I had to. I was getting bored, and, well . . . I couldn't wait to start writing Jessie into the next series. So, may I present "Smith, Nightshade, and Jones!"

***

She could see it now. Brits walking by, probably trying to avoid the beeping . . . thingy in her hand. But as she swung it around, she frowned when she heard it begin to beep even more.

Jessie pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and smacked the device against her palm. “What is it you’re finding?” she muttered before seeing where she’d had it pointed. She raised an eyebrow. “Oh.” She pulled out her phone and dialed the TARDIS.

The Doctor picked up immediately. “Did you find it?”

“It’s reading plasma coils,” she reported, looking back at the device. “It’s coming from this Royal Hope Hospital.” She looked back up at the hospital, raising an eyebrow. “So who’s playing the patient?”

“How did you know that was what I was planning?” he squeaked.

Jessie rolled her eyes. “Because it’s what you would do,” she muttered. “Get out here and I’ll think of a cover story for whatever illness you’re going to say you have.”

“Yes, mother.”

Jessie smirked. It’s nice being an Aussie. I sound more badass.

***

Martha Jones walked down the streets of London when her phone rang, interrupting her playlist. She looked at the Caller ID and raised an eyebrow. She answered. “You’re up early,” she commented. “What’s happening?”

“It’s a nightmare, because Dad won’t listen, and I’m telling you, Mum is gong mental!” her sister, Tish, rattled off at a nightmare pace. “Swear to God, Martha, this is epic! You’ve got to get in there and stop him!”

“How do I do that?” Martha asked.

“Tell him he can’t bring her.”

Martha rolled her eyes. Her dad and his girlfriend. Always the subject at their house. She was about to answer when her phone beeped. She took a quick look and smirked. “Hold on. That’s Leo. I’ll call you back.”

She had barely pressed answer when her brother began to babble. “Martha, if Mum and Dad start to kick off, tell them I don’t even want a party. I didn’t even ask for one! They can always give me the money instead.”

“Yeah, but why do I have to tell them?” Martha asked. “Why can’t you?” Her phone beeped yet again, and she took another look before sighing. “Hold on. That’s Mum. I’ll call you back.”

“I don’t mind your father making a fool of himself in private,” her mum, Francine, began to say immediately, “but this is Leo’s 21st. Everyone is going to be there, and the entire family is going to look ridiculous!”

“Mum, it’s a party,” Martha sighed. “I can’t stop Dad from bringing his girlfriend.” Her phone beeped another time, and she held back a groan as she checked who was calling this time. “Hold on. That’s Dad. I’ll call you back.”

“Martha?” her father, Clive, asked when she picked up. “Now, tell your mother Leo is my son and I’m paying for half that party. I’m entitled to bring who I like.”

“I know,” Martha sighed, “but think what it’s going to look like for Mum if you’re standing there with Annalise.”

“What’s wrong with Annalise?”

“Is that Martha?” a bubbly voice asked, and Martha rolled her eyes. “Say hi! Hi, Martha! Hi!”

“Hi, Annalise,” Martha said, just to make her happy.

“Big kiss, lots of love, see you at the party, babe,” Annalise said sweetly. “Now, take me shopping, big boy.”

Martha quickly hung up, not needing to hear the rest on that line. A man with spiky brown hair in a pinstripe suit walked up to her with a big smile. “Like so!” he said in a Southern London accent, and he promptly took off his tie, holding it up for her to see. “See?”

He walked off, and Martha stared after him for a moment before shaking her head and turning to go again. However, a blond woman in a violet camisole top and black jeans ran up, a black trench coat over it all. “Hey,” she panted. “Did you see a man come by? Ye tall?” She held up her hand, and Martha was taken aback by her Australian accent. “Pinstripes? Hair looked like he was stuck in an electrical socket?”

“Uh . . . ” Martha slowly pointed behind her. “That way.”

She grinned. “Thank you!” She ran right past. “Get back here!” she shouted.

Martha watched her go, shaking her head. “I need tea,” she muttered. She walked towards the hospital, jumping when a man in full motorcycle gear rammed into her. “Oi!” she shouted angrily. “Watch it, mate!”

She watched him go, then huffed and went inside. She checked in at the front desk, then headed for her locker.

***

Jessie rolled her eyes as she got a bottle of water from the cafeteria on the third floor, tilting her head a little and taking a deep breath. She had to remember she was currently Johanna Rossini. She snorted at the name, shaking her head. It didn’t sound Australian, but oh well. She had to live with it.

She entered the elevator again, pressing the button for the floor the Doctor, John Smith, was on. When she did, she blinked when she felt an electric shock. Well, that’s something to report.

***

“Now, then,” Martha’s teacher said as he pulled back the curtain around a bed in the Orthopedic ward. “Mr. Smith, a very good morning to you. How are you today?”

Martha blinked in surprise. The same man in the bed was the same one she had seen that morning in the street. “Oh, not so bad,” Mr. Smith replied rather cheerfully for someone in a hospital. “Still a bit . . . you know.” He made a face. “Blah.”

“John Smith, admitted yesterday by his best mate Johanna Rossini with severe – ”

“Not too late, am I, Mr. Stoker?”

Martha whipped around at another familiar voice. The blond Australian had caught up, her blond hair over one shoulder in a braid. She held a water bottle in one hand, and she plopped down in the seat opposite of where the students were standing. “Not at all, Miss Rossini,” Mr. Stoker assured her. “As I was saying, admitted by his best mate Johanna Rossini with severe abdominal pains.” He turned to Martha, raising an eyebrow. “Jones, why don’t you see what you can find? Amaze me.”

Martha stepped forward, taking her stethoscope from around her neck. “That wasn’t very clever, running around outside, was it?” she asked.

Mr. Smith blinked. “Sorry?” he asked.

Martha stared at him. “On Chancellor Street this morning? You came up to me and took your tie off.”

“Really?” He turned to Johanna in surprise. “What did I do that for?”

“Knowing you, anything,” she laughed.

“I don’t know. You just did,” Martha said before looking at Johanna. “And you came running up after him, asking me if I’d seen him before running off as well.”

Johanna’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, it wasn’t either of us. He’s been in bed the whole time. Ask any of the nurses. I only left to go to the restroom or take a visit to the café. We never left.”

“Well, that’s weird,” Martha commented. “’Cause they looked like you two. Have you got a brother? A sister?”

“No, not anymore,” Mr. Smith replied sadly. “Not anymore. Just me.”

“You’ve got me,” Johanna reminded him before shaking her head. “But no, I don’t have a sister.”

“As time passes, and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones,” Mr. Stoker prompted.

She blushed. “Right. Sorry.” She put her stethoscope in her ears and put it on the left side of Mr. Smith’s chest. She heard his heartbeat firm and strong, and she moved it to the other side. Her eyes widened microscopically. What? she thought incredulously. Is that a second? She looked at him, and Johanna had a twinkle in her eyes. Mr. Smith winked at her.

“I weep for future generations,” Mr. Stoker commented. “Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?”

“Er,” Martha sputtered, still completely off put. “I don’t know. Stomach cramps?”

“That is a symptom, not a diagnosis.” He reached for the clipboard on the side of the bed. “And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient’s chart.”

Martha raised an eyebrow when he got an electric shock from the clip, enough to make him drop the clipboard on the bed. “That happened to me this morning,” she commented.

“I had the same thing on the door handle,” Oliver Morgenstern

“And me on the lift,” Julia Swales added.

Martha was the only one to catch the look Mr. Smith and Johanna shared as Mr. Stoker talked again. “That’s only to be expected. There’s a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by . . . anyone?”

“Benjamin Franklin,” Mr. Smith answered.

“Correct.”

Mr. Smith grinned. “My mate, Ben,” he said happily. “That was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite. And then I got soaked.”

“Quite,” Mr. Stoker said slowly.

Johanna was snickering. “And then you got electrocuted,” she added. “Your hair didn’t go down for days!”

“Moving on,” Mr. Stoker said slowly as the two of them burst out laughing. “I think perhaps a visit to the psychiatric.”

Martha grinned at the two of them as they moved on. Mr. Smith gave her a matching grin, and Johanna gave her a wink.

***

The instant the doctors were away, Jessie leaned in to the Doctor. “I got shocked on the elevator, too,” she told him.

The Doctor threw her a look. “Plasma coils,” he guessed. “Did you see anything?”

Jessie shook her head. “I didn’t get that far in. I’ll go do another round.”

The Doctor nodded. “Happy hunting.”

She gave him a grin and stood, heading out the door again.

She barely gave the motorcycle men a glance.

***

“That’s our inheritance she’s spending on fake tan.” Martha nodded to herself as Tish kept babbling on the phone. “Tell you what, I’m not that far away. I’ll drop by for a sandwich and we can draw up a battle plan.”

“In this weather?” Martha scoffed. “I’m not going out. It’s pouring down.”

“It’s not raining here.” There was a pause. “That’s weird. It’s raining right on top of you. I can see it, but it’s dry where I am.”

“Well, you just got lucky.”

“No, but it’s like in cartoons! You know, when a man’s got a cloud over his head?”

“Yea, but listen, I’ll tell you what we’ll do.” Martha paused when she saw a blond head poke her head in. Johanna Rossini quickly turned away and walked out, and Martha continued. “We tell Dad and Annalise to get there early, about seven thirty, and we tell Leo get there at the same time so we can do all that birthday stuff. We tell Mum to get there for about eight thirty, nine, and that gives me time to have a word with Annalise, and – ” She cut off when Julia pawed at her arm. “What?” she asked.

“The rain,” Julia whispered.

“It’s only rain.”

“Martha, have you seen the rain?” Tish demanded.

“Why’s everyone fussing about rain?” Martha asked in annoyance.

“It’s going up,” Julia replied.

At the same time, Tish answered. “The rain is going up!”

***

“Nothing on this floor,” Jessie said furiously as she stomped back towards the Doctor, who was sitting up. “I could have sworn that device said something was wrong here.”

“As soon as I get out, I’ll help,” the Doctor promised. “Now, all we need to do is – ” He cut off, looking towards the windows. “Oh, hello.”

“What?” Jessie asked, turning. Her eyes widened at the sight she saw. “No. Way. Is that – ?”

“The rain is going up,” the Doctor said slowly before shaking his head. “That takes . . . wow.”

The hospital began to shake, and with a crash of thunder, it tilted. Jessie was thrown to the side, and she cried out when she hit the wall. When the shaking stopped, she heard footsteps, and then hands on her shoulders. “Jessie?” the Doctor asked worriedly.

She nodded, slowly sitting up. “Yeah. I’m good. What happened?”

The patients began screaming around them. “It appears,” the Doctor said as if talking about the weather, “that we’ve been transported to the moon.”

Jessie’s jaw dropped. “Say what?!”

“All right, now,” a familiar voice announced, and Jessie poked her head out to see that the medical student, Jones, was now back in the room with a nearly hyperventilating Swales behind her. She looked at the Doctor before nodding. She stepped out and swung the curtains around his bed to give him time to change. “Everyone back to bed. We’ve got an emergency but we’ll sort it out. Don’t worry.”

Jessie leaned against the window, blinking as she saw that she really was looking out at the moon. She whistled softly, and Jones nodded, joining her. “It’s real,” Jones whispered. “It’s really real! Hold on.”

She reached for the window, but Swales stopped her. “Don’t! We’ll lose all the air!”

“But they’re not exactly air tight,” Jones stated, and Jessie looked at her, impressed. “If the air was going to get sucked out, it would have happened straight away, but it didn’t. So how come?”

“Very good point,” Jessie commented.

The sound of curtains moving made her look over her shoulder, and the Doctor grinned, wearing that new suit he’d decided to try out, white Oxford shirt and blue jacket and pants with a red tie. American colors, but she didn’t dare point that out. Add the red Converse, and he was nearly a walking American flag. “Brilliant, in fact,” he added. “What was your name?”

“Martha,” Jones replied.

“And it was Jones, right?” Jessie asked.

Martha nodded. “Well, then, Martha Jones, the question is,” the Doctor said, rocking on his heels. “How are we still breathing?”

“We can’t be!” Swales shrieked.

Jessie glared at her. “Obviously we are, so stop wasting his time.”

Swales let out a little squeak. The Doctor didn’t take his eyes off of Martha. “What have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor, or a verandah, or – ?”

“By the patients’ lounge,” Martha replied, nodding. “Yeah.”

The Doctor turned to Jessie, raising an eyebrow. “Fancy going out?”

Jessie grinned. “Why not?”

The Doctor turned to Martha. “And you?”

“OK.”

“We might die,” he warned her.

“We might not,” she countered.

Jessie laughed. “Oh, I like you, Miss Jones.”

“Come on,” the Doctor said, beginning to walk off before glaring at Swales. “Not her. She’d hold us up.”

“Definitely not ginger,” Jessie whispered as they left. “You’re still rude.”

The Doctor stared at her before chuckling as they kept going.

***

Jessie opened the doors to the verandah, and Jessie took a deep breath, nodding. “It’s safe to breath. I’m not dead.”

“We’ve got air,” Martha said in disbelief. “How does that work?”

“Just be glad it does,” the Doctor stated.

“I’ve got a party tonight,” Martha said, shaking her head. “It’s my brother’s 21st. My mother’s going to be really, really . . . ”

“You OK?” the Doctor asked.

Martha took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“You’re sure?” Jessie asked.

“Yeah.”

“Want to go back in?”

“No way,” Martha said quickly before hastening to add more on. “I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same . . . it’s beautiful.”

“Do you think?” the Doctor asked.

“How many people want to go to the moon?” Martha continued. “And here we are.”

The Doctor smiled softly. “Standing in the Earthlight.”

“What do you think happened?”

“What do you think?” Jessie asked.

“Extraterrestrial,” Martha replied immediately. “It’s got to be. I don’t know. A few years ago, that would have sounded mad, but these days?” she shook her head. “That spaceship flying into Big Ben. Christmas. Those Cybermen things.” Slitheen, Sycorax, and Cybermen, Jessie thought in distaste. “I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf.” Jessie’s blood chilled, and she froze where she stood. “She never came home.”

“I’m sorry,” the Doctor whispered.

“Yeah.”

“We were there,” Jessie said slowly. “In the battle. Barely made it out.”

“I promise you, Mister Smith, Miss Rossini, we will find a way out,” Martha said firmly. “If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There’s got to be a way.”

“It’s not Smith,” the Doctor said. “That’s not my real name.”

“And I’m not Rossini,” Jessie added with a laugh. “I’m nowhere near that guy who wrote the Barber of Seville.”

“Who are you two, then?” Martha asked.

Jessie grinned. “I’m the Bad Wolf.”

“And I’m the Doctor,” the Doctor introduced himself.

Martha snorted. “Me, too, if I can pass my exams. And a character in a fairytale is not a name. Come on, what is it really? And what about you? Doctor Smith?”

“Just the Doctor,” the Doctor replied.

Jessie shook her head. “I really am the Bad Wolf.”

“What, people really call you the Doctor and the Bad Wolf?”

“Yeah,” the Doctor confirmed.

“Yep,” Jessie agreed.

Martha snorted. “Well, I’m not. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve got to earn that title. And as for you – ” She pointed at Jessie. “There’s no way in hell I’m calling you after that thing after Little Red Riding Hood.”

Jessie shrugged. “Fine by me.”

“And I’d better make a start, then,” the Doctor commented, getting up from where he leaned on the railing. “Let’s have a look. There must be some sort of . . . ” He looked around, then turned to Jessie. “Do you need that badge?”

She shook her head, taking it off and handing it to him. “By all means.”

He crushed it and threw it through the air. It bounced off of something invisible a good hundred yards away, and Jessie whistled in appreciation. “Nice arm, there, Doctor.” She tilted her head. “So. There’s a forcefield keeping the air in.”

“But if that’s like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we’ve got,” Martha said. “What happens when it runs out?”

The Doctor slowly looked at her. “How many people in this hospital?”

Martha looked back at him. “I don’t know. A thousand?”

Jessie nearly choked. “One thousand people,” she murmured. “Suffocating.”

Martha’s jaw dropped. “Why would anyone do that?”

The Doctor straightened further. “Heads up. Ask them yourself.”

Jessie looked up to see three cylindrical ships pass overhead. She slowly straightened and backed up. The ships landed, and columns of marching aliens came marching out. “Aliens,” Martha said unnecessarily. “That’s aliens. Real proper aliens.”

The name popped into Jessie’s head. “Judoon,” she corrected.

At the exact same time as the Doctor. He looked over at her in surprise. “How did you know that?” he demanded.

“I don’t know!” she protested, throwing her arms up and following him inside. “It just popped into my head!”

***

“Rhinos,” Jessie muttered later as she, the Doctor, and Martha hid behind plants on the upper level, watching the Judoon scan patients. “It has to be rhinos.”

“Oh, look down there!” the Doctor said cheerfully. Jessie rolled his eyes, knowing what he’d seen. “You’ve got a little shop!” He smiled at Jessie. “I like a little shop.”

“Yes, so you mentioned back on New Earth,” Jessie hissed.

“Never mind that,” Martha snapped. “What are Judoon?”

“They’re like police,” Jessie offered, still wondering how the hell she knew all of this. “Well . . . police for hire, I guess.”

“More like interplanetary thugs,” the Doctor added.

“And they brought us to the moon?” Martha asked incredulously.

“Neutral territory,” Jessie replied as if her mouth had a mind of its own. “According to galactic law, they’ve got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated it.”

The Doctor gaped at her in shock. “How did you know that?”

Jessie shook her head. “Must be the new mind the TARDIS gave me.”

“The what?” Martha asked.

The Doctor shook his head. “Anyway, that rain and lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop.”

“What are you on about, galactic law?” Martha asked. “Where’d you get that from? If they’re police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?”

Jessie grinned. “Oh, I like that idea.”

“No,” the Doctor said. “I wish it were that simple. They’re making a catalogue. That means they’re after something nonhuman, which is . . . very bad news for the two of us.”

“Why?” Martha asked. Jessie and the Doctor looked at each other before simultaneously turning to Martha with “duh” expressions. Her eyes widened. “Oh, you’re kidding me. Don’t be ridiculous.” They didn’t change their gaze. “Stop looking at me like that!”

The Doctor shook his head. “Come on, then,” he said simply and moved off.

***

Jessie groaned, putting her head in her hands. “Doctor!” she shouted.

He poked his head in through the office door. “Yes?”

She banged the top of the computer she was trying to use. “It’s not letting me in with any of the SHIELD codes.”

He beckoned to her, and she stood up, moving around. “This is something I thought I’d never see,” she commented. “The day SHIELD codes don’t work.”

“First time for everything,” he muttered, beginning to work with the sonic screwdriver.

Martha ran in, panting. “They’ve reached the third floor.” She stopped, narrowing her eyes. “What’s that thing?”

“Sonic screwdriver,” the Doctor replied absently.

Martha laughed. “Well, if you’re not going to answer me properly – ”

“No, really, it is,” the Doctor insisted, waving it. “It’s a screwdriver, and it’s sonic. Look!”

Jessie watched files fly across the screen. “Nice job.”

“What else have you got?” Martha scoffed. “A laser spanner?”

Jessie tilted her head, frowning. “Wasn’t that stolen by Emily Pankhurst or something?”

“Yes, it was,” the Doctor confirmed. “Cheeky woman. Oh, this computer!” he exclaimed loudly, making Jessie jump backwards. “The Judoon must have locked it down.”

“Judoon platoon upon the moon,” Jessie mused.

He grinned. “I like that. But really, we were just traveling past. I swear we were just wandering. We weren’t looking for trouble, honestly, we weren’t – ”

“Never do,” Jessie piped in.

“Oi!” the Doctor whined, and she stuck her tongue out at him. “But we noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that’s a plasma coil. Been building up for two days now, so Bad Wolf checked me in. I thought something was going on inside. It turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above.”

“Always the rhinos.”

“Oh, shut up,” the Doctor muttered.

She laughed, and Martha looked between the two of them. “But what were they looking for?”

“Something that looks human but isn’t,” the Doctor replied.

“Like the two of you apparently.”

“Not me,” Jessie said quickly. “I’m only half, but I’d still register. More like him.” She jerked her thumb at the Doctor.

“But not like me,” the Doctor added.

“Haven’t they got a photo?”

“Well, might be a shape changer,” the Doctor guessed.

“Like Mystique?” Jessie guessed, remembering the mutant that had been on the news for a while.

The Doctor frowned. “Who?”

“Raven Darkholme,” Jessie said, then blinked when he still gave her a dull look. “OK, basically she’s a mutant who can take the form and voice of anyone else.”

“Oh.” The Doctor nodded. “Yes. Like her.”

“Whatever it is, can’t you just leave the Judoon to find it?” Martha asked.

“If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they’ll sentence it to execution,” the Doctor replied.

Martha blinked. “All of us?”

He nodded. “Oh, yes. If I can find this thing first – ” He stopped with a blink. “Oh!” he shouted angrily, again making Jessie jump as he slammed his hand down on the computer. “You see? They’re thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records!”

Jessie groaned. “Oh, that’s clever of them.”

“What are we looking for?” Martha asked.

“I don’t know,” the Doctor admitted. “Say any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms.” He narrowed his eyes, going back to the sonic. “Maybe there’s a backup . . . ”

“Just keep working,” Martha suggested. “I’ll go ask Mr. Stoker. He might know.”

She left, and Jessie looked over his shoulder. “Do you think there might be a backup?” she asked.

“Have to try,” the Doctor muttered. “I think . . . maybe . . . ” He grinned. “Yes. Yes. Yes!” The computer screen lit back up, and he cheered. “Woohoo! They’ve got a backup!”

Jessie grinned. “I’ll go tell Martha.”

She headed out the door and nearly ran into a frazzled Martha. “He restored the backup,” she told her.

“I found her,” Martha gasped.

Jessie frowned. “You did what?”

There was a bang, and Jessie yelped when two men in motorcycle gear broke down a door down the hall. “Oh,” she said before grabbing Martha’s arm. “RUN!”

“What?” the Doctor shouted.

Jessie pulled Martha along, running for the staircase. She led Martha down, but she stopped short when she saw the Judoon marching up. She growled, banging open the door to the next floor. The Doctor managed to catch up, and Jessie shoved them through the radiology room. The Doctor did a quick evaluation, then nodded. “When I say now, press the button,” he said.

Jessie looked over the multitude of buttons. “How do we know which one?” she asked.

“Find out!”

Jessie growled as he ran out into the x-ray room. “Stupid,” she grumbled as she leaned against the control board, barely noticing Martha flip through a manual. “Thick. Idiot.” She blinked, looking back. “Sorry, am I annoying you?”

The hinges on the door broke open, and Jessie jumped. “Jess, now!” the Doctor barked.

Jessie instantly slammed her hand down on the first button she saw. Luckily, it was the right one, as the x-ray machine manned by the Doctor shot massive radiation at the motorcycle man. It fell face down, and Jessie grinned before turning the machine of. “So what did that do?” she asked.

“Increased the radiation by five thousand percent.”

Jessie rolled her eyes. “Again. Stupid . . . ”

Martha stared at him. “But isn’t that going to kill you?”

“Nah,” the Doctor replied brightly. “It’s only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It’s safe for you to come out.” Jessie did, Martha following slowly. “I’ve absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it. If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It’s in my left shoe.” Jessie tried not to laugh, but it was hard with Martha’s stunned expression and the Doctor’s twisted look of concentration. “Here we go. Here we go.” He winced. “Easy does it. Out, out, out, out, out, out, out.” He began hopping on his right foot, and Jessie began snickering. “Ah, ah, ah, ah! It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot!” He began hopping more furiously. “Hold on!” He finally pulled his shoe off and slammed it into the bin. “Done!” he announced, sounding pleased.

Jessie finally howled in laughter, Martha still looking at him in bewilderment. “You’re completely mad,” she stated.

“Yeah,” Jessie choked out. “He looks completely daft in one shoe.”

The Doctor nodded. “She’s right.” He pulled off the other one and slammed it in. “Barefoot on the moon!”

“Only you,” Jessie giggled.

“So what is that thing?” Martha asked as Jessie crouched to peer at the creature. “And where’s it from? The planet Zovirax?”

“It’s just a Slab,” the Doctor said. “They’re called Slabs. Basic slave drones. See?” He knocked on it. “Solid leather all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish.”

“But it was that woman, Miss Finnegan,” Martha told them. “It was working for her, just like a servant.”

“My sonic screwdriver,” the Doctor whined. Jessie turned slowly to see him pull it out, completely fried. She grinned.

“She was one of the patients, but – ”

“Oh, no,” Jessie chuckled.

The Doctor looked like a lost puppy, and it took everything in Jessie’s power not to make fun of him. “My sonic screwdriver!”

“She had a straw like some kind of vampire,” Martha continued.

“Come on, you can make a new one,” Jessie told the Doctor.

“I loved my sonic screwdriver!” he protested.

“Yes, I know that.”

“Doctor!” Martha barked, making him jump. “Bad Wolf!”

She jerked, too. “Sorry,” the Doctor apologized quickly, tossing the screwdriver away. Jessie just managed to catch it. He grinned. “You called us Doctor and Bad Wolf!”

“Anyway?” Martha snapped. “Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker’s blood.”

“Funny time to take a snack,” Jessie quipped. “You’d think she’d be hiding.”

The Doctor held up a hand. “Unless . . . no. Yes! That’s it!” He paced, snapping his fingers before grinning brightly. “Yes! Shape changer! Internal shape changer! She wasn’t drinking blood, she was assimilating it! If she can assimilate Mr. Stoker’s blood, mimic the biology, she’ll register as human. We’ve got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!”

***

Jessie pulled both of them down when the other Slab walked by. “There’s the other one.”

“That’s the thing about Slabs,” the Doctor commented. “They always travel in pairs.”

“What about you two?” Martha asked.

Jessie looked about her. “What about us what?”

“Haven’t you got back up? You have to have others, or something!”

Jessie swallowed. Once upon a time, maybe SHIELD could have helped. But now . . . “Humans,” the Doctor scoffed. “We’re stuck on the moon, running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, and you’re asking personal questions? Come on.”

Jessie followed him, and Martha followed. “I like that. Humans.” She shook her head. “I’m still not convinced you two are aliens.”

They turned a corner, and a blue light buzzed in the Doctor’s eye. “Nonhuman,” a Judoon announced.

Martha’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God. You really are.”

The Doctor turned. “And again!”

Jessie grabbed the Judoon’s blaster and snap kicked him away. She raised it and fired two quick shots at the doorframe. It began to collapse in, and Jessie turned tail to follow the Doctor and Martha up the stairs. “Move it!” she barked.

“We are moving it!” Martha shouted back.

Jessie emerged to find Martha checking around. “They’ve done this floor,” the Doctor said. “Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a bit thick. They won’t go back to check a floor they’ve checked already. If we’re lucky.”

“How much oxygen is there?” Martha asked.

The doctor, Swales, looked up. “Not enough for all these people. We’re going to run out.”

“How are you feeling?” the Doctor asked Martha. “Are you all right?”

“I’m running on adrenaline,” Martha admitted.

Jessie grinned, pointing her blaster up to the ceiling. “Welcome to the wonderful world of the two of us.”

“What about the Judoon?” Martha asked.

“Nah. Great big lung reserves,” the Doctor said. “It won’t slow them down. Where’s Mr. Stoker’s office?”

Martha pointed. “It’s this way.”

***

Jessie whistled, looking inside. “Wow. He is dead.”

“She’s gone,” Martha growled. “She was here!”

The Doctor crouched by a very white and a very dead Mr. Stoker. “Drained him dry,” he commented. “Every last drop. I was right.” He looked up at Jessie, raising an eyebrow. “Want to give a guess?”

Jessie closed her eyes, thinking through the sudden onslaught of memories and names and information of the Time Lords. She hesitantly opened one. “Plasmavore?”

He grinned. “Brilliant.”

“What’s she doing on Earth?” Martha asked as Jessie gave him a grin.

“Hiding,” the Doctor guessed. “On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro.” He shook his head. “What’s she doing now? She’s still not safe. The Judoon could execute all of us.” He stood up. “Come on.”

“Wait a minute.”

Jessie waited for Martha, and she smiled softly when Martha closed the man’s eyes. She squeezed the woman’s shoulder in sympathy.

The Doctor was still talking. “Think, think, think,” he said. “If I was a Plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?” He stopped, looking up, and then he grinned. “Ah. She’s as clever as me. Almost.”

Jessie looked up, too. “MRI?”

“Exactly.”

There was a crash, and then patients began screaming down the other hall. “Find the nonhuman!” the Judoon ordered. “Execute!”

The Doctor took a deep breath. “Bad Wolf, Martha, stay here. I need time. You’ve got to hold them up.”

“How do we do that?” Jessie asked.

The Doctor took a deep breath. “Amplify your alien biology.”

Jessie narrowed her eyes. “What – ”

She was totally caught off guard when he caught her face in both of his hands and crashed his lips onto hers. She let out a small squeak at the force of it, and she felt a shudder go down her spine. He pulled back, looking at her. “Like that,” he told her with a smile. “I still trust you.”

She smiled. “Go get her. And stop wasting time. Time Lord.”

He grinned, turning and entering the room. “What was that?” Martha asked.

Jessie shook his head. “I think it was nothing.”

Martha stared at her incredulously. “That was nothing? He didn’t need to shove his tongue down your throat!”

Jessie cleared the said throat. “Ah. No. He didn’t do that.” She took a deep breath, turning. “But he does stuff like that. Just . . . usually not that.”

***

The Doctor poked his head into the MRI room to see Miss Finnegan working at the MRI machine. He took a breath when he saw the electricity warping around it. He then charged in, doing what he did best. Babble. “Have you seen them?” he demanded, and she looked up sharply. “There are these . . . things! These great big space rhino things! I mean, rhinos from space! And we’re on the moon! Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon! And I only came in for my bunions, look – ” He held up his left foot. “I mean, all fixed now, perfectly good treatment. The nurses were lovely. I said to my wife, I said I’d recommend this place to anyone, but then we end up on the moon! And did I mention the rhinos?”

“Hold him,” Miss Finnegan ordered.

The final Slab came up behind the Doctor and grabbed his arms. There we go.

***

“Find the nonhuman,” the head Judoon ordered as the line stomped down the halls. “Execute.”

“Now listen,” Martha said. “We know who you’re looking for. She’s this woman, she calls herself Florence – ”

She was buzzed with the scanner. “Human,” it decided before turning to Jessie and scanning her. “Heightened human. Wait. Nonhuman traits detected. Nonhuman elements confirmed.” Jessie was pushed up against the wall. “Authorize full scan! What are you?” Asgardian Time Lady, Jessie thought dryly, but she didn’t dare say it. “What are you?”

***

“Er,” the Doctor said, nodding at the MRI machine. “That . . . that big, er . . . machine thing. Is it supposed to be making that noise?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Miss Finnegan said.

“But isn’t that a magnetic resonance thing?” he asked, playing dumb. “Like a ginormous sort of magnet? I did magnetics GCSE.” He tilted his head. “Well, I failed, but all the same.”

“The magnetic setting now increased to fifty thousand Tesla.”

“Ooo,” the Doctor said in mock awe. “That’s a bit strong, isn’t it?”

“It’ll send out a magnetic pulse that’ll fry the brain stems of every living thing within two hundred and fifty thousand miles. Except for me, safe in this room.”

“But, er, hold on, hold on. I did geography GCSE. I passed that one. Doesn’t that distance include the Earth?”

“Only the side facing the moon. The other half will survive. Call it my little gift.”

So she was out to destroy part of the Earth. That’s interesting, he thought. How much more can I get her to talk? “I’m sorry. You’ll have to excuse me, I’m a little out of my depth,” he lied. So far into my depth. “I’ve spent the past fifteen years working as a postman. Hence the bunions. Why would you do that?”

“With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine, to make my escape,” Miss Finnegan said proudly.

The Doctor blinked. “No. That’s weird. You’re talking like you’re some sort of alien.”

She nodded. “Quite so.”

The Doctor let his jaw fall open. “No!” Gotcha.

She nodded. “Oh, yes.”

“You’re joshing me.”

“I am not.”

“I’m talking to an alien? In hospital?” He kept playing dumb, looking around. “What, has the place got an ET department?”

“It’s the perfect hiding place,” Miss Finnegan said. “Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast, and all this equipment ready to arm myself with should the police come looking.”

It was time to lay the bait. “So, those rhinos,” he said. “They’re looking for you?”

“Yes. But I’m hidden.”

“Right.” He put on a thoughtful face. “Maybe that’s why they’re increasing their scans.”

Miss Finnegan looked up in surprise. “They’re doing what?”

“Big chief rhino boy, he said no sign of nonhuman, we must increase our scans up to . . . setting two?”

She sighed. “Then I must assimilate again.”

“What does that mean?” I both hate and love playing dumb.

“I must appear to be human.”

The Doctor smiled. “Well, you’re welcome to come home and meet the wife,” he offered. “She’d be honored. We can have cake!”

“Why should I have cake?” Miss Finnegan held up a plastic straw. “I’ve got my little straw.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” the Doctor commented. “Milkshake? I like banana.”

“You’re quite the funny man,” Miss Finnegan mused. “And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it’s time you found some peace. Steady him!”

The Slab forced the Doctor onto his knees, and tilted his head a little. It gave Miss Finnegan perfect access to his neck. Just a little longer, he thought desperately. “What are you doing?” he asked, a little panic in his words.

“I’m afraid this is going to hurt,” Miss Finnegan replied. “But if it’s any consolation, the dead don’t tend to remember.”

And when she stuck the straw into his neck, the Doctor let a single thought ring out through his mind, and hopefully to the closest near-telepath in the area. “JESSIE!”

***

Jessie slowly backed up when the Judoon turned on her. “Confirm. Nonhuman. Traces of facial contact with greater nonhuman. Continue the search for the other.”

As the Judoon turned, a blasting thought ripped through Jessie’s head, and it was not her own. “JESSIE!”

“Doctor!” she gasped out and began to run towards the MRI room. Martha followed right on her tail, and the Judoon followed.

She ran inside, and her eyes widened when she saw the Doctor on his knees, but the Slab dropped him soon after. The woman sucking his blood, presumably Miss Finnegan, squeaked and hid her straw as the Judoon tromped in next. “Now, see what you’ve done!” she accused. “This poor man just died of fright!”

“Scan him,” the chief Judoon ordered. A scanner flared blue. “Confirmation. Deceased.”

Jessie let out a breath. “No,” she whispered. “No, he can’t be!”

“Let me through!” Martha shouted, trying to push her way through. “Let me see him!”

“Case closed,” the Judoon stated.

“But it was her!” Martha shrilled. “She killed him! She did it! She murdered him!”

“Judoon have no authority over human crime.”

“But she’s not human!”

“Oh, but I am,” Miss Finnegan assured them, holding up her crossed hand. “I’ve been catalogued.”

Jessie slowly looked from Miss Finnegan to the Doctor. “Hold on. You just had him like that, and you . . . ” She smiled. “You just drank his blood.” She grabbed a scanner and scanned her. “Ergo – ”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Miss Finnegan challenged. “Scan all you like.”

The scanner made a noise. “Nonhuman,” the Judoon declared.

Miss Finnegan blinked. “But . . . what?”

“Confirm analysis.”

“Oh, but it’s a mistake, surely,” Miss Finnegan squeaked. “I’m human! I’m as human as they come!”

“Ha!” Jessie crowed, pointing at her. “You drank his blood! He let you drink his blood so they’d find you!”

“Confirm,” the Judoon announced. “Plasmavore, charged with the crime of murdering the child princess of Patrival Regency Nine.”

“Well, she deserved it!” Miss Finnegan snapped. “Those pink cheeks and those blond curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a Plasmavore!”

“So you confess?”

“Confess? I’m proud of it! Slab, stop them!”

The Judoon all turned on the Slab before they could move and fired, destroying it. “Verdict, guilty,” the Judoon declared. “Sentence, execution.”

Miss Finnegan sneered and ran back into the operating room and plugged something in, and the Magnetic Overload sign began flashing. “Enjoy your victory, Judoon,” she sneered, “because you’re going to burn with me! Burn in hell!”

The Judoon all fired again, and Miss Finnegan was incinerated. “Case closed,” the head Judoon reported.

“But what did she mean, burn with me?” Martha demanded.

Jessie watched electricity warp around the machine. “She did something to the machine,” she replied.

The Judoon did a scan. “Scans detect lethal acceleration of monomagnetic pulse.”

“Well, do something!” Martha ordered. “Stop it!”

“Our jurisdiction has ended,” the Judoon replied. “Judoon will evacuate.”

“What?” Martha shrieked as Jessie ran back behind the screen to check what Miss Finnegan had done. “You can’t just leave! What’s it going to do?”

The Judoon’s voice echoed over the intercom. “All units withdraw!”

“You can’t go!” Martha called, following them into the corridor. “That thing’s going to explode and it’s your fault!”

Jessie shook her head and ran back over to the Doctor. “Come on,” she begged. “Come on, you can’t be dead!”

Martha ran back in, getting on her knees. “Back up,” she ordered.

Jessie did, looking at her. “What’re you – ?”

Martha began chest compressions. “One, two, three, four, five,” she counted before giving him a breath. Jessie understood and leaned back. “One, two, three, four, five.”

“Two hearts,” she reminded her.

Martha began gasping, but Jessie, for some reason, did not feel the air loss affect her. “One, two, three, four, five,” she counted again on the other side. “One, two, three, four, five!”

She gave one last breath, and then Jessie put her hands on the Doctor’s chest. “Sorry,” she apologized, before giving him a shock of electricity as Martha collapsed.

The Doctor shot upright, gasping for breath, and Jessie steadied him. “She did something to the machine,” she told him.

The Doctor pointed to it, and Jessie ran over, looking it all over. “What do I do?” she asked.

The Doctor patted over, then growled. “Sonic. Soddit.”

Jessie checked the controls. “God, I hope this works,” she muttered before yanking the plugs apart.

The scanner shut off, much to her relief, and the Doctor slowly got to his feet. He picked Martha up bridal style, and Jessie led the way down the hall towards the balcony. “Come on,” she whispered as she looked outside. “Come on. Come on, come on, please!”

“Come on, Judoon, reverse it,” the Doctor hissed.

Jessie smiled when raindrops began dropping down. “It’s raining,” she said in relief.

The Doctor grinned. “It’s raining, Martha,” he said to the unconscious woman in his arms. “It’s raining on the moon.”

***

Martha woke up a little later in the back of an ambulance with no memory of how she’d gotten there. She looked back up, though, when she heard her sister call her name. “Martha!” Tish wailed, running up and giving her a hug. “Oh, God! I thought you were dead! What happened? It was so weird, because the police wouldn’t say! They didn’t have a clue! And I tried phoning. Mum’s on her way, but she can’t get through. They’ve closed off all the roads.”

Martha looked over her shoulder to see the Doctor in a long light brown trench coat head off with the Bad Wolf by his side, both of them talking together. The Bad Wolf spared a glance over her shoulder to smile at Martha, then the Doctor said something that made her nod.

“There’s thousands of people trying to get in,” Tish continued. “The whole city’s come to a halt! And Dad phoned, because it’s on the news and everything. He was crying.” Martha blinked when she head the whooshing of engines, but from where? “Oh, what a mess,” Tish sighed before sitting next to Martha. “What happened? I mean, what really happened? Where were you?”

***

Annalise later stormed out of the bar in fury. “I am not staying in there to be insulted!”

“She didn’t mean it, sweetheart,” Clive tried to calm her. “She was just saying you look healthy.”

Francine was out next. “No, I did not,” she denied. “I said orange.”

“Clive, that woman is disrespecting me,” Annalise said overdramatically. “She’s never liked me.”

“Oh, I can’t think why, after you stole my husband!” Francine shouted.

“I was seduced!” Annalise barked as Martha, Tish, and Leo came out. “I’m entirely innocent! Tell her, babe!”

“And then she has a go at Martha, practically abused her of making the whole thing up!”

Martha jumped when the conversation turned to her. “Mum, I don’t mind,” she hissed, trying to stop it all. “Just leave it.”

“Oh, I’ve been to the moon!” Annalise said in a high voice, then scoffed. “As if. They were drugged! It said so on the news!”

“Since when did you watch the news?” Francine asked. “You can’t handle Quiz Mania!”

“Annalise started it,” Tish accused. “She did. I heard her!”

“Tish, don’t make it worse,” Leo moaned.

“Oh, come off it, Leo,” Tish snapped. “What did she buy you? Soap! A seventy five pence soap!”

“Oh, I’m never talking to your family again!” Annalise declared before storming off.

“Oh, stay,” Francine drawled. “Have a night out with Clive.”

“Don’t you dare,” Clive warned. “I’m putting my foot down.”

“You coming?” Annalise tossed over her shoulder.

Clive nodded, glaring at Francine. “This is me, putting my foot down.”

He went after her. “Doing it for the last twenty five years!” Francine yelled.

“Please!” Clive scoffed.

Francine began after them. “Clive, stop! Now!”

“Mum!” Tish shouted. “Don’t! I – ”

Martha sighed as Tish and Leo started after them as well. She was ready to walk off, her red jacket over her shoulder, when her phone beeped in her back pocket. She pulled it out, growling a little, and she blinked at the text she had gotten.

“And I thought the family I had stayed with for a while argued.”

Slowly, Martha raised her head up. The Bad Wolf was leaning casually against a corner wall in different but somewhat familiar clothes, a smart phone in her hand. She raised an eyebrow and walked around the corner. Martha smiled and ran after her.

***

Jessie stopped next to the Doctor, leaning on the TARDIS as Martha rounded the corner. She stopped when she saw the two of them, then smiled. “I went to the moon today,” she said.

“A bit more peaceful than down here,” Jessie commented.

Martha approached. “You never even told me who you are.”

“The Doctor,” the Doctor replied.

“The Bad Wolf,” Jessie added.

“What sort of species?” Martha asked. “It’s not every day I get to ask that.”

“I’m a Time Lord,” the Doctor replied.

“Half Time Lady,” Jessie added. “The other half is Asgardian.”

Martha laughed. “Right. Not pompous at all, then.”

Jessie nudged him, and the Doctor nodded. “I just thought since you helped save my life, and I’ve got a brand new sonic screwdriver which needs road testing – ” He waved the said object in the air. “ – and with the ever so constant nagging of my Aussie friend here, you might fancy a trip.”

Martha blinked. “What? Into space?”

“Well,” the Doctor said, dragging it out.

“But I can’t,” Martha denied. “I’ve got exams. I’ve got things to do! I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent. I’ve got my family going mad.”

“No kidding,” Jessie commented, not able to help it.

Martha glared at her, but the Doctor stepped in. “If it helps, we can travel in time as well.”

Martha’s jaw dropped. “Get out of here!”

“We can,” the Doctor assured her.

“Come on, now,” Martha challenged. “That’s going too far!”

“We’ll prove it,” the Doctor stated, turning to Jessie. “Let’s go.”

She followed him into the TARDIS. “She said she saw us on Chancellor Street right before she came to work,” she told him.

The Doctor nodded, setting the coordinates. “Right.”

The TARDIS jerked around a little before stopping. The Doctor clapped his hands. “Right, then! Let’s go see her.”

He ran out of the TARDIS, leaving Jessie stunned for a little. “Hey!” she barked, running after him. “Wait up!”

She ran towards Chancellor Street before losing him in the crowd. She growled in annoyance when she suddenly saw Martha staring off in one direction. She smiled, running up. “Hey,” she panted, bending over to catch her breath. Martha whirled towards her. “Did you see a man come by? Ye tall?” She held up her hand to demonstrate. “Pinstripes? Hair looked like he was stuck in an electrical socket?”

“Uh . . . ” Martha slowly pointed behind her. “That way.”

She grinned. “Thank you!” She ran right past. “Get back here!” she shouted.

She rounded the corner, and a hand grabbed her arm. The Doctor grinned at her, his tie in his hand. “Perfect,” he told her, dragging her back to the TARDIS. “Now, let’s go see if we made an impression.”

She grinned as he sent them back, and she sauntered out, grinning at a dumbstruck Martha. “Thanks for the help,” she told her. “He’s hard to keep an eye on.”

The Doctor came out next and held up his tie. “Told you,” he said simply.

“No!” Martha gasped. “But that was this morning! Did you – ?” Jessie held out her hands as the Doctor put his tie back on, and Martha laughed. “Oh my God, you can travel in time!” She paused. “But . . . hold on. If you could see me this morning, why didn’t you tell me not to go in to work?”

“Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden,” the Doctor replied.

Jessie grinned. “Except for cheap tricks, apparently.”

“And that’s your spaceship?” Martha asked, nodding to the TARDIS.

Jessie nodded, patting Her fondly. “She’s called the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space.”

Martha put her hand on it. “Your spaceship’s made of wood,” she told them blankly. “There’s not much room.” She smirked. “We’d be a bit intimate.”

Jessie smiled at the Doctor as he pushed the door open. “Take a look.”

Martha stepped inside, and Jessie was about to follow when the Doctor stopped her with a grin. Soon afterwards, Martha came running back out, circling the TARDIs. “But it’s just a box!” she exclaimed. “But it’s huge!” She ran back in, and this time the Doctor let Jessie follow. “How does it do that?” Martha demanded. “It’s like a box with that room just rammed in!” Jessie turned to see the Doctor mouth the next part with Martha. “It’s bigger on the inside!”

“Really?” the Doctor asked sarcastically. “Bad Wolf, have you ever noticed that?”

“Never,” she agreed with a laugh.

He shut the door and tossed his coat over one of the coral structures. “Right, then!” he declared. “Let’s get going!”

“But is there a crew?” Martha asked as Jessie followed him up to the console. “Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?”

“Just the two of us,” Jessie said.

“All on your own?” Martha asked.

Jessie swallowed. “Well, sometimes we have guests. Some friends traveling alongside. There were a few recently. My best friends, Skye and Saleen.” She took a deep breath before joining the Doctor. “Anyway – ”

“Where are they now?”

“Where they belong,” Jessie replied. “With family. They’re fine.” She pointed at her. “Not that you’re replacing either of them, got that?”

Martha nodded. “Never said I was.”

“Just one trip to say thanks,” the Doctor told her. “You get one trip, then back home. The two of us prefer to be on our own.”

“Like when you kissed her?” Martha teased.

Jessie coughed into her arm to avoid showing off her blushing face, and the Doctor glared at Martha. “That was a genetic transfer!”

Martha slowly slunk towards him. “And if you wear a tight suit . . . ”

“Now, don’t,” the Doctor warned.

“And then travel all the way across the universe just to ask her on a date – ”

“What?” Jessie shrieked, her voice a pitch higher.

“Stop it!” the Doctor protested.

Martha grinned and sent Jessie a wink. “For the record? I’m not remotely interested. I only go for humans.”

“Good,” the Doctor said, then realized what it meant, sending a quick look at Jessie. She simply looked down, and Martha giggled. “Well, then! Close down the gravitic anomaliser – ”

Jessie quickly bounded into place. “And then you fire up the helmic regulator – ”

“And finally the hand brake,” the Doctor finished, grasping the said lever with a grin to Martha. “Ready?” he asked.

“No,” Martha replied.

The Doctor grinned. “Then off we go!”

He released the brake, and the TARDIS jerked around hard. Jessie shrieked and fell back, laughing as she held onto the railing. “Oh, here we go!” she cheered.

“Blimey!” Martha shouted. “It’s a bit bumpy!”

The Doctor beamed. “Welcome aboard, Miss Jones!”

She grinned and shook his hand. “It’s my pleasure, Mr. Smith!” She then grinned at Jessie. “Miss Rossini!"

***

It will definitely be interesting to see how the Doctor takes a suddenly smarter Jessie . . . and how Jessie's going to take Martha being onboard. How do you think I should portray the two of them: enemies to try and take the Doctor's hearts, or best girlfriends, or maybe a mixture of both?

Comment and tell me!