The Littlest Timelord: Cracks in Time

Chapter 31

A/N - We're moving into the series finale. I think I'm keeping Elise with the Doctor instead of sending her off with River to the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Elise arrived home as a cat was coming down the stairs.

"Have you been upstairs?" the Doctor asked the cat, "Yes?" He sat down and started petting the cat as he talked to it. "You can do it. Show me what's up there? What's behind that door? Try to show me."

Elise stroked the cat's soft fur and smiled, feeling it purr underneath her hand.

"Oh, but that doesn't make sense. Ever see anyone go up there? Lots of people? Good, good. What kind of people?" the Doctor asked.

The cat meowed.

"People who never came back down. Oh, that's bad. That's very bad."

The door to flat opened and Craig stood there.

"Oh, hello," the Doctor said.

"I can't take this anymore. I want you to go," Craig told him.

The Doctor got up, leaving the cat and Elise on the steps.

The cat crawled into Elise's lap as she scratched it behind the ears.

The cat scurried off as it heard the door open.

It was Sophie. "Oh, hello Elise", she said.

"Please can you help me?" a voice asked.

Elise turned around and saw a little girl standing at the top of the stairs.

That was weird. Didn't Craig say a man lived upstairs? Was this his daughter? Niece? Granddaughter?

"Hi," Sophie said.

"Please, will you help me?"

"What's the matter, my love? Help you?" Sophie walked past Elise to go up the stairs.

"No," Elise whispered, but Sophie didn't hear her. Elise got up and followed Sophie.

Downstairs in the Doctor's room, the Doctor and Craig heard a loud crash come from upstairs.

"People are dying up there? People are dying. People are dying. People are dying," Craig repeated as another time loop started.

"Amy," the Doctor said.

"They're being killed."

"Someone's up there."

The Doctor and Craig ran into the foyer and started up the stairs. "Hang on."

Craig turned around and saw Sophie's keys in the flat door.

"Craig, come on. Someone's dying up there."

"Sophie. It's Sophie that's dying up there! It's Sophie!" Craig yelled, "Where's Sophie?"

The Doctor stopped at the door. "Wait, wait." His hearts sped up as he realized Elise was no longer on the stairs or in the flat. "Elise. Where's Elise? Amy? Just going in. Of course I can be upstairs." The Doctor soniced the door open and they were standing in a timeship.

"What? What?" Craig asked.

"Oh. Oh, of course. The time engine isn't in the flat, the time engine is the flat. Someone's attempt to build a TARDIS," the Doctor said.

"No, there's always been an upstairs."

"Has there? Think about it."

"Yes. No. I don't..."