Alex laughed. "Don't worry. I got you a nice short skirt."
"Glad to see you're still alive, Pond," the Doctor jumped in, patting Amy on the shoulder. He sprinted up to the console, shaking his jacket off and tossing it into one of the chairs. "Back in time! You need to go to the coffee shop and leave that note for us."
"Right little matchmakers, aren't you?" Amy teased. "Can't you two find me a fellow?"
Alex ignored her though as she watched the Doctor take a stethoscope out from somewhere and begin listening to parts on the console. He frowned. "Oh, rectifier's playing up again. Hold on."
As he began to run upstairs, Amy looked at Alex. "So, did you get up to anything else aside from shopping and stopping aliens?"
"Well, I did almost get a cat," Alex answered.
Amy frowned. "A cat?" she repeated.
"Alex, just drop it!" the Doctor shouted.
Alex rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you later. I better go and help him. He'll tear this whole ship apart if I'm not there."
"I heard that!" the Doctor called, appearing again on the steps. "And good idea. Ally, you come help me. Amy, you write that note and I'll change that will."
"I knew we did something to it!" Alex exclaimed as she sprinted up after him.
"You got a pen?" Amy called after him.
"Make sure it's a red pen!" the Doctor and Alex shouted down. Neither one of them saw Amy go to the Doctor's jacket and dig around in the pockets before producing a tiny red ring box. She opened it to reveal her old engagement ring . . . a ring she didn't remember owning.
Meanwhile, the Doctor pulled Alex along the halls. "Hey, Doc?" Alex asked. "Can you clarify something for me?"
"Shoot."
"Well, all those headaches I was having. . . Do you think they were happening because my mind was trying so hard to bypass the perception filter?"
"Yes, I think that's it," the Doctor confirmed. "That filter was really strong. Your mind was probably going crazy trying to bypass it."
Alex sighed. "Ugh. Did it have to try so hard though? Those headaches were killer!"
"I'm sorry, Ally," the Doctor said. He reached down to kiss her forehead, not seeing Alex inhale his scent or close her eyes in happiness. "I promise I'll teach you how to make mental shields soon, but not right now. Right now, we need to get that will changed."
"Don't worry, Doc," Alex assured him, smiling up at him. "I'm very patient." At most things that is, she thought silently.
A/N: And that concludes 'The Lodger'! Tomorrow, we start 'Apollo 23' which is about 11 chapters long, but I think I can cut that down some in editing. :)
Some notes on reviews. . .
SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - That's alright! :) Yeah, the part where he bought her the dress WAS cute, wasn't it? And the dress will be seen again, I promise. :) And we found out what the cause of Alex's headaches was. I thought it would be fairly obvious, but I'm pleasantly surprised to see that I had my readers guessing. :) Oh, and thanks for pointing that out! I may go back and change that later. :)
ShadowTeir - Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks, it surprises me I can write fluff so well. I guess I'm a hopeless romantic. :) I'm glad you like the pairing! :)
SopherGopherroxursox - Glad you liked the basketball part! I had to put that in there, being a basketball fan myself. :) Hmm, I didn't even think of it that way! You can see two sides of her; tomboy and girly-girl. Lol, I'm a total girly-girl, but I used to be into sports when I was younger, since my dad was a basketball coach. :) Glad you liked the episode!
rycbar15 - You can say that again. And I had to do MORE math tonight! :( Glad you liked the dress part though! :)
jesterlover - Glad you like the sharing and the dress part! Lol, long live prinos! :)
TheGirlWhoWaited - Thanks! :)
TheUltimateGuest - Ooh, if his bowtie broke in battle, I think he'd have a nervous breakdown. . . :) Hmm, sorry, no kissing in this chapter (unless you count Craig and Sophie, lucky ducks.)
Gwilwillith - Thank you! :)
Guest - Oh thanks! I didn't know any of that! And really, no mall? I feel bad for you. :( Hope you enjoyed the chapter though! :)
ElysiumPhoenix - Glad to hear you're feeling better! Glad you liked the dress and basketball parts. I think most everyone did. :)
Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - Lol, a lot going on in that chapter, huh? :) *happily devours cupcake* Thanks! :) Ooh, that would be cool if she was wearing a trench-coat when she met 10. He wouldn't know what hit him. I think 10 and Alex would make a good couple, don't you? I've been thinking about, when this story and maybe the next one are completed, doing a reimagining where Alex meets 10 during Season 4. I think that would be pretty cool. :) With the story I'm in the process of planning, Alex is going all over the Doctor's timeline trying to fix a time discrepancy (won't say what though). I've got a vague idea about how she'll pull it off without majorly screwing up time, but like I said, still in the planning stages. :) Yep, getting closer and closer! And let me just say, Season 6 is action-packed!
JackSpicer2311 - Not bitter and bloody, I don't think I could write that. . . :)
