Chapter 44: Bad Wolf

A/N- So hey. It's been a while. My bad. I will admit I've had zero inspiration and motivation for this story for a while now. Then The 60th trailer came out and I started rewatching Doctor Who again and my inspiration came back all of a sudden. I wasn't sure if I was going to post this for the longest time because it had been so long but I ended up saying fuck it. That being said, I'm not a hundred perfect certain what I'm going to do with this fanfic. I might continue, discontinue, or even delete it. But until then, enjoy this chapter.

Around and Around- The Happy Fits

I got a funny feeling

We keep going around and around, and I

I think I'm gonna be needing a little stabler ground to hold on

'Cause I can't keep thinking about it, keep thinking about it

Can't be still anymore

No, there's nothing so simple about it, nothing simple about it

She was sweating. Like drops of it rolling down your face, clothes sticking to your skin, feeling like you just took a gross shower—kind of sweating. And she hadn't even ran yet.

It was hot. No, hot was the wrong word to describe it. It was humid and the heat slithered in her lungs with each breath. It was suffocating. There was not even a single cool breeze to give her any relief. She wanted to leave.

It was a shame too. It was a beautiful planet and she wanted to bask in the wonderful surroundings, but the heat was unbearable. She couldn't focus on anything else. The planet of Vakuram had the biggest and most magnificent jungles in the universe, or according to the Doctor at least. She would have to agree though. It was similar to Earth in its atmosphere, but the look was much different. The trees glowed purple, the sky pink, and the sun burned blue. The birds on the planet sang like opera singers and were a gift to listen to. The one downside of the planet was the God damn heat!

It was the Doctor's suggestion to go to this planet. They were thinking of going to the city of Kyoto in Japan around the 13th century, but Kit made it known to the Doctor quietly that she'd been to Japan around that century. They both agreed that just in case, it was best to avoid that area and time.

So, the Doctor suggested Vakuram instead. He said it would be the trip of a lifetime, even though every trip was technically the trip of a lifetime. He promised the best sights and he delivered on his promise.

He mentioned that it'll be a little hot but what the Doctor failed to mention was the humid weather. It was driving her crazy. She dressed for the hot weather. She had baggy shorts and a T-shirt on, but she did not dress for this. None of them had.

Kit wiped the sweat from her brow and stopped, breathing in the hot air. "I'm tapping out," she finally concluded. "I can't take this anymore."

Jack came up beside her. It looked like the heat was getting to him too. His normally perfectly done hair was now a mess. "I'm with little red on this one. It's inhumane dragging us through this planet."

The Doctor turned to them sharply. He was very confused. He had not a single drop of sweat on him. She wanted to roll her eyes at that. "What are you talking about?"

"The heat, Doctor," Rose explained, breathing heavily. Rose made the terrible decision to wear makeup. Her mascara was starting to run down her cheeks. "We can barely breathe in this."

"Really?" He asked in genuine surprise. It made her want to strangle him but that was probably more the heat talking. "I barely feel it. Must be my superi—"

"Superior Time Lord biology," Jack, Kit, and Rose said at the same time with a roll of their eyes.

"Yeah, we know," Kit muttered. He liked to mention that a lot. Drove the rest of them mad. "Some of us though, don't have said biology and we actually feel the heat."

The Doctor looked disappointed. "Just a little longer. There's a beautiful—"

"I don't care if it's the most beautiful thing in all of existence and when you see it your life is changed forever! I'm going to pass out if I have to move another foot," Kit snapped. The heat was definitely getting to her.

"Hell, I'm going to pass out by just standing here," Rose added in the same amount of annoyance as Kit.

"Plus," Jack piped in. "I don't do the sweaty look. Unless I'm not wearing a shirt and there're beautiful ladies around. But this is not one of those times."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at their complaints. "What I was going to say before you all started complaining is that there's a beautiful waterfall with cool water at the bottom. Can't remember why I haven't brought you all to see it sooner."

Kit narrowed her eyes. "How cool is the water?"

The Doctor sighed in annoyance. "Very cool."

Kit, Jack, and Rose exchanged looks. All of them with a question in their eyes, should they keep going? Should they even trust the Doctor? It wasn't that he was untrustworthy or that he was lying completely but he had the tendency to exaggerate things. What could be a short walk as he described might actually be an hour's walk. But the idea of water did sound nice. So nice right now that maybe it would be worth the heat.

Kit sighed. "Fine! But it better only be a little longer! And it better be worth it," she said peeling her hair off her sweaty face. Her hair was a whole other problem. Hers was thick and felt like she was wearing a wool hat. The humidity was also making it frizz and she was afraid to see what it looked like.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor beamed. "It should be this way." The Doctor started walking and the rest of them groaned realizing they had to move again. "Oh, don't groan. This is better than sitting around like before."

"Debatable," Kit muttered forcing her legs to move.

They had been sitting around for a while, the Doctor was right about that. Things had in fact been very boring in the last couple of days. After Raxacoricofallapatorius, they all agreed that a break would do them all well.

They'd been floating in space for a couple of weeks. The first week was nice. Kit was able to relax and not stress about her next move for a bit. She was able to spend time with everyone individually and also with herself. She felt like she had time for once. She spent time with Rose in which she taught Kit how to cook. She hung out with Jack exploring the Tardis and talking about his time as a Time Agent. She even got to spend time with the Doctor.

Kit sat dangling her legs out to the cold beautiful space. She sat on the ledge of the Tardis, with the door wide open for her. She watched the stars go by and the galaxies traverse. She sat with herself, with her mind but she didn't feel alone with the wonderful Galaxy right before her. She never felt alone like this. She never felt more connected to the universe than this moment right now and all the moments like this before. For some reason, it brought her peace knowing the universe was so big and vast. She could live in this moment forever, just watching.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice said behind her interrupting her peace.

She jumped at the unexpected voice. She looked behind her to see the Doctor. He looked uncertain and she could almost say he was a little shy.

Kit nodded and shuffled over. She wasn't sure what he wanted, not that she minded the company. She liked that the Doctor was talking to her, she liked that he was making an effort. She just worried that he was wanting to talk about something serious. She didn't want serious; she just wanted to relax and stop thinking.

"I'm surprised to find you here," the Doctor said, sitting down beside her.

Kit shrugged. "I used to always sit like this. I haven't done it in a while. I guess things have been so busy I haven't had the time to just sit. It's peaceful… It's quiet. I don't know how to explain it. It's just—it feels right. I don't know if I'm making any sense."

"No, you are. I get the same feeling."

They sat and comfortable silence for a couple of moments before Kit said, "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

The Doctor shook his head slowly. "No, I just saw you sitting and thought you might want the company." He paused. "Do you want the company?"

She thought for a moment. She liked being alone with the universe but… for once she actually felt like she did want company. "Yeah, I think I do." The Doctor smiled at her, and they turned back to the space before them. "No matter how many times I've sat like this, looking out into space, it never fails to take my breath away."

The Doctor hummed. "I've seen it so many times, sometimes I forget how beautiful it is and then one of you humans comes along and reminds me every time."

They went quiet and fell into a comfortable silence again. She didn't know what came over her, but she rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder. She just felt tired all of a sudden. She felt the Doctor stiffen but then relax. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and suddenly Kit felt safe. She felt relaxed and warm and… safe. She breathed in his smell. It was a mix between familiar and unfamiliar. The unfamiliar smell of leather from his jacket but the smell underneath the leather was the familiar part. It was one she'd smelt her whole life with every hug she had with the Doctor. It was the smell of old but also of new, like a sunny day outside but also a rainy day indoors. It made her feel content and protected.

"Oh! I almost forgot," he said suddenly.

He shuffled around and Kit lifted her head from his shoulder, curious as to what he was talking about. He rummaged around his inside pocket until he found what he was looking for.

Kit's eyes lit up when she saw it. "A phone?"

The Doctor grinned. "I did promise I'd get you one."

Kit's joy slowly died though when she got a better look at it. "Wait, a flip phone? Really?"

"Well you can't be running around with a more advanced phone than Rose," he explained. "If you don't want her to know you're not from the same time as her, you're going to have to deal with the basics."

He made a good point; she knew but she still didn't want something so simple. "But it doesn't do anything," she whined.

"It makes calls which is perfect for if you're ever in trouble," the Doctor stated matter of factly. "I know you'd rather have something with games or the internet, but it has the essentials."

"Barely," Kit muttered and sulked. She shook her head. "Well, what if I can't call for whatever reason, what am I supposed to do then?" She challenged.

"You can text on this."

"Not very fast! What if I'm in immediate danger?"

The Doctor sighed, probably realizing he wasn't going to win this conversation anytime soon. He pulled out his sonic and used it on the phone. He took the back of the phone off and pulled some wires, using his sonic occasionally. Kit watched, wondering what he was doing.

"Okay, I linked the phone to the Tardis. If, for whatever reason, you can't call just press any key and use Morse code. It'll send that signal to the Tardis, and I'll get it immediately," he told her.

She bit her lip. "But I don't know Morse code."

"Really? You traveled with me for years and I never taught you Morse code?" He asked curiously.

Kit rolled her eyes. "Well, I never needed to because I had a normal phone."

The Doctor just shook his head. "Fine, I'll show you but understand I will be teaching you Morse code later in the future." He flipped open the phone. "So, pick any key and click three times short and then another three times but click it for longer and then three times short again. Then pause and one long, one short then one long again. Got it?"

"Um, no," Kit responded in frustration. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"SOS, K. That way I'll know that you're the one in trouble," he clarified. Kit looked at him uncertainly and bit her lip. "Here, try it."

He gave her the phone and Kit picked a random key. She hit it three times short, three times long then three times short again. She paused and hit the key once short, once long, and then short. There was a pause and then the lights in the Tardis started to blink on and off. It took her a moment, but she soon realized that they were blinking in the same way she pressed the key on the phone.

"See?" The Doctor said. "No need to worry."

She thought. "Well—I mean I'd still rather something with games. I get bored easily."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Children and their limited attention spans."

Kit's smile dropped. There it was. That small moment. That moment reminded her of her Doctor. It was always the small things this Doctor did. Her Doctors always criticized her attention span. Every time those little moments happened, she'd get a sinking feeling in her stomach and her heart would ache. She was feeling it so much now. It always made her miss him. Sometimes she could forget because she's still with a Doctor but in these moments, she misses everything about him. She even missed the way he criticized her attention span. It just didn't sound right coming from this Doctor's mouth.

She looked down at her phone. She wondered what would happen if she called his number. She just wanted to talk to him for a bit. Talk to her Doctor. Was it possible? Could she try? Would there be any repercussions?

"Couldn't tell you what would happen," the Doctor's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"You're thinking of calling him. Your Doctor, I mean. You've got a look on your face." The Doctor said with a hidden expression that she couldn't place.

She frowned. "I don't have a look."

"I've got pretty good at reading you. I've learned that every time you have that face, you're thinking of him."

She bit the inside of her cheek. "It's just—well, you do these things—these little things and I just—I just thought maybe, now that I have a phone—like I know it's a bad idea but I just…"

"You miss him," the Doctor finished. "It's okay, you can say it. I understand. You were close to him. And we might be the same person but we're still completely different people."

Kit sighed in relief, glad he understood. "So, do you think I could… call him I mean?"

The Doctor pressed his lips into a thin line. "It's hard to say. It could go through, or it could just redirect to this Tardis phone. Or it could cause problems. I honestly don't know. You're in a unique situation. I've never had this problem before."

"Right," Kit whispered sadly. That didn't make her feel better. She felt like all the wind got knocked out of her. "That makes sense, I guess." She tried to not look so defeated. "I just wanted to hear his voice; you know? That's it. Not even a conversation. Just hear him." She could feel the Doctors' eyes on her. "Okay, maybe a little more than that. Maybe I wanted to hear if he's okay. If he knows what happened to me. If he found someone new to travel with already. If he's taking care of himself. If he… misses me too. If—if—" She blinked some tears away. "If he knows I'm sorry." She swallowed thickly.

"I think he knows," the Doctor said quietly, putting a hand over hers.

"I said some pretty dumb things before I came here. I didn't mean them."

"If I know then he knows, right?"

"Right but maybe I wanted to say it to him," she sighed.

"You'll get to say it to him, Kit. I promise," he assured.

She didn't believe him, but she nodded anyway because what else was there to do? She had to believe that she'd see him again because if not—if not—well she didn't know what she would do but it wouldn't be good. Unfortunately, the sinking feeling was always there these days.

"What was your favourite trip?" The Doctor suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Favourite trip you had with him, what was it?"

She thought. There were so many.

She didn't know why the Doctor was asking. Maybe he was trying to get her mind off it. This would definitely be a terrible way to do it. Or maybe he wanted her to remember the good things. The happy moments. "We went to Kassee. You know the planet with the black sky and green sun?" The Doctor nodded. "Anyways, my Doctor got confused by a marriage ceremony…"

After that time, they started to do that more often. They'd sit with the doors open in the control room sitting on the edge with their feet dangling out. They'd watch the stars go by and Kit would talk about some of the places she's been and some of the places she still wanted the go. The Doctor, in return, would talk about some of his adventures with his other companions. It was nice. It felt open and relaxed. It was starting to become a ritual. She was finally getting a handle on this Doctor and this Doctor was finally receptive to her. It took a while but it seemed they finally found a good place in their relationship.

The next week though, they were all getting a bit restless. They were feeling refreshed, and they were looking to go somewhere. That's when the Doctor suggested a big and exciting trip to make up for the break they had. They had been excited but that was when it was cooler, and they hadn't walked in the unbearable heat.

This trip didn't feel like anything he promised and as Kit dragged her feet through the jungle, she thought of several swear words and insults to call the Doctor. She swore if the Doctor was leading them anywhere other than cold water, she was going to kill him. Not even figuratively. She was pretty sure she would literally kill him and looking at the glares that Jack and Rose were giving the back of his head, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be the only one.

After a couple of minutes, which felt like hours, the Doctor came to an abrupt stop. Kit was so focused on making her feet move that she almost walked right into him. Kit looked around. There was nothing different about this part of the jungle and she saw no water. She was going to kill him.

"Well?" Rose said impatiently. The Doctor didn't answer and just looked around.

"Oh my God," Kit hissed. "There's no water, is there? You're fucking with us, aren't you? I swear I'm going—"

"Shhh!" The Doctor hushed her, and Kit felt more anger boiling in her.

"Doctor—" Jack tried.

"Shhh!" The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Listen."

Kit was going to tell him to shove it but before she could, her brain finally registered what she was supposed to hear. There was a sound of rushing water. She could hear it.

Kit pushed past the Doctor, finding new energy and all thoughts about the heat gone. She moved through a couple of trees and bushes until she got to a cliff. She looked on in awe and excitement. In front of her was a waterfall of pink water and a pool of it at the bottom. The water sparkled and glowed. Purple heart-shaped flowers blossomed around, and the blue sun reflected perfectly off the water.

"Whoa," she heard Jack say behind her.

Whoa didn't even cover it. She was amazed and amazed that the Doctor was telling the truth. All her anger was gone, and she smiled. She could almost feel the cold water. She wondered what it would feel like. Would it be like water on Earth? Would it be freshwater or salty? Would it feel slimy or sticky? She really didn't actually care because there was water, and it was cold and beautiful and—

WHOOSH! THUD!

Something whizzed past her ear and hit something behind her. She frowned and followed the noise. There was a tree and in the middle of the tree was a stick poking out of it… no, not a stick, an arrow.

Kit blinked, her brain trying to process this new information. An arrow almost hit her… but there had been no archer, no indication of any attack, no—

THUD!

Her head whipped back around to see the new noise. She looked down at her feet. A few centimeters away from her right foot was a big stick with a sharp end lodged into the ground. Someone had definitely thrown that at her.

She looked over at the other side of the pink water and squinted. Three figures stood with bows and arrows at the ready. Kit's eyes widened. Another arrow came at them, just barely missing Jack.

"Um, what the fuck?!" Kit exclaimed, not caring about the language she was using.

"Oh, now I remember," she heard the Doctor mutter to himself.

"Remember what?" Kit said, wide-eyed.

The Doctor never got to answer because all of a sudden Jack yelled, "Duck!" And shoved her to the ground. Another arrow whizzed past her, narrowly missing.

"I remember why I haven't brought you a lot here before," the Doctor said as he also dived to the ground. "This is a sacred pool for the people of this planet. Anyone who trespasses…" Another arrow went just barely over them.

"Seriously?!" Kit yelled. "How could you forget something like that?"

"I've been to many places, Kittredge," he lectured. "I've seen lots of sacred pools. It's hard to keep track."

Kit opened her mouth to yell at him, but Rose spoke before she could. "Forget it for now! Just run!"

Kit couldn't argue with that. They all scrambled to their feet and took off running through the jungle. All thoughts of the heat were long gone from her mind now as the adrenaline kicked in. If they lived through this, she was going to kill him.

She started to hear shouts from behind her and she realized with horror that there were more than three people now chasing them. Her eyes widened and she picked up the pace. Jack was running ahead of all of them, and she really hoped he remembered where they put the Tardis because she had no idea where she was going. All she could focus on were her feet moving and her lungs now burning.

A trip of a lifetime, she mocked the Doctor inside her head. Feels like every other trip we go on. It always ends with running.

Another swooshing sound went by her ear, but she didn't think she could run any faster. Just when she was about to give up hope, she spotted a familiar blue in the distance.

"Over there!" Jack shouted, pointing to the Tardis.

The sight of the Tardis gave her just enough energy to keep going. She started sprinting towards the machine, only looking behind once to see the five pursuers closing in. She saw her friends had already made it to the Tardis and Jack was waving at her. When had they gotten faster than her?

No matter. She was so close now. All she had to do was make it, climb aboard, and then they could take off.

She was only a few meters from the door when she heard it… "Kittredge!" A scream inside her head. A bloody scream. Not hers. Someone else. A woman.

It rattled her brain and burned her mind, threatening to drive her to her knees. But she fought the urge and kept running.

"KITTREDGE!"

It hurt. It felt like someone was pulling her apart. Like her skin was being ripped off and her bones were getting pulled out of her body. It wasn't possible; there was no way anyone could feel pain like this. What was happening?

This time it threw her off balance. Instinctively Kit reached for a handhold, but there wasn't one. She fell forward, hitting her face on the floor, and crashed onto her hands. For a moment, she was disoriented. Then it started again.

"KITTREDGE!"

Her head spun around. Her hands and knees stung from the fall. Her ears were ringing. Something wet dripped down her chin. Blood. There was blood dripping down her nose. Where was the voice coming from? Why did it feel like it was inside her head?

"Kit!" This voice she recognized. This voice was not in her head. The Doctor was standing outside the Tardis, yelling desperately at her. His face was twisted with worry, his arms were flailing. He was shouting, demanding her attention with the same urgency he used to shout at Daleks.

"I got her!" She heard Jack yell.

When her vision finally cleared she saw Jack running towards her. He grabbed her arm and threw her over his shoulder. "Bad time to fall, Kid."

Well, there goes my dignity, she vaguely thought as Jack ran with her to the Tardis.

He burst through the door with her still over his shoulder. Rose slammed the door shut behind them. Kit heard the Tardis starting up and making its familiar whizzing noises.

Jack finally put her down on the ground and Kit blinked still feeling a bit dizzy. She shook her head trying to get rid of the weird fog that was surrounding her mind.

She felt Rose looking at her as she sat limp and unmoving on the floor. Kit watched Rose glance at the Doctor, who was now staring at her. He was clearly worried about her.

"Don't move, Kittredge," Rose ordered. "You're bleeding."

"I know, I'm fine. Really." Kit tried to stand up and nearly fell back down again. She held her head in both hands and groaned. "Just…lost my balance. Must have hit it pretty hard on the way down."

The Doctor looked down at her with a frown. "That's not like you. You're usually more careful…"

"I—I'll tell you later," Kit managed to say. She felt a cold chill wash over her. What was that voice? That voice sounded like a woman and seemed to be inside her head.

The Doctor looked at her closely. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, really. Don't worry." But she was worried. She'd never heard anything like that before. Was it real or just some sort of hallucination brought on by stress?

But the words were real. They'd been said. And the pain…the pain was real too. It felt like someone was ripping her apart and all of a sudden Kit wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and hide.

Jack took her arm and helped her back to her feet. "Let me look at your nose." He inspected it carefully. "Don't think it's broken."

"Here." She heard the Doctor say and looked to see him handing her a handkerchief. He still wore calculating eyes and appeared to be deep in thought.

"Thanks," Kit said as she wiped away the blood. "God, we should've just stayed in the Tardis another day," she muttered mostly to herself.

"Why? So you could continue to lose in Mario Kart?" Jack joked.

Kit glared at him. "Funny. No, I meant this whole planet is turning into a nightmare… Also, I never lost in Mario Kart. You cheated."

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "All's fair in love and war, little red."

"Love and wa—it's Mario Kart!" Kit exclaimed.

Rose groaned. "Do you two ever stop fighting?"

"No," they said simultaneously.

"Anyways, It's not fighting, it's playful banter," Jack replied.

Rose tried to hide her laugh. "Doesn't look like it by Kittredge's murderous look on her face."

"That's because I am going to murder him one day."

"See? Playful," Jack grinned like he was having the time of his life.

Before she could retort, the TARDIS began to shake violently. Thrashing about this way and that. Rose gasped and jumped. Kit clung tightly to Jack as she fought off the nausea that threatened to overtake her.

The console room lit up brightly, then dimmed again.

The light and happy atmosphere seemed to quickly disappear. They had all been on the Tardis long enough to know what was normal Tardis shaking and what wasn't. This was one of those cases that did not feel normal.

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor frowned as he ran a scanner over the console. "Something seems wrong. Something is interfering with us."

"Interfering?" Kit asked hesitantly. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Something felt wrong. Very very wrong. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach like an iron weight pressing against her spine.

She couldn't explain why but she knew something bad was coming. She didn't want to admit it though. Not until she saw proof. Until then, she would pretend everything was okay. For now.

The Tardis shook again, sending everyone stumbling around. The walls of the console room vibrated. A few minutes passed and the Tardis stabilized once more.

The Doctor looked frantic as he scanned the console. His eyes darted left and right, searching for any sign of the cause of their distress. "It looks like the TARDIS itself is trying to send out a warning signal."

"Warning us of what?" Kit demanded. "What's happening?"

The Doctor looked scared. Genuine fear and that made Kit even more anxious. "I don't know. I can't find anything. I can't find anything," the Doctor stressed. "What's wrong, girl?" He asked the Tardis. "What's got you so scared?"

He sounded desperate. As if whatever was causing this might come through the door at any moment. But nothing came. Nothing. And yet, the feeling of dread persisted.

She opened her mouth to ask more but she never got a chance because as her words were about to leave her mouth a sharp pain in her head forced them back down. Then a wave of dizziness crashed over her. She grunted in pain and held her head in her hands. She knew this pain. She knew what it meant.

Before she could contemplate it further, there was a bright light behind her eyes. She opened her eyes and blinked rapidly. Everything was blurry.

The only thing she saw was a white blinding light. It was like staring directly into the sun. All sounds ceased to exist except for the loud ringing in her ears.

Her mind screamed, 'run!' but her body wouldn't obey.

Kit was trapped inside the blinding light. Frozen in its presence. Trapped between the world and the void.

A voice echoed in her ear. Like the voice of someone calling from far away. "KIT!"

She turned toward the source of the call. There was nothing there. No Tardis. No Doctor. No Rose. No Jack. Just the blinding light.

But she heard it. She could hear the voice. Calling her name. Trying to reach her.

But she never was able to reach it. The world spun and spun and spun and then…nothing.