MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYYYYYS! You won't ever believe it but I checked my position today and guess what? I'M 27 IN FANFICTION!!!! \(*o*)/
This is the BEST Christmas present I'm so so happy! Thank you so much! Have a fantastic day and I love you all!!!

~~~~

[HOSPITAL WARD]

The gas-masked people were surrounding them, moving closer and closer, causing Rose, the Doctor, Melody and Jack to be as close as possible to the wall.

Melody closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on the back of the Doctor's shoulder, since he was still standing in front of her.

"This can't end like this." She thought.

"Oh, I'm sure, Theta will make something up. He's a smart one, ya know? Have some faith in him, he needs just that." A voice suddenly echoed loud and clear in Melody's mind. She widened and frowned cos... That was her voice. But at the same time, it wasn't. It wasn't her speaking, she was sure about that. It was another part of her. The one that hid deep deep down inside her, somewhere in the corner of her mind. Somewhere in her lost memories.

"Yeah, he always has been. I'm sure he won't let you down. Just stay there with him, he needs you. I trust you, little one. Don't let me down." The voice said, affectionately. Melody hated to admit it to herself but... She knew this voice. This was the voice who called for Theta's help when she and Amy were trapped in that bunker with the weeping angel. This was the voice which always, somehow, saved her life.

And, what she hated to acknowledge even more, was that the voice was the one who spoke for her when she said all that smart stuff only the Doctor was capable to know and understand. Every time she knew something it's impossible for her to know, it was that voice who was speaking for her.

Melody gulped, her eyes wide as she stared in nothing.

«Go to your room!» a loud and strong voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts. She blinked several times, trying to return to the reality, and get those crazy thoughts out of her head.

Then she looked forward, to see who shouted that. As she expected, it was, indeed, the Doctor who was standing still in his place.

And guess what? The gasmask people stood still. Melody held her breath, afraid that even a small movement would've made them snap at the Doctor.

«Go to your room!» The Doctor shouted again. Melody's hands were still shaking from fear, she supposed. But not fear for herself, but for the bravest man who was ready to give away his live to save hers and the one of her friends. He was sacrificing his own life, though it didn't seem to bother him if he got to save his friends in the process.

'Cos that's what he always does: sacrifices. 

The gas-masked people cocked their heads to one side, still on their spot though observing curiously the Doctor.

Melody, smiling ear to ear in awe, threw a glance at Rose and Jack, to check if they were okay and to throw a bemused face at them. Something similar to a "Oh, my god, look at what he's doing!" expression. They, instead, threw her back a "what the hell is he doing?!" kinda face.

«I mean it! I am very, very angry with you. I am very, very cross!» the Doctor said, firmly, sending chills to run down Melody's spine. «Go... to... your... room!» he commented, as though addressing a disobedient child, pointing violently in no particular direction.

And guess what? All the gas-masked people slowly and meekly turned away, keeping their heads down as though they were ashamed of what they did.

They walked to their beds and climbed back onto them. When they finally lied down, the Doctor sighed in relief, while the trio behind him were still watching the gas-masked people with shock written all over their faces.

«I'm really glad that worked. Those would've been terrible last words.» he said.

Melody couldn't bare but chuckle, in relief, as did also Rose and Jack. Melody was so happy and relived that she stood on the top of her toes and planed a kiss on the Doctors cheek.

Meanwhile Rose took a place by one of the beds, looking at one of the gas-masked people while Jack settled down in a chair.

Melody walked away from the Doctor, blushing slightly, and approached from the other side the bed Rose sat next to. She then leaned on the wall, her arms crossed on her chest.

The whole room was silent for a while, allowing the four friends to process the things that just happened. Well, at least Rose and Jack did. And perhaps the Doctor, who's ears were still slightly red because of the kiss he earned from Melody. 

«Why are they all wearing gas masks?» Rose asked, interrupting the comfortable silence.

«They're not. Those masks are flesh and bone.» Jack replayed, causing Melody to clench her jaw tightly blocking a violent shiver to run down her all body.

«How was your con supposed to work?» the Doctor asked.

«Simple enough, really. Find some harmless piece of space-junk... let the nearest Time Agent track it back to Earth. Convince him it's valuable, name a price. When he's put 50% up front, oops! A German bomb falls on it, destroys it forever. He never gets to see what he's 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.» Jack replayed, smiling slightly as his eyes flickered on Melody who was watching him. As he caught her gaze he smiled crookedly and winked at her, causing Melody to blush looking down and the Doctor to clench his jaw tightly, as he watched the duo.

He then scolded «Yeah. Perfect.» catching Jack's attention again.

«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.» Jack continued then laughing at his own joke. The Doctor merely looked at him causing Jack's laughter to die away. «Getting a hint of disapproval.» Jack commented.

«Take a look around the room. This is what your "harmless piece of space-junk" did.» The Doctor said, coldly.

«It was a burnt-out medical transporter, it was empty.»

The Doctor looked darkly at him and walked off. «Rose.» he called.

The fact that he didn't call her made Melody's heart squeeze in sadness slightly. Was he mad at her? If he was, why?? She didn't do anything wrong, nor she said anything. So why? Was it because of Jack?

«We getting out of here?» Rose meanwhile asked the Time Lord.

«We're going upstairs.» he replayed.

Rose stopped to wait for Melody and, as the girl pushed off of the wall, they followed the Doctor. Jack, meanwhile, got up and called after him «I even programmed the flight computer so it wouldn't land on anything living, I harmed no-one! I don't know what's happening here, but believe me, I had nothing to do with it.»

«I'll tell you what's happening. You forgot to set your alarm clock.»

«It's volcano day.» Melody added, seriously.

Just then a loud siren went off in the distance.

«What's that?» Rose asked.

«The all-clear.» Jack replayed.

«I wish.» the Doctor said, then turned around and left the ward.

Melody rolled her eyes at his dramatic persona and threw a sheepish look at Jack and Rose before following the Time Lord.

Jack and Rose exchanged looks, then followed the duo outside.

As they exited they ran down a corridor looking for the Doctor and Melody.

«Mr Spock?»

«Doctor?» they called.

They dashed past a flight of stairs, just as Melody popped her head around the banister.

«Have you got a blaster?» she asked Jack.

Rose and Jack skidded to a halt and backtrack. «Sure!» he replayed, causing Melody to grin in delight.

They ran up the stairs then finding the Doctor standing outside a door.

«The night your space-junk landed, someone was hurt. This was where they were taken.» he told Jack.

«What happened?» Rose asked.

Melody looked at the Doctor, pursing her lips «Let's find out.» she then replayed.

The Doctor looked at Jack «Get it open.» he then told him.

Jack grinned and pointed a blaster at the door. The Doctor stranded back, beside Rose and Melody.

«What's wrong with your sonic screwdriver?» Rose asked quietly, leaning closer to his ear.

«Nothing.» he replayed.

Melody couldn't help but grin madly as she looked at Rose, who stood in between the two. In between two crazy people, now, isn't that great?

Jack's blaster cut a perfectly squared hole around the lock of the door and it squeaked open.

«Sonic blaster, 51st century. Weapon Factories of Villengard?» The Doctor asked, Melody watching him in interest.

"River was right. He thinks he's hot when he does that." The voice in Melody's mind echoed.

Melody, who wasn't at all scared of the voice, rolled her eyes, though hiding a smile. "Shut up!" She thought, giggling a little in her mind.

«You've been to the factories?» Jack meanwhile asked.

The Doctor took the blasted from him
«Once.»

«Well, they gone now. Destroyed. The main reactor went critical. Vapourized the lot.»

«Like I said, once.» the Doctor said, returning the blaster back to Jack. «There's a banana grove there, now. I like bananas. Bananas are good.»

«Nice to see this started years back.» Melody said, smirking slightly.

He smiled pleasantly at her then entered the room, Melody following.
Rose went up to Jack and looked in the perfectly squared whole. «Nice blast pattern.»

«Digital.» he replayed.

«Squareness gun.»

«Yeah.»

«I like it.» she then went into the room. Jack laughed then followed her.

The Doctor switched a light on, Melody collapsing on the small bed in the room off the side. She didn't notice she was tiered until then. She seemed to not notice how she feels a lot lately. She looked over at her friends who were observing the room: it looked as though it had been vandalised. The window was broken and there was stuff all over the floor.

«What d'you think?» Melody heard the Doctor asking and looked up at him, only to see him looking at Jack.

«Something got out of here...» Jack replayed frowning.

«Yeah.»

«And?» Melody asked, throwing her head backwards on the bed. The Doctor looked at her for a brief second but then looked away.

Jack was looking cautiously around «Something powerful. Angry.»

«Powerful and angry.» The Doctor echoed.

Jack entered a room off the side, where Melody was lying on the bed, her eyes still closed. The walls were covered with a child's drawings, and a few toys were lying on the floor, some under the little bed in the corner of the room where Melody was resting.

«A child?» Jacks eyes widen in confusion. He then shrugged «I suppose this explains "mummy".»

«How could a child do this?» Rose asked, looking around the floor.

The Doctor played a tape. It was of Doctor Constantine talking to the Child.

«Do you know where you are?» Doctor Constantine asked.

«Are you my mummy?» The voice of the child filled the room.

Melody, who was still sleeping partly, tensed up, clenching her jaw and fists, and sat on the side of the bed, her nails drowning in the mattress on which she was sitting. She then opened her eyes and looked up from the floor only to encounter two concerned blue eyes. The Doctor was in fact watching Melody in concern when he saw her tensing up.

She forced a reassuring smile then moved her eyes away from him, hoping he didn't notice how fake that smile was and how scared she was feeling.

«Are you aware of what's around you? Can you... see?» The tape of the talk between Doctor Constantine and the Child meanwhile was still playing.

«Are you my mummy?»

«What do you want? Do you know...»

«I want my mummy. Are you my mummy?» Melody swallowed a knot of pity and sadness in her throat.

Suddenly a painful image crossed her mind: it was the child. He was running, trying to get out from the black room. «I want my mummy! Mummy! Mummy, where are you? Please, mummy save me!» he was desperately crying, as he looked for a way to get free of that infinite black room with no walls nor ceiling.

He turned around and Melody was able to finally see his face. But it wasn't the face of a boy. It was her face, and the boy wasn't a boy but a little girl. She was that desperate, crying, little girl. Melody gasped and opened her eyes like awaking from a nightmare, even though she was still sitting on that bed in that room. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she turned her head around so the Doctor, Rose and Jack wouldn't have seen it.

She looked on the wall: every single one of the drawings covering the wall were of the Child's mother. It reminded her of her room in the orphanage where every single drawing on the wall was of the Doctor.

Melody sighed shakily as she thought of the little dream she just had. She was the child looking for her mother. Looking for her memories. For her past.

«Are you my mummy? Mummy? Mummy?» she could hear the voice of the Child in the background, but it was muffled.

Melody gulped closing her eyes and breathing in, trying to control herself. But she was frustrated as she never had been before. Frustrate with herself. The number of the unanswered questions was only growing. She was running in circles in that endless black room.

"What do I do?" Melody thought, asking it to the voice in her mind, being fully sure it -if it even was real- saw everything and would've answered. It always did.

But, today, what it did was letting out a sad sigh. Melody could almost see it as herself while it looked back at her with an apologetic expression, while sadness was feeling it's blue eyes.

"Stay with him until the end." It replayed. Melody could see its eyes sparkling with tears.

It shook its head, sheepishly "...I-I know you wanted so much more. But, I'm sorry dear..." It put a supportive hand on Melody's. "...The clock is almost striking four."

Melody stared at it back in confusion. She opened her mouth and was about to ask to it the meaning of those words but «Doctor, I've heard this voice before.» Rose's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She opened her eyes and blinked rapidly looking around, remembering what was actually happening. Luckily no one noticed her going in that little trans.

«Me too.» the Doctor said, his arms crossed across his chest, and looked over at Melody because she was there too when he heard it.

She gulped and looked up at Rose, while still sitting on the Child's bed.

«Mummy?» the Tape of the Child's voice went on.

«Always, "are you my mummy?". Like he doesn't know.» Rose said.

«Mummy?»

«Why doesn't he know?» Rose asked them. But no one was able to answer that.

«Are you there, mummy? Mummy?»

Some minutes later, the reeled of the tape was still spinning on.

«Mummy? Please, mummy? Mummy?»

The Doctor was pacing around the room.

«Dooooctor?» Melody, who was agin lying on the bed, groaned. His pacing gave her a headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes and trying to block out the annoying sound of him pacing.

«Can you sense it?» he asked instead.

«Sense what?» Jack asked.

«Coming out of the walls, can you feel it?»

«Mummy?»

The Doctor stopped to look around at Rose and Jack, not at Melody though. She didn't know if she should've been flattered by that or if he was still mad at her.

«Funny little human brains, how do you get around in those things?» the Doctor asked the duo.

"Flattered, definitely." Melody picked, grinning slightly, satisfied. Though, she was still worried if the Doctor was mad at her. Not that she did something wrong.

Meanwhile Rose looked at Jack «When he's stressed, he likes to insult species.»

Melody nodded in agreement with what Rose said, her eyes still closed.

«Will that ever change?» Rose asked turning to look at Melody.

«Oh, he'll buy a fez.» she replayed, shrugging a little.

«Why am I not surprised?» she shook her head in disbelief as she turned back around, while Melody snickered.

«Rose, I'm thinking.» the still pacing Doctor interrupted.

«Cuts himself shaving, does half an hour in life forms he's cleverer than-»

«There are these children living rough around the bomb site. They come out during air-raids looking for food.» he said.

«Mummy, please?» the tape was still playing.

«You think they were there when this thing, whatever it was, landed?» Melody asked him.

«It was a med-ship. It was harmless.» Jack said.

«Yes, you keep saying. "Harmless". Suppose one of them was affected, altered?» the Doctor continued.

«Altered how?» Rose asked, her eyes flickering form him to Melody and back again.

«I'm here!»

«It's afraid. Terribly afraid, and powerful. It doesn't know it yet, but it will do.» he laughed slightly «It's got the power of a god, and I just sent it to its room.»

Melody smirked.

A loud, crackling noise suddenly filled the room. Melody frowned and flew her eyes open, as she sat up straight on the bed.

Rose noticed the noise too «Doctor...» she called. Everyone froze.

«I'm here. Can't you see me?» the child chanted.

«What's that noise?» Rose asked.

His smile faded as he stared in nothing «End of the tape. It ran out about 30 seconds ago.» he then said.

«I'm here, now. Can't you see me?»

Melody was frozen on her spot as she gulped «You sent it to it's room.» she looked up at The Doctor and their gazes met «This is its room.»

He spun around only to see the Child standing by the tape machine.

The child cocked his head to the side as he looked at Rose «Are you my mummy? Mummy?»

«Doctor?» Rose asked.

Jack slowly and carefully stood up while Melody jumped on her feet, her eyes never leaving the child.

«Okay... on my signal... make for the door.» he said reaching for his pocket. «Now!» He exclaimed as he violently took out a banana and pointed it threateningly at the Child. The Doctor grinned and reached for his pocket, knowing full well that he had Jack's sonic blasted there. He then pointed it at the wall «Go! Now- What?!» he asked eyeing the banana in his hands.

Melody grinned in triumph as she pushed past the two confused man, taking out Jack's sonic blaster in the process. She then blasted a square hole in the wall and turned back to the Doctor and Jack who were staring at her, in confusion their jaws dropped slightly. «Ladies first.» she told the duo.

They didn't seem to awake form their shocked stares. She rolled her eyes «Now! Go!» she shouted.

The two awoke from their trans and hurried out. «Don't drop the banana!» she told Jack, knowing that the Doctor wouldn't have done that.

«Why not?!» Jack asked, hopping through the hole in the wall with Rose and Melody, then followed by the Doctor.

«Good source of potassium!» Melody replayed, as she jumped off on the other side of the wall.

The four of them found themselves back in a corridor while The Child approached them from inside the room.

«Are you my mummy?»

Melody pointed the blaster at the wall, and it rebuilded itself, blocking the Child out.

She tossed it in the air, making it flip once, then caught it again. «Digital rewind.» she said then tossing it back to Jack.

Jack caught it and laughed slightly while tossing the banana back to her «Nice switch. Our children will just as smart and handsome.» he told her.

«Buy me a drink first.»

Jack rolled his eyes slightly «You're such hard work.»

«But worth it.» she winked at him, then turned back to the Doctor and gave his banana back to him. «Took this. Hope you don't mind.» she told him.

He took it and she could tell his body was more rigid than before. «It's from the Groves of Villengard. I thought it was appropriate.» he then said.

Melody chuckled.

«There's really a banana grove in the heart of Villengard and you did that?» Jack asked.

Melody and the Doctor shrugged «Bananas are good.» the two of them said. The Doctor then put the banana back in his pocket and dropped his hand to his side only to intertwine it with Melody's, the two still grinning as they watched Jack. When his hand touched hers, Melody felt all her problems vanishing in one second, and she couldn't be happier than here, now, with the Doctor by her side.

That changed as, suddenly, The Child thumped the wall from the other side, cracking it.

«Doctor!» Rose exclaimed.

«Come on!» the Doctor said, pulling Melody behind as they rushed down a short flight of stairs and down another corridor. Only to encounter there all the patients bursting out of the ward, whole calling "mummy". They hastily backtracked, only to find the gas-masked people coming from that direction too.

They found themselves back at the point where they started, where the Child was breaking through the wall.

Melody squeezed the Doctor's hand in fear. «It's keeping us here so it can get at us.» he said.

Jack pointed the blaster in each direction in term «It's controlling them?» he asked.

«It is them. It's every living thing in this hospital.» the Doctor replayed.

«Okay. This can function as a sonic blaster, a sonic cannon, and a triple-enfolded sonic disrupter. Doc, what you got?» Jack asked.

The Doctor took the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, pushing Melody behind him so she was safely standing in between him and Jack next to Rose. Jack didn't look as he was too busy brandishing his sonic device at the gasmask people.

«A sonic, er...» The Doctor muttered. «...oh, never mind.» Melody watched in amusement.

«What?» Jack encouraged me

The Doctor turned to face the other group of gas-masked people, switching on his sonic screwdriver, while Melody and Rose were still standing in between him and Jack.

«It's sonic, okay? Let's leave it at that.»

«Disrupter? Cannon? What?»

«It's sonic! Totally sonic! I am sonic-ed up!»

«A sonic what?!»

The Doctor spun around «Screwdriver!» he then shouted.

Jack spun around. At that moment, the Child finally managed to punch through the wall and began to climb through the hole. Rose grabbed onto Jack's wrist and made him point the sonic blaster at the floor.

«Going down!» she shouted before blasting a hole in the floor and before they all fell into a messy heap on the floor of the ward below. Jack hurriedly activated the digital rewind, closing the hole so the gas-masked people wouldn't have been able to be followed.

«Doctor, are you okay?» Rose asked. He and Melody were still holding hand, while lying on the floor and groaning in pain.

«Could've used a warning...!» he groaned.

«Ugh, the gratitude.» Rose rolled her eyes.

«Thanks Rose.» Melody thanked sincerely, in through a groan and another, while she and the Doctor got up.

«My pleasure. Which doesn't mean I'll do it again.» Rose said.

The four of them got up and brushed themselves off.

«Who has a sonic screwdriver?» Jack then asked.

«I do!» The Doctor protested. Melody rolled her eyes at the boys and left The Doctors hand as she looked around for a light switch.

Rose looked around too, deciding to help Melody «Light!»

«Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks "oohoo, this could be a little more sonic"?» Meanwhile Jack asked the Doctor.

«What, you've never been bored?» the Time Lord asked, indignantly.

The two girls still pocked around «There's gotta be a light switch!» Rose mumbled.

«Never had a long night? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?» The Doctor asked.

«HaHA!» Melody exclaimed in triumph as she finally found a switch. She flickered the switch up, turning the lights on only to see a not so pleasant picture: all the gas-masked people lying in their beds sat up and looked at her. «Or maybe not.» she said, cringing slightly. The people stared chanting "mummy".

«Door.» Jack commanded, gabbing Melody's hand as he passed by her. The girl didn't even have the time to protest when she was suddenly pulled behind and had to run.

They rushed to the door as the patients started getting out of bed. Finding it locked, Jack left Melody's hand and tried to blast it open, the girl straight away putting some space in between the two as she noticed the Doctor watching her. Why did she feel so guilty? Like if she betrayed him...

«Damn it!» Jack growled under his breath. He stepped back, allowing the Doctor to use his sonic screwdriver instead, while whacking the sonic blaster angrily.

«It's the special features, they really drain the battery.» he said.

«The battery?!» Rose asked.

The Doctor meanwhile opened the door and they dashed through it.

«That's so lame.» Rose said. Melody couldn't bare herself but to roll her eyes and chuckle a little.

The Doctor slammed the door shut behind them and locked it with his sonic.

«I was gonna send for another one, but somebody's gonna blow up the factory.» Jack said then turned around to glare at the Doctor.

«Oh, I know, first day I met him, he blew my job up.» Rose said.

«What about you, Mel?» Jack asked Melody, who crossed her hands on her chest and leaned crookedly on the wall.  

«Almost blew up a planet. That's practically how he communicates.» she told him matter of-a-factly. It was true: in their first adventure -little Amelia and Atraxi- he almost blew up the planet, and so was in the first one for him -the dummies and the plastic- he almost blew it up. Again. He seemed to do that a lot.

The Doctor ignored their comments. «Okay, that door should hold it for a bit.» he said.

«The door?!» Jack scolded «The wall didn't stop it!»

«Well, it's gotta find us first! Come on, we're not done yet! Assets, assets!» The Doctor said.

«Well, I've got two bananas, and at a pinch you could put up some shelves.»

The Doctor walked to a small window, the only window in the whole room. «Window...»

«Barred, sheer drop outside. Seven stories.» Jack told him.

«And no other exits.» Rose added.

Jack settled comfortably into a chair «Well, the assets conversation went in a flash, didn't it?» he said, grinning smugly.

The Doctor turned and eyed him for a moment, then looked at Rose. «So, where'd you pick this one up, then?» he asked her.

«Doctor...» Melody, who was stretching her neck and had her head down in that moment, warned.

Rose rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak but Jack was quicker.

«She was hanging from a barrage balloon, I had an invisible spaceship. I never stood a chance.» Jack said. Rose looked ever so slightly uncomfortable.

«Okay, one, we want to get out of here. Two, we can't get out of here. Have I missed anything?» The Doctor asked.

Rose looked in Jack's direction.

«Yup.» Melody said popping the P as she still was stretching her neck only that now it was overthrown backwards.

«Yeah...» Rose then agreed too «Jack just disappeared.»

The Doctor spun around to see Jack's empty chair. He let out a groan of frustration. Melody and Rose exchanged looks. «I take the chair!» Melody then said, raising a hand.

~~~

Rose approached the Doctor who was now sitting down and put her hand casually on the back of his chair.

«Okay, so he's vanished into thin air. Why is it always the great looking ones who do that?» she asked.

The Doctor peered up at her, giving her a look. «I'm making an effort not to be insulted.» he said.

«Oh, come on Doctor she didn't mean it like that.» Melody, who was sitting in the wheelchair Jack was sitting before, tried to defend Rose. The Doctor and Rose looked at her waiting for her answer.

«She meant... men.» she eventually mumbled out.

He smiled sarcastically «Okay. Thanks. That really helped.»

An old radio sprang to life causing Melody to nearly loose equilibrium and fall down from the chair. Jack's voice transmitted through it. «Melody? Rose? Doctor? Can you hear me?»

The trio hurried over to the radio, the Doctor picking it up.

«I'm back on my ship. Used the emergency teleport. Sorry I couldn't take you.» Jack apologized.

The Doctor, frowning in confusion, held the wires that had been ripped out of the radio. He looked at Melody and the two exchanged confused looks.

Meanwhile Jack spoke «It's security-keyed to my molecular structure. I'm working on it, hang in there.»

«How're you speaking to us?» The Doctor asked him.

«Om-Com. I can call anything with a speaker grille.»

Melody stared at the radio with wide eyes, frowning in confusion.

«Now there's a coincidence.» the Doctor said aloud her thoughts.

«What is?»

«The Child can Om-Com too.» Melody said, her eyes never leaving the radio.

«It can?» Rose asked.

The Doctor nodded «Anything with a speaker grille.»

«Even the TARDIS phone.» Melody said, crossing her arms on her chest, while she finally looked up at Rose.

«What, you mean the Child can phone us?»

«And I can hear you. Coming to find you. Coming to fiiiiind you.» the singsonging voice of the Child filled the room through radio. Melody's body tensed up as she heard it.

«Doctor, can you hear that?» Jack asked trough the radio.

«Loud and clear.» he agreed.

«I'll try to block out the signal. Least I can do.»

«Coming to find you, mummy!»

«Remember this one, Rose?» Jack asked. The sound of the "Moonlight Serenade" filled the room.

Rose looked ever so slightly uncomfortable as the Doctor and Melody both turned to look at her questioningly.

«Our song.» Rose said, blushing slightly.

The duo nodded causing Rose to shift from foot to foot, smiling embarrassedly.

Some minutes later, Melody shuffled around in the wheel chair, bored. The radio was still playing "Moonlight Serenade", having as a background the buzzing of the sonic.

Rose was meanwhile sitting on a chair and rubbing her eyes with her hands tiredly.

Melody spun the wheel chair around in the Doctor's direction.

«What you doing?» she asked, even though she was fully aware of what he was doing. She just wanted to talk to him.

He held his sonic up against the wall near the window, not turning around as he spoke «Trying to set up a resonation pattern in the concrete. Loosen the bars.»

Melody let out a sight «You don't think he's coming back, do ya?»

«Wouldn't bet my life.»

«Why don't you just trust him?»

«Why do you?»

«He didn't give me the reason not to.» Melody shrugged tiredly. «He did also save Rose's life.» she then added.

«Bloke-wise, that's up there with flossing.» Rose spoke.

The Doctor didn't answer, the room seeming so silent even though the music was still playing. Melody looked at him for a moment. She then spoke «I trust him for the same reason I trust you from the very beginning. I just do. The two of toy aren't that much different, you know? Well, except with dating and dancing.» Melody said the last part smirking. She knew that dancing always has been his pressure spot.

The Doctor, in fact, shoot her a look.

«What?» Melody chuckled out.

«You just assume I'm...»

«What?»

The Doctor now looked vulnerable «You just assume that I don't... dance.»

«Oh, but I don't know...» Melody teased. She turned her head to look over at Rose. «What'd ya think, Rose Taylor?» she asked, grinning.

The blonde girl grinned too «What, are you telling me you do... dance?» she asked the Doctor.

«Nine hundred years old, me. I've been around a bit. I think you can assume that at some point I've danced.» he replayed.

Rose grinned even more. «You?!» she asked incredulously.

«Problem?» the Doctor asked.

«Doesn't the universe implode or something if you... dance?» Rose asked.

«Well, I've got the moves but I wouldn't want to boast.» the Doctor said, off-handed.

Melody, still grinning, stopped shuffling around in her wheel chair and got up to turn the music up. The Doctor looked around, completely wrong-footed, while Melody leaned on the wall with her arms crossed on her chest, as she nodded towards the Doctor to Rose. The girl smirked and, getting up, walked slowly forward, flirtatiously.

He looked determinedly back to the wall, causing Melody to let out a chuckle. Rose held her hand out to him. «You've got the moves?»

The Doctor looked back at her. «Show me your moves.» Rose said.

«Rose, I'm trying to resonate concrete.» he tried to protest.

«Jack'll be back, he'll get us out.» Rose said, not lowering his hand. «So come on, the world doesn't end 'cos the Doctor dances.»

The Doctors eyes flickered towards Melody catching her gaze. She smirked at him, biting her lip and nodded towards Rose. With that he sighed then snapped off his sonic screwdriver, replaced it in his jacket pocket and stepped away from the window towards Rose, an odd expression on his face.

He stood in front of Rose for a moment. He took her hands, Rose staring up at him almost apprehensively. He turned her hands over and looked at them. «Barrage balloon?» he asked out of nowhere, causing Melody to let out a groan of annoyance.

Rose, though, looked completely lost «...What?» she asked.

He turned her hands over «You were hanging from a barrage balloon.»

«Oh... yeah.» Rose remembered «About two minutes after you two left me.»

Melody looked up thinking, turning on her drama persona «Thousands of feet above London, middle of a German air-raid, Union Jack all over her chest.» she recited. Then looked back at the duo «Sounds poetic to me.» she grinned.

The Doctor rose his brow at Rose. «I've travelled with a lot of people, but you're setting new records for jeopardy-friendly.»

He then went back to examining her hands.

Melody rose her brow watching him «Is this you dancing? 'Cos I'm taking notes.»

«Hanging from a rope a thousand feet above London. Not a cut, not a bruise. What do you think, Mel?» he asked, showing Melody Rose's hands.

«I'm sure Captain Jack fixed her up.» she replayed.

«Oh, we're calling him Captain Jack now, are we?»

«Well, his name's Jack and he's a captain. What conclusion can you extract from such result?» she asked, easing her brows.

«He's not really a captain, Melody.» he said, smiling in a self-satisfied sort of way.

Melody pushed off of the wall and walked a bit further with a self fond grin on her face «Oh, but d'you know what I think? I think you're experiencing Captain envy.» she told him, stopping in the middle of the room while grinning in satisfaction.

The Doctor half nodded, not denying that, his hands now behind his back. He then looked back at Rose. «Will you excuse me?» he asked her, politely.

«It was a pleasure. Now off you pop.» she replayed. He smiled slightly, then looked back up at Melody. He then passed by Rose and walked up to the girl, who was still standing in the middle of the room.

This time, he was the one who offered her his hand. Melody smirked slightly then took it in hers. He put his other hand on her waist and pulled her slightly closer to himself. Then they began to dance. Well, okay that is a big word. Let's just say move.

«You'll find your feet at the end of your legs. You may care to move them.» Melody told him with a little amused smile, trying to hide her blush at how suddenly they were close. He, in fact, was now in rather intimate proximity.

«If ever he was a captain, he's been defrocked.» He told Melody.

«You think? Tell you what, it's I shame I missed that.» Melody replayed, causing him to smirk slightly.

«Actually, I quit. Nobody takes my frock.» They heard.

They looked up in surprise. They, somehow, were now standing in something that, presumably, was Jack's ship.

The duo looked around at their surroundings, now standing apart. Rose was standing next to Jack who was sitting in the "captains" chair.

«Most people notice when they've been teleported. You guys are so sweet.» Jack told the duo. Melody glared at him slightly, while the Doctor ignored his statement completely, still observing his surroundings.

«Sorry about the delay.» Jack continued «I had to take the nav-com offline to override the teleport security.»

«You can spend ten minutes overriding your own protocols? Maybe you should remember whose ship it is.» The Doctor told him.

«Oh, I do. She was gorgeous.»

Rose smiled while Melody smirked, shaking her head slightly as she walked further observing the ship.

«Like I told her, be back in five minutes.» Jack added. Melody, who's hand now was caressing the ship carefully, couldn't help but smirk, as she heard those words.

«Amelia Pond... The girl who waited.» she whispered under her breath, remembering. She suddenly felt a big nostalgia for Amy and Rory. She shook those thoughts away, returning to the reality where Jack just ducked into a compartment underneath the console.

Melody spun to look around only to see the Doctor still observing his surroundings, carefully.

«This is a Chula ship.» he said.

«Yeah, just like that medical transporter. Only, this one is dangerous.» Jack called up.

The Doctor snapped his fingers, and his hand was instantly surrounded by little orange particles. Melody's eyes widened in awe as she approached the Doctor from his side to look at them closely.

Rose approached them a little too, but from the front and resting a little farther.

«They're what fixed my hands up! Jack called 'em, um...» Rose recalled.

«Nanobots?» The Doctor suggested.

«Nanogenes.» Melody told him matter of-a-factly, her eyes still fixed on the Nanogenes.

«Nanogenes, yeah.» Rose agreed.

«Sub-atomic robots. There's millions of them in here, see? Burned my hand on the console when we landed - all better now. They activate when the bulk head's sealed. Check you out for damage, fix any physical flaws.» the Doctor said.

The two girls beamed. The Doctor then banished the nanogenes with a wave of his hand and turned to Jack.

«Take us to the crash site. I need to see your space junk.» he told Jack.

«As soon as I get the nav-com back online.» Jack replayed, as though he was being nagged.

The Doctor looked mildly annoyed.

«Make yourself comfortable. Carry on with whatever it was you were...» Jack gestured the two of them «...doing.»

Melody blushed slightly while The Doctor spoke, innocently «We were talking about dancing!»

«It didn't look like talking.»

«I'm sure it didn't feel like dancing.» Rose said.

The Doctor looked at her, rather naively then down at Melody by his side waiting for her to say something. That was also what Jack and Rose did so, the second later, everyone on the ship -meaning Rose, the Doctor and Jack- were staring at Melody.

She looked up at them, trying to hide her madly blushing face behind her hand. «Oh, shut up!» she told generically turning around and walking further in the ship.

Some minutes later Rose was sitting and talking to Jack, who was still sitting in the pilot seat. The Doctor, meanwhile, was sitting some way behind Rose, not taking part in the conversation. Melody walked up to him and sat across, resting her elbows on her knees, her legs slightly open, and her hands hanging, just as the Doctor was holding them.

Since the space was little, their hands were almost bumping. But Melody fixed that putting one of her hands on his. The Doctor, awaking from his trans, looked up. She sent him a conforming smile, squeezing her hand.

His eyes flickered down on the floor and he smiled. He then took her other hand in his hands too and squeezed them, his gaze still lost as he returned to his train of thoughts, not letting go of her hands though.

Meanwhile Rose and Jack were having their conversation. «So, you used to be a Time Agent, now you're trying to con them?» Rose asked.

«If it makes me sound any better, it's not for the money.» Jack said, fiddling with the controls.

Rose frowned «For what?»

«Woke up one day when I was working for them, found they'd stolen two years of my memories. I'd like them back.»

Rose blinked rapidly «They stole your memories?» she then asked.

Jack nodded «Two years of my life. No idea what I did.»

The Doctor watched him as also did Melody, he still holding her hands in his. Though their looks were different: his look was sort of emotionless, careless and perhaps just slightly apologetic while Melody was feeling truly sorry for Jack. She knew oh too well how it felt to not remember anything from your past.

«Your friend over there doesn't trust me. And for all I know... he's right not to.» Jack told Rose.

Just then the computer bleeped.

«Okay, we're good to go.» Jack announced.

The Doctor and Melody looked up at him, still sitting in their spot one in front of each other and still holding hands.

Jack grinned crookedly at the duo «Crash site?»

~~~~

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