Fight For Freedom |4| The Ascension

Chapter Forty Six: Closing Time

"Mum, it's not just you," Craig said, rolling his eyes as he held the phone to his ear. "I'm phoning everybody. I'm texting the world. Craig Owens can do it on his own. No one is coming to help me." He looked around at a knock on the front door. "Mum, I'm going to have to call you back." He hung up, putting his head in his hands. "I'm coping," he told himself. "I'm coping on my own. I'm coping on my own!" The door knocked again. "I'm coping on my own!"

He threw the door open, blinking in surprise when he saw a blonde woman in a trenchcoat on the doorstep. The woman beamed. "Hello, Craig! I'm back!" Craig stared at her. "Oh, yeah, sorry, um, new face." She waved a hand. "You know how it works."

"She didn't..." Craig's eyes widened. "How could she phone you?"

McKenzie blinked. "How could who phone me? Nobody phoned me, I'm just here." She peered into his house. "Oh, you've redecorated. Nice."

"It's a different house," Craig explained. "We moved."

"Oh," she realised. "Yeah, that'll be it."

Craig shook his head. "Angel, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "Social call. Thought I'd try it out. How are you?"

"I'm fine," he replied.

She just looked at him. "Oh, right, this is the bit where I say I'm fine too, isn't it? I'm fine, too. Sorry, 200 years, bit rusty." She smiled again. "Anyway, love to Sophie. Bye." She turned to leave, stopping in her tracks when Craig's porch light flickered. "Something's wrong." In a flash she was inside the house, running up the stairs with the Doctor's sonic screwdriver in her hand. "On your own, you said. But you're not," she realised. "You're not on your own."

"Just, shh," Craig pleaded, following her.

"Increased sulphur emissions," she reported, passing some nappies on the stairs. "And look at the state of the place." She turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. "What are you not telling me?"

"Angel, please," Craig begged.

Her eyes widened. "Shh."

"No, you shh."

"Shh!" she repeated, looking towards the door across the landing.

"Shh!"

"No, you shh!" She headed over.

"Angel!"

Her eyes widened as she burst into the room to find a baby whimpering in his cot. "Aww!"

"You've woken him!" Craig complained.

She put the sonic back in her pocket, going over to the baby. "Hello!" She glanced back at Craig. "Can I?" The man nodded, and she picked up the baby, putting him on her hip. "Hello, tiny human."

***

Later, they'd relocated to the kitchen, the baby sitting in a highchair at the dining table.

"So, when you say on your own," McKenzie started.

"Yes, I meant on my own with the baby," Craig nodded. "Yes. Because no one thinks I can cope on my own. Which is so unfair, because I can't cope on my own with him. I can't. He just cries all the time. I mean, do they have off switches?"

"Human beings?" She flicked through a parenting book absently. "No. Believe me, I've checked."

Craig frowned. "No, babies."

She made a face. "Very little difference. Sometimes this works, though." She looked up at the baby, holding a finger to her lips. "Shhh!"

Craig stared in amazement as the baby stopped crying. "Can you teach me to do that?"