Ties Between Freedom and Love

✦24✦ - The Voices Are Back

Chapter Twenty-Four
The Voices Are Back

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Emma rubbed at her eyes with a groan as she walked out of her room and down the hallway into the TARDIS kitchen. After comforting Rose about the whole Adam thing, she went to bed but sleep was the last thing that was happening to her. She rounded the corner and grabbed a mug out of the cupboard as she started up a pot of tea.

"Well, hello," the Doctor smiled as he walked into the kitchen and sat down at the counter. "Nightmares again?" he asked, seeing her tired and clearly frustrated demeanor.

"For once," Emma said as she looked back at him, "I wish."

"Why? What's the matter?"

"As crazy as this sounds," she sighed walking up to him and leaning her arms down on the counter opposite him. "I'm hearing voices."

"Voices?" the Doctor repeated.

"Voices," Emma nodded. "Well, actually more specifically angel radio. It's weird, though. I haven't heard it since I was a kid."

He furrowed his brows in confusion, "Alright, and angel radio is what?"

She met his adorable puzzled look and laughed, "Sorry. Uh... it's kind of like this psychic wave channel in my head. It's where the angels on Earth can hear the angels talking in Heaven. Sometimes it's pointless things and other's it's..."

"Not pointless," he helpfully supplied.

"Yeah, it's just..." she looked at him with a frown, "I haven't been able to hear it since I was fourteen. I had it blocked off."

"Blocked off?" the Doctor questioned in surprise. "Why?"

Emma played with her fingers as he rounded the counter and took over making tea for her, she smiled gratefully at him and sat down. "The voices used to get so loud in my head that I couldn't think. I couldn't even see properly or focus. I... sometimes it would be quiet and the next minute it was like a deafening yell in my head and I'd fall to the floor, passing out from the pain."

The Doctor turned around and stared at her. "Pain? Angel radio causes pain?"

"Sometimes."

"But if it was blocked off how did it come back?"

"I don't know," Emma admitted then paused for a second. "The Jagrafess was talking to me through a psychic link it might have reopened the channel in my mind."

He set her tea down in front of her, "What was it saying?"

She felt him stiffen and heard the slight change of tone in his voice, "Nothing important," she smiled.

"Em-"

"Really, Doctor, it's nothing I couldn't handle."

He sighed but dropped the subject as he took a seat next to her. "Alright... well, are you going to block it off again? Can you block it off again?"

Emma shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure. I mean, last time it took Papa and Gabriel to close it off from my mind. Now that it's back... I don't know. But maybe it's not such a bad thing it's back this way I can keep tabs on what's happening in my family's world."

"And what happens if the pain comes back?"

She moved her cup from side to side, "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

"Is there pain?" he questioned.

Emma turned her head to look at him, "Not yet."

"And the voices?"

"They're quiet but they're there."

They sat in silence for a few minutes just enjoying their tea before the Doctor spoke up again.

"I was thinking we could go back to the past next," he suggested and Emma smiled. "16th Century maybe? Oh," he lit up with a grin, "how about the 12th century?"

"Sounds fun," she nodded. "But before that, I'm going to take a shower and maybe even try and get some sleep."

He watched her take the last sip of her tea before standing up.

"Hey," she turned to look at him, "how did you know I was here and I couldn't sleep?"

He smirked and lifted a hand, "The TARDIS informed me, said you might be having nightmares again and that I should check on you."

"The TARDIS?" Emma questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, she watches over you," he replied, "more than anyone I've ever known, now that I think of it."

Emma smiled, patting the wall of the TARDIS affectionately, "Good to know. Thank you."

The Doctor smiled, he knew Emma was different. She was a mystery that he doubted he'd ever solve, not fully anyway. But he was willing to try and he was pleasantly surprised that the TARDIS was approving of that, approving of her. But she was and he was glad, thankful even.

Emma turned to leave, "Bye!" she waved at him and he grinned. "When I get back we better be going somewhere amazing!"

"As you wish Milady."