Doctor Who: Series A [COMPLETE]

Episode Two: The Monsters in the Walls

Swift House was one of the nicer collection of flats making up the Walker Estate, and yet Callum Green found it difficult to convince his young son to stay.
The child in question stayed slumped in his mum's car, petrified of what lay inside Swift House, and of the voices he heard at night there.
"Come on, Sarah, you're not being fair!" Callum pleaded.
Sarah wasn't an unreasonable woman. Even when their relationship had broken down, they had maintained a wary peace for the sake of their son. On this day, however, he found himself up against Sarah's stubborn side.
"It's not up to me, Callum. It's Elliot. He's not happy when he comes here. He gets scared, I get a message saying he wants to come home, and he ends up in tears for the rest of the weekend."
"I don't understand why."
"He says..." she sighed "he says there are ghosts. You don't have to say anything," a raised hand interrupted his protestations.
"Look, I know you like it here - it's not where I would choose to live, but I can see the appeal for a single man."
Callum frowned, and Sarah caught herself, sighing again.
"I don't mean to be cruel, I promise. But I can't have him coming back traumatised. Not again, Callum. It's not fair."
"On you or him?"
It was Sarah's turn to frown.
"On either of us," she looked over to the car "I'll talk to him, but this really is the last time. You'll either have to move or..."
"Not see my son?" Callum asked bitterly.
"Like I said, let me talk to him."
Callum turned away, arms folded, fighting back the urge to shout and scream and lose his composure - but that would mean risking the courts taking Elliot away.
"OK, this is the last time. And I've told him you'll leave a light on in the hallway for him," Sarah said sternly, as Elliot jumped from the car, his head still bowed.
Callum beckoned him closer and held his son tight, mouthing 'thank you' to his ex.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow evening, sweetheart. Be good for your dad. And you be good too."
"We'll be okay, won't we?"

***

"We'll be okay, won't we??" Jade yelled over the sound of the TARDIS tumbling and crashing through the time vortex.
All around the control room, she could hear machinery whirring and clanking, as the console juddered and the Doctor tried his best to fiddle with switches without falling.
"I'm sure we will!" he called back as sparks erupted from the control panel close to him
He shielded his face as Jade screamed, and he wasn't quite sure if he believed himself.
And then there was quiet again. Stillness. The TARDIS had landed, albeit ungracefully.
"What was all that about? I thought you said you could pilot this thing!"
"I never, ever said that," the Doctor panted, composing himself and running a hand through his hair, "but I'm sorry if you got that impression...shall we see where we are?"
"Wait," Jade said as the Doctor bounced past her towards the door, a childlike curiosity lighting up his face.
"Doctor... I still don't understand what I'm doing here."
The Doctor frowned out of sight; he didn't want her to ask what he knew, else he would have to tell her.
"Destiny!" he declared suddenly, his time lord brain weaving something not quite a lie, but simply not the truth, "we were destined to meet!" 
"Are you hitting on me, Doctor?" Jade asked with a raised eyebrow.
The time lord threw his hands up, defensively.
"Absolutely not! Now, there's something on the other side of that door that should help us with our investigation. Shall we take a look?"
The excitement in his voice was back, and Jade couldn't help but be enchanted by it.
" Let's," she responded, smiling back unexpectedly.

There was nothing extraordinary on the other side of the TARDIS doors, and Jade felt her excitement rapidly deflating. It seemed instead that they were still in London, and had in fact only moved a few miles in one direction. 

It wasn't exactly the whirlwind, intergalactic adventure the Doctor had promised her on the way back to Trap Street, or the time-travelling spectacle he had boasted once they were finally in the TARDIS. Did I mention she was a time machine? he had asked, as Jade stood in wonder, taking in the sight of a box much bigger on the inside.