The Orphan and Her Family

Chapter Twenty-Three

*The Next Day*

Sophie walks into the Hub, and Jac marches up to her, taking her by the elbow, and leading her to his office. "You want to tell me why I got a call from John last night, telling me that you showed up, and then Emma vanished."

"John came back, and found Emma drinking, not a lot, but. Anyway, he flipped his sh*t, and Emma called me. The thing is, she doesn't know John and Diane. I took her back to my hotel, she needed someone different, Jack. I mean, Diane didn't even come home last night. I couldn;t just leave her."

The captain sighs, and pinches the bridge of his nose. A knock on the doorframe resounds through the room, and he turns to find Tosh standing there, a file in her hand, "Jack. John's son. I think I've found him."

Jack grabs the file from her hands, and immediately flips it open. He flips through the papers quickly, before exiting his office. Tosh watches him leave, before going back to her job.

Sophie slips out of the Hub, unnoticed by the rest of the crew. She heads back to her hotel, and smiles at Emma. "What do you want to do today?" she asks.

"Maybe you could show me what people our age do for fun? If I want to fit in, I need to know what to do."

Sophie smiles, "Sure, let me just go and get a change of clothes."

***

She steps out of her room about ten minutes later in a red dress, and a pair of red heels. Her backpack is transformed into a clutch. "Shall we?"

Emma pulls her jacket tight around her shoulders, and stands as well. "So, where are we going?" she asks, as they step onto the street.

"There's a club not far from here," Sophie shrugs. "I don't really club myself, but that is where most people our age go."

They continue in companionable silence, until they reach the door of the club. Music is pulsing through the door, and there are tipsy people that trail out of the building. "Just, uh, try to stay close, alright."

The club is crowded, bodies pressing in on each other. Emma looks around in awe, and makes her way into the crowd. A group of people bump into Sophie, and she loses sight of the girl. "What did I just say. Don't wander off. And what does she do, wanders off," she mutters. Then she freezes, "So this is how the Doctor feels."

Sophie starts to elbow her way through the crowd, trying to find Emma. After a while, she makes it through the group, after slapping away many pairs of male hands. When she finally finds the girl, there's a man with his tongue down her throat. Sophie's eyes widen, and she steps forward, yanking the man off of Emma. "Why don't you head on back out to the others, mate."

The man calls her a load of insults, and then strolls back out to the party, "We were just having a kiss and a cuddle," Emma explains. "I wasn't going to let him do anything."

Sophie's expression softens, and she pulls Emma up to her feet, "You might have had much of a chance." She sighs, and ushers her toward the back exit. As they step out onto the streets of Wales, Emma pulls her coat tighter around her shoulders. "Men now are a lot different than when you're from. You need to be a bit more careful."

Emma looks at her confused, "How exactly have they changed?"

Sophie looks at the sky, and sighs, "I'll uh, I'll tell you when we get back to the room.

***

When they get back to the hotel, Sophie sits on the bed beside Emma. "So, uh, like I said, men, and women, are a lot different than they were in the 1950's." She takes a deep breath, "People bow are a lot more, uh, sexually aware." Sophie sighs, "I never thought I'd be the person explaining this."

"Mum said that no man wants to marry soiled goods."

"Times have changed. Now, as long as it's two consenting adults, and it's safe, no one really cares," she shrugs.

The girl raises her eyebrows, "So, how many men have you done it with?"

Sophie almost chokes on air, "Uh, no one. I want to wait for the right guy, y'know."

"So, are you saying I should wait for Mr. Right?"

Sophie sighs, "No, that's your decision to make. Some people just do it for fun. It's every individual's choice."

Emma places her hands in her lap, "I will wait for Mister Right, I think. I'm really not the kind of girl who sleeps around."

Sophie smiles, "And that's your choice."

Emma jumps to her feet, "I'm going to brush my teeth. Thanks for the chat."

"Uh, yeah," she nods, awkwardly.

*The Next Day*

Sophie groggily wakes up to her phone ringing. Swiping it off the side table, she places it against her ear, "Hello?"

"Sophie!" Emma greets.

Sophie's eyes widen, and she glances over at the clock, "Emma, where are you?"

"I have a job interview! Isn't that lovely? I just wanted to give you a call and let you know. And to thank you for all your help last night."

She blinks, "And your interview was at 6am?"

"No, I just wanted to get here early. Make a good impression."

"Right. Okay, uh, good luck."