Stellar Collision

Chapter 22

She awoke to find the Doctor still tucked into the bed beside her. She caught him watching her when she opened her eyes.

She sat up. "Watching me while I sleep, huh? That's all sorts of creepy." she joked and stretched.

He sat up immediately. "I just didn't want to disturb you." he explained guiltily. He quickly got out from beneath the covers and stood. "Right. First thing we must do is contact Dayle B to discuss our next move. Why don't you get yourself sorted while I go and get her."

She went into the bathroom and took a shower. She was glad they were getting closer to figuring all this out but she felt terrible for the other Dayle. While she toweled off, she wondered if she'd first encountered Jesse as a Zygon or if he had been taken by Arc after they'd met.

She did the bare minimum with her hair and face and then peeked curiously into the wardrobe that had appeared in the corner of the room, apparently over night.

There were mostly casual clothes in there, only in her size. She looked through and realized that it consisted mainly of short flowy skirts with cute tops to match. No jeans or t shirts in sight. She drummed her fingers on the wooden door. Not very practical for battling an alien menace. She looked around her room. "So, are these really for me or more for him?" The lights flashed and the TARDIS seemed to hum in response. She chuckled and selected an outfit. She had always thought her legs and ass were her best features. Apparently someone agreed.

She wound her way through the corridors until she reached the kitchenette. She instantly forgave the TARDIS when she saw that coffee was there waiting for her.

She made her way into the control room sipping from a mug just as the Doctor returned, looking quite worried. "What is it?" she asked, instantly alarmed.

"Dayle B. She's not in her apartment. The door was unlocked. Her bed's not been slept in." He slammed his hand on the console, making her jump. "Why didn't I think to check on her sooner? If I hadn't been so caught up in my little tantrum last night..."

"Doctor, this isn't your fault. We assumed she was at work. And honestly, she might well still be at work. That's the life of a nurse. Unpredictable hours. Just calm down. Have you tried calling her?"

He looked at her uncomfortably.

She blinked. "You don't have her fucking phone number." A statement. Not a question.

"Well, it's not like we chat on the phone much now do we? I've only just met her- and you- a few days ago in my timestream. The appropriate time to exchange numbers never really came up."

She sighed. "Well there has to be something in the apartment with her contact info." She set her mug down. "Let's go." They headed for Dayle B's apartment.

When they got off the elevator on six, they ran right into Melody.

"Dayle!" she exclaimed frantically, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I just knocked on your door looking for you."

"Whoa, Melody. Calm down. What is it?"

"It's Aaron. He's just disappeared." Melody was clearly distraught, her eyes red-rimmed. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Aaron..." Oh the guy! The Keeping up with the Kardashians guy.

The Doctor broke in, placing a calming hand on Melody's shoulder. "When was the last time you saw Aaron?"

"Last night." Melody explained, wiping her face with the sleeve of her cardigan. "We were at some charity event at the library. We had been having a fabulous time, drinking these amazing fig and pear infused vodka drinks." She turned and addressed Dayle. "A couple hours into the evening, Aaron spotted your Jesse and went over to say hello. He never came back!"