The Unexpected Hero

Past Apologies

LACEY

"Where is he?" I demanded when I saw the Master stretched across my couch.

"He won't come back," the Master muttered, "face it... he's the Doctor, he runs."

"You don't understand," I hissed at the Master, "the Doctor, he..."

"He's not HIM, is he?" The Master snarked.

Rubie slung her arms around me.

"It's OK, Lacey," she comforted me.

"He'll come back," I sighed disappointingly, I knew the Doctor would come back, brain different or not. It's been so long, too long. Not two minutes.

The wheezing of the TARDIS was heard, and the ship materialised in my lounge room.

I sat on the lounge with a pissed off Rubie, preparing my ears for the yell fest she was about to deliver to poor Doctor.

"HOW DARE YOU EVEN..." She began when the man appeared, but the Doctor screamed at her to shut up. He was thinking.

"Lacey," he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, "I want you to do something for me."

"What is it?" I asked like a hypnotised slave, glancing cautiously at a particular angered girl disappearing from sight.

"I want you to..."

Rubie returned with a cricket bat, and swung it over the Doctor's head.

"...do that..." The Doctor's eyes rolled to a close and he stumbled hopelessly to the floor, unconscious.

"It's been two months since we last saw that jerk," Rubie snarled rudely.

"You didn't have to knock the lights from him with a bat!" I shrieked, "you could have damaged his neuron receptors in the side of his..."

"I dunno," she shrugged, mumbling the words annoyingly. I took a hold of the Doctor's arm and slid him across my polished wooden floor. I couldn't help that fact that the uneven distribution of weight to speed caused him to slam into the walls and table corners. I knew I should of grabbed his other arm!

I hauled him up on to my bed, trying to catch my breath as soon as I felt my heavy panting affect my oxygen intake. I should lift more or something...

"It was kind of an accident," Rubie's voice was heard behind me. I glanced to her for a second, and then gave up everything and hugged her.

"Thank you," I whispered. Suddenly her body tensed, and she was staring at me cautiously.

"I just... I brought back the evil..." She shook her head in disbelief. I was too hysterical, despite her regret and obvious shock.

"Can I hit him again, or something?" She was shaking nervously. I shook my head.

"You can damage his skull," I warned her, "and besides, the Master needs his job back, right?" I sounded too excited to even be slightly convincing.

"I'll leave you two, then," Rubie left the room when the mumbling of a certain Doctor was heard.

He sat up, blinking continuously.

"Is your head OK?" I placed me hand on the side of his face, where the bat had smashed against and bruised.

"Fine," the Doctor's stare caught mine, and his hands were around my face now, "but how are you?"

"Better," I smiled, making him smile. "I missed you."

"What? Why?" He looked around, "where did I go?"

"The last time I saw you, you said two minutes but it was two months," I shrugged. "It's in the past."

"That was my present," he stated, "I lied. Sorry about that, I really am. I never had any intention of leaving you at all, why would I..."

"You bumped your head and went all goody-goody," I explained briefly, patting his forehead with a cold cloth to calm him down.

"Imagine me good... Ha! What a collection of worlds it would be," The Doctor laughed so loud I shuttered.

"I wasn't around for that..." I put my hands on his shoulders, "just a heads up. If you leave this room Rubie will slog you with anything she can grab. Be careful."

"Careful, me? I'm the Doctor!"

"Exactly..."

I pushed the Doctor out of my room.

"If I was good, I'd do nothing!" the Doctor cackled. "I probably let all my companions be known, give the Daleks a back massage..."

"What? Your companions what?" I raised an eyebrow, having a staring contest with him.

"Nothing," he said with an odd twinkle in his eye. "Lacey, I must go now. I'm going to cause more havoc to some other being somewhere else."

My heart shrivelled a little. The Doctor was going to leave me... just like any other man in my life had.

"It's not you, it's me."

I tried not to care.

"Have fun, Eleven," I smiled falsely.

But really...

I hate you.

The Doctor watched me observingly, as if trying to discover my emotion... while waiting. What was he expecting me to say?

"Oh, and Lacey," the Doctor suddenly snapped me from my daze, "don't be shocked. I don't want to take you with me, so consider yourself one of the lucky ones."

"Why don't you want to take me with you?" I asked like a desperate child.

"Because my blasted hearts don't want me to!" he yelled in frustration, his bottom lip trembling as if he was going to cry, "I can't subject you to eternity with me."

He walked away.

I was frozen in the spot that I stood.

"'Eternity with me'?" I was stumped by his words. What the HELL did he mean by THAT?!

I gazed out my window, noting the empty space. I suddenly had the worst feeling I had ever experienced in my life. Horror.

I grabbed my phone and made a plan to call Rubie, and just have a massive breakdown.

As it rang, I felt my heart panic. It was beating so fast blood was probably circulating around my body entirely every nanosecond. It was pretty much beating so fast it could explode.

With every ring my stomach churned. God damn it, Rubie, why don't you have your phone with you?! I JUST saw you!

...No answer.

I instantly started to panic times sevenfold.

There was another strange feeling.

Fear.

There was no Rubie... No Doctor...

So where the fuck did that statue come from?