The Other Tyler - rewrite

A Lost Child

Mei's heels clicked on the cobbles as she and the Doctor wandered up the alley, looking for their missing blonde. She grinned to herself, swinging the hand she had caged in his, still on a slight high from the kiss they shared moments ago. 

"Where has she gone?" the Doctor wondered, rubbing his thumb across Mei's knuckles, "Did she really wander off during an air raid?"

"Well to be fair," the brunette piped up, "She didn't know - oh hello!" 

The Doctor pouted as she pulled away from him to pick up a small cat from on top of a box. Though his expression softened as he watched her give the thing a scratch behind its ears, getting nuzzled and kitten-licked in return. He found himself moving closer, reaching out to give the kitten some attention as well.

"You know, one day, just one day, maybe, I'm going to meet someone who gets the whole don't wander off thing," he spoke gently, Mei unsure if he was talking to her or the kitten, "Nine hundred years of phone box travel, it's the only thing left to surprise me."

"The only thing?" the brunette asked.

The Doctor gave her a cheeky grin, "Well you're not a thing are you, so you don't count."

Her cheeks bloomed pink, but they were both distracted by the phone in the Tardis starting to ring. Mei put the cat down, her hand searching for the Doctor's as they both stared at the blue box.

"Is that meant to happen?"

He shook his head, "Nope."

They approached cautiously, the Doctor using his free hand to open the little compartment where the phone sat. Mei reached up with her own free hand, pulling at the wires to see they simply looped back on themselves, not actually connecting to anything.

"How can you be ringing? What's that about, ringing?" He asked the phone, making faces, "What am I supposed to do with a ringing phone?"

"Well you generally answer them, say hello, have a conversation?" Mei joked, grinning at him.

"Don't answer it. It's not for ya."

Turning quickly, the two found a young woman with dark hair watching them from the end of the alley. She was young, Mei realised, not much younger than herself. The Doctor seemed to realise that himself, glancing between the two.

"And how do you know that?" he asked, pulling out his sonic.

"'Cos I do. And I'm telling ya, don't answer it," the girl retorted in a firm voice.

"Do you know who's calling? Or even how?" Mei asked, tilting her head curiously as she studied the girl, "I mean the phone is just pretend."

The girl said nothing, causing the Doctor and Mei to look at each other, confused. But when they looked back to her, they found the spot where she stood now empty. With the phone still ringing behind him, the Doctor gave in and picked up the receiver, determined to work it out.

"Hello? Hello?" he called, grinning at Mei as she tried not to laugh, "This is the Doctor speaking. How may I help you?"

There was a moment of silence before a small voice called out, "Mummy? Mummy?"

Mei tensed up, a little uncomfortable. Even the Doctor looked spooked, asking, "Who is this? Who's speaking?"

Mei didn't want to listen, the little voice echoing in her head. She knew the Doctor would ask the important questions and find out what was going on, she didn't need to get involved. She came out of her thoughts at the sound of a rubbish bin being knocked over along the street, and glanced up to the Doctor as he shut the phone compartment.