The Orphan in the TARDIS

Chapter Thirteen

The duo start up the street, the Doctor swinging the linked hands, as if they're going on a stroll, not hunting crazy aliens. "So, you never did tell me your future plans."

Sophie turns, looking incredulously at the Time Lord, "Is now really the time for this?"

"What, do you have something else to be doing?"

"Hunt pyromaniac aliens?"

"Who says you can't do both? C'mon, share your plans with your oldest mate."

"Oldest is right," she mutters, her eyes raking the world around them. "I don't know, I'm barely an adult, Doc. Probably go to Uni, but no clue what I'd go for."

"Oh, but you're still so young. Who says you need to know what you're gonna do for the rest of your life!"

"Maybe I'm young by your standards, but we don't all live to be over a thousand years. In human years, we're supposed to decide what our career path for the rest of our lives will be."

"But that's rubbish! You spend the whole beginning of your little human lives being looked after by parents, guardians, adults, and then you reach one magic age, and suddenly you're supposed to make all of these important decisions. Absolute rubbish!"

"Yeah, you're telling me," Sophie sighs. Her eyes scan the world around her, spying a pair of eyes peering out from behind a wall, watching the duo. Not wanting to let the being know she's seen it, the woman leans her head against the Doctor's shoulder. The Gallifreyan looks down, smiling at her, until he notices the direction her eyes are facing.

The Time Lord's head twists, looking in the direction of the alley. The eyes, which had been fixated on them quickly draw back into the darkness behind them. The Time Lord squints, as if his eyes will suddenly be able to see in the darkness.

When he realizes they're not coming back, the Gallifreyan twists, pulling Sophie along behind him, as he races toward the alley. "Okay, but this was a rubbish plan," she tells him. "How in the name of the Q Continuum do you expect to catch whoever that was now?"

"Well, I just..." the Doctor trails off, before forcefully dropping Sophie's hand, lifting his above his head, "I didn't fully think this through. Now, let's go see what we find."

He once again grips her hand, tugging her into the dingy alleyway. Sophie, once they enter, drops his hand, reaching into her backpack. The woman tugs a torch from within its depths, igniting it to look down the darkness. She sees the eyes again, twisting her head slightly, "Doctor!" she calls, starting down after the being.

She follows it, as it rounds turn after turn. Sophie can hear the Doctor's boots scuffing across the ground behind her, the footsteps echoing through the alleyways. Rounding a final corner, the woman loses track of the being. She walks to the end of the Alley, turning in the only direction that the being could've gone. She walks into the last alley, and feels hands on her shoulder. The next thing Sophie knows is that there is water in her lungs, and she can't breathe.

The Doctor skids to a halt, seeing the river in front of him. He turns, watching the figure disappear into the shadows once again. He ignores it, kneeling down at the edge of the water, looking for any sign of his friend. Bubbles start to float to the surface, a shadow slowly making its way up as well. Sophie's head pops through the murky water, her brown hair soaking wet over her face. She takes deep breaths, lifting her hands from the water, brushing the hair from her face.

The Time Lord reaches down, grabbing her under the armpits, pulling her out of the water. As soon as she's sitting on the bank taking deep breaths, she pulls the Doctor close to her, clinging to him as if he's the only person in the universe. He hugs her back, rubbing small circles on her back, "Are you okay, Lyn?"

Her hands clench into his tweed coat, seeking warmth, as she's shivering from the cold air on her waterlogged skin. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good Doc."

"No, you're not. You're shivering. Here," he says, tugging his jacket off. Comfortingly, he drapes it over Sophie's shoulders, and he tugs it tight, making sure she's warm. When it seems like she's recovered, he snaps to his feet, drawing her up as well. He wraps his arms around her once more, rubbing her arms to transfer warmth.

The Time Lord snaps his wrist out, checking the time. "Alright, we should start back to the TARDIS. Torchwood should be there by the time we get back."

"T-Tell me," Sophie starts, her teeth chattering, "You k-know where we're g-going."

His jaw drops, "Well. I do have a sense of direction you know, c'mon." He keeps his arm wrapped around her, as the duo walk back in the general direction of the time/space machine.