Through Space and Time
ii
Seeing the Doctor again brought with it a mixture of good and bad memories, but Brooke was happy. She had always known that there was something different about him, even as a child and it made her wonder if her nan had known his secret.
When she was younger, the Doctor had been there to keep the monsters and nightmares at bay. For a long time, she had thought that he was just her imagination and that no-one would believe he was there... then the monsters really did come. The Doctor had protected her, then he had left and she hadn't seen him since.
It was only last year that she learned that her nan had been the one to ask him for help and that Brooke was connected to him somehow, but she passed away before Brooke could find out how. Of course, it may have been just another of her nan's eccentric stories and so Brooke decided that she would ask the Doctor about it the following day. The late shift seemed to go on forever, but finally Brooke arrived home and went straight to bed.
'The oak-brown forest rose high above Brooke's head, the ancient looking trees towered above her like skyscraper's in the city and she was scared. Birds screeched as they glided from tree to tree and scurrying animals could be heard nearby, not far from the trail on which Brooke walked.
As she made her way along the trail, smoke caught her attention and she quickened her pace to see where it was coming from. The first thing she noticed, stepping into the clearing was that people were dead and that the shuttle or whatever it had been was in pieces.
Movement and voices could be heard from somewhere among the trees, but it was the sound of a baby crying that grabbed Brooke's attention. Searching the crash site carefully, she looked for the infant and finally found her bundled up in a pink blanket unharmed. Just as she reached the little girl, two people emerged from the tree line and stopped.
"I thought you said there were signs of life," a woman said, "I very much doubt anyone survived this wreck."
"I'm not looking for someone who survived the wreck," a man replied, holding up some sort of device and moving towards the baby who had fallen silent, "I'm looking for someone who was left here afterwards."
The man quickly spotted the baby and scooped her up, running the device over her as if scanning her for something.
"Doctor, that's a baby... why would someone leave a baby out here on its own?"
"To save her," the Doctor told the woman, "Being human is a death sentence in these parts, but someone knew that I was coming here."
"They want you to bring up their child?" The woman inquired, frowning as she moved to stand beside the Doctor and peered into the blanket curiously.
"No, the TARDIS is no place for a baby... but I know someone who will take her in and look after her."
Brooke watched as the two people turned and made their way back into the forest, her presence obviously undetectable.'
Waking up at noon the following day, Brooke had some lunch and headed out with her dream still running through her mind like a movie. Making her way over to Big Ben, she immediately spotted the Doctor waiting with a Blonde haired girl and cautiously approached them.
"Brooke," the Doctor stated, grinning as she joined them and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "Rose, I would like you to meet Brooke... Brooke, this is Rose."
"It's nice to finally meet you," Rose added with a warm smile, "I've heard a lot about you."
"You too," Brooke replied, returning the smile and glancing at the Doctor nervously.
They had been chatting for an hour, when the Doctor suddenly jumped to his feet and pulled out a thin tubular device.
"Trouble?" Rose asked.
"I'm not sure," the Doctor said, "The TARDIS is picking up a signal of some kind... come on you two, let's go check it out."
Brooke looked at Rose, who smiled before grabbing her hand and dragging her down the street after the Doctor. They ran until they reached the TARDIS, barging straight through the doors and finding the Doctor already inside at the console.
The Doctor had been pushing buttons and checking the screen for nearly ten minutes, when the TARDIS suddenly sprang to life around them. It made a few wheezing, groaning sounds for a few minutes, before jerking violently and sending them all flying to the ground.
"Doctor, what was that?" Rose inquired, getting up and offering Brooke a hand which she took.
"I'm not sure, something pulled the TARDIS here," the Doctor explained, checking the screen again and looking over at them with concern, "Are you both okay?"
"Yeah, nothing broken at least," Brooke mumbled, checking herself over and dusting off her trousers.
"I'm fine, where are we though?" Rose added.
"Cardiff."
Frowning, Brooke followed Rose and the Doctor out of the TARDIS, staring at her surroundings in shock. Being told that a blue box, which has a name, is a time machine doesn't make it true, but entering said box in London and stepping out in Cardiff sure did.
"What brought us here?" Rose asked.
"I have no clue... the signal was strong though, had to be to pull the TARDIS here like it did."
The feeling of being watched hit Brooke like a truck and she frowned, looking around to find that no-one was paying them any attention. Glancing over at the Doctor, Brooke noticed that he was watching her closely and offered him a smile. The Doctor smiled back, before turning and heading towards a small café. As soon as Brooke walked inside, the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes hit her making her stomach rumble.
"Is this how you two normally travel... not knowing where you're heading or what lays beyond the TARDIS doors?"
"I always know where we're going," the Doctor argued, acting shocked that anyone would think otherwise.
"He's so full of it," Rose stage-whispered, causing Brooke to laugh and the Doctor to roll his eyes dramatically.
"Alright, so sometimes I don't always know where we're going or what to expect walking outside..." The Doctor admitted, crossing her arms, "but where's the fun in knowing... where's the adventure?"
"How are we going to find out what or who brought us here then?" Rose added, once they had all eaten and left the café.
"We're going to call a friend,"the Doctor told them, holding out his hand to Rose who gave him her phone and frowned as the Doctor took it.
Ten minutes later, they were back in the TARDIS and waiting for someone else to arrive. They hadn't been waiting long, when there was a knock on the door and the Doctor opened it.
"Didn't think I'd see you again," Brooke heard a man say as the Doctor let him in and Rose hugged him.
"We could say the same about you," the Doctor stated, "Jack, this is Brooke... Brooke, this is Jack."
"It's nice to meet you," Brooke mumbled.
"Pleasures all mine."
"Some things never change... stop flirting," the Doctor moaned, closing the door and returning to the console.
When she was younger, the Doctor had been there to keep the monsters and nightmares at bay. For a long time, she had thought that he was just her imagination and that no-one would believe he was there... then the monsters really did come. The Doctor had protected her, then he had left and she hadn't seen him since.
It was only last year that she learned that her nan had been the one to ask him for help and that Brooke was connected to him somehow, but she passed away before Brooke could find out how. Of course, it may have been just another of her nan's eccentric stories and so Brooke decided that she would ask the Doctor about it the following day. The late shift seemed to go on forever, but finally Brooke arrived home and went straight to bed.
'The oak-brown forest rose high above Brooke's head, the ancient looking trees towered above her like skyscraper's in the city and she was scared. Birds screeched as they glided from tree to tree and scurrying animals could be heard nearby, not far from the trail on which Brooke walked.
As she made her way along the trail, smoke caught her attention and she quickened her pace to see where it was coming from. The first thing she noticed, stepping into the clearing was that people were dead and that the shuttle or whatever it had been was in pieces.
Movement and voices could be heard from somewhere among the trees, but it was the sound of a baby crying that grabbed Brooke's attention. Searching the crash site carefully, she looked for the infant and finally found her bundled up in a pink blanket unharmed. Just as she reached the little girl, two people emerged from the tree line and stopped.
"I thought you said there were signs of life," a woman said, "I very much doubt anyone survived this wreck."
"I'm not looking for someone who survived the wreck," a man replied, holding up some sort of device and moving towards the baby who had fallen silent, "I'm looking for someone who was left here afterwards."
The man quickly spotted the baby and scooped her up, running the device over her as if scanning her for something.
"Doctor, that's a baby... why would someone leave a baby out here on its own?"
"To save her," the Doctor told the woman, "Being human is a death sentence in these parts, but someone knew that I was coming here."
"They want you to bring up their child?" The woman inquired, frowning as she moved to stand beside the Doctor and peered into the blanket curiously.
"No, the TARDIS is no place for a baby... but I know someone who will take her in and look after her."
Brooke watched as the two people turned and made their way back into the forest, her presence obviously undetectable.'
Waking up at noon the following day, Brooke had some lunch and headed out with her dream still running through her mind like a movie. Making her way over to Big Ben, she immediately spotted the Doctor waiting with a Blonde haired girl and cautiously approached them.
"Brooke," the Doctor stated, grinning as she joined them and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "Rose, I would like you to meet Brooke... Brooke, this is Rose."
"It's nice to finally meet you," Rose added with a warm smile, "I've heard a lot about you."
"You too," Brooke replied, returning the smile and glancing at the Doctor nervously.
They had been chatting for an hour, when the Doctor suddenly jumped to his feet and pulled out a thin tubular device.
"Trouble?" Rose asked.
"I'm not sure," the Doctor said, "The TARDIS is picking up a signal of some kind... come on you two, let's go check it out."
Brooke looked at Rose, who smiled before grabbing her hand and dragging her down the street after the Doctor. They ran until they reached the TARDIS, barging straight through the doors and finding the Doctor already inside at the console.
The Doctor had been pushing buttons and checking the screen for nearly ten minutes, when the TARDIS suddenly sprang to life around them. It made a few wheezing, groaning sounds for a few minutes, before jerking violently and sending them all flying to the ground.
"Doctor, what was that?" Rose inquired, getting up and offering Brooke a hand which she took.
"I'm not sure, something pulled the TARDIS here," the Doctor explained, checking the screen again and looking over at them with concern, "Are you both okay?"
"Yeah, nothing broken at least," Brooke mumbled, checking herself over and dusting off her trousers.
"I'm fine, where are we though?" Rose added.
"Cardiff."
Frowning, Brooke followed Rose and the Doctor out of the TARDIS, staring at her surroundings in shock. Being told that a blue box, which has a name, is a time machine doesn't make it true, but entering said box in London and stepping out in Cardiff sure did.
"What brought us here?" Rose asked.
"I have no clue... the signal was strong though, had to be to pull the TARDIS here like it did."
The feeling of being watched hit Brooke like a truck and she frowned, looking around to find that no-one was paying them any attention. Glancing over at the Doctor, Brooke noticed that he was watching her closely and offered him a smile. The Doctor smiled back, before turning and heading towards a small café. As soon as Brooke walked inside, the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes hit her making her stomach rumble.
"Is this how you two normally travel... not knowing where you're heading or what lays beyond the TARDIS doors?"
"I always know where we're going," the Doctor argued, acting shocked that anyone would think otherwise.
"He's so full of it," Rose stage-whispered, causing Brooke to laugh and the Doctor to roll his eyes dramatically.
"Alright, so sometimes I don't always know where we're going or what to expect walking outside..." The Doctor admitted, crossing her arms, "but where's the fun in knowing... where's the adventure?"
"How are we going to find out what or who brought us here then?" Rose added, once they had all eaten and left the café.
"We're going to call a friend,"the Doctor told them, holding out his hand to Rose who gave him her phone and frowned as the Doctor took it.
Ten minutes later, they were back in the TARDIS and waiting for someone else to arrive. They hadn't been waiting long, when there was a knock on the door and the Doctor opened it.
"Didn't think I'd see you again," Brooke heard a man say as the Doctor let him in and Rose hugged him.
"We could say the same about you," the Doctor stated, "Jack, this is Brooke... Brooke, this is Jack."
"It's nice to meet you," Brooke mumbled.
"Pleasures all mine."
"Some things never change... stop flirting," the Doctor moaned, closing the door and returning to the console.