Midnight ⋆ Doctor Who²

4. The Astronaut

"JEFFERSON ISN'T A GIRL'S NAME," the Doctor says, swirling around the TARDIS as Aurora's controlling it. "It's not her name either. Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton." He stops in front of her. "Aurora." That's her cue.

She rolls her eyes at him. "Three of America's founding fathers."

"Lovely fellows," he recalls thoughtfully. "Two of them fancied me."

"Of course they did." She chuckles, and he looks like he just won the lottery.

"Are you okay?" Rory asks Canton, who seems seconds away from puking, turning on himself, forefinger held up in the air. "Coping?" Not so much.

"You see, the President asked the child two questions," the Doctor goes on. "'Where are you?' and 'Who are you?' She was answering 'where'."

"It's bigger on the inside," Canton lets out with a surprised grin.

"You get used to it!" Aurora screams out for him. She's not sure that's true, but she figures it would help him.

The Doctor rounds Amy to reach a lever. "Now, where would you find three big, historical names in a row like that?"

"Where?" she asks.

"Here." He parks the TARDIS. "Come on."

They rush for the doors, like they always do, but are stopped by Canton, holding up a hand. "It's uh..."

Aurora narrows her eyes and looks at Rory. "Are you taking care of this?"

"Why is it always my turn?" Aurora hears him groan as she steps out.

"Because you're the best, love you!"

This new place feels like a warehouse. It's dingy, and cluttered, and half drowned in darkness. Aurora frowns as she looks around, almost stepping on something. She hopes it's not a rat. Oh God, she really hopes to God it's not a rat.

The barely lit room makes her squint, not able to see beyond her nose, after stepping out of the bright TARDIS.

"So, uh, where are we?" Aurora asks.

"About five miles from Cape Kennedy Space Center," the Doctor answers, sitting on a chair in front of a dusty desk, waving a small and dirty flag around. "It's 1969, the year of the moon. Interesting, don't you think?"

She gives him the side eyes, absolutely not liking his little innuendos. He smiles innocently. He promised he wouldn't ask questions, not that he wouldn't allude to it. "And there's a little girl here?" she wonders, looking around. The place gives her the heebie-jeebies, so... "Maybe she's hiding."

"I don't know," he admits. "Lost me a bit." He sits up, and walks to the window. "The President asked the girl where she was, and she did what any lost little girl would do. She looked out of the window."

Aurora creeps closer to him, standing on her tiptoes to peer above his shoulder. She smirks. "The street sign points to Hamilton Avenue, Jefferson Street and Adams Street. I was right." He beams at her.

Amy lets out a little laugh. "Streets! Of course, street names."

Aurora notices the phone in the corner of her eye. She picks it up. It's cut off. "Well, she's certainly not calling anymore, is she?"

"The only place in Florida, probably all of America, with those three street names on the same junction." The Doctor looks at Aurora with a smirk, and leans against the wall. "And Miss Barnes, you've got that face on again."

"Sorry, what?" She blinks at the 'Miss Barnes', and looks at the others for backup, but they only smirk too. "What face?"

"The 'He's hot when he's clever' face."