Ties Between Freedom and Love

✦28✦ - The Doctor Dances

Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Doctor Dances

*---*---*---*---*---*

The Doctor kept Emma behind him as she grabbed both Rose and Jack's wrists, pulling them with her. He spared her a look, then looked to the patients. "Go to your room." They all stopped and Emma shared a confused look with Rose. This encouraged the Doctor and he quickly carried on, "Go to your room!" they all tilted their heads probably just as confused as the girls felt. "I mean it," the Doctor told them. "I'm very, very angry with you! I'm very, very cross! Go to your room!"

Emma's eyes widened in shock as all the patients hung their heads down in shame just like a kid would and returned to their beds without a second thought. She dropped her hands from Rose and Jack and looked at the Doctor as he released a relieved breath. "I'm really glad that worked," he smiled at Emma. "Those would have been terrible last words."

She patted his arm, "You make a good mummy."

"Oi!" he looked at her offended. "I do not if anything that's your job."

Emma laughed slightly, "You wish, I don't even have kids!"

"Yet," Rose muttered under her breath but they heard her.

"So," Jack said, "I'm guessing this is the sort of boyfriend and not the complicated soldier?"

Emma's eyes widened as a blush crept up her face and Rose laughed. The Doctor turned to Emma with a confused look.

"Soldier? What soldier?" he asked.

"Really, that's what you took from that sentence?" Emma asked incredulously and he just stared back at her waiting for the answer. "Anyway," she said trying to move on from the subject, "why are they all wearing gas masks?"

"They're not," Jack replied getting the hint. "Those masks are flesh and bone."

"How was your con supposed to work?" the Doctor asked, looking over at him.

"Simple enough, really," Jack shrugged. "Find some harmless piece of space junk, let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth, convince him it's valuable and name a price. When he's put 50% upfront. . . oops! German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he paid for, never knows he's been had. I buy him a drink with his own money, and we discuss dumb luck. The perfect self-cleaning con."

"Yeah," the Doctor glared. "Perfect."

Emma got up from her seat. "Not to mention the part where you tried to get me drunk on champagne to seal the deal."

"Lucky," Rose sighed. "I could do with a drink right about now."

"You're underage," Emma reminded her.

"So are you," the Doctor replied. Sensing the tension that was more directed at the fact she disappeared and got rescued by an unknown con man than Emma herself, she quietly sat back down feeling like she was in trouble.

"Look," Jack started again, once silence took over. "The London Blitz is great for self-cleaners. Pompeii's nice if you want to make a vacation of it, though. But you've got to set your alarm for Volcano Day," he laughed and Emma used the Winchester glare of disapproval on him making Rose smile. He shifted uncomfortably under her stare, "Getting a hint of disapproval."

"Good," Emma replied.

"Take a look around the room," the Doctor told him. "This is what your piece of harmless space junk did."

"It was a burnt-out medical transporter, it was empty," Jack repeated himself.

He glared at Jack before turning, "Emma. Rose."