Not Alone [Doctor Who] {1}

Chapter 9

The Doctor took me back home. Back to London. "Okay, home sweet home," He said before I walked to the door and opened it. I stepped out and looked around, I was really back home. I looked over my shoulder as The Doctor walked outside. "How long have I been gone?" I asked. "About 12 hours," He said, leaning against the TARDIS. My jaw dropped with a smile and I chuckled slightly, and he joined.

"Right, I won't be long. I just want to see my Uncle, Aunt and Rose," I said. "What're you going to tell them?" The Doctor asked. "I don't know. I've been to the year five billion and only been gone, what, 12 hours?" I said and The Doctor smiled. "I'll just tell them I spent the night at friend. See you later and don't you disappear please," I said before walking to my building.

I ran up the stairs to my apartment and sighed happily. "I'm back! I was with a friend for the night," I announced. I found Rose and Aunt Jackie in the kitchen, and they looked at me in shock. "Hey, um . . . Everything's all right?" I asked.

"It's you. Oh, my God, Sammy," Aunt Jackie said with tears before rushing towards me and pulling me into a tight hug. "I was so worried." She let go of me and Rose pulled me to a tightly hug as well.

I looked over Rose's shoulder at the table and noticed missing flyers. It was with my picture. Was I really gone for that long? What was going on here? Then The Doctor ran in, which caused Rose to let go of me. "It's not 12 hours, it's 12 months. You've been gone a whole year," He informed, "Sorry."

"What?" I muttered in shock. I looked back at Rose and Aunt Jackie to see they were looking at The Doctor in confusion. "Sammy, who's this?" Rose asked me. "Um. This is my friend The Doctor. Doctor this is my best friend and cousin, Rose and this is my Aunt, Jackie," I explained. "I-I need to call Pete and tell him to come home. Right now," Aunt Jackie said before grabbing the phone.

...................

I was sitting with Rose on the couch while Aunt Jackie and The Doctor were standing. I glanced a few times at Aunt Jackie to see she was glaring at The Doctor with her arms crossed across her chest. The door finally opened and Rose and I got up to see Uncle Pete walking in, "Sam, thank god," He said as he walked towards me. He pulled me into a tight hug, "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

We pulled away from the hug, "I'm sorry." He shook his head, "What happened? Where were you? He asked. "Travelling," Aunt Jackie spoke up. "That's what she kept saying."

"That's what I was doing," I said as I sat back down. "When your passport's still in the drawer? It's just one lie after another," Aunt Jackie said. "The hours we sat here, days and weeks and months. We thought you were dead, and where were you? Travelling. What the hell does that mean, travelling? That's no sort of answer."

"But it's the truth," I said. "I meant to phone. I really did. I just . . . forgot." Rose sat back down with me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "You what?" Uncle Pete asked. "For a year? You forgot for a year?"

"Why won't you tell us where you've been?" Aunt Jackie asked. "Actually, it's my fault. I sort of employed Sam as my companion," The Doctor spoke up. Uncle Pete looked over at him, "Who are you?" He asked. "The Doctor," The Doctor replied. Uncle Pete frowned and then looked at me before back at The Doctor, "When you say companion . . . is this a . . . sexual relationship?"

"No," The Doctor and me said at the same time. "Then what is it?" Aunt Jackie asked, glaring at The Doctor, "Because you, you waltz in here all charm and smiles, and the next thing I know, my niece vanishes off the face of the Earth!"

"How old are you Doctor? 40? 45?" Rose asked. "What, did you find her on the Internet? Did you go online and pretend you're a doctor?" Aunt Jackie snapped. "I am a Doctor," The Doctor said. "Prove it. Stitch this," Aunt Jackie said before she slapped him across the face.

I gasped and Uncle Pete put an arm around Aunt Jackie, "Okay, let's just . . . All of us calm down." Rose nodded, "Yeah, good idea," She said before grabbing my hand and pulling me up with her. She led me to the kitchen and we both sat down, "You okay?" She asked, stroking my hair.

"Yeah," I said, sighing as Aunt Jackie came in. She kneeled down in front of me with tears in her eyes, "Did you think about us at all?" She asked. "I did. All the time," I said. "One phone call. Just to know that you were alive," She said with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I really am," I said. "Do you know what terrifies us is that you still can't say. What happened to you, Samantha? What can be so bad that you can't tell us, sweetheart? Where were you?" She asked as tears in my eyes full them. I wrapped my arms around her and we hugged.

...................

After a little while, I went with The Doctor to the roof of my building. "I can't tell them. I can't even begin. They never going to forgive me," I said, "And I missed a year. Was it good?"

"Middling," The Doctor said, shrugging. "You're so useless," I said, shaking my head slightly but smirked. "If it's this much trouble, are you going to stay here?" He asked. "I don't know. I can't do that to them again," I replied. "Well, they not coming with us," He said and I chuckled. "I don't do families."

"Aunt Jackie slapped you," I said with a smirk. "900 years of time and space, and I've never been slapped by someone's Aunt," The Doctor said. "Your face," I said. "It hurt!" He whined as he touched his face.

"When you say 900 years . . ." I trailed off. "That's my age," The Doctor said. "You're 900 years old?" I asked in disbelief. "Yeah," He said. "Rose was right to ask. It's a hell of an age gap," I stated before taking a few steps forward, sighing. "Every conversation with you just goes mental. There's no one else I can talk to. I've seen all that stuff up there, the size of it, and I can't say a word. Aliens and spaceships and things, and I'm the only person on planet Earth who knows they exist."

Suddenly, there was a loud honk and both me and The Doctor turned around. There was a giant spaceship above our heads before it hit Big Ben. "Oh, that's just not fair," I said. The Doctor laughed and grabbed my hand before we ran off.

We ran to the street but unfortunately it was blocked off. "It's blocked off," The Doctor said. "We're miles from the centre. The city must be grid locked. The whole of London must be closing down," I said. "I can't believe I'm here to see this. This is fantastic," He said with a smile.

"Did you know this was going to happen?" I asked as I looked at him. "Nope," He said. "Do you recognize the ship?" I asked. "Nope," He repeated. "Do you know why it crashed?" I asked. "Nope," He repeated. "I'm so glad I've got you," I said sarcastically as I looked away from him. "You are," He said, "This is what I travel for, Sam. To see history happening right in front of us."

"Let's go and see it. Screw the traffic. We've got the TARDIS," I stated. "Better not. They've already got one spaceship in the middle of London. I don't want to shove another one on top," The Doctor said.

"But yours looks like a big blue box. No one's going to notice," I pointed out. "You'd be surprised. Emergency like this, there'll be all kinds of people watching," He explained, "Trust me. The TARDIS stays where it is."

"So history's happening and we're stuck here," I said. "Yes, we are," The Doctor said. "You know, we could always do what everybody else does," I suggested and he looked at me with a frown. "Watch it on TV," I said.