"So, Doctor, where are we going now?" Rose asked eager to go on another adventure.
"I thought we could go somewhere in the future. Or I could set it to random and see where it takes us." The Doctor was working on the Tardis, fixing her wiring, and waiting for Layla to join them. It's odd, usually she is here by now. He stops for a second and realizes he can hear her. She is talking, and she is making her way to the console and getting more audible the closer she comes.
"Sure, Mickey Mouse. I can ask them. Yes, it shouldn't be. Of course, I would. What's the date there? Alright if they agree you will see us soon bye-bye." Layla looked at them and smiled. "Well, if we don't have anything planned for us, Mickey was telling me about this school and the kids there that are smarter than they should be, and something about a UFO sighting. He wants us to look into it, he thinks aliens are involved with it."
The Doctor shrugged. "Sure, we can go. We didn't have a plan set yet." Layla gives the Doctor the date and he works on the console.
Rose looks over at Layla questioningly. "Why did Mickey call you and not me?" She didn't understand why Mickey would call Layla over her about a mystery. The Doctor also wanted to know why Mickey had called her, but didn't want to ask.
Layla looks at Rose oddly. "I call him every other day or right after an adventure." She shrugs. "We just catch up on anything new going on and just staying connected. Why? Do you not talk to him?"
Rose bit her lip and looked a little sheepish. As a matter of fact, she hasn't called Mickey at all, hasn't even crossed her mind to call him. Rose's face and her silence tells Layla the answer she had honestly expected. Rose has been…drifting away from her and Mickey, hell even her mum doesn't get called often. Layla makes sure to call Jackie a couple of times a week so she doesn't worry. Rose is getting so wrapped up with the Doctor and traveling, that she is neglecting her relationships at home. Layla sighs in disappointment. "You should at least call your mum. She misses you and always asks why you don't call her."
"You talk to mum too?!"
"Of course I do. Jackie has been there for me since I was fourteen. She worries and if calling her a couple of times a week helps ease that worry, then I'm going to do it."
Rose felt even guiltier for not updating her mum. "I'll start calling her more often. I promise."
"That's not a promise you need to make to me, Rose, that would be your mum." Layla looked over at the Doctor, who for once did the smart thing and stayed quiet and out of the domestics happening. He wasn't happy with how often Layla and Mickey apparently talked, but he was glad she was keeping up with the other members that are the closest thing to family that she has. He was also slightly disappointed in Rose, too. She had her mum, her family, and she is neglecting her. He swallowed hard as he thought about the family he once had and no longer does. "Anyways, we are going to need some documents and reasons to be at the school, so we can investigate."
As soon as she said that, a bell went off and papers popped out from part of the console. The Doctor gives a smile as he reads what is on them. "The Tardis already did that for us. I can also adjust the perception filter on your jewelry so you don't have to take it out for the school." He misses the grateful glance Layla sends him as he reads through the papers the Tardis gave him. He is happy with his assignment and is glad that Layla will be with him during the day, but he inwardly winced and chuckled at what job the Tardis have given Rose to do. She is not going to be happy. Not at all.
Xxxxxx
Layla is sitting in the back of the classroom waiting for the teacher to come in. The Tardis had her as a teacher's aide as her job to get into the school. That meant that she had to follow the teacher for all of their classes. The door opens and the man enters wearing a brown suit and white sneakers. Layla has to smile, as least she will be with the Doctor all day and get to see him teach, which she knows he loves to do because he is always explaining things to people.
"Good morning, class. Are we sitting comfortably?" He looks at Layla and gives her a pleased smile. He is so thankful for his lovely ship. Not only does he get to spend the day with her, but the Tardis also picked out her outfit like she normally does, and the Doctor has to say, he really likes it. She is wearing a black skirt that stops about mid-thigh with black pantyhose to hide her tattoos and they highlight her lovely curves. Several inch high black heels that make her legs look fantastic and they give him all kinds of ideas that are not appropriate right now. The white button up shirt is also on the smaller side because it is pretty tight across her chest. She also has a tie on, which she pulls off very well.
He writes on the chalkboard: physics. "So, physics. Physics, eh? Physics. Physics. Physics! Physics. Physics. Physics. Physics. Physics. Physics. Physics. Physics. I hope you're all getting this down." He looks at Layla and can see that she is silently laughing at him. "Okay, let's see what you know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?"
Only one boy in the class raised his hand. The Doctor will take what he can get and talks to the boy. "Yes, er, what's your name?"
"Milo."
"Milo! Off you go."
"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge." He says with no hesitation.
The Doctor is interested. Of course, he could have read ahead, but maybe this is what Mickey was talking about when he called Layla. "Correctamundo! A word I have never used before and hopefully never again." The kids just look at him blankly and he clears his throat and moves on. "Question two. I coil up a thin piece of microwire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this. How do I measure the electrical power going to the coil?" Once again, the only child to raise their hand is Milo. "Someone else?" The Doctor wondered. "No? Okay, Milo, go for it."
"Measure the current and PDS in an ammeter and a voltmeter." Again answered with no hesitation.
The Doctor looked at him slightly impressed. Unless he absolutely loved physics and read more than required, he probably wouldn't know the answer. The Doctor hones in on him and can see more and more that something is wrong with this child. "Two to Milo. Right then, Milo, tell me this. The greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings."
"False."
"What is non-coding DNA?"
"DNA that doesn't code for protein."
The Doctor tries to stump the kid with his next question. "Sixty-five thousand and eighty-three times five?"
"Three hundred and twenty-nine thousand and fifteen."
The Doctor wants to see how far his knowledge goes and asks a question that no human should know, let alone a child. "How do you travel faster than light?"
"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of thirty-six-point-seven recurring."
The Doctor's jaw drops in disbelief. He looks towards Layla and gives her a nod, letting her know that Mickey was right about there being a problem here. He watches as anger blazes in her eyes and he knows it is because children are involved and that is one thing she won't stand for, hurting children. But once again, like it was on Satellite Five, her fury was enticing and so was her protective instincts towards children. To him, she is fierce.
Xxxxxx
The Doctor and Layla are going through the lunch line. A pile of mash is splattered onto the Doctor's tray and he walks away with Layla with a grin on his face. They sit at a table and Layla starts to eat the food that looked the healthiest. "She is going to kill you, you know?"
The Doctor snickers. "I'm not the one who picked her job. She can take it up with the Tardis, but I don't recommend that when the Tardis can hide rooms and shift hallways."
Layla smiles in amusement at the image of Rose yelling at the Tardis and then the Tardis making Rose go through a maze to get anywhere. "She does have an odd sense of humor. It seems she likes to pick on Rose more than me though, she is always doing things for me without me asking most the time."
The Doctor gives her a soft smile. He knows exactly why the Tardis does that and it wasn't just the bond between him and her. The Tardis liked her character and personality. Layla treats her well, and the Tardis responds in kind. He smells the chip he had on his fork and then took a small bite. His face scrunches up and he takes the chip off and pushes them away. Layla was watching the whole time snickering at him.
The Doctor's eyes light up with amusement as Rose comes over to wipe down their table. She glares at him, annoyed. "Two days."
He just points to a spot on the table. "Sorry, could you just? There's a bit of gravy." She wipes it but he just points to another spot. "No, no, just, just there."
"Two days, we've been here."
"Blame your boyfriend. He's the one who asked us to do this. And he was right. Boy in class this morning, he has knowledge way beyond earth."
Rose seems to ignore him and points to his chips. "You eating those chips?"
He pushes them towards her. "Yeah, they're a bit different."
Rose takes a bit and groans at the taste. "I think they're gorgeous. Wish I had school dinners like this."
The Doctor is looking around the and watching the children. They are all eating quietly and there was no rough housing. "It's very well behaved, this place."
"Mmm." Was all Rose said as she ate more. Layla was also looking around and watching the kids and she could see that physically, they looked fine. Healthy. But someone or something was messing with their brains, and she was worried that it would have long term damage.
"I thought there'd be happy slapping hoodies. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBO's. Happy slapping hoodies with ASBO's and ringtones. Huh? Huh? Oh, yeah. Don't tell me I don't fit in."
"You don't fit in, Grandpa." Layla deadpanned.
"Oi!" He looks at her with a little heat. "Didn't I warn you about calling me that?" He's enjoying the teasing. He also enjoys it because the first time he responded to it as a joke, but she continues to say it letting him know that she also enjoys the teasing.
She smirks at him and gives him a wink. "Oh, I didn't forget." Like now, he thought. Desire flows through him as he imagines just how he wants to punish her. He is brought out of his thoughts when the head dinner lady comes storming over.
"You are not permitted to leave your station during a sitting." She snapped at Rose.
"I was just talking to this teacher." She points to the Doctor.
"Hello!" He says happily.
"He doesn't like the chips." Rose fake whispered to the woman, trying to not get in trouble for talking while simultaneously throwing the Doctor under the bus.
The woman's demeanor changed and she looked so offended that he doesn't. "The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance." She turns to Rose. "Now, get back to work." She walks away in a huff.
"See? This is me. Dinner lady." She complains.
"I'll have the crumble." He teased her.
Rose narrows her eyes at him. "I'm so going to kill you."
It isn't long after Rose leaves them that a teacher walks over to a girl. "Melissa. You'll be joining my class for next period. Milo has failed me, so it's time we moved you up to the top class." He turns and looks at one boy who had brought his lunch to school. "Kenny, not eating the chips?"
Kenny shakes his head. "I'm not allowed to."
The teacher writes him off and turns to another student. "Luke. Extra class. Now." Luke and Melissa obediently get up and follow after the teacher. The Doctor and Layla had watched the scene with narrowed eyes. The Doctor happens to look up and sees the headmaster standing on a balcony and watching all the kids with an oily smile and a look in his eyes that the Doctor does not like.
Xxxxxx
Rose was not a happy camper. Why was she the one stuck being the dinner lady? Why couldn't she be the teachers aide? She was finishing up drying the dishes and something odd catches her eye. She watches as the other dinner ladies bring in a drum on a rolling cart and they are all wearing what looked like hazmat suits and breathing masks. They are walking slow and the barrel looks odd as well, a lot of strange looking symbols.
"Careful. Keep it steady. Don't spill a drop. I said, keep it steady. Careful. That's it. Easy now. Steady." The lead dinner lady was calmly giving the commands to the other workers. Rose's phone begins to ring and she somewhat hides behind some racks so she can talk and watch them at the same time. "Right. Second barrel. Quickly now!" The lead lady ordered.
"What you got?" Rose semi whispered to Mickey.
"Confirmation. I just got into army records. Three months ago, massive UFO activity. They logged over forty sightings. Lights in the sky, all of that. I can't get any photos, because then it gets all classified and secret. Keeps locking me out."
"Tell you what, though. Three months ago, turns out all the kitchen staff were replaced. And this lot are weird." Rose watched the workers bring in the barrels and they were acting like it was toxic waste.
"See? There's definitely something going on. I was right to ask you guys to come back." His voice was smug and he was happy to prove that he wasn't an idiot to think that this was important.
"I thought you might have asked 'cos you wanted me to come home."
Mickey shook his head at that. She barely talks to him and then she thinks he made up something to see her? He still loved her, of course he did, but he knew where her priorities were. "You think I'd just invent an emergency?"
"You could've done."
"That's the last thing I'd do. Because every time I see you, an emergency just gets in the way."
Rose watches as the barrel of oil falls over. One of the women gets splashed and starts screaming. You'd think they just cut off her finger the way she carried on. "I've got to go." Rose told Mickey as she hung up and started to call an ambulance.
"Get her up, get her up!" The lead lady was demanding. She looks around and spots Rose on her phone and looking at them. "What're you doing?"
"Calling an ambulance." Rose told her.
"No need. She's quite alright." There was whoomph, fire and a terrifying scream. "It's fine. She does that." She goes into the room that is full of smoke leaving Rose outside. Rose looks at the oil and see that the oil that had spilt has eaten through metal.
Xxxxxx
"Yesterday, I had a twelve-year-old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy in cubits." One of the teachers was semi-complaining.
"And, it's ever since the new headmaster arrived?" The Doctor asked him.
"Finch arrived three months ago. Next day, half the staff got the flu. Finch replaced them with that lot, except for the teacher you replaced, and that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that." The teacher was looking at the Doctor with some suspicion in his eyes.
"How's that weird?" The Doctor had to hide a smirk.
"She never played. Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight."
"Hmm. The world is very strange." The Doctor and Layla looked at each other trying not to laugh.
"There are a lot of generous people out there, maybe she did something for someone and they appreciated it so much, this was their way of paying her back." Layla bites her lip and flutters her eyelashes. She could see the suspicion leave his eyes as he nods dumbly with a slightly glazed look in his eyes as he looked at her.
The Doctor sees this and swallows a growl. He restrains himself from grabbing her, throwing her over his shoulder and taking her away. He didn't want others to look at her like that. She was his. His. And they shouldn't look at her with lust in their eyes. He does put his arm around her lower back and pinches her hip, his fingers digging in slightly. He feels her shiver and knows she would have whimpered like she did in New Earth had they been alone. She was quite good at hiding her reactions. He pouted slightly thinking about how he couldn't get her to blush. Nothing embarrassed her and she wasn't shy. She wasn't afraid to say what she wanted.
The headmaster enters the room and brings in a woman with him. Layla can feel his fingers spasm and looks at him to see him looking at the woman with wide surprised eyes. Layla looks at the woman and wonders who she was to the Doctor. Layla goes to step away from the Doctor so he could talk to the woman but he refuses to let go of her and pulls her back to him so she is against his side.
"Excuse me, colleagues. A moment of your time. May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Time. I thought it might be useful for her to get a view from the trenches, so to speak. Don't spare my blushes." Finch leaves after the introduction and Sarah Jane looks around before she sees a young couple and walks over to them. "Hello."
"Oh, I should think so." The Doctor gives her this big grin.
"And, you are?"
"Hm? Er, Smith. John Smith. And this is Layla Stevenson."
Sarah Jane is taken back to many years ago and reminisces. "John Smith. I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name."
The Doctor shrugged but doesn't lose his grin, it was starting to look creepy. "Well, it's a very common name."
Sarah Jane hums. "He was a very uncommon man. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you. Yes, very nice. More than nice. Brilliant." He was giddy. Layla thought he was too giddy and was going to scare her off, he was giving off some red flags that women tend to avoid when it comes to men.
Layla could see that Sarah Jane was getting a little uncomfortable with him. "Er, so, er, have you worked here long?"
"No, er, it's only our second day."
This seems to interest Sarah Jane. "Oh, you're new, then. So, what do you think of the school. I mean, this new curriculum? So many children getting ill. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"
The Doctor gives her a knowing grin. "You don't sound like someone doing a profile."
She shrugs her shoulders. "Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here."
"No. Good for you." The Doctors smile seems to increase into a manic one and he looked a little deranged. Sarah Janes moves away going to talk to other teachers, but also because she thought this guy was a little…odd. "Good for you. Oh, good for you, Sarah Jane Smith."
The Doctor looks at Layla who had her brows raised. "Nice going Doctor, as a woman, I can honestly say that you scared her. You might as well have asked if you can have a picture of her, or have a strand of her hair, follow her home and look in her windows, hell maybe even sniff her knickers."
The Doctor blushed and then looked at her in horror at how he must have come across to her. After all, he knew her, but she wouldn't know him as he was. "She is going to avoid me now, isn't she?"
"Yep. Who is she? You obviously know her. I am going to go with either an old lover, a past companion, or maybe even both."
"Well, er, maybe." The Doctor was sheepish to admit this. He isn't embarrassed by his past when it comes to women, but he didn't want her to think badly of him and that when it comes to them, that might be all he is after. He was afraid of how she was going to react.
She bumped shoulders with him. "Nothing wrong with that. You are centuries old and I don't for one second believe you weren't a horn dog. I already assumed you had other companions, otherwise being alone would have been terrible for you."
The Doctor watched her to see if she was hiding any negative emotions, but all he could see was understanding. And there were no negative emotions from her, she wasn't upset by his past. His past doesn't define him and with as old as he is, she wouldn't want him to have been traveling alone. Besides, she has had other relationships and she would be a hypocrite if she got mad at his past.
"Word of advice though, Doctor. Lose the insane, 'I'm going to kill you, stuff you under my bed and bring you out for holidays' smile. Then she won't run away from you again."
"Right, er, will do."
Xxxxxx
Later that night the Doctor, Layla, Rose, and Mickey all come back to the school to look for more information. Rose was looking around and there were so many shadows making it spooky. "Oh, it's weird seeing school at night. It just feels wrong. When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school."
"Alright, team. Oh, I hate people who say team. Er, gang. Er, comrades. Anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen. Get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all math teachers. Go and check out the math department. I'm going to look in Finch's office. Layla, who do you want to go with?"
"I'll go with Mickey. He won't know where the math department is and I can show him so he doesn't get lost."
The Doctor sighed. He had been hoping that she would go with him, but he can see her reasoning. Plus, he knows that whenever they come home, she always makes sure to spend some time with him. "Be back here in ten minutes."
After the Doctor leaves, Rose looks at Mickey who was shifting around and glancing all around him. "You going to be alright?"
"Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm and expert at this."
"Besides, he has me going with him. I can save the damsel in distress." Layla laughs as Mickey sticks his tongue out at her. "Good luck with the oil, Rose."
"You too. See you in a few."
Xxxxxx
The Doctor was on his way to Finch's office and he will deny it to anyone that he was pouting. However, something ahead caught his attention. He sees Sarah Jane opening the storeroom where they parked the Tardis. He quietly walks up to her and she has yet to notice him. Quietly to not scare her he gets her attention. "Hello, Sarah Jane."
Sarah Jane was still startled a little bit. She had not expected to see him. She looks at him and sees the difference between her Doctor and this Doctor. "It's you. Oh, Doctor oh, my god, it's you, isn't it? You've regenerated."
He sticks his hands in his pockets and nods. "Yeah. Half a dozen times since we last met."
She looks him up and down and takes in this regeneration. "You look incredible."
"So do you." And he meant that. Not in a sexual way or anything, because he now has Layla. But she didn't look much different from the last time he had seen her.
"Huh. I got old." She says self-deprecatingly. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, UFO sighting, school gets record results. I couldn't resist. What about you?" Plus, even though Mickey was the one to ask her, Layla had asked him to check it out, especially since children were involved and he would do anything for her.
She smiles. "The same." She frowns at him, her features turning somber. "I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must have died." Her voice catches and there is a sheen in her eyes.
The Doctor looked at her with a pained stare as he thinks of the past. His shoulders hunch, his hands start to tremble in his pockets, and he swallows harshly. "I lived. Everyone else died."
Sarah's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
The Doctor's hearts clenched at having to repeat himself. "Everyone died, Sarah." He says quietly, and he bites the inside of his cheek to keep from breaking down now.
Sarah wasn't sure what had happened for them all to die, but she could see the desolate look in his eyes and the tension in his face and posture. "I can't believe it's you." She said wanting to get that look off his face. Before he can reply they hear a high-pitched scream and they both take off towards it. The Doctor was worried that it was Layla had screamed. He hadn't heard her scream before so he rushed forward not knowing who it was.
Sarah keeps pace with him and gives him a smile. "Okay, now I can!"
They almost collide with Rose before they turn down the hallway leading to the math department. Rose looked at Sarah with narrowed eyes. Who is she and why was she with the Doctor? "Did you hear that? Who is she?" Asking the last question with a bad-mannered tone.
The Doctor wasn't paying attention to the tension that had developed between the two females. "Rose, Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane, Rose."
Sarah Jane feels that pinch in her heart that he had moved on with new people. "Hi. Nice to meet you." She said to Rose not at rudely as Rose, but not fully polite either. She looks towards the Doctor. "You can tell you're getting older. Your assistants are getting younger." Sarah was upset with this news and wanted to needle the girl unfairly because she was replaced.
Rose looked outraged and insulted. "I'm not his assistant."
"No? Get you, tiger." She says to the Doctor. She and Rose are behind him so they don't see his look of disgust that Sarah thinks that, let alone said it out loud.
They get closer to the math room and hear hysterical laughter and it makes the Doctor smile because he knows that laugh. They burst into the room to see Mickey sitting on the floor surrounded by something and Layla a few feet away from him laughing so hard she has to use a desk to keep herself upright. She looks to the Doctor and laughs again knowing that Mickey will have to explain what happened.
"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell on me." He hands one of said items to the Doctor and Layla was trying to calm down, but a 'pfft' escapes her lips in a failed attempt.
Rose looks at the items with disgust. "Oh, my god, they're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats."
This was too good of an opportunity to pass up and the Doctor just had to make fun of him. "And you decided to scream."
"It took me by surprise!" Mickey semi hollered indignantly.
"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt." The Doctor continued and he felt a warmth in his body as he hears Layla laughing again.
"It was dark! I was covered in rats!"
Layla walks up and picks one of the rats up and hands it to the Doctor, amusement clear in her eyes and she was still trying to not laugh while she said this. "Here you go, dinner. Jackie wasn't sure what you ate, thought it could have been safety pins and grass. I already know you eat grass, but what about rats? Is that in your alien diet? I need to know so I can tell her for when she wants to cook you something."
The look of horror and disgust on his face set her off again. His face softens as he watches her, with her head thrown back in laughter, a huge smile on her face, and her cheeks pink from exertion.
Rose looked at her annoyed, the sooner they finish the sooner that this Sarah Jane leaves. "Hello, can we focus? Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?"
"Well, obviously they use them in biology lessons. They dissect them. Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?" Sarah said snippily. Still hurt that he moved onto the next youngest women to be his companions. She wasn't upset about Layla, surprisingly. Layla had looked at Sarah with a huge smile and no negative emotions. She could also see that Layla seemed to tease the Doctor a lot, and he could always use that in his life.
"Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years. Where are you from, the dark ages?" Sarah feels that pinch again about her age and her no longer being a companion.
The Doctor was looking between them at a loss of what to do. He didn't want to see them argue, but he didn't want to have to deal with a domestic issue. So, he ignored it for now, hoping they could work out whatever was wrong with them. "Anyway, moving on. Everything started when Mister Finch arrived. We should go and check his office."
The Doctor was leading the way with Sarah Jane and Rose behind him. Layla and Mickey were at the back watching the drama take place. Layla looked at Mickey and whispered to him quietly. "Wanna make a bet about whether there will be a cat fight or not?"
He looks back and forth between the woman and Rose and can see the looks on their faces. "No way. I can already see that happening. I'd rather just enjoy the show."
Rose looked at Sarah Jane. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?"
"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor." She boasts proudly.
Rose gives her a nasty smirk. "Oh. Well, he's never mentioned you." Rose was now the one feeling a pinch in her heart. She didn't like the idea of the Doctor traveling with other people, let alone other women. Rose thought that she was special being able to travel with him and know about aliens and other planets. And now she knows that there are others and it takes away that feeling.
"Oh, I must've done. Sarah Jane. Mention her all the time." The Doctor winced at the awful lie. He also did not like thinking about his past companions and how he would leave them so he didn't have to watch them age. But he knew that Sarah would be hurt that he hadn't mentioned her before. He isn't sure why Rose would be under the impression that he had been alone for the last nine hundred years, though. At least Layla took it better and wasn't upset about it.
"Hold on. Sorry. Never." Rose rubbed salt into the wound. Sure, it was petty, but that is what jealousy can do to you.
Sarah's face fell. There was a painful tightness in her throat and the feeling of betrayal rises again. "What, not even once? He didn't mention even once?"
The Doctor slowed down letting Rose and Sarah Jane pass him. He wanted to be by Layla and her ability to calm him. Mickey pats him on the shoulder. "Ho, ho, mate. The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare." He too walks ahead leaving Layla and the Doctor behind.
He expression sours and he is petulant. "She is not my missus. That is just wrong to even think about." The Doctor wanted Layla to know that he didn't think of Rose that way. He had been making great progress with her, and he didn't want that ruined because of a misunderstanding.
Layla grabs his hand and squeezes it. "It'll be fine, Doctor. If not, I can shove them into a room and lock them in until they make peace. Without access to the bathroom or food, they would make it rather quickly." The Doctor cracked a grin and squeezed her hand in appreciation.
Xxxxxx
They get to headmaster's office and the Doctor uses his sonic on the lock and peaks inside. "Maybe those rats were food."
"Food for what?" Rose asked wondering what ate the rats in a school.
"Rose, you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school? Well, they do." He pushes the door open a little wider allowing the others to see that inside the room there were giant bats hanging from the ceiling.
"No way!" Mickey noped the hell out of there and runs while the others follow behind him at a calmer pace. They get out to the school yard before Mickey slows down and he turns to them when they come closer. "I am not going back in there. No way."
"Those were teachers." It seemed like Rose was having a hard time wrapping her brain around that.
"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies, and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on." The Doctor was going to head back into the school.
"Come on? You've got to be kidding me!" Mickey knew the Doctor was crazy, but this seemed to take it to another level.
"I need the Tardis. I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen."
Sarah grabs his arm, feeling the minute flinch he gives, but shakes it off for now. "I might be able to help you there. I've got something to show you."
Sarah Jane leads them over to her car and opens the boot and pulls a sheet off of what she is wanting the Doctor to see. He looks at in surprised happiness. "K9! Layla Stevenson, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, allow me to introduce K9. Well, K9 Mark Three to be precise."
Rose looks at the metal dog with an unimpressed look on her face. "Why does he look so disco?"
"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge." He looks at Sarah Jane. "What's happened to him?"
"Oh, one day, he just, nothing." Layla could hear the sadness in her voice. From what she can see, the Doctor gave her K9 and she used to be a companion. So, when they stopped traveling together, Sarah Jane must have seen K9 as a connection to the Doctor and without it working, she no longer had something tying them together.
"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?" He asked dumbly.
"Doctor, replay that question in your head and think hard about what you just asked." Layla said amused that he didn't already realize the problem.
Sarah Jane smiled at Layla and pointed at her indicating she was right. "Well, it's not like getting parts for a Mini Metro. Besides, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone." She protested.
"Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you, eh?" He is petting the dog with happiness and Sarah Jane looks at Rose like she had just won.
Rose glared at her and turned to the Doctor. "Look, no offense, but could you two just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog. We're busy." The Doctor and Sarah stop petting the dog and she closes the hood. They all pile into her car and she takes them to a nearby coffee shop so the Doctor can work on K9.
xxxxxx
Rose is ordering chips up at the counter and Mickey followed her to rub it in about the Doctor and his past. Layla watches slightly amused because she still didn't understand why Rose thought that they were the first companions he has ever had in over nine hundred years of traveling. But she also knows that Mickey is hurting over the way that Rose is treating him, and while it is petty of him, he isn't wrong in what he is saying really.
"You see, what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her and I still haven't said I told you so." He sends her a smirk and his eyes light up in amusement at the angry pout on her face.
"I'm not listening to this." She turns as if to snub him.
"Although, I have prepared a little I was right dance that I can show you later." The woman at the counter asks for payment and Rose hands it over. When Rose has her chips, they head over to the table where Layla is sitting. "All this time you've been saying it, he's different, when the truth is, he's just like any other bloke."
"You don't know what you're talking about." She mutters and rapidly eats her chips.
"Maybe not. But if I were you, I'd go easy on the chips." Layla quietly chuckles as she looks at Rose's face that was stuffed like a chipmunk full of chips.
"I don't understand why you would think he was all alone when he traveled before he met us. That would be terribly lonely and I wouldn't want that for a friend. The Doctor is a people person, he makes as many friends just as much as enemies. He is also centuries old; did you expect him to be celibate? We are human Rose and he doesn't age, you can't expect us to be running with him on adventures when we are in our eighties. That wouldn't be possible. I think it would hurt him too. To spend that many years with us, to be that attached to us, and then to watch us age and die right in front of him. That would be a hard thing to see, and after meeting Sarah Jane, I can understand why he never mentioned her and why he doesn't travel with her or any other companions anymore." Rose throws her an angry glare at which Layla just looks unimpressed at. But what she said does get Rose thinking and wondering about some things.
Xxxxxx
The Doctor was focused intently on repairing K9, but he was still having small talk with Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane is watching him and thinking about the past and wondering about his connection to Rose. She seemed like the jealous girlfriend and Layla was just amused by the tension that was between herself and Rose. "I thought of you on Christmas Day. This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead. I thought, oh yeah, bet he's up there."
He nods his head distractedly. "Right on top of it, yeah."
"…And Rose?" She was a little hesitant to ask, not sure what answer she would get.
"She was there too. So was Layla and Mickey."
"Did I do something wrong, because you never came back for me. You just dumped me." Sarah Jane winced slightly at the bitter longing she could hear when she asked that. She also knew it wasn't fair because she was the one that wanted to leave and be on her own for a bit, but she always assumed that after a while he would come back and they could travel again.
"I told you. I was called back home and, in those days, humans weren't allowed." It was hard talking about this. He had missed Sarah Jane, of course, but when he needed to go back, she had wanted a break from the traveling. Yeah, he could have come back for her eventually, but she was aging, and he couldn't continue to watch her wither and die right in front of him, while he stayed the same.
"I waited for you. I missed you."
"Oh, you didn't need me. You were getting on with your life." He didn't want to come into her life again and disrupt everything she had built for herself with the opportunity to travel again.
"You were my life. You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, or with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles, and then you just dropped me back on earth. How could anything compare to that?" She didn't mean to sound so clingy, but she had hoped he would have come back for her, and instead, it seems as if he just replaced her.
"All those things you saw, do you want me to apologize for that?" The Doctor really didn't know what she wanted him to say.
"No, but we get a taste of the splendor and then we have to go back."
"Look at you, you're investigating. You found that school. You're doing what we always did." He wanted her to see that just because she was on earth, doesn't mean she can't have adventures without him.
"You could have come back." There, she said it. He could have, and he didn't.
He shook his head. "I couldn't." And he could see that she didn't understand why he couldn't come back for her. Because he knew that they would travel for years and he would watch her age.
"Why not?" The Doctor didn't answer her and continued working on K9. He didn't want to think about it anymore or talk about it either. No one understands the heartache he has when he remembers his companions and know that many of them are not alive anymore.
Sarah Jane could see that she had made him uncomfortable and she wanted to lighten the tension. "It wasn't Croydon. Where you dropped me off, that wasn't Croydon."
"Where was it?" He wasn't surprised, he got the destination wrong a lot, not that he would ever admit that aloud.
She smirked at him. "Aberdeen."
He mentally winced and pretended that he didn't know the distance. "Right. That's next to Croydon, isn't it?" He fiddles with the last bit of wires and K9 comes back to life. "Oh, hey. Now we're in business."
"Master."
The Doctor beamed. "He recognizes me."
"Affirmative."
"Rose, give us the oil." He holds his hands out waiting for the container.
"I wouldn't touch it, though. That dinner lady got all scorched." She warned him.
"They are using it to feed human children. It must only affect them, not other species." Layla said disgruntled. Still upset that children are involved with this.
"I'm no dinner lady… and I don't say that often." He tells Rose as he smears the oil onto K9's probe.
"…Does that mean you have, at one point, called yourself a dinner lady?" Layla asked him with a cheeky smile.
The Doctor just looked at her and then turned back to K9, not answering her question. "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go."
"Oil. Ex ex ex extract. Ana ana analyzing."
"Listen to him, man. That's a voice." Mickey was chuckling.
"Careful. That's my dog." It was said sternly, but the smile Sarah Jane gave him let Mickey know she was joking.
"Confirmation of analysis. Substance is Krillitane Oil."
The Doctor's face falls. "They're Krillitanes."
"Is that bad?" Rose asked after seeing his face.
He nods his head. "Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad."
"So, worse than Game Station bad?" Layla asked him worried about possibly another regeneration.
"Okay, maybe not that bad, but still bad enough to be cautious."
"And what are Krillitanes?" Sarah Jane asked, in all her travels with the Doctor, she had never come across them.
"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mix of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by. You've got bits of Viking, France, and other bits of whatever. The Krillitanes are the same. An Amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks."
"Do you mean long necks like giraffes? Or long necks like humans that purposely stretch their neck out? 'Cos, I don't see how long necks would be the best physical aspect you could take from a race. Unless it was like a giraffe and they wanted to reach an apple off a tree without a ladder."
They all snorted at the image of them having giraffe necks before Rose brings to conversation back on topic. "What're they doing here?"
"It's the children. They're doing something to the children."
"And I'm going to do something to them, how dare they use children for whatever plan they have." Layla snarled.
The Doctor grabbed her hand and squeezed. "We'll stop them. The children will be okay."
Xxxxxx
Mickey helps Sarah put K9 back into the boot of her car while Layla leans up against the car. "So, what's the deal with the tin dog?" He didn't really see what was so cool about it, it didn't really look all that advanced to him.
"The Doctor likes traveling with an entourage. Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes they're tin dogs. What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?"
"Me? I'm their Man in Havana. I'm the technical support." He pauses for a second as a thought hits him. "I'm... Oh, my god. I'm the tin dog."
"No, Mickey Mouse, you're not. You've helped us out more than the Doctor wants to credit you for. You have grown since you first met the Doctor, and you haven't even traveled with him…yet." Mickey looks at her gratefully. He knows that she will always stand up for him and he really appreciates that. But her words have got him thinking, maybe there is a change in his future.
Layla looks as the Doctor walks out of the coffee shop and gives him a smile, she then sees Rose storming out and knows that a spat was about to occur. She heads over to them to see if she can keep things calm. The Doctor gives her with a beaming smile and picks up his pace a little to reach her sooner. She comes up in time for Rose to catch up with the Doctor and snap at him. "How many of us have there been traveling with you?"
"Does it matter?" He asked her. He really didn't see why it did. That she believed he had been alone until they came along was crazy.
"Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line."
"As opposed to what?" He then realizes that she thinks they have more of a relationship than they actually do.
"I thought you and me were. I obviously got it wrong. I've been to the year five billion, right, but this? Now this is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind. Is that what you're going to do to us?"
The Doctor looks at her pained. He then looks at Layla worried that she would think the same, and he is a little heartbroken to see that understanding look on her face. Like she had always expected that eventually, he would leave them. And he knows that finding a time to tell Layla about the bond was now at the top of his priorities He didn't want her to go on thinking that he was going to leave her. But he can see why she would think that since she doesn't know about their bond yet. "No." he said firmly making sure to look at Layla to get her to see that he was being truthful.
Rose looked past him and sees Sarah Jane and it just brought doubts back to her mind. "But Sarah Jane? You were that close to her once, and now you never even mention her. Why not?"
"I don't age. I regenerate. But human's decay. You wither and die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you…" He trailed off just wanting to be done with this conversation. He also couldn't think of a way to let Layla know she was different without giving Rose hope or an idea of them being together.
Rose looked at him with hope. "What Doctor?"
"You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can't spend the rest of mine with you." He looked at Rose specifically when saying this. "There are only certain beings that could have the same lifespan as a Time Lord and you don't fit the requirements for it." He then looked towards Layla and tried to convey that she fit the requirements and he couldn't tell if she understood or not, because she was just looking at him curiously.
"Time Lord." They hear whispered on the wind. The Doctor looked up and a giant bat swoops down. He quickly grabs Layla and pulls her down out of the way of the bat and watch as it flies off.
Sarah Jane came running over. "Was that a Krillitane?"
"But it didn't even touch her. It just flew off. What did it do that for?" Rose asked confused, her conversation with the Doctor had been forgotten for now.
Xxxxxx
They had all stayed the night at Sarah Jane's flat and the Doctor still wasn't able to tell Layla about their bond. Too many people in one flat, and there was no privacy. The next morning, they all pile back into Sarah Jane's car and go to the school. In the parking lot, the Doctor turns to them and gives them order's on where to go and what to do.
"Layla, Rose, and Sarah Jane, you go to the math room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here you might need this." He pulls out his sonic and Rose holds her hand out for it, but the Doctor gives it to Layla and causing Rose to frown unhappily. "Mickey, surveillance. I want you outside."
"Just stand outside?" Now he was unhappy.
"Here, take these you can keep K9 company." Sarah Jane tosses her keys to Mickey.
"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack." The Doctor sends him a smirk.
"But he's metal!"
"I didn't mean for him."
"What're you going to do?" Rose questioned.
The Doctor's face was grim, and he didn't look at her when he replied, but they could hear the flatness in his tone. "It's time I had a word with Mister Finch."
He heads in first and the women trail after him, but before they go in, Layla hands the sonic to the closest female to her, who happened to be Sarah Jane. "I'm going to stay with Mickey and keep him company. This way there is two groups of two and then the Doctor."
"Alright, see you soon." Sarah Jane told her.
Xxxxxx
The Doctor and Finch had somehow ended up meeting in the room with the swimming pool. They faced each other, with the pool in between them. The Doctor narrows his eyes at Finch. "Who are you?"
"My name is Brother Lassa. And you?"
"The Doctor. Since when did Krillitanes have wings?"
"It's been our form for nearly ten generations now. Our ancestors invaded Bessan. The people there had some rather lovely wings. They made a million widows in one day. Just imagine." Finch had this serene look on his face and he imagined that day.
The Doctor looked on disgusted. "And now you're shaped human."
Finch shrugs. "A personal favorite, that's all."
"And the others?"
"My brothers remain in bat form. What you see is a simple morphic illusion. Scratch the surface and the true Krillitane lies beneath." He pauses for a second before looking at the Doctor with a glint in his eyes. "And what of the Time Lords? I always thought of you as such a pompous race. Ancient, dusty senators, so frightened of change and chaos. And of course, they're all but extinct. Only you. The last."
The Doctor feels a stab in his hearts at the remainder. This regeneration is a lot happier than his previous, but the damage from the war and what he did is still there. It always would be. He didn't let his facial expression change though, just clenched his jaw tightly. "This plan of yours. What is it?"
Finch's eyebrows raise slightly, but his lips tilt up. "You don't know."
"That's why I'm asking." He was tempted to sneer, but withheld.
"Well, show me how clever you are. Work it out."
The Doctor narrowed his eyes, wanting to give him a fair warning. "If I don't like it, then it will stop."
Finch walks closer to him and gets within a couple of feet from him. "Fascinating. Your people were peaceful to the point of indolence. You seem to be something new. Would you declare war on us, Doctor?"
The Doctor sighed quietly, and with a tiredness that shows on both his face and, in his voice. "I'm so old now. I used to have so much mercy. You get one warning. That was it."
"But we're not even enemies. Soon you will embrace us. The next time we meet, you will join with me. I promise you." Finch leaves the room and the Doctor stands there for a few minutes, his thoughts racing through his mind.
Xxxxxx
Sarah Jane is trying to unlock the computers and is getting frustrated that she can't get it open. She comes out from under the desk and huffs. "It's not working."
Rose is smug, but gives her look of irritated boredom. "Give it to me."
Sarah Jane hands her the sonic and leans against a table, pouting slightly. "Used to work first time in my day."
"Well, things were a lot simpler back then." Rose said snottily.
Sarah Jane was beyond fed up with Rose's petty jealousy. "Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?"
"I've got a feeling you're about to." She muttered under her breath.
"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be, and I don't want you to feel I'm intruding."
"I don't feel threatened by you, if that's what you mean." Was her quick response.
"Right. Good. Because I'm not interested in picking up where we left off." Sarah Jane knew that it would be impossible. It had been decades since she had even traveled with him and she knew with her age, it wouldn't happen again. Besides, she has always been observant and knew the Doctor very well, and she can say that while she wasn't competition for the Doctor, there was another who was. Sarah Jane could see that the Doctor feels something for Layla. The way he looks at her is very different than how he looks at her or even Rose.
"No? With the big sad eyes and the robot dog? What else were you doing last night?" Rose didn't believe her for one second. She always knew she had to compete with Layla for the Doctor's attention, but throwing in a whole other companion that he used to travel with left her even more irritated than normal. Especially when she can see that Sarah Jane did at one point have feelings for the Doctor, and she couldn't get a read on the Doctor to know if he returned the feelings or not.
"I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on earth."
"The thing is, when you two met they'd only just rid of rationing. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for you." Rose was being nasty and she knew it, but when it came to the Doctor, she didn't think rationally.
Sarah Jane scoffs. "I had no problem with space stuff. I saw things you wouldn't believe."
"Try me." Rose didn't think that Sarah Jane had faced anything like she had.
"Mummies."
Rose shrugged. "I've met ghosts."
"Robots, Lots of robots."
"Slitheen, in Downing Street."
"Daleks!" Sarah Jane thought she had Rose with this one.
Rose gives her a smirk. "Met the emperor."
"Anti-matter monsters."
"Gas masked zombies."
"Real living dinosaurs." Okay, Rose thought that was pretty cool, but wasn't going to give in.
"Real living werewolf."
Fed up with her and this stupid argument, Sarah Jane pulls out her trump card. "The Loch Ness Monster!"
Rose's mouth drops open. "Seriously?" She then starts laughing. "Look at us. It's like me and my mate Shareen. The only time we fell out was over a man, and we're arguing over the Doctor. With you, did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, ninety miles per house, and you'd go what? And he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?"
Sarah Jane laughs at that. "All the time. Does he still stroke bits of the Tardis?"
"Yeah! Yeah, he does. I'm like, do you two want to be alone?" They both start laughing hysterically and it doesn't stop when the Doctor walks into the room and looks at him oddly.
"How's it going?" But they just continue to laugh, ignoring his question. "What? Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these." Again, they are laughing, but it seems to be even harder than before. "What? Stop it!" He practically stomps his foot with a pout. He looks around, thinking that Layla had been working on the computer while Sarah Jane and Rose were laughing, but she hasn't said anything since he came in. "Where is Layla?" Sarah Jane is trying to tell him where Layla was, because she could see that he was worried about her, but she couldn't stop laughing. She was able to get out Mickey's name though and he puts together what she is trying to say and sighs that Layla is with Mickey…again.
All pupils to class immediately. And would all members of staff congregate in the staff room.
Rose runs to the door when she sees children about to come in and quickly shoos them away. "No, no. This classroom's out of bounds. You've all got to go to the South Hall. Off you go. South Hall!"
The Doctor is now under the desks trying to rewire the computer so he can gain access to see what it has to do with the children. He grunts in irritation. "I can't shift it."
"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah Jane asked, because back in her time, they didn't have any issues.
"Anything except a deadlock seal. There's got to be something inside here. What're they teaching those kids?"
Suddenly, alien symbols appear on all of the computer screens, and Sarah Jane gets the Doctor's attention. "You wanted the program? There it is."
He looks at it and is trying to understand what the point of it was. "Some sort of code." The more the Doctor looks at it, the clearer it becomes as to what the Krillitanes are up to. "No. No, that can't be." He grabs his hair and pulls on it slightly, messing it up more than usual. "The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm."
"The Skasis what?" Sarah Jane had never heard of it, but based on the Doctor's expression, it was not good.
"The God maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control."
"What, and the kids are like a giant computer?" Rose wondered if that was why the Krillitanes were dealing with children.
"Yes. And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil. That oil from the kitchens, it works as a, as a conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer."
Rose looks at him horrified. "But that oil's on the chips. I've been eating them."
The Doctor didn't even look at her, not concerned that something was wrong with her. "What's fifty-nine times thirty-five?"
"Two thousand and sixty-five." She rattles off with no hesitation or time to really think on it. "Oh, my god."
"But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Sarah Jane figured that using adults would be the better choice because they are usually more intelligent than children.
"No, it's got to be children. The God maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code; they're using their souls." The Doctor was now glad that Layla chose to stay with Mickey because had she heard that, there would be nothing to stop her from a full out assault on the Krillitanes and then he would worry about her safety.
They were so focused on the code that they didn't notice that Finch had walked in the room until he spoke to them. "Let the lesson begin. Think of it, Doctor. With the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it."
"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mister Finch? Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are."
Finch smiled contemptuously. "You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order? Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good."
"What, by someone like you?"
Finch gives him an ingratiating smile. "No, someone like you. The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a god at my side. Imagine what you could do. Think of the civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta, your own people, Doctor, standing tall. The Time Lords Reborn." Finch withheld a victorious smile as he watched the look on the Doctor's face change to a contemplating one.
Sarah Jane can see that the Doctor was lost in the possibilities and not the damage it would do if they gained access to this code. She runs up to him and grips his arm, ignoring the flinch he gives and gets his attention. "Doctor, don't listen to him."
"And you could be with him throughout eternity. Young, fresh, never wither, never age, never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us." Finch throws out more ideas that the Doctor could do to get him on their side.
"I could save everyone." He said it so softly.
"Yes."
"I could stop the war…"
"No! The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship, everything has its time. And everything ends." Sarah Jane was desperate for him to not fall for the Krillitanes words. She then remembers something she has noticed since meeting with him again. She steps up to him and talks to him so quietly, that Rose doesn't hear what she is saying. "What about Layla? To do this Doctor, you would have to sacrifice children. You know she would never forgive you if you harmed them."
The Doctor's eyes widen as Sarah Jane's word pierce through the fog in his mind. He had started to imagine how life would have been without the war, that he didn't take into account what would be used to solve the code. He swallows harshly that he let his own wants to be rid of the guilt he feels and to have his people back, at the expense of children, cloud his mind. And Sarah Jane was right, Layla would never forgive him if he sacrificed children for selfish reasons. He grabs the chair nearest to him and throws it through the big screen, smashing it. "Out!"
Xxxxxx
"Surveillance. If you ask me, it's just another way of saying go sit at the back of the class with the safety scissors and glitter. That'd be me talking to a metal dog, then." He looks at Layla who was looking at him slightly amused. "Why did you decide to stick with me anyways. Would have been more exciting inside, wouldn't it?"
"Nobody puts Baby in a corner. And by Baby, I mean you Mickey. Your help is needed more than you think. You are more skilled than you think. Think about this, what if we had to make a quick escape and they couldn't get to the Tardis before something happened, they would run out here and we would speed off. Don't let anyone keep you from being your best Mickey Mouse, you're not the tin dog." Mickey gives her smile but then gives her the stink eye when she continues. "Besides, I didn't want to be around the Sarah Jane/Rose spat that is going on. They are driving me mental with all the little snippy comments they throw at each other. Aside from that, whenever we come back home, I always make sure to spend time with you."
"Yeah, I can agree with you on that. Last night was miserable with them in the same room. But regardless, I'm happy you're here. I like it that you always make time to hang out with me. I've really been thinking about your travels with the Doctor and if I am ready to go out with you all or not. I know that after the Downing Street thing, the Doctor had invited me, but I was too scared. But I don't know, maybe I am ready now. And maybe if I do go, it might help mine and Rose's relationship."
Layla looks at Mickey sympathetically, but gives him a smile of encouragement. "Anything is possible Mickey Mouse."
"Yeah, anything… wait. What's that about?" Mickey pointed to the entrance doors and they see a young boy banging on the doors in a panic.
Layla flies out of the car and sprints to the doors with Mickey right behind her. When they get close, the boy is shouting at them and it is muffled. "They've taken them all!"
"What?" Mickey asked him, not understanding what he was saying.
"They've taken all the children!" He yells again and this time Mickey and Layla understand him. They look at each other in horror and nod and sprint back to the car in hopes that K9 can get them into the school seeing that it was locked up.
Mickey pushes buttons on K9 trying to get him online and Layla is biting her lip nervously. "Come on, we need some help." Frustrated, Mickey hits K9 on the head and it starts up.
"System restarting. All primary drives functioning."
"You're working! Okay, no time to explain, we need to get inside the school. Do you have like, I don't know, a lock picking device?"
"We are in a car."
"Maybe a drill attachment?" Mickey continues to ask not understanding what K9 was getting at.
"We are in a car."
"Fat lot of good you are."
"Mickey! We are in a car! Use the car!"
"We are in a car." K9 just repeats.
"Wait a second. We're in a car." He pops out of the car and yells to Kenny while moving his hands to the side. "Get back!" Mickey turns on the car and drives towards the school doors when he sees the boy move out of the way. He smashes through the glass and jumps out with Layla behind him.
Layla grabs the boys' hand and pulls him, as Mickey leads the way shouting behind him. "Come on!"
Mickey, Layla, and the boy all run into The Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Rose as they were doing their own running. "What's going on?" Mickey asked.
The Doctor doesn't have time to answer as Finch walks in and behind him are the other Krillitanes in their bat forms. The boy looks at them with wide eyes. "Are they, my teachers?"
"Yeah. Sorry." The Doctor tells him as they back up away from the bats.
"We need the Doctor alive. As for the others? You can feast." Finch orders and the other Krillitanes swoop over them and the humans hide under the tables. The Doctor is using a chair to defend himself against the bats and making sure to stay close to Layla. There was no way he was going to allow her to be eaten.
Suddenly a laser is shot and hits one of the bats causing it to fall to the floor. Finch looks on with his face turning red, gritted teeth, and narrowed eyes.
"K9!" Sarah Jane calls out happily.
"Suggest you engage in running mode, mistress."
"Come on!" The Doctor grabs Layla's hand and pulls her and she pulls the boy having not released his hand yet. The Doctor looks over his shoulder. "K9, hold them back!"
"Affirmative, master. Maximum defense mode." The Doctor closes the door and seals them all inside and then they continue running away.
They make it down another hallway when the Doctor stops to explain his plan. "It's the oil. Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil. That's it! they've changed their physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them." He turns to Rose. "How much was there in the kitchens?"
"Barrels of it." She flinches as the Krillitanes start to banging on the door.
"Okay, we need to get to the Kitchens. Mickey."
"What now, hold the coats?" He asks sarcastically.
"Get all the children unplugged and out of the school." He looks towards Layla knowing she would want to go with him to make sure the kids get out safely. He also likes that she will be away from the Krillitanes. "Go with him. I know you want to make sure they make it out okay. Now then, bats, bats, bats. How do we fight bats?" The boy walks over to the nearest fire alarm and sets it off. This causes the Krillitanes to screech in pain and they all run off.
They get to the cafeteria and K9 meets them there. "Master."
The Doctor smiles at him. "Come on, boy. Good boy." The Doctor gets into the kitchen and finds one of the barrels and tries to use his sonic on it and he sighs frustrated again. "They've been deadlock sealed. Finch must've done that. I can't open them."
"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser, but my batteries are failing."
The Doctor looks at him and motions the others to leave and go outside. "Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me." The Doctor then moves the barrels right next to each other so K9 can shoot them.
"Capacity for only one shot, master. For maximum impact, I must be stationed directly beside the vat."
The Doctor looks at him sadly. "But you'll be trapped inside."
"That is correct."
"I can't let you do that." He didn't want to lose K9 and he knows how attached Sarah Jane is to him.
"No alternative possible, master."
He sighs agreeing with K9, that unfortunately, they don't have any other option. "Goodbye, old friend."
"Goodbye, master."
"You good dog."
And he smiles as K9 wiggles his tail. "Affirmative."
The Doctor quickly leaves out the back door and seals it shut, Sarah Jane had been waiting close by for him and sees that he is alone. "Where's K9?"
The Doctor ignores the question and grabs her arm, suppressing the desire to immediately release her. "We need to run."
"Where is he? What have you done!"
Xxxxxx
Mickey and Layla run to a room that is full of children. Mickey tries to get their attention. "Okay, listen everyone. We've got to get out of here." Layla and Mickey both see that the children don't respond. They don't even move or show any signs of consciousness when Mickey waves his hand in front of their faces.
"Do you think if we shut down the computers that it will knock them out of their trance?" Layla asked him, her usual calm in a situation is fading away as the panic of children being hurt is taking over her mind.
Mickey looks around and sees that all of the computers lead to one area. He pulls on the cord and all of the computers shut down and the kids look around dazed and confused. "Everyone, get out. Now!" The kids take in the panic in his tone and immediately head out of the room. "Come on, move! Let's go! Let's go!"
Layla looks at Mickey. "Now that we know that works, let's split up and get the kids out. It will be faster."
Mickey agrees and they go their separate ways unplugging the kids they come across before they meet back up having gone through the whole school. Mickey was panting and out of breath from all the running he had done, and Layla was winded, more from the stress than the exercise.
They both head for the exit of the school and see the kids are still too close for their liking. "Come on, guys! Let's go, let's go! Run!" Mickey is corralling kids to get further back away from the school.
"Come on, shift! We need to be further away from the school." Layla is happy that these kids are older and understand better that something dangerous is about to happen and they all run away from the school and huddle together.
Layla and Mickey see the Doctor, Sarah Jane, and Rose running around the school and they head over towards them. Before they get to them, the school lets out a big kaboom, and it goes up in flames. The Doctor runs up to Layla and gives her a quick hug, happy that she is safe.
They all turn around when they see the boy from before jumping up and down in the air. "Yes!"
One of the girls closest to him looks at him surprised. "Did you have something to do with it?"
The boy looks down at her with a happy but bashful smile. "Yeah, I did."
The girls' eyes widen. "Oh my god. Kenny blew up the school! It was Kenny!"
All the children around them start to praise him. "Yay! Kenny! Kenny! Kenny! Kenny!"
The adults look on with happy smiles before the smile fades on the Doctors face. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. He was just a daft metal dog. It's fine, really." Sarah Jane bursts into tears and he pulls her into an awkward hug.
Xxxxxx
Later in the day, Sarah Jane meets the Doctor with the girls and Mickey at a park where he relocated the Tardis. The Doctor steps out and smiles at her. "Cup of tea?"
Sarah Jane looks inside and looks surprised. "You've redecorated."
"Do you like it?"
"Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but er, yeah, it'll do." She sighs quietly. It was just another reminder that he moved on without her.
"I love it." Rose looks around the room before her gaze falls onto the Doctor making him and Layla feel uncomfortable.
Sarah sees the look and wants to distract Rose. "Hey, you what's forty-seven times three hundred and sixty-nine."
"No idea. It's gone now. The oil's faded." Rose shrugs.
"See, another reason to avoid chips, Rose. You never know when you are going to eat some and they have alien fluids all over them." Layla gives her a cheeky smile and Rose snorts in amusement.
"But you're still clever. More than a match for him." Sarah tried to encourage Rose, but she has a feeling that Rose doesn't stand a chance.
"You and me both." She looks over at the alien in the room. "Doctor?"
"Er, we're about to head off, but you could come with us." The Doctor offers her. It would be hard for him, because like he said before, humans age, but he would do it because he missed her and wants her to be happy if she wants to come.
"No. I can't do this anymore. Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead. Time, I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own."
Mickey steps in with an encouraging nod from Layla and decides to ask before he loses the nerve. "Can I come?" They all look at him funnily and he realizes that they think he is talking to Sarah Jane. "No, not with you. I mean with you. Because I'm not the tin dog, and I want to see what's out there."
Sarah Jane could see that the Doctor was hesitant, but she could see the looks Mickey was sending Rose. She realizes that this might be a good thing if the Doctor let him, because then it would distract Rose for some time. "Oh, go on, Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith, a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board."
The Doctor caves knowing that he did tell Mickey once that he could come and he knew it would make Layla happy. "Okay then, I could do with a laugh."
Mickey looks to Rose hopefully. "Rose, is that okay?"
Everyone in the room can clearly see that she is most definitely not happy. "No, great. Why not?"
Layla goes towards Mickey and gives him a side hug that feels wrong to her, but she ignores it. "Well, I'm happy Mickey Mouse. You're going to love it."
Rose goes towards Sarah Jane. "What do I do? Do I stay with him?"
Sarah Jane gives Rose a quick look of pity before she smiles. "Yes. Some things are worth getting your heart broken for. Find me, if you need to one day. Find me." Because she has a feeling that the day will come when Rose realizes that she never had a chance with him to begin with.
The Doctor walks Sarah Jane out of the Tardis and she turns towards him. "It's daft, but I haven't ever thanked you for that time. And like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."
"Something to tell the grandkids." He tells her.
She gives him a wry grin. "Oh, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now."
He swallows and looks around awkwardly. "Right. Yes, sorry. I didn't get a chance to ask. You haven't? There hasn't been anyone? You know."
"Well, there was this one guy. I traveled with him for a while, but he was a tough act to follow. Goodbye, Doctor."
He waves it off. "Oh, it's not goodbye."
She looks at him seriously. "Do say it. Please. This time. Say it."
He sighs softly but gives her a small smile. "Goodbye. Sarah Jane."
"Doctor, one other thing. I don't know if you have noticed it or not, but I certainly have. I've seen the way you look at Layla and how she looks at you. I also see how Rose looks at you. There is going to be a time where it's all going to come out, and if this adventure has shown me anything, it's that Rose will not handle it well. Don't wait much longer and let her get in deeper. Is it serious with Layla?"
"She is my Promised One, Sarah Jane. It is more than serious. I may be oblivious sometimes, but Rose has not been subtle. I haven't told Layla though, but I am trying to find a time where we won't be interrupted so I can tell her and ask if she will bond with me."
Sarah Jane's jaw drops. She knows what a Promised One is. He told her about it when they traveled and what it means. Now she understands the small flinches he would give her when she touched him. She gives the Doctor a beaming smile. "I'm so happy for you. She would be an idiot to not want to bond with you and I know she isn't. So, I want to say congratulations and that I am happy for you, and that you won't be alone anymore, even when you lose other human companions."
"Thank you." He turns and goes back to the Tardis and wishes he could see her face at what he left for her when he leaves.