Intermission time! This chapter is significantly shorter then the last one, but I didn't want to dump too much into it and cause it to drag. We will be getting to Girl in the Fireplace in the next episode. As always thank you! And I'd love to hear your thoughts and theories! 3

Drifting About

As the Tardis drifted through the vortex, silence hung heavy in the console room. Rose had taken K to get settled for bed and to show Mickey around. Leaving Benedict and the Doctor in silence.

The time-lord was fiddling with the Tardis controls while Benedict was sitting silently in the captain's chair. He was so still and silent that the Doctor couldn't help but wonder if he'd fallen asleep. He didn't know how much sleep Benedict required, but if his body was human. It would require a lot.

The thought gave the Doctor pause, he'd said that his body was some type of human mutt, but he'd been genuinely confused at the concept that Rose needed to sleep often. Which was strange, what was the DNA makeup inside Benedict?

Trying to be stealthy in case he was awake, the Doctor made his way over to the console monitor. With him this close and this still, perhaps he could get a read on what he was. Maybe even some extra information.

He began to run the initiation of the scan, keeping an eye on the entity out of the corner of his eye. However, just before the scan began, the screen flashed and an error popped up, the Doctor frowned. This never happened-

He let out a breath of realization sending a glance up the Tardis. That was cheeky.

And even more suspicious.

Deciding not to fight against her, the Doctor stepped away from the monitor and walked about the console fiddling with things here and there. Though he occasionally looked at Benedict. It was so difficult to tell if he was awake or not with his blindfold on. But the Doctor wasn't stupid or rude enough to try and remove it and see.

He'd gotten out of his bloodied clothes and was in a cleaner version of what had become his signature attire.

The Doctor set aside his suspicions over his host body's makeup, and instead let out a breath.

He'd gained a new addition to the Tardis. All within the past four ventures he'd managed to gain three new people. Well, temporarily at least. There was still the issue of needing to find a place for K-130. Which, he might need to check on, he'd been awful quiet since the incident the night before.

That thought made him glance at his possibly slumbering companion. Perhaps he had been too harsh on him, he had in the end killed all the Krillitanes as well.

The Doctor rubbed his face tiredly, things had gotten so complicated so fast since Benedict had joined. No longer did it seem like they would have simple, dangerous, but simple ventures without issues cropping up.

Between Benedict and K, it seemed the Doctor's life had gotten a lot more complicated.

Rose didn't want to say that she was happy when Mickey said he was going to retire for the night. But she was.

She had bid him a good night, left him to his room and headed for the kitchen. She needed a snack before she hit the hay.

However, as she entered, she couldn't help but stop as she opened the door. K was sitting at the table eating a sandwich. He froze and looked up at her as she gazed at him.

Suddenly he put it down, "sorry I was just…hungry…" he paused, "I remembered you…showing me this place…from before." He stammered and Rose blinked.

"No, no sorry, I thought you'd gone to bed is all." She explained going to the fridge. She grabbed water from inside and opened the lid before turning to him. "Yeah…we don't really have scheduled mealtimes aside from breakfast. So, you just come in the kitchen when you like or when you're hungry okay?" He paused before nodding and picking up his sandwich again. It was a food item she found interesting. "How'd you make that?" From her understanding he didn't know most foods. How did he…?

"I…didn't, it was already here when I got here." He explained softly and Rose blinked. Who could've made that?

Her question obviously went unanswered, "huh, weird." He hesitated again before nodding and turning back to his food.

Rose pursed her lips before turning to the fridge and rifling through it for food.

"You…seemed upset that your friend came aboard." K said suddenly, making Rose blink and turn to him.

"I…no…no, I'm happy he's here…where'd you get that idea?" she asked, watching as he turned his attention to his sandwich.

"You made a face when he said it. Like you didn't really want him here…but then you said you did." He looked up at her, "why? Isn't he your friend?" He asked, and when she opened her mouth but couldn't answer he continued, "I heard the kids talk about friends. They are people you like…yeah? Do you not like Mickey?" He asked, making Rose look at him wide eyed. Had her face really been that obvious?

"Of course, I do!" She paused, "I just…Mickey's just…" she trailed with a breath. K waited quietly and she took another drink of her water, "things are complicated between Mickey and I." She admitted, and K tilted his head slightly.

"Why? Did he do something to you?"

"No. No, he didn't…he's a good guy." She said before pursing her lips, "I just…it won't be the same anymore…ya know? Like the Doctor and I have a good time together…but now that Mickey is here…it won't be the same."

"But…I'm here…Benedict is here." K said, and Rose stole a breath.

"Yes…but it's different." Her eyes fell to the bottle in her hands. She didn't want to admit…why it was different.

She felt the Doctor and her had something special, and she hoped every day that it would continue to grow.

But with Mickey here that was nearly impossible.

Rose didn't know what to do with her childhood friend, she knew if she asked any of her mates, or her mother, they all would say that she was being stupid. The Doctor would never settle down, that he wouldn't get into a relationship with a human.

But they didn't know him like she did, she knew he loved her, he just had a hard time saying it.

With Mickey on earth and her here, it was much easier to ignore that, to ignore the fact that technically her and Mickey were still in a relationship.

But with him here it was impossible to ignore that fact anymore.

She did not want to admit any of that to K, she doubted he would understand anyways.

"So…how are you feeling?" she asked instead, hoping to veer from his curiosities. The kaled blinked at her question before pausing a moment his eyes falling to his nearly half eaten sandwich.

"I think I'm alright, my body aches but it's not terrible."

"Yeah…I would imagine so." Rose said softly, "I don't think any of us anticipated things going the way they did." She let out a breath, "though we probably should've started you out with something simpler and easier." she said, coming over to sit across from him. He gazed down at his food and was silent for a long moment. Rose paused, "everything okay?"

K paused a moment before worrying his lip, "you…said you met my people…what were they like?" He lifted his gaze as Rose hid her tensing, "like…before they all died. I know…the Doctor said that he and my people were enemies…but…" he trailed, and Rose swallowed a moment. She really wasn't the one to handle this conversation. It should be the Doctor. What was she supposed to tell him? What shouldn't she tell him?

"I…I don't really know." She stammered out earning his gaze, those brown eyes shining with a certain kind of haunting emptiness. A desire to learn something. And Rose had to swallow thickly, she wanted to tell him something. She couldn't imagine what it was like to know absolutely nothing about who she was or who she belonged to. "I'm sorry." She whispered finally, "I…I wish I could tell you something…but I don't know. When I did meet the da-your people…we weren't…I didn't really get the chance to talk to them." She explained, and after a moment K nodded, his grip on the sandwich tightening visibly. The bandages wrapped around his hands were new, she wondered who wrapped them. It must've been the Doctor at some point. Though she wondered if they were needed, last, she'd gotten a peek at his hands they looked fully healed.

Maybe they were there to prevent it from happening again.

She needed to speak with the Doctor about it, they would have to tell him the truth about what his people had become.

One day it could cause issues if he finds out some other way and knew they were keeping it from him.

"How uh…how do you like your new room?" She asked, and K, while still looking at his sandwich.

"It's big." He said softly, and Rose nodded.

"Right? My room back home is a closet compared to the one here. It takes some getting used to, but it is definitely nice." She said, but he hardly responded, staring down at the contents of his sandwich his brow was pinched.

Rose let out a soft breath and looked over him taking in his clothes. "K…have you changed? Since we gave you those?" She asked and after a moment K lifted his head.

"Changed?"

Rose paused, "yeah, like changed into different clothes?"

His gaze dropped to his baggy shirt and then back to her, "I'm supposed to do that…?"

Rose couldn't help but give a sympathetic smile, "yeah…would you like me to help you find some?" He looked at her at the offer and then down at his clothes.

"Okay."

"Good, let me fetch you some clothes to sleep in and then tomorrow we can figure out some more, yeah?" She asked, and he nodded, "alright, you like a bit bigger clothes or something more snug?" She asked as she stood, K thought for a moment looking down at his attire.

"Bigger…I think."

Rose nodded, "okay, I'll go fetch something and you finish that up. Meet back in your room?" She got a nod in response, so she gave him a smile and headed off to the wardrobe.

After giving K some nightwear, Rose grabbed herself a pb&j and wandered back into the console room. There she found Benedict and the Doctor…amidst an argument.

"I like the noise! The noise is fantastic!" The Doctor said indignantly, and Benedict scoffed, hands on his hips.

"The noise is the emergency break grinding!" He countered, before throwing a switch, "it's also an indication to everyone that we are arriving, which is stupid when we are surrounded by enemies! Wouldn't it be best to arrive silently?" He jabbed, and the Doctor huffed throwing the same switch.

"It's important!"

"To who?"

The Doctor opened his mouth when Rose stepped up. "Heeeey guys…" she trailed glancing between them. The Doctor turned to her, his demeanor shifting.

"Hey," he glanced at Benedict who had crossed his arms annoyed. Rose sensed the still lingering tension and decided leaving them alone right now wasn't the best. So, she went over and leant against the railing.

"So, I wanted to talk to you guys about something." That earned her both their attention, though Benedict seemed significantly less interested.

"Is something wrong?" The Doctor asked as he went over to the monitor, Rose stole a breath.

"Not…really." She gripped the railing behind her as she leant back against it, "I just…I'm concerned about K."

That caused the Doctor to look up and Benedict to look over, she sensed the question before they asked it.

"Not in the way you think. Just…in general." She amended and the Doctor visibly relaxed. "I just…" she trailed before stealing a breath, "I'm concerned with how little he knows."

"I mean, it is to be expected, given his origin." The Doctor said and Rose nodded.

"I know, I know, it's just…you keep saying that we are gonna take him someplace…but like…" she sighed, "Doctor, he didn't even know he had to change his clothes. I don't think…" she trailed off, unsure of what she was wanting to say.

The time-lord stole a breath and leant against the center console. "I understand what you mean." He said, and then rubbed the back of his neck. "This is a circumstance I've never encountered before, to be honest."

"What? You haven't dealt with a lab rat kaled who is completely uninformed about who his people actually are?" Benedict asked as he leant against the railing to his side. The Doctor sent him a look.

"No, oddly enough I haven't."

Rose huffed, "guys." That earned the Doctor's attention, Benedict however still had a little amused smirk.

"Right," he turned to the monitor, "I've been looking at different places or even trying to recall people I know…but I don't know very many who'd be available to take someone in."

"What about that Sarah lady?" Benedict asked and the Doctor rubbed his face.

"I hesitate to give him to someone…though mostly because we…we don't know what happened to him. Or what they did." He confessed and Rose sighed.

"Well…if we aren't giving him to someone. Then we need to talk about…how to have him here. Or…rather what we need to be doing to help him." She said, "I don't have much experience with kids. But even I can recognize some…issues that he has."

"I have…experience with kids. But it's been a very long time." The Doctor confessed and Rose paused a moment, did that mean he…?

"Don't you have a parent or something?" Benedict asked, pulling Rose's attention to him, she blinked.

"I have my mum."

"Can't we like…I dunno, ask her?"

Rose paused a moment, not having considered that, "she might have some advice…but K is a bit different from a normal kid…certainly different from how I was." She said, and the Doctor hummed.

"Maybe. Though I am loathe to ask your mother for anything…" that he muttered as he turned to the console again. Rose sighed at him before turning to Benedict.

"Next time we swing by Earth I can talk to her about it." She said and Benedict nodded. The conversation seemed somewhat settled, so Rose stole another breath, "there was one other thing." Both men looked to her, "he was asking about his people again…when Sarah and I were…talking, we slipped up and mentioned that we met the Daleks." She grabbed her other arm, "he was asking about them…I told him I didn't really get a chance to…find out what they are like." Her eyes lifted to the Doctor, "I think…he's gonna keep trying to find out who they were…and what they were like."

"The Daleks are gone. We could just tell him what we know about the Kaleds." Benedict suggested, and the Doctor sighed.

"They may be gone, but their reputation isn't, this would be easier if he knew himself as a Kaled instead of a Dalek, but because of that name…he'll find out what they became either way." He scratched the top of his head, "I think it's too early to tell him."

"Doctor he's gonna find out." Rose said and the Doctor nodded.

"I know, I know…but he barely knows us. We…we will tell him, just not right now." He said, and Rose watched him for a moment or two, she wasn't sure why he was so hesitant, but she'd trust him on it.

"Alright." She paused a beat, "I think we should have at least two consistent mealtimes." That earned her their attention again.

"Consistent mealtimes?" Benedict asked with an eyebrow raise.

"Obviously, you guys don't have to eat if you don't need or want to…but like, before we go on ventures and then when we get back. Just…so we can make sure he's eating." She suggested, and after a moment the Doctor nodded.

"That's a good idea." She brightened at the praise, "alright, so we will start up the breakfast and dinner thing, and when we head back to earth…we will see if your mother has any advice to give." He was determined and Rose nodded. "Good? Good." He turned to Rose, "I know you also came in here to ensure we didn't kill each other…but you might want to get some sleep before tomorrow. We'll be taking your boyfriend on his first venture. I can't imagine it's gonna be an easy trip." He said looking a bit disgruntled at the idea. Rose bit back a comment on how Mickey wasn't really her boyfriend and nodded.

"Alright…just, don't kill each other? Okay?" She glanced between the two men and the Doctor nodded; Benedict gave a shrug.

"I make no promises." The lights in the console room flickered, accompanied by a groan, Benedict frowned and huffed, "fine. I won't kill him."

"Bold of you to assume you could." The Doctor mumbled more then said and Benedict scoffed.

"Oh, that's rich, whose the one who-"

"Guys!"

Both men sighed.

"Fine. Go to bed Rose." Benedict said pushing himself up to sit on the railing. Rose spared the pair another glance before nodding.

"Alright, goodnight boys."

"Boys?"

"The hell?"

Said the Doctor and Benedict respectively, Rose smirked but didn't warrant them a response, instead she gave a wave and headed off to her room.