The Empty Child
(Look at his beautiful face!)
I was in my room, finishing my hair, I decided to do a fishtail braid (ignore the hair in the photo). All of a sudden the TARDIS shakes and I fall on my butt and the shaking gets worse.
"What?" I mutter, getting up and stumbling to the door and down the corridor toward the control room.
"Eva, mauve!" the Doctor yells in my mind.
My eyes widen and I pick up the pace. When I get to the console room, the TARDIS was going mad and the Doctor was rushing about the console, Rose trying to hold on.
"What's the emergency?" Rose calls over the noise.
"It's mauve!" the Doctor tells her, pressing buttons and pulling levers frantically.
"Mauve?" Rose asks, frowning in confusion.
"The universally recognized color for danger," I tell her, rushing over to help the Doctor.
"What happened to red?" Rose frowns more.
"Oh, that's just us humans," I snort.
"By everyone else's standards, red's camp," the Doctor puts in. "Oh, the misunderstandings; all those red alerts, all that dancing," he shakes his head, making me giggle.
I look at the monitor and I see a cylindrical... what the hell is that?
"It's got a very basic flight computer- I've hacked in, slaved the TARDIS; where it goes, we go," the Doctor comes up by my shoulder.
"You did what!?" I round on him, making him wince at the volume.
"And how safe is it?" Rose asks hesitantly, glancing at me as I glare at the Doctor.
"Not at all," I shake my head at the same time the Doctor says: "totally," just before part of the console explodes.
"You idiot!" I shout at him. "I know, old girl, I know," I coo, stroking the console as she hums at the Doctor angrily.
"Ok, reasonably... should have said reasonably there," the Doctor mutters. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us!" he exclaims and I try and get a lock on it.
"What exactly is this thing?" Rose asks, coming over beside me.
"I don't know," I shrug. "Doctor?"
"No idea," he shakes his head.
"And why are we chasing it?" Rose demands, trying to keep her grip on the
"It's mauve and dangerous and about 30 seconds from the center of London," the Doctor retorts.
"Besides, it's a bit fun," I smile at her, making the Doctor laugh.
"You're completely mad!" Rose shakes her head, laughing as well.
"Are you just now realizing that?" I snort loudly, landing the TARDIS. "Come on, sweetie, doll," I call over my shoulder as I skip to the doors.
"Yes -babe!" "-dear!" I hear two calls behind me, making me shake my head, chuckling.
I step out into a dark alleyway with tall buildings on both sides. Where are we, I pause for a moment, using my time senses... oh... well, that's just great! Heh, I wonder how long it will take the Doctor to figure it out.
"Do you know how long we can knock around space without having to bump into Earth?" the Doctor asks, coming out of the TARDIS behind me.
"Five days? Or is that just when we're out of milk?" Rose teases.
"Of all the species in all the universe and it has to come out of a cow," the Doctor complains, making Rose and I snicker.
The Doctor rolls his eyes with a smile and grabs my hand. I smile and intertwine our fingers.
"Must have come down somewhere quite close.. within a mile, anyway, and it can't have been more than a few weeks ago... maybe a month," he mutters, looking around.
"A month!? We were right behind it!" Rose complains.
"A month isn't that far off, we were bound to be a little off... it was jumping time tracks like mad!" I defend. "Do you want to drive?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Yeah... how much is 'a little'?" she asks.
"A bit," I wave off.
"Is that exactly a bit?" she smirks, raising an eyebrow.
"Ish," the Doctor shrugs.
"What's the plan, then? Are you gonna do a scan for alien tech or something?" Rose asks excitedly, bouncing around a bit.
"Rose, it hit the middle of London with a very loud bang... we're gonna ask," the Doctor rolls his eyes, pulling the psychic paper out.
"Doctor John Smith, Ministry of Asteroids," Rose reads off.
"Psychic Paper, tells you-"
"Whatever you want it to tell me, I remember," Rose smiles, amused.
"Sorry," the Doctor mutters, checking out a door and trying to sonic it.
"Not very Spock, is it? Just asking?" Rose asks, leaning against the alley wall and folding her arms.
"Door, music, people," the Doctor retorts, gesturing to the door. "What do you think?"
I take my wand from my boot and point it to the door: 'Alohomora' the lock clicks open. The Doctor looks up and 'glares' at me and I just wink, making him roll his eyes.
"I think you should do a scan for alien tech," Rose tells him. "Give me some Spock! For once, would it kill ya?" she complains. "Eva gives me magic," she gestures to me.
"Hm... are you sure about that t-shirt, doll?" I raise an eyebrow at Rose's Union Jack shirt.
"Too early to say, I'm taking it out for a spin," she smiles, pulling on the end of it, making me snort and shake my head.
I pause and frown when I hear a child, though: "Muuuu-mmy?"
"Come on if you're coming, won't take a minute," the Doctor steps through the door.
"You coming?" Rose asks me.
"Yeah, in a minute," I wave her off, looking around to find where the voice came from.
Rose shrugs and walks in while I walk further into the alley.
"Muuuuumy?"
I look up and my eyes widen, seeing a small boy up on a roof. I rush up to the roof, but I'm still down below the child, and see that he has a gas-mask on.
"Mummy?" the child asks.
"Ok, hold on! Don't move!" I call up to him.
I look around for something to help me out when a rope swings in front of me. I grab it warily and pull on it. Seems secure enough... I shrug and start to climb.
"Mummy... balloon!" the boy calls.
I look up... oh, Merlin. The rope was attached to a barrage balloon and it flies off: "Doctor!" I scream as I'm pulled off into the sky.
I jump when I hear an explosion... great, I'm in the middle of the bloody Blitz and I'm hanging from a barrage balloon.
"Ok, calm down, Eva," I scold myself.
I reach down to my boot carefully and get my wand out. But, because of course it does, a bomb drops pretty close to where I'm floating. I jump and my hand slips from the rope. I scream as I fall from the rope, only to be caught. I look around myself and see I'm in a blue tractor beam.
"Ok, ok, I've got you," an American male voice comes through a comm.
"Who's got me? And how do you even have this technology!?" I ask, slipping my wand back into my boot.
"I'm just programming your descent pattern," the man calls. "Keep as still as you can and keep your hands and feet inside the light field," he tells me.
"Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times," I couldn't help but snort, making the man laugh. "That didn't answer either of my questions, by the way!"
"Oh, and could you switch off your cellphone?" he asks and I scoff. "No, seriously, it interferes with my instrument," he calls.
I roll my eyes and pull my phone out, turning it off: "you know, no one ever believes that," I call down.
"Thank you, that's much better," the man says.
"Oh, yeah, it's just wicked being up here in the middle of a German air raid hanging in a tractor beam by some American bloke who won't even tell me his name, but hey! My mobile phone's off!" I shout.
I hear the man laugh again and I huff, folding my arms: "be with you in a moment," he calls.
"Doctor..." I call warily in my mind, but sigh when I don't get an answer... dammit, too far away.
"Ready for you," the man says after a minute. "Hold tight!"
"To what!?" I shout.
"Fair point," the man concedes.
I scream as I shoot through the tractor beam and I fall into a pair of arms.
"I've got you! You're fine, you're just fine," the man assures me as I cough. "The tractor beam, it can scramble your head just a little," he explains.
"No kidding," I roll my eyes and blink when I look at the man.
He was tall with black hair and blue eyes and let me tell you, he was gorgeous! He was also wearing a World War II Captain get-up. "Hi," I mutter.
The man raises an eyebrow as he eyes me up and down: "hello," he smirks.
"Hi," I say and then blink, shaking my head. "Sorry, that was hi twice, my mind's a bit fuzzy at the moment..."
"Are you alright?" the man asks me, still eyeing me.
"Fine!" I smile before noticing I was still in the man's arms and I get down, my cheeks turning pink. "Are you expecting me to faint or something?" I raise an eyebrow, stumbling a bit.
"Well, you do look a little dizzy..." the man trails off, his hands out like he was going to catch me.
"Ha! You're not even in focus, Captain Pretty Boy!" I snort loudly before grabbing my head. "Oh, fu-" everything goes black.
I groan, turning over, only to yelp when I fall: "bloody hell..." I mutter, sitting up and rubbing my head.
"Better now?" a man's voice makes me jump and I look over at a captain's chair to see the American man.
"This thing got lights?" I ask, standing up.
The man turns the lights on and I look around... not nearly as cool as the TARDIS.
"Hello," the man says.
"Hi," I wiggle my fingers at him.
"Hello," he smiles.
"Yeah, let's not do that again," I smile, chuckling.
"Ok," the man laughs.
I bite my lip and look around his ship: "so, um... you never answered my question," I mutter.
"Which was?" he raises an eyebrow.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"Captain Jack Harkness," he smirks and my cheeks turn pink.
How can introducing yourself sound like a chat-up line...?
"133 Squadron Royal Airforce- American Volunteer," he hands me an ID card.
"Liar," I smirk and he falters slightly. "This is psychic paper, it tells me whatever you want it to tell me," I wave it around.
Jack sits back, caught: "how do you know?" he asks.
"Two things; one, my best mate uses this all the time," I tell him.
"Ah," he nods.
"And two, you just handed me a piece of paper telling me you're single and you work out," I smirk and Jack leans forward, taking it back.
"Tricky things, psychic paper," he says.
"Hm... can't let your mind wander off when you're giving it to someone," I smirk.
"Oh, so you're single too, although you sort of like this physician friend of yours," he smirks.
"What?" I squeak.
"But you consider yourself to be footloose and fancy free," his smirk widens.
"I-"
"Actually, the word you use is 'available'," he continues.
"It does not say that," I shake my head, trying to get the paper from him.
Jack just holds it out of my reach: "and another one, 'very'," he laughs.
"Can we get along without the psychic paper?" I raise an eyebrow, folding my arms.
"That would be better, wouldn't it?" Jack smiles, standing up. "What's your name?"
"Evangeline Evans," I smile, looking around. "Nice spaceship," I comment.
"Gets me around," he shrugs.
"Very..." I trial off, thinking of what Rose said to the Doctor. "Spock," I smirk.
"Who?" Jack frowns.
"Guessing you're not a local boy, then," I mutter.
"A cell phone, a liquid crystal watch, and fabrics that won't be around for at least another two decades... guessing you're not a local girl," he retorts.
"Probably could've figured that out without the mobile, watch, or clothes," I mutter, leaning against a window. "Ow," I hiss, pulling my hands back and seeing rope burn on them.
"Burn your hands on the rope?" Jack asks.
"Yeah," I nod, looking out the window. "We're parked in midair, have you got a cloaking device or can they see us?" I ask.
"No," he assures me. "Can I have a look at your hands for a moment?"
"Why?" I ask warily, sitting in the captain's chair.
"Please?" he asks politely and I eye him for a second as he sits next to me and oblige. "You can stop acting now," he tells me as he runs a scanner over my hands. "I know exactly who you are, I can spot a Time Agent a mile away," he looks up at me.
"Time Agent?" I frown.
"I've been expecting one of you guys to show up," Jack shrugs. "Though, not, I must say, by barrage balloon," he snorts. "Do you often travel that way?"
"Sometimes I get swept off my feet," I smirk and he chuckles, getting his scarf and starting to wrap it around my wrists. "What are you doing?" I ask, my breathing becoming ragged as I pull my arms to my chest.
"Hey, it's alright," Jack says soothingly, holding his hands up.
"Don't tie my wrists," I shake my head quickly. "Please?"
"Can you keep still?" he asks, his hands still held up and I nod quickly. "Alright, no scarf, then," he smiles, setting it beside him and I breathe out.
"Thanks," I mutter as he reaches over to press a button. "Sorry..."
"No problem," he smiles.
There's a bleeping sound and tiny little golden lights float around my hands. My eyes widen and I giggle softly at the tingling feeling in my hands: "are they nano-bots?" I ask, watching them.
"Nano-genes," Jake corrects. "Sub-atomic robots, the air in here's full of them," he tells me.
"It tickles," I giggle as they fix me up.
Jack switches the button again, and they disappear: "they just repaired three layers of your skin," he tells me.
"Well, tell them thanks!" I laugh.
"We'll get down to business," Jack smiles, standing up.
"Business?" I ask.
Jack holds up a bottle of champagne: "shall we have a drink on the balcony?" he asks, pressing a button and a set of stairs pops out from the ceiling. "Bring up the glasses," he calls over his shoulder, heading up.
I grab a couple glasses that I see and head up as well, stepping out cautiously: "I know I'm standing on something..." I trail off.
Jack chuckles and takes out a little device from his pocket. He presses an button and I smile when his ship appears under my feet.
"You've got an invisible spaceship!" I laugh in delight.
"Yeah," Jake shrugs nonchalantly, although he was smirking.
"Tethered up to Big Ben," I raise an eyebrow at the clock tower.
"First rule of active camouflage: park somewhere you'll remember," Jake smirks, popping the cork on the champagne with a loud bang.
Jack and I laugh as he fills the glasses, touching my hand as he does. This man doesn't give up, does he? After a few drinks Jack and I were sitting, leant back, on the roof of his ship.
"You know, it's getting a bit late... I should really be getting back," I mutter, running my finger along the top of the glass.
"We're discussing business," Jack retorts.
"This isn't business, this is champagne," I counter, smiling.
"I try never to discuss business with a clear head," Jack smirks, making me snort as he stands up. "Are you traveling alone? Are you authorized to negotiate with me?"
"What would we be negotiating?" I ask.
"I have something for the Time Agency, something they'd like to buy," he tells me. "Are you in power to make payment?"
"Well, I should talk to my... companion," I falter on the word.
"Companion?" Jack raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I should really be getting back to him... he's probably worried..." I trial off.
"Him?" Jack asks, looking a bit put out.
"Do you have the time?" I ask.
Jack clears his throat and takes his device out again, pressing the button. I jump a little when Big Ben chimes next to us.
"Merlin, that was flash," I laugh lightly. "That was definitely on the flash side," I smile.
Jack moves closer to me and places his hands on my waist, making me raise an eyebrow: "so... when you say 'companion', just how disappointed should I be?"
"Um... we're standing in midair..." I mutter.
"Mm-hm," he hums in agreement.
"On a spaceship... during a German air raid..." I trial off as he grabs my hand in both of his. "Do you really think now's a good time to be coming on to me?" I breathe out as he raises my hand and kisses the back of it.
Jack pulls away and pats my hand: "perhaps not," he concedes.
"Not that I was complaining," I say quickly and he raises an eyebrow. "I mean, I like a bit of harmless flirting as much as anyone," I smile.
"Do you like Glenn Miller?" he points his device over his shoulder and I smile as 'Moonlight Serenade' starts to play.
"I love this song," I mutter as Jack pulls me to him and we begin to slow dance.
"It's 1941; the height of the London Blitz, the height of the German Bombing Campaign, and something else has fallen on London- a fully equipped Chula Warship, the last one in existence..." he trails off as I lay my head on his shoulder while we sway around. "Armed to the teeth," he continues, pulling back a bit to look at me. "And I know where it is, because I parked it," he pulls me closer again and I smile to myself. "If the Agency can name the right price, I can get it for you. But in two hours, a German bomb is gonna fall on it and destroy it forever. That's the deadline. That's the deal. And now, shall we discuss payment?"
"How long do I have to decide?" I ask, giggling when he twirls me out.
"Two hours, the bomb falls," he smirks, twirling me back to him. "There'll be nothing left but dust and a crater," he wants.
"So many promises, Captain," I smirk up a him.
"Are you listening to any of this?" he raises an eyebrow, his lips twitching up.
"Of course," I wave off and he raises both eyebrows. "Bomb, two hours and the Chula ship's gone, and you used to be a Time Agent, but now you're a free-lancer," I roll my eyes.
"Well, that's a little harsh," Jake grabs my hips and pulls them to his. "I like to think of myself as a criminal," he smirks.
"I bet you do!" I bite my lip, my face turning red.
"So, this companion of yours, does he handle the business?" Jack asks.
"Well... for the most part, I guess..." I trail off.
"Well, maybe we should go find him," Jack suggests.
"And how're you gonna do that, Captain?" I raise an eyebrow.
"I like you calling me that," he smirks, brushing a loose hair from my face. "And easy, I'll do a scan for alien tech," he pulls away and begins to scan.
"Is that a vortex manipulator?" I ask, looking at the device on his wrist.
"Yeah, you like?" he smirks, holding it up.
"Very much," I nod, watching him scan.
"Albion Hospital," Jack says, showing me the results.
"Let's go then," I smirk.
Jack and I get to the hospital, me telling him about the Doctor and Rose on the way there. The hospital was almost pitch black. I frown as we look around the place, seeing beds filled with gas-mask patients in every ward. I slip my wand from my boot: 'Lumos' and the tip of my wand lights up.
"Useful," Jack mutters, staring at my wand.
"Thanks," I smirk, sending him a wink. "Hello!" I call.
"Hello?" Jack calls.
I see the Doctor come out from one of the wards, Rose behind him: "Eva," he sighs, seeing me and coming up, pulling me into his arms.
"Hey," I smile, burying my face against his neck.
"Good evening," Jake cuts in, making the Doctor pull away from me.
"Eva, we were worried about you," Rose pulls me to her. "Honestly, I've never seen the Doctor so worked up," she whispers.
"Sorry," I giggle, hugging her tightly.
"Hope I'm not interrupting, Jack Harkness," he shakes the Doctor's hand. "I've been hearing all about you on the way over," he smirks, making my cheeks turn pink when the Doctor raises an eyebrow at me.
"He knows," I say quickly before the Doctor or Rose can ask. "I had to tell him about us being Time Agents," I look at the Doctor pointedly and he nods.
"And it's a real pleasure to meet you, Mr. Spock," he pats the Doctor on the shoulder. "And you, Agent Doll," he smirks at Rose, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.
I smile and shake my head as Rose giggles and blushes: "you too," she smiles.
Jack sends her a wink before walking into the ward the Doctor and Rose had come out of.
"Mr. Spock?" the Doctor asks me.
"Agent Doll?" Rose raises an eyebrow.
"I was bored walking over here and I thought it was funny," I shrug.
"How could you get bored with him around?" Rose asks, gesturing to where Jack had went through and we share a look before giggling.
"Where've you been?" the Doctor cuts in quickly. "We're in the middle of a London Blitz, it's not a good time for a stroll," he scolds me.
"Who's strolling?" I ask, looping my arm through Rose's and starting to drag her to the ward. "I went by barrage balloon, only way to see an air raid," I smirk.
"Barrage balloon!?" Rose squeaks, looking at me with wide eyes.
"What!?" the Doctor demands, following us.
"Listen, what's a Chula warship?" I ask, waving them both off.
"Chula?" the Doctor frowns.
"Yep," I nod, walking into the ward and seeing Jack scanning one of the gas-mask patients.
"This just isn't possible," Jack shakes his head. "How could this happen?"
"What kind of Chula ship landed here?" the Doctor asks.
"What?" Jack frowns.
"He said it was a warship," I tell the Doctor. "He stole it, parked it somewhere out there, somewhere a bomb's gonna fall on it- unless we make him an offer," I inform the Doctor.
"What kind of warship?" Rose asks, folding her arms.
"Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with this!" Jack retorts.
"This started at the bomb site," the Doctor glares, gesturing around at the patients. "It's got everything to do with it! What kind of warship?"
"An ambulance! Look," Jack turns on his vortex manipulator and a hologram of the thing we chased through the vortex pops up. "That's what you chased through the Time Vortex. It's space junk. I wanted to kid you it was valuable. It's empty. I made sure of it. Nothing but a shell. I threw it at you. Saw your time travel vehicle, love the retro look, by the way, nice panels, threw you the bait-"
"Bait?" Rose frowns.
"I wanted to sell it to you and then destroy it before you found out it was junk," Jake rolls his eyes.
"I see, you really are a criminal," I glare at him.
"It was a con," Jack rubs his face with his hands. "I was conning you, that's what I am, I'm a con man! I thought you were Time Agents but you're not, are you?"
"Just a couple more free-lancers," I mutter, folding my arms.
"Ah... should've known, the way you guys are blending in with the local color," Jack rolls his eyes. "I mean, you were bad enough with your Biker-Babe vibe," he scoffs, looking me over.
"Come on, Captain, you like my look," I smirk.
"Fair enough, Lina," he sends me a wink, neither of us seeing the Doctor's glare at Jack. "But Flag Girl and U-Boat Captain?" he gestures to Rose and the Doctor, who look down at their clothes.
I frown slightly... Lina... why did that sound familiar?
"Anyway... whatever's happening here has got nothing to do with that ship," Jack tells us.
"What is happening here, Doctor?" I ask, looking up at him.
"Human DNA's being rewritten... by an idiot," he glares at Jack.
"What do you mean?" I frown.
"I don't know, some kind of virus," the Doctor shrugs.
"It's converting humans into these things... we watched it happen to Dr. Constantine," Rose mutters with tears in her eyes, gesturing to a gas-mask man sitting at the desk.
"Oh, doll," I sigh, pulling her into my arms.
"But why? What's the point?" the Doctor frowns.
All of a sudden all of the patients sit up and Rose and I jump as they all start calling: "Mummy," together.
"Uh... what's happening?" I ask, pulling Rose behind me as I back up.
"I don't know," the Doctor steps in front of me. "Don't let them touch you," he warns as the gas-mask people back us and Jack up.
"What happens if they touch us?" I frown.
"What happened to them," Rose says shakily and I reach back, grabbing her hand.
The gas-mask patients get closer and closer to us, all chanting: "Mummy!"
A/N: hope you like it, let me know! :*
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