Rising From The Ashes (Book Five of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Remember

Here's a question: just how important is Rory Williams? ;)

***

Jessie was just barely starting to get to sleep when she felt the bed dip next to her and felt a hand take her wrist. She lolled her head to the side as the Doctor lifted her arm up and gently ran his fingers over the incision markings. His gaze hardened, and he pushed the sleeve of her nightgown up to take a closer look. "He hurt you," he growled lowly.

"I wasn't going to let it be Amy," she told him gently.

The Doctor just shook his head. "Why didn't you stop him?"

"Who knew what he would have done otherwise. I didn't want to declare a war." The Doctor eyed her incision marks before taking her wrist firmly in his hands and concentrating. Jessie's eyes widened when he saw the orange gold light drifting from his hands over to her wrist. "No," she breathed, but he shook his head, keeping her wrist in a tight grip as his regeneration energy swirled along her skin, up and down her body. "What are you doing?!"

"I don't want to see you hurt like this," the Doctor shook his head, letting go of her wrist, unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off.

Jessie checked her other arm before shaking her head. "You healed them all."

"Of course I did," he snorted, lying down and raising his hand to her cheek, brushing her hair away from her face. "I am a doctor, after all."

"Yeah," Jessie smiled. "But you're my doctor."

"Always," he promised, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles, making her smile. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, the girl snuggling into his side. He waited a few seconds, listening to her hearts even out, before he asked timidly, "How're you coping?"

"With Rory?" she asked in a mumbled voice.

"Yeah."

Jessie bit her lip. "It still feels like I'm missing something," she said. "There's something about Amy and Rory that is so familiar, but I don't know what it is."

"What about it?"

"Something about their childhood . . . " She shook her head. "It's probably nothing."

"You haven't been wrong so far."

"I don't want to break the trend."

The Doctor chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"It's staring me right in the face, Kasterborous," Jessie shook her head. "I don't like not knowing."

"Welcome to my world," he laughed, kissing her temple. "Come on. Go to sleep."

"'Night," she mumbled, snuggling closer.

The Doctor smiled gently, kissing the top of her head. "Good night, Jez," he answered, closing his eyes.

***

"They're scaring me."

"Why?"

"Neither of them have said anything in the past half hour."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

" . . . you're sure?"

"Positive."

"We can hear you," Fitz mumbled.

Coulson and Jenny looked over from where they were having their conversation to see Jemma staring thoughtfully into her tea mug, Fitz still staring off into space. "And the silence breaks," Coulson quipped.

"Sorry," Jemma apologized with a sigh, rubbing her eyes. "It's just . . . "

"What is it?" Jenny asked, sitting down next to her.

Jemma bit her lip. "There's something . . . wrong," she said lamely. "Do you ever know you've forgotten something, and it's on the tip of your tongue, but you don't know what it is?"

"Sometimes," Coulson frowned. "What, do you think you've forgotten something?"

"I know I have," Jemma rubbed her temples. "It's just . . . I can't for the life of me remember what!"

"You'll remember," Coulson told her, squeezing her shoulder. "If anyone can, you will."

Jemma smiled weakly. "Thanks," she said. The two other SHIELD agents walked off, then Jemma turned to Fitz. "You think so, too?"

"I know it," Fitz nodded. "Something's wrong. But we'll figure it out."

Jemma nodded and headed back to her bunk, pausing and staring at a photo she kept of when she was in middle school back in England, smiling a bit before it started to fade.

Something was really wrong.

She shook her head and turned to pack . . . unaware that that photo had once had a second person in it.

***

Who guessed it? ;) In fact, reference "11:03." You'll find I showed you this was coming chapters back.

"Vincent and the Time Lords" is in the works!