Storm: Angel and Demon

Family of Blood 2

Realization hit them and Matron said in horror, "They're destroying the village."

Martha sucked in a sharp breath as she watched the destruction outside while Terry just watched the fireballs raining down from the sky in silence. John, however, suddenly turned around and he glanced at the fob watch sitting on the window's edge.

"The watch." He murmured distractedly.

"John, don't." Matron whispered pleadingly, reaching out a hand toward the taller man.

But John had already taken the fob watch into his hands and he stared down at it as though mesmerized. Terry closed her eyes as she heard the same thing John was hearing.

"Closer." The Doctor's voice whispered.

"Can you hear it?" Tim questioned as he stepped closer as well, listening to the voice he'd grown familiar with over the last couple of days.

"Closer." The voice whispered again.

"I think he's asleep. Waiting to awaken." John murmured and Terry heard the Doctor's voice whisper more strongly.

"Waken me, little man."

It took everything in her for Terry not to reach over and force John to open the fob watch. To release the Doctor and bring him back. Every inch of her being ached for her husband, every cell making up her heart wanted him back instead of this stranger who wore the Doctor's face. But she restrained herself. It had to be his choice.

"Why did he speak to me?" Tim wondered, asking the question that had been on his mind ever since he'd first heard the voice coming from the watch.

"Oh, low level telepathic field." The Doctor answered automatically. Martha smiled at the familiar arrogant attitude as the Doctor continued absently, "You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing-"

John gasped as his consciousness caught up with his mouth. He inhaled sharply while Matron's face changed as she stared at the man she'd thought she'd known while he looked around wildly.

"Is that how he talks?" John asked in a shaky voice.

Terry nodded while Martha murmured encouragingly, "That's him. All you have to do is open it and he's back."

Another bomb-like fireball hit the village behind them, lighting up the cottage. John glanced at the ashen-faced Matron before he turned back to Martha, and he started in an angry tone, "You knew this all along and yet you watched while Nurse Redfern and I-"

"I didn't know how to stop you!" Martha protested. "He gave me a list of things to watch out for, but that wasn't included."

John stared at Martha incredulously.

"Falling in love? That didn't even occur to him?" He demanded in disbelief. Martha shook her head.

"No."

John reared back at Martha's admission. "Then what sort of man is that? And now you expect me to die?"

Another flame hit the village, lighting up John's anguished face. Desperate, Martha glanced at Terry for help as she cried back.

"It didn't occur to him because he loves Terry! Why do you think you kept dreaming of her? The Doctor loves her more than anyone, so of course it wasn't going to occur to him that he might fall for someone else while his memories were gone. But this was always how it was going to end!"

Terry glanced to the side as she heard the rustle of paper turning. She watched Matron flip through John's journal with a twisted, pained expression, while Martha continued to explain urgently to John.