Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Just Poppy my o/c.

A/N: I know there's a fair few people out there that are looking forward to seeing the next chapter in Sophie's story. However, Poppy hijacked my muse, so here I am posting a brand new fic for you guys instead. I'll be getting back to Sophie's story very soon, possibly after posting a couple or so chapters in this story and then I'm hoping to alternate between the two so that both get updated fairly regularly.

On another note, big thank you to both Saberbladeprime and Maethoriel Artemis for helping me brainstorm and reading this chapter over for me!

CHAPTER 1

The Tyler Twins

In a bedroom in one of the flats in the Powell Estate. Poppy Tyler, a young woman of nineteen with long dark ginger hair, a streak of white at the front, lay curled up on her side. Warm and snug under the covers as she slept peacefully. Her alarm blared and she frowned groaning as she snaked an arm out from under the warmth of her covers, smacking blindly at the blaring digital clock on her nightstand. She smacked at it a second and then a third time before she finally managed to hit the right button and the awful sound quieted.

She cracked open an eyelid, a brown eye squinting blearily at the red digital numbers on the face of her alarm clock and groaned again at seeing that it was indeed 7:30 in the morning and she had to get up and face the day.

She rolled onto her back and sat up, sweeping sleep mussed ginger locks out of her face. Her eyes falling on a large world map that she had tacked up on a corkboard that was hung on her bedroom wall. A multitude of pins with white plastic ends sticking out of it, indicating all the places that she wanted to travel too. All the places she wanted to be able to see one day. And she would! If she could ever manage to save enough money. Which meant, she grimaced, getting up and going to work.

'Joy,' she mentally deadpanned as she threw the covers off her legs and got out of bed, heading swiftly for her bedroom door, pulling it open and stepped out into the corridor just as the door of the bedroom next to hers opened and her blond fraternal twin stepped out. Brown locked with brown as the two faced each other in the corridor. The stare off between the twins was broken in the next instant as the two thundered down the corridor, racing each other, to the only bathroom in the Tyler flat.

"No! Poppy!" Rose shouted as the ginger pulled ahead of her, a hand reaching to grab at the back of her twin's pyjama shirt only to miss, fingers groping at air, "Dang it!" the blond cried a second later as the door of the bathroom was closed in her face. Rose almost running into it as the lock snicked quietly into place, "Poppy," Rose whinged knocking on the door as the ginger laughed, leaning her back against the door.

"Gotta be quicker than that, Rose," Poppy called back teasingly, a small bit of a sing-song to her voice.

"I tripped," Rose cried with mock indigence.

"Sure ya did," Poppy replied with mock belief and a playful roll of her eyes.

"Oh, whatever," Rose huffed, pouting, she hated having to wait her turn for the shower, "Just don't use up all the hot water, Pop," she banged on the bathroom door with the palm of her hand again for emphasis.

"I would never, Ro-Ro," Poppy cried with mock hurt at the accusation as she straightened up and moved away from the bathroom door, with a grin.

Jackie stuck her head out of her bedroom door, her eyes landing on Rose who was facing away from her mock glowering at the bathroom door, "Must you two make so much noise this early in the morning?" she groused with a frown as Rose turned from the door to look at her a cheeky wide tongue in teeth grin lighting up her face.

"Yep," Rose replied sweetly and completely unrepentant as she continued to grin, it was the same reply she gave every morning.

"Sorry mum!" Poppy called through the closed bathroom door, just like she did every morning and Jackie rolled her eyes before disappearing back into her bedroom.

"Every damn morning," Jackie grumbled under her breath with very little heat just like she did every morning as she reached into her wardrobe to grab her dressing gown, shrugging it on and wrapping it around her.

*O*O*O*

Poppy stood in front of her full-length bedroom mirror, dressed in a nice black long-sleeved shirt and denim jeans, bobby pins clamped between her teeth. Her brown eyes focused intently on her hair, fingers fiddling nimbly with the long locks. She pulled the last bobby pin from between her teeth a moment later and slid it into place securing the medium sized poof she'd styled into the front of her ginger hair, accenting the white streak. The length of her hair falling freely about her back and shoulders.

She lowered her hands giving herself a last quick once over, before satisfied with her appearance she turned and left her room, making her way into the kitchen, joining her mum who was frowning at the toaster as though personally offended by it.

"Poppy, love?" Jackie called still frowning at the toaster she was fiddling with as the ginger pulled a bowl out of a cupboard.

"Hmm?" Poppy hummed as she set the bowl down on the kitchen table and padded over to the fridge to grab the milk her mind half on what cereal she felt like.

"The toaster isn't working," Jackie stated trying to once again push down the lever to toast the bread slices she'd slotted into the toaster, only for it to immediately spring back up.

"Have you made sure it's on at the switch?" was Poppy's immediately response, not bothering to look as she walked over to the pantry, eyes scanning over the cereal boxes.

Jackie's gaze flicked to the power point the toaster was plugged into, "It's on," she stated as Rose stepped into the kitchen shrugging on her deep pink jacket over her nice light pink shirt.

"What've you broken now mum?" Rose asked with amusement as Jackie flicked the power point off and on again and trying once more just to be sure.

"Nothing," Jackie protested turning to look at Rose.

"The toaster," Poppy replied as she poured some cereal into her bowl and sat, reaching for the milk as Rose 'tsked' teasingly at their mum.

"It broke all on its own!" Jackie protested with a gesture at it, shooting her children irritated looks for their cheek.

Rose stepped over and tried the lever herself only for it to spring back up, jostling about the untoasted bread slices slotted inside it, "Well," Rose hummed turning from the toaster as she moved to get her own breakfast, "It was working yesterday."

"I know that!" Jackie huffed, arms crossing over her chest, frowning as she eyed her children, the pair enjoyed winding her up.

Poppy glanced over at the toaster from where she was now seated at the table, swallowing her mouthful of cereal, "I'll look at it tonight," she promised. She adored fiddling with things. Had a knack for it. Something she'd apparently inherited from her dad along with her ginger hair. Which was probably why she enjoyed it so much, she felt somehow closer to him when she fiddled about with things. Fixing them.

Jackie nodded satisfied and stepped away from the toaster flicking on the kettle instead, that's what she'd been hoping for.

Rose nudged Poppy as she sat down beside her at the table, drawing her twin's attention and she nodded at the clock as she snatched up the milk to pour over her own cereal. Poppy glanced at the clock and bit back a curse. They were gonna have to hurry their breakfast if they didn't want to be late to their shift at Henriks.

'Where had all the time gone?' she bemoaned as she ate faster, beside her Rose ate just as fast neither wanting to face the start of their shift on an empty stomach.

*O*O*O*

The twins rushed about the flat. Poppy snatched up her denim jacket, shrugging it on and snatching up her bag in quick succession, before hurrying over to her mum who'd settled herself comfortably on the settee in the living room with a mug of tea, still in her pyjamas and dressing gown, "Bye mum!"

Whilst Rose snatched up her own bag as she hurried for the door too, "Bye!" she kissed her mum on the cheek as well, before following Poppy towards the door.

"See you both later!" Jackie called after the twins as they hurried out the front door of the flat, reaching for the cordless house phone as the door shut behind the twins. The pair running down the stairs as they headed for the street to catch the bus to Central London.

*O*O*O*

Poppy followed Rose off the bus the blond giving her a playful shove that she returned as they walked towards the department store they were both employed at, swiftly crossing the road and disappearing inside.

They walked into the staff only area and shoved their bags inside their lockers, before turning to start back towards the sales floor, exchanging a pained grimace before splitting off to attend to their individual duties.

*O*O*O*

The hours dragged on, passing by with excruciating slowness and Poppy had to fight to keep from watching the clock as she shifted about her area, straightening up clothes, general tidying up of the racks and helping the customers that were milling about the store hoping to take advantage of the current ongoing sale.

It didn't help that this was the last thing that she wanted to be doing with her life. Working in retail wasn't all bad. She'd just rather be travelling the world, seeing what there was to see out there not cooped up in a 9-5 job that brought her no pleasure and little to no joy. Hell, if money grew on trees she'd be travelling already.

"Excuse me, miss?" a young woman called.

Poppy turned a polite smile plastered on her face, "Yes, how can I help?" she asked in her best customer service voice.

"I need some help getting a shirt off one of the dummies," the woman explained and Poppy blinked at her, smile faltering slightly at the thought of having to try and wrestle a shirt off one of the shop dummies, "It seems to be the last one in my size."

"Sure, I'd be happy to," Poppy replied whilst inwardly groaning, just 30minutes till lunch break, Poppy just 30 more minutes she coached herself as she followed the girl over to the dummy in question, her eyes catching sight of Rose as she walked through the ladies wear department a stack of clothes in her arms, the blond looking as bored as she felt, "This one, right?" she turned to the woman gesturing at a dummy that was dressed in a flowing royal blue shirt and skin-tight black leggings.

"That's the one," the woman nodded, giving her an apologetic look for the trouble she was putting her through.

"It'll just take a moment…" Poppy trailed as she approached the dummy, hands reaching for it, if she was super lucky this would only take a moment and she could go back to drifting around the store and looking busy.

*O*O*O*

"Tyler?" the manager called as he approached Poppy as she headed towards the lockers to grab her bag for lunch, "You still after extra shifts?"

"Yeah," Poppy nodded eyeing the manager hopefully as she smiled, "I am, definitely."

"Good," the manager nodded, "Can you fill in for a half day tomorrow? I've had someone call in to say they won't be able to make it."

"Sure," Poppy nodded.

"Be here first thing then," the manager told her curtly before turning and marching away as Rose came up to her twin.

"What was that about?" she asked as they turned and stepped into the locker room together.

"I got a shift tomorrow," Poppy sighed with a shrug both happy and unhappy about the extra work, she'd been looking forward to the day off, but she needed the money.

"Ah," Rose murmured knowledgably, "More money for the travel fund."

"Yep," Poppy grinned, her tongue poking out between her teeth, excited at the prospect of being able to add more to it at the end of the week.

Rose blew out a breath, both happy for her twin and saddened at the thought of her twin being able to indulge her wanderlust. A wanderlust that Poppy had had as far back as the blond could remember. And the sooner Poppy managed to save up the money, the sooner she'd leave her and she'd always had her twin nearby, always. She shook the thought of the impeding loneliness that eventuality would bring and linked her arm through Poppy's with a beaming tongue in teeth grin, "Come on. Let's go meet Mickey."

"You sure you want me along for your lunch date?" Poppy asked as she grabbed her bag out of her locker.

"Puh-lease!" Rose rolled her eyes as she grabbed her own bag, "He was your best friend long before he became my boyfriend."

"Just checkin'," Poppy replied with a laugh their arms linking again as they started from the locker room and headed for the doors. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude on her twin's blossoming romance with her bestie by crashing a date-date. Not to mention that'd feel more than a little awkward. She pulled a face.

*O*O*O*

Mickey frowned at Poppy as he sat on the ledge of the fountain at Trafalgar Square in between his best friend and his girlfriend. The ginger having just told him about the shift she'd accepted, "With all this work your picking up how are you gonna keep on top of your kickass Kung-Fu skills?" Mickey asked as he did a couple of punches in the air that earned snickers full of amusement from both girls.

"That was horrible," Poppy continued to snicker as she grinned, "You hit someone like that and your likely to fracture your wrist."

"Well, I wasn't really trying," Mickey defended himself and Rose shook her head amused as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"And I don't go to Kung-Fu classes. It's Taijutsu," Poppy corrected lightly, "And, I'll keep up just fine. I had a class just yesterday."

"You should know that Mickey," Rose chided teasingly pointing a finger at him, "What kind of best friend are you?"

"The best kind," Mickey retorted with a smirk.

"I wouldn't have any less," Poppy nodded with mock seriousness a teasing smirk quirking up her lips as she nudged Mickey.

"'Sides," Mickey continued nudging her back, "I knew that. Kung-Fu just sounds cooler," he stated definitively.

Poppy blinked a brow arching, "If ya say so," she waved it off with a shrug, not all that phased about what he wanted to call it.

"Still remember mum signing you up for those," Rose mused glancing at her twin with a bit of a smirk, "You were pouting so hard cos you didn't wanna go about hitting people," she chuckled and Poppy puffed out her cheeks at the memory, "But mum was adamant when she realised how serious you were about wanting to travel the world and that it wasn't just a phase, that you learn how to defend yourself first."

Poppy nodded as smiled fondly, "Yeah, joke was on me though," she laughed, grinning widely, "Cos I ended up loving my Taijutsu classes so much that I never stopped going."

"Didn't have to quit going to gymnastics with me though," Rose huffed cheeks puffing out as she mock pouted at her twin.

Poppy rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I couldn't manage both," she told her twin what she already knew.

"I know," Rose nodded, "But gymnastics was never the same after you left," in fact it had lost so much of its charm after her twin stopped going that she lost interest in the sport very quickly and quit much to her mum's disappointment.

The conversation shifted away after that, getting progressively more silly. Mickey leaving Poppy and Rose in stitches as they laughed uproariously, tears of mirth welling in their eyes, before the girls reluctantly said goodbye as their lunch hour drew to a close and they had to make their way back to Henriks. Poppy rolling her eyes good naturedly and starting a way as Rose gave Mickey a kiss goodbye, giving them a moment.

*O*O*O*

"This is a customer announcement," the store managers voice came over the tannoy, "The store will be closing in five minutes. Thank you."

Rose and Poppy shared a relieved grin across the sales floor before they turned away from each other looking busy as they fiddled with clothing racks straightening them up as they steadily worked their way closer and closer to the staff only area and the lockers where their bags were waiting for them, both excited that the work day was ending at long last.

The girls grabbed their bags and headed for the main doors, "Oi, newbie!" one of the security guards called and Poppy paused and turned back with an air of reluctance to see a clear plastic bag being shaken at her.

She gave the security guard a flat look, "How long does newbie status last anyway?" she huffed at him as she snatched the bag from his hand. She'd been working at Henriks for three months now at the least.

"Until someone else gets hired," the guard replied with a smirk and Poppy huffed out an annoyed breath, that was just great. Henriks wouldn't be hiring again for months!

"I could wait if ya like?" Rose offered, the blond having paused in taking her leave when her twin had.

Poppy rolled her eyes, "I'll be five minutes," she said dryly as she glanced back at her twin and smiled, "I'll probably be able to meet you at the bus stop."

Rose nodded, "Kay," and turned for the door again more than a little relieved that she could still get out of the store on time, "Say 'hi' to Wilson."

Poppy headed quickly back across the sales floor, grumbling under her breath as she jabbed at the lift call button, shifting about with impatience as she waited for the lift doors to open. They did with a 'ping' a short moment later and she stepped into the lift and jabbed at the button labelled with a 'B' for the department stores basement.

She leaned against the back wall of the lift the clear plastic bag filled with lottery money dangling from between her fingers as the doors slid closed and the lift descended down from the first floor passing the ground floor before coming to a stop at the basement level. There was the signature 'ping' before the doors slid open and Poppy stepped out of the lift moving swiftly down the dimly lit corridor.

"Wilson?" she called as she approached H.P Wilson's closed office door. Her eyes taking in the large familiar yellow 'Danger of electric shock' sign beneath the man's name, "Wilson," she knocked on the door, "I've brought the lottery money," she frowned as no sound came from behind the door which was kinda odd. He should be in his office at this time. At least in her experience in delivering the lottery money, he usually was, "Wilson? You there?" she tried knocking again hopefully, "Look, I can't stick around 'cos their closing the shop, Wilson!" she called louder, before she sighed out a frustrated breath, "Uhh, come on!" she groused to herself, a second before she heard her phone give a quiet 'ding'.

She pulled it out of where she'd stashed it in her bag, fingers moving over the buttons as she entered into the text from her twin, "Great," she huffed with irritation as she read it over, "And now I've missed the bus," she grumbled.

She moved her fingers over the buttons typing out a reply, 'Wilson's playing hide and seek. I'll catch the next one.'

She tapped the send button before she looked up from her phone with a frown as a sound echoed up from down the corridor. She started in that direction, her phone that was still in her hand giving another 'ding' as Rose replied.

'K. I'll let mum know.' Poppy read her twins response.

'Thx,' she replied hitting the send button before slipping her phone back into her bag as she continued down the dark corridor, walking past a rack of clothes that had been left up against the wall, "Hello?" she called as she approached the door to one of the basements store rooms, "Hello, Wilson?" she sighed again rubbing the bridge of her nose, "It's Poppy, ya know the most recent hire," she called, "Who'd very much like to get home," she grumbled lowly in exasperation, "Hello? Wilson?" she came to a stop outside the store room door and pressed it open peering inside at the room filled with boxes of clothes, and dressed dummies that had been taken off the sales floor for one reason or another.

Not immediately seeing him in the large dark store room she stepped inside and flicked on the light glancing about for the Chief Electrician as she started slowly across the room, "Wilson?" she called again only to get more silence. She wandered further into the room, brow furrowing again with confusion and the beginnings of disquiet, "Wilson!" she tried again pitching her voice louder hoping to be heard by the man. This really wasn't like him…

She tried another door to the side of the room, only for the door that she'd come through to suddenly slam shut behind her and she spun about eyes wide with shock, before racing back over to the doors. Trying the handles, shaking them instantly, "Oh, bleedin' hell," she groused when they refused to budge, her frown darkening only to still as a soft sound came from behind her and she slowly turned back around, eyes scanning, "Wilson," she began as she stepped away from the doors moving back into the room, "If that's you I'm…" she trailed as she turned back around to see one of the male dummies step out of the alcove it had been tucked away into, "Uhh…" she blinked at it as it slowly moved towards her and she took a slow step back, "Ok, this soo isn't funny," she told them flatly, scowling as her gaze flicked behind the first as two more dummies started to move, slowly advancing towards her along with the first.

"Right…" she muttered backing up further adjusting the strap of her bag so that it sat more comfortably across her chest, "Ok… it's gone from soo not funny," she lifted one of her arms up into a loose ready position as she continued to back away slowly as more dummies, the rest in the store room with her, joined the first three in advancing towards her menacingly, "To really not funny," she continued to back away down the store room, almost tripping as her heel hit a box. Poppy didn't look as she kicked it out of her way, her brown eyes locked on the dummies as she pondered what to do.

Her back hit the wall and she stiffened before shifting the position of her feet, her arm still raised. Poised to attack or defend herself as the dummies continued their advance. The male dummy that had been the first to move raised an arm to strike and she moved. Her arm moving up, blocking the blow before following it up with a powerful kick forcing the dummy back into its fellows, creating a bit of space between them. She turned with the intention of using the space she'd created to run only to almost collide with a man with piercing blue eyes that she was almost positive hadn't been there a moment ago.

He reached for her in the next instant, grasping one of her hands firmly in his, "Run!" he urged as he pulled her into motion as the dummies started to advance again, following them through a set of blue doors and down the corridor as they raced towards a lift.

They ran into the lift, the man hitting one of the buttons and the doors started to slide closed only for the male dummy to stick its arm between them, preventing them from clicking shut. Without skipping a beat, the man that was wearing a black leather jacket grabbed the arm and tugged, yanking at it until it came free allowing the lift doors to click closed on the dummies that were clamouring to get at them with a 'ping'.

"You pulled his arm off," Poppy stated, nose crinkled as her mind raced as she stared at the pale arm that the man was holding in his hands.

"Yep!" the man nodded and tossed it too her with a grin and she caught it, clasping it between her hands, "Plastic."

"Completely," Poppy murmured, brow slightly furrowed in thought as she looked the arm she was holding over. She looked back up eyes focusing on the man, taking in his dark brown buzz cut hair and black leather jacket again, "So, what or who are they then?"

He glanced back at her, a brow quirking as he considered the ginger, "You think it could be a what?" he posed a question of his own.

"Do you always answer a question with a question?" Poppy asked as she eyed him in return, a single brow quirking back at him.

"Do you?" he asked, "Go on," he grinned at her again as she narrowed her eyes on him, "What do you think it is?"

Poppy hummed a little thoughtfully, eyeing the arm in her hands again, before looking up at him again, "How wrong would I be if I said students muckin' about being silly?"

"Completely," he replied.

"Figures," Poppy sighed glancing away from him as he continued to eye her expectantly, "What about some kind of demonic possession?" he snorted derisive and a bit amused as he continued to eye her, "That'd be a no then," Poppy murmured, "Or I dunno… artificial intelligence?"

The man arched a curious brow at her, "Why artificial intelligence?"

"Uh," Poppy shrugged at him as she admitted, "The Terminator."

"The Terminator?" he questioned, eyebrows now raised so that they were sitting high on his forehead.

"Well, yeah. You know with AI coming to life and attacking people…" she trailed at the look he was giving her, "That's another no then."

"Well," the man mused with amusement, "You're warmer I guess. Still completely wrong," he grinned as she pouted slightly, "But warmer."

"Well," Poppy murmured with a bit of a frown, "Whoever or whatever they are Wilson's gonna have a fit when he sees them."

"Whose Wilson?" the man asked.

"Chief Electrician," Poppy replied, realising as she spoke that she'd dropped the lottery money at some point. Oops.

"Wilson's dead," the man informed her as the lift stopped and the doors pinged open and he stepped out into the corridor beyond.

"Please tell me that you just made the un-funniest joke in the history of unfunny jokes," Poppy exclaimed her eyes wide as she followed him out of the lift.

"Hold on," he ignored her question as he took her by her upper arms and shifted her a bit to the side, "Mind your eyes," he warned her as he turned back to the lift a strange slender device in his hand, flashing it with a blue glow at the lift control panel and it sparked briefly in response as it's insides got fried.

"Oi!" Poppy called after him as he turned and started away. She hastened to follow, "Who are you, then? And you never said what or who that lot down there is," she questioned as she dogged his steps down the corridor, eyeing his broad back with equal parts curiosity and frustration. Her brow furrowed again at his continued silence, "I said, who or what are they?"

He glanced back at her, "They're made of plastic," he began, "Living plastic creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof. Which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this," he showed her an electronic device. Poppy eyed it before glancing back up at him as he continued, "So!" he opened the fire escape door he'd been leading her towards, "I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process," Poppy turned to him, eyes wide again with alarm, "But don't worry about me," he smiled, "No, you go home, go on! Go and have your lovely beans on toast," he stated as he ushered her through the door before she could do more than stare at him mouth agape, "Don't tell anyone about this," he warned, "Because if you do, you'll get them killed," he said in all seriousness before he shut the door on her.

Poppy blinked at the closed door a bit bemused at what had just happened, before she turned to start away, only to turn back to the door as she heard it open again, the man popping back into view as he poked his head out the door again.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way," he introduced himself with a bit of a grin as she stared at him with continued bemusement, "What's your name?"

"Poppy," the ginger replied.

"Nice to meet you, Poppy," he grinned a bit wider as he continued, "Run for your life!" before he shut the door again.

Poppy blinked at the closed door again, before she turned and ran through the back alley she'd been ushered into and out onto the main street. A black cab speeding by as she glanced back at the building, keeping her distance from the dummies in the shop windows as she continued to run. She glanced back at Henrik's again and her eyes widened as an explosion blew up the top floor of the building.

Her steps faltered slightly, almost tripping over her feet, but managed to catch herself, her stride evening out as she continued to run. Her gaze glided over the strange sight of a big blue police box in an alley, but didn't think much of it as she ran along the street, heading for home. Her mind whirling over what had happened.

*O*O*O*

Poppy sat slumped with Rose on the settee in the living room of their home. The blonde's head resting on the ginger's shoulder, and her head angled to rest against the blonde's, their arms linked together and eyes on the telly that was switched on to the BBC News 24 broadcast that was covering the explosion, "The whole of Central London has been closed off as police investigate the fire. Early reports indicate…"

Poppy's eyes wandered from the telly as Jackie walked back in phone held to her ear with one hand and a steaming hot mug in the other, "I know," the older Tyler woman was saying to the person on the other end, "It's on the telly. It's everywhere. Poppy's lucky to be alive," she exclaimed moving towards the settee, "Honestly, it's aged her," Poppy raised her brows at her mum, "Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was her daughter."

"It has not," Poppy huffed unlinking her arm from Rose's and straightening up as her mum pressed the hot mug of tea into her hands, "And I do not," but Jackie had already turned away again listening to the person on the other end of the line. Poppy and Rose glanced at each other and rolled their eyes as they settled back comfortably against the settee. Poppy's gaze going to the plastic arm she'd accidentally brought home with her as it sat innocently on a pale sofa against a bright hot pink cushion, her eyes lingering on it, worried that it'd suddenly spring to life again. She'd have binned it on the way if she'd remembered that she was carrying the damned thing. She heard the front door all but bang open and she tore her eyes away from it as she and Rose looked up heads turning to look towards the doorway.

"Oh, and here's himself…" Jackie said as she paused in her pacing to turn, eyes landing on Mickey as he appeared in the doorway, slightly out of breath and eyes worried as his gaze shot to the twins and he started towards them.

"I've been phoning your mobile," he accused as the twins shifted on the couch creating room for him to sit between them, "And yours!" he huffed pointing from one twin to the other, worried eyes holding a bit of reproach.

Poppy glanced towards where her bag was sitting slumped against a wall a distance away, "Ah, sorry," she apologised, she hadn't heard it ringing.

"You two could've been dead!" Mickey continued.

"Not dead. I was already on my way home when it went kaboom," Poppy half-truthed a little guiltily and ignored the look her twin was levelling on her from where she was now seated on the other side of Mickey.

"And I wasn't even there," Rose placated her boyfriend.

"It's on the news and everything!" Mickey exclaimed, "I can't believe your shop went up, what if you had still been inside!"

"I'm fine, honestly," Poppy attempted to assure her best friend again as he hugged her and then Rose and then both of them as he settled between them on the couch.

"Don't make a fuss," Rose begged, it was bad enough with their mum fussing and fretting over it and what could have happened. Personally, she didn't want to think about all the possible what could have happened to her sister.

"Well, what happened?" Mickey asked as he turned his head to look at Poppy again, eyeing her curiously.

Poppy shook her head, "I dunno!" she lied again, feeling another flare of guilt for it, but the man who'd called himself the Doctor had been clear and… well, they wouldn't believe her anyway. Neither of them.

Rose eyed her twin with the same scepticism as before, but stayed quiet for the moment as her sister took a sip of her tea.

"What was it though?" Mickey persisted curiously as he continued to eye Poppy ignoring the mildly irritated look she shot him, "What caused it?"

"Didn't I just say that I wasn't in the shop?" Poppy huffed, before shifting remorsefully, it wasn't his fault that she was lying, "Sorry. I just dunno," she sighed she hated lying like this, especially to her best friend and twin, "I was outside and didn't see anything apart from the top floor going up in flames…" she trailed as her mum wandered back into the living room holding the phone out to her and she arched her brows in question.

"It's Debbie on the end," Jackie told her, "She knows a man on the Mirror. Five hundred quid for an interview."

"Oh, does she?" Poppy asked and Jackie nodded as she took the phone. She jabbed the end call button and set the phone down.

Jackie frowned at Poppy, arms crossing, exasperated, "Well, you've got to find some way of making money, you both do," she stated, "Your jobs are kaput and I'm not bailing you out," she looked at the twins pointedly, "Either of you…" she trailed as the phone rang again and she snatched it back up immediately, "Beth!" she exclaimed as she turned away from the settee, phone once again pressed to her ear, "Poppy's alive! I've told her," she started from the living room again and Poppy settled against the settee again shaking her head as she listened to her mum, "Sue for compensation. She was within seconds of death."

"What're you drinking?" Mickey asked drawing Poppy's attention as he checked the contents of her mug, "Tea? Nah, nah," he shook his head, "That's no good, that's no good. You're in shock. You need something stronger."

"I'm fine," Poppy assured him again as she kept her grip on the mug that he was trying to take from her.

"Now, come on, you both deserve a proper drink," Mickey insisted, "We're going to the pub, the three of us. My treat," he tempted, the twins blinking at him as they stared at him brows starting to quirk up, "How about it?"

"Is there a match on?" Rose asked, a knowing look in her eyes as she regarded her boyfriend with a smile.

"No," Mickey denied quickly, "I'm just thinking of my two favourite women."

Poppy scoffed, "There's totally a match on," she grinned amused as Mickey twitched, trying hard not to squirm under their gazes.

"Well, that's not the point…" Mickey trailed as the twins smiles grew in amusement, they both knew him too well, "We could catch the last five minutes," he conceded a bit sheepishly.

"Any other day, Mickey," Poppy murmured, normally she would she just… wasn't up to going to the pub and enjoying the match with her bestie. There was too much on her mind, too much to think about.

"Go on, then," Rose nodded with a smile of her own, not all that interested in catching the match and she wanted to be with her sister.

Mickey hesitated, "You sure?"

"Yeah," the twins assured him with smiles.

"I'm fine, really," Poppy assured Mickey again, "Just a bit tired really," Mickey nodded still eyeing his best friend with concern, "You could do me a favour and get rid of that," she pointed to the arm that was still lying on the sofa, "On your way."

Mickey nodded his agreement before he turned to Rose and pointed at his lips, and Rose grinned as she pulled him into a kiss, before playfully shoving him away again as Poppy rolled her eyes, before taking another sip of her tea as her twin and best friend laughed. A smile playing about her lips as Rose playfully stuck a leg out to trip Mickey as he moved to get up.

Mickey picked up the plastic arm and turned back to them, "Buh-bye," he waved it at them.

"Let me know who wins," Poppy called.

"Bye!" Rose called and rolled her eyes in amusement as Mickey pretended to strangle himself with the plastic hand, an exaggerated expression on his face.

"Must you?" Poppy huffed at him as Rose shook her head a fond amused smile curving up her lips as Mickey lowered the arm from his throat.

"Yep," Mickey grinned cheekily at his bestie tossing the arm up into the air and then catching it again, "Couldn't resist."

Poppy rolled her eyes relaxing as the arm remained lifeless in his hands, "Dweeb," she insulted as she slumped back against the settee.

"Grandma," Mickey shot back, with a grin.

"You're just jealous that my hairs prettier than yours, Micks," Poppy retorted lightly as she swept a hand over the white streak that her front poof emphasised.

"Pfft!" Mickey blew a raspberry at her, waving the plastic arm at her dismissively.

"Urgh!" Poppy grimaced snatching up the cushion beside her, "I hate it when you do that," she threw it at him.

Mickey caught it an inch before his face and tossed it back and laughed as Poppy yelped as she spilled her tea over her hand that was clutching the mug as she caught it with the other. Rose shook her head, giggling in amusement as Mickey left still laughing.

"Fire then spread throughout the store," the BBC news reporter continued and Rose fell silent as the twins listened, eyes going back to the telly, "Fifteen fire crews are in attendance though it's thought there is very little chance of saving the infrastructure…" whilst outside Mickey tossed the plastic arm into a metal bin as he strolled past it.

*O*O*O*

"Alright, now spill it!" Rose whispered demandingly after she'd settled herself down and gotten comfortable in Poppy's bed. Rose eyeing her twin in the darkness as they lay on their sides facing each other.

"Spill what?" Poppy whispered back evasively.

"Don't even try," Rose poked her twin with a finger, "You can't lie to me. So," she poked her twin again, "Spill," another poke, "What actually happened?"

"Shoulda known this was why you wanted to sleepover," Poppy huffed but she was grinning into the gloom rather glad for the excuse to spill as she poked her sister back in retaliation, "You're never gonna believe me," she taunted in a low whisper.

"Try me," Rose insisted challengingly and so in a low whisper Poppy began to explain just what had happened at Henriks and Rose's brows steadily rose higher and higher on her forehead as she listened.

Rose rolled over onto her back when her twin fell silent, "You're having me on," she scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Told ya, you wouldn't believe me," Poppy replied as she too rolled over so that she was lying on her back.

Rose stared up at the ceiling her brow furrowed in thought because despite what she'd said she couldn't shake the feeling that her twin had been telling her the truth… which quite frankly sounded insane!

*O*O*O*

The alarm clock on Poppy's bedside table ticked over to 7:30 and the alarm blared. A sound that was immediately followed by a dull thud like sound as the twins startled awake, bolted up right. Their heads knocking together and they groaned in pain clutching at their bruised heads. Poppy reached for the alarm with one hand, smacking the button to turn it off as she continued to clutch at her throbbing head with the other, still grimacing.

"There's no point in getting up, sweethearts," Jackie called to them from her bedroom, "You've got no job to go to."

The twins flopped back down against the bed, "What's your head made of Ro-Ro?" Poppy groaned as she glanced at her twin, "Concrete?"

"If my heads concrete, yours is a bleedin' wrecking ball, Pop," Rose shot back still rubbing at her head, "Where are you going?" Rose asked, hand lowering from her head as Poppy threw the covers off herself and got to her feet.

Poppy glanced back at Rose with a smirk, "Bathroom," she replied, challenge clear in her voice, before she started for the door.

Rose sat back up in alarm, "Oi! No!" she scrambled to get up, bruised throbbing head forgotten in an instant, "Pop!" she gave chase dashing out the bedroom door in hot pursuit, "You had the bathroom first last time!"

"And again!" Jackie sighed as she heard the sounds of her twins running down the corridor with heavy feet, shouting and shrieking at each other. The bathroom door slammed shut and she sighed throwing the covers off herself.

*O*O*O*

Poppy sat at the kitchen table, an empty breakfast bowl shoved to the side as she fiddled with the toaster that she had in pieces. Her brow furrowed in concentration, ignoring her twin who was sitting across from her with a pouting glower levelled at her for having beaten her into the bathroom two mornings in a row.

"Have you figured out what's wrong with it yet?" Rose asked, breaking the silence as she rested her elbows on the table, fists against her cheeks.

"Yeah," Poppy nodded, "The springs busted," she muttered turning it so Rose could see and jiggled the busted spring for emphasis.

"So, no toast again this morning," Rose grumbled.

"There's cereal," Poppy pointed out.

"I feel like toast," Rose muttered, pouting at the broken toaster, she'd been hoping for a quick and easy home fix.

"You could use the grill," Poppy pointed out dryly as she turned the part of the toaster back towards her.

Rose's gaze flicked over to the grill on the oven and pulled a face, "Nah," she shook her head, "Too much effort," she decided and got up to grab herself some cereal instead as Poppy rolled her eyes, smirking.

"Oh good," Jackie beamed as she entered, a mug of tea in her hand and still in her dressing gown, "How's the toaster?"

"Needs a new spring," Poppy murmured as Rose sat back down at the table bowl of cereal in hand.

"Well, you can get that today when you go job hunting," Jackie nodded as she started towards the kitchen table.

Rose groaned at the idea of having to start the painful process of job hunting, "Were do we even start," she huffed.

"There's Finches…" Jackie suggested and Poppy immediately blanched, "You could try them. They've always got jobs."

"Oh, great," Rose murmured dully, "The butchers," she grimaced.

"Well, it might do you good," Jackie replied as she sat at the table with them, "That shop was giving you airs and graces."

Rose gave her mum a flat look filled with displeasure at the very idea of even applying to work at the butchers.

"Give me the airs and graces of retail any day," Poppy muttered dryly and Rose nodded adamantly in agreement. Poppy brightened as an idea occurred to her, "Maybe I'll try at the repair shop," she mused as she toyed with a small toaster part, "They know me in there. They might be able to give me something."

"You could ask when you pop in to get the part for the toaster," Jackie nodded before she levelled another look at Poppy, "And I'm not joking about compensation. You've had genuine shock and trauma!" Poppy sighed out a low breath still turning the toaster piece between her hands whilst Rose stirred her spoon idly about her cereal that was starting to get soggy as Jackie continued persistently as she stood starting out of the kitchen, "Arianna got two thousand quid off the council just because the old man behind the desk said she looked Greek!"

Poppy blinked at her mum, brows quirking up at her as she looked up from the toaster part, "She is Greek," she stated.

"I know she's Greek," Jackie retorted turning back to point an exasperated finger at her ginger haired daughter, "You're deliberately missing the point," she accused and got another blink whilst Poppy's lips twitched suspiciously as Jackie turned starting for the doorway again, "It was a valid claim," she called over her shoulder as she made her way back through the living area and into the corridor as she headed back towards her room.

Poppy shook her head, putting the toaster piece back down, before glancing across the table at her twin, "So…" she started innocently trying to suppress her amused smile, "You gonna apply at the butchers?"

Rose's eyes narrowed at the amusement she could see on her sister's face as her lips tried to twitch upwards, "No…" she replied as she flicked some of her soggy cereal at her twin.

"Oi!" Poppy cried as the soggy bit of cereal splattered against the table missing her, "Watch the toaster!"

Rose snorted, "Yeah, like a tiny bit of cereals gonna hurt it," she scoffed, before they paused, heads turning in the direction of the front door as they heard a rattling sound. Rose stood, "I thought you nailed the cat flap down?"

"I did," Poppy replied as she got up too, following her twin towards the front door with a small frown, "Weeks ago."

"You sure you didn't just dream about it?" Rose questioned a little tauntingly.

Poppy narrowed her eyes on her twin, "I'm sure."

"Just checkin'," Rose replied with a cheeky tongue in teeth grin and saccharine sweetness. Poppy swatted a hand at the back of her twin's blond head and Rose kicked a leg back in retaliation, heel connecting lightly with her twin's lower leg as they made their way through the living room and into the entryway.

They paused as they caught sight of the screws fallen to the floor, "Guess you botched it," Rose murmured.

"I didn't botch it," Poppy huffed.

"Then what are the screws doin' on the floor?" Rose retorted glancing at her twin with raised brows whilst Poppy stilled as her eyes that had still been on the puzzling sight of the screws she'd secured the cat flap with scattered on the floor, lifted to the cat flap as it suddenly moved and she stepped closer ducking down, "What're ya doing?" Rose asked quizzically as she watched her sister with bemusement.

Poppy ignored the question in favour of carefully poking the cat flap open only to see the Doctor's face on the other side of it, staring right back at her. She inhaled sharply in surprise and leapt back up to her feet yanking the door open. Rose stepped up behind her in the doorway, eyes curious as they landed on a man with blue eyes, ears that protruded from the sides of his head, a big nose and a buzz cut, wearing a black leather jacket over a dark purple t-shirt.

"What're you doing here?" the Doctor asked perplexed as he eyed the ginger with obvious confusion.

Poppy arched her brows at him, "I live here," she stated like it should be obvious.

"Well," the Doctor huffed at her, before asking almost incredulously, "What do you do that for?"

"I just do," Poppy retorted, "And I'm only here because someone," she eyed him pointedly, "Blew up my job."

"Wait…" Rose cut in eyeing the man in their doorway with suspicion now, "He's the guy you were talking about last night, with the whole 'living dummies' thing?" she used her fingers to put air quotes around the words, still rather sceptical about the whole story her sister had told her to explain what had happened at Henriks.

The Doctor glanced from the blond back to the ginger with a frown, "I thought I said, 'Don't tell anyone'," he huffed at her nodding as he pretended to think about it, "I did, I said 'don't tell anyone because you'd get them killed.' That's exactly what I said."

"Rose is the exception," Poppy stated arms crossing over her chest.

"Oh, and just what makes her so special?" the Doctor questioned as he swept his gaze over the blond standing beside the ginger again. Taking in all the similarities and all the differences in their features.

Rose smirked at him, a bit proudly as she crossed her arms over her chest, unintentionally mirroring her sister, "I'm her twin," she nodded at Poppy.

"Right," the Doctor muttered as he flicked his gaze from one to the other and back again, before he shook his head and pulled out his sonic screwdriver turning his attention back to what had brought him to this particular front door to begin with. He gave it a shake, "I must've got the wrong signal," he muttered before glancing back up at the ginger, "You're not plastic, are you?"

"No," Poppy replied a bit bemused and incredulous and he reached out and rapped his knuckles against her forehead.

"No, bonehead" the Doctor agreed with a grin as she raised her brows at him, "Bye, then," he turned to leave.

"Oh no you don't!" Rose hissed, eyes narrowed on the man as she grabbed him before he could even take a step away from their doorway, "You don't almost get my twin killed last night and get to swan off."

"I didn't…" the Doctor spluttered, a touch indignantly as he looked over his shoulder at the blond that had a hold of him.

"Inside," Rose insisted, "Right now," not really giving him a choice as she dragged him inside of the flat. Poppy shook her head amused as she pushed the door shut, before turning and following them out of the entryway.

"Who is it?" Jackie called from her bedroom where she was seated on the end of her bed in the process of applying her make-up.

"It's about last night," Rose replied, popping her head into her mum's room finally releasing the Doctor, certain that he wouldn't be making a break for it now as she heard Poppy shifting about behind them, "He's part of the inquiry," she fudged the truth as Jackie shifted on her perch to look at her and the man in her bedroom doorway, "Wants to talk to me and Poppy," she continued, "Give us ten minutes," the younger blond said before continuing on down the corridor, leaving the Doctor standing in the older Tyler woman's bedroom doorway.

"She deserves compensation," Jackie stated.

"Huh, we're talking millions," the Doctor agreed easily as he leaned against the doorframe as he waited.

Jackie eyed him up and down for a brief moment before she stood up, flirtatiously, "I'm in my dressing gown."

"Yes, you are," the Doctor agreed.

"There's a strange man in my bedroom," Jackie murmured.

"Yes, there is," he agreed again.

"Well, anything could happen," she flirted.

"Oi!" Poppy poked her head into her mother's bedroom doorway having just come back out of her room, "Behave," she scolded, pointing a finger at her mum.

"I'll behave when I'm dead," Jackie retorted.

Poppy pulled a face, "Can that be one of the things that we never ever talk about cos your…"

It was Jackie's turn to point a scolding finger at her daughter, eyes narrowed as she cut in, "Don't you dare say I'm old!"

"Would I do that?" Poppy questioned with an innocent air.

"Yes," Jackie retorted, arms crossing.

"Must be some truth to it then," Poppy replied, smirking teasingly at her mum as she pulled a face at her daughter.

"You're not too old to get put over my knee young lady!" Jackie huffed.

"Pretty sure that stopped being scary when I realised I could out run ya," Poppy smirked and Jackie mock glowered at her as she turned to the Doctor who was grinning at them with obvious amusement, "Coffee?"

"Might as well, thanks," the Doctor nodded as he followed her down the corridor and into the living room, glancing curiously into the room he'd seen her come out of earlier as they passed it, "Just milk."

"Sure," Poppy nodded, before tacking on as she noticed the state of the living room, "Just don't mind the mess."

The Doctor followed her as she walked into the kitchen, lingering in the doorway as he took in the room eyes landing on the pulled apart toaster that was still sitting on the table, "You scavenging for parts?"

Poppy glanced over her shoulder at him, before following his line of sight to the toaster, "Nah, it's just broken," she replied as she puttered over to the sink, turning on the cold water tap to fill the kettle up.

Behind her the Doctor shifted away from the doorway, slipping his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket as he cast a critical eye over the toaster, he aimed the slender device and the blue tip lit up as it buzzed.

Poppy turned the tap back off ears picking up a strange whirring noise that she'd only heard once before, hearing it for only a moment before it stopped. She glanced back over her shoulder to see him tucking something back into his inside jacket pocket, "What did you do?"

"Nothin," the Doctor replied evasively, smirking slightly as he turned and wandered out of the kitchen and into the living room Poppy peering after him suspiciously.

She put the kettle onto boil before she glanced at the disassembled toaster. She stepped over to it and tested the broken spring, only to blink in mild surprise. He'd fixed it, that strange buzzy thing had fixed it.

Poppy shook her head and turned away, shifting about the kitchen to get coffee mugs prepped whilst the kettle boiled.

"Enjoying your snooping?" Poppy questioned, a brow arching, as she stepped back out of the kitchen a couple of moments later. A steaming coffee mug in each hand to see the Doctor, still alone in the living room, with a couple of envelopes in his hands as he looked them over, reading the names of the addressees.

"Yes, I am," the Doctor replied with a grin, completely un-phased about being caught as he dropped the envelopes back down where he'd found them.

Poppy rolled her eyes as she crossed the distance, holding out his coffee to him, his gaze going up to what she believed to be her hairline as he did so, "It's poliosis," she murmured anticipating what he was looking at.

"What?" he blinked at her as she stepped away from him again.

"The white streak," Poppy elaborated with a gesture up at her hairline where her white streak of hair was framing her face, not having done more than run a brush through her hair yet that morning, before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Ah," the Doctor hummed evasively as he nodded turning away, although a slightly curious genetic quirk, it had actually been the rather fantastic shade of ginger the rest of her hair was that he'd been admiring in that moment. Lucky woman, he mused as he caught sight of his current face in a mirror, eyes going to the dark brown he'd ended up with this time, "Ah, could've been worse," he mused as he eyed his reflection properly for the first time, "Look at me ears," he grinned a bit as he flicked one of the prominent appendages.

"You say that like you've never seen your face before," Poppy mused as she tilted her head at him slightly, eyeing him a little sceptically.

"I saw a map," the Doctor turned from his reflection to look at her as he side-stepped her observation, "On the wall in one of the rooms down there," he nodded towards the corridor Rose had yet to emerge from as Poppy blinked at him brow quirking.

"It's my map," Poppy nodded.

"Awful lot of pins sticking out of it," the Doctor pressed, taking a sip of coffee, eyeing her over the rim.

"All the places I wanna visit," Poppy explained.

"There was close to two hundred pins," the Doctor blinked eyebrows shooting upwards, there was 198 to be exact.

Poppy nodded, eyeing him, "And I'll probably add more, there's just so much out there that I wanna see," she grinned and then shrugged lightly at the curious almost contemplative look he was giving her, "Mum says I have a wanderlust."

"Ah," the Doctor murmured, smiling, "I know something about that."

Poppy smiled back, "You too, huh?"

"You could say that," the Doctor shrugged before admitting, "I have a hard time staying in one place."

"I haven't managed to get farther than where a train could take me in a day yet," Poppy sighed a bit wistfully, "But I'm saving up…" her enthusiastic expression fell, "Course I've gotta find a new job for that."

"If you're that determined I'm sure you'll find something," the Doctor murmured, glancing away from her as he scratched at his ear, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Course I will," Poppy nodded before grimacing, "Job hunting's a bit of a pain though."

"I wouldn't know," the Doctor replied casually, before taking another sip of coffee, pretending to not notice as Poppy blinked at him rather surprised.

"Is there coffee for me?" Rose asked as she finally emerged out of the corridor, walking into the living room.

"Kitchen," Poppy replied, gesturing over her shoulder.

"Have I told you that I love you?" Rose mused with a beaming grin.

"Not lately," Poppy replied.

"Well, I love ya," Rose declared as she turned sauntering towards the kitchen.

"Right back at ya," Poppy responded as Rose disappeared through the kitchen doorway.

"You two should probably go to the police, don't you think?" Rose commented as she moved into the kitchen, even if it was just some joke that just went wrong."

"You're such a sceptic," Poppy called to her as the Doctor milled about the living room again, starting to snoop again.

"I am not," Rose huffed in retort, "But kids mucking about seems far more likely than actual dummies moving about on their own attacking people."

"It does," the Doctor agreed as he picked up a paperback book that had been left on the coffee table.

"See!" Rose said in a 'so there' tone.

"You're also wrong," the Doctor finished and there was a beat of silence and Poppy could just picture her twin huffing and rolling her eyes as she shook her head in disbelief, "Hmm," he mused into the silence as he flicked through the pages crazy fast, "Sad ending," he muttered as he put it back down.

Poppy blinked at him again a little bemused, "Read it before have you?" she asked before she sipped some more of her coffee.

"Something like that," the Doctor replied airily and Poppy quirked her brows at the evasive non-answer.

"Still," Rose's voice came from the kitchen again as she grabbed her coffee mug, "They said they'd found a body on the news," she took a sip and grimaced at how cool it had gotten and padded over to the microwave.

"Wilson's," Poppy reminded Rose, her voice low with regret for the man, as she followed the Doctor's progress around her families living room with her eyes watching as he set down his coffee mug as he found a deck of cards, the sound of Rose fiddling with the microwave reaching them from the kitchen.

"All the same," Rose continued, "He was a nice," she murmured over the noise of the whirring microwave, "A nice bloke."

The Doctor swiftly shuffled the cards and Poppy thought that he looked like he knew what he was doing as he declared, "Luck be a lady."

"Seriously though," Rose continued as she tapped her foot waiting for the microwave to finish, whilst in the living room the Doctor started to shuffle the cards he was still playing with again, "I want you to explain everything."

Then again, maybe he didn't, Poppy mused as the cards went flying everywhere in the next moment, "Uh, maybe not," the Doctor murmured a bit sheepishly glancing over at Poppy who smirked at him with amusement. He smiled back, dropping the cards he'd managed to hang on to, before a scuffling came from behind the sofa, "What's that, then?" he asked eyeing the couch curiously, "You got a cat?"

"No…" Rose called as she took another test sip of her coffee and beamed a grin, perfect… hmm, did they perhaps have some biscuits? She shifted towards the pantry.

"Not anymore," Poppy replied as she shifted turning to the sofa moving to take a step towards it, brows slightly furrowed, "Hence the screws…" she paused though as the Doctor gestured for her to stay where she was as he stepped towards it himself leaning over it to peer behind it and in the next moment Poppy dropped her coffee mug to the floor in shock as the plastic arm that she'd had Mickey throw out last night leapt out from behind the sofa, it's hand securing itself around the Doctor's throat, strangling him as he tried to pull it off.

Poppy leapt forward, hands closing about the plastic arm and tugged, the two of them struggling to pull the arm off him, limbs knocking against each other as they did so. Whilst down the corridor in her bedroom Jackie switched on her hairdryer.

"We did have," Rose continued as she started from the kitchen giving up on finding biscuits to snack on, "But now they're just strays. They come off the estate," she blinked, pausing briefly at seeing her sister and the Doctor wrestling with the plastic arm that was seemingly strangling him, "What are you doing?" she rolled her eyes setting her mug down on the coffee table, "Him, I kinda get, give a man a plastic hand and all that… but you Pop…"

"We're not playing, Ro-Ro!" Poppy shouted exasperated still struggling with the arm, that came away in the next instant, the arm flying through the air.

Rose gaped at it as it screeched to a halt in mid-air, before spinning about fingers flexing, before launching through the air towards her. She screamed as it attached itself to her face, plastic fingers digging into her skin as it smothered her airways.

"Rose!" Poppy exclaimed as she darted over to her, the Doctor with her as they grasped the plastic arm again and started tugging all over again. The three of them stumbling about the living room as they fought to get the plastic arm off her.

The three fell, crashing rather painfully into the coffee table. The table crumpling under their combined weight and they hit the floor in a tangle of limbs, continuing to struggle with the arm whilst down in her bedroom Jackie continued to blow dry her hair oblivious to what was happening in her living room.

The Doctor managed to push Rose up onto the sofa, digging for his sonic screwdriver in his inside jacket pocket, whilst Poppy continued yanking with growing desperation on the arm, seriously beginning to fear that her twin would be suffocated by the plastic arm.

The Doctor grasped the sonic and pulled it swiftly out of his pocket and aimed it at the arm disabling it with a quick buzz making it release Rose, "It's alright, I've stopped it," the Doctor assured them, "There you go, you see?" he tossed it to the panting, rather frazzled Rose.

"Handy that small buzzy thing," Poppy murmured as she eyed the plastic arm now in her twin's hands, it's fingers slack and lifeless.

"Hmm, yep!" the Doctor grinned at her as he pocketed his sonic once again, "Made it armless," he punned.

"Do you think?" Rose snarked, her eyes narrowed on him as she smacked him over the shoulder with the arm that had tried to kill her not two seconds ago.

"Ow!" the Doctor whinged as Poppy snorted out an amused breath as the Doctor cringed a bit as Rose waved the arm a bit threateningly.

"I thought I was the violent twin," Poppy laughed.

Rose smirked at her, "Give a woman a plastic hand…" she trailed meaningfully as she gave the arm another mock threatening wave, earning another amused sniggering from Poppy, eyes shining with mirth.

The Doctor straightened up, that was his queue to leave if ever he heard one. He snatched the arm back from the blond and starting away without another word, "Oi!" the twins cried scrambling to their feet to chase after him, leaving the living room in a right state as they swiftly followed him out of the flat.

"Hold on a minute!" Rose demanded as they chased the Doctor down the stairs, dogging his steps adamantly, "You can't just go swanning off!"

"Yes, I can. Here I am. This is me, swanning off," the Doctor smirked back at them as he continued rather cheerily, "See ya!"

"But," Poppy protested, frowning at him as they rounded a curve in the staircase, "You haven't even answered any of our questions yet!"

"That arm was moving," Rose exclaimed, "It tried to kill me!"

"Ten out of ten for observation," the Doctor remarked dryly, not pausing in his stride.

"But you blew up the relay device on the roof!" Poppy exclaimed as they approached the bottom of the staircase at a quick clip.

"I did," the Doctor replied, glancing back again briefly as he nodded, but not bothering to elaborate further.

"So, why is it still coming after us?" Poppy huffed, irritation starting to leak into her tone as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"You can't just walk away, that's not fair!" Rose glowered at him as she and Poppy followed him through the doors and out onto the street, "You've got to tell us what's going on!"

"No, I don't," the Doctor denied.

"No," Poppy agreed and grinned at him all charm, "But it'd be really nice if ya did."

The Doctor glanced at her and smirked, before waving the plastic arm at her as if to say, 'nice try but no dice'.

"Alright then," Rose shrugged as she and Poppy came to a stop and the Doctor paused glancing back a bit surprised at the sudden about face in her attitude, "We'll go to the police. We'll tell everyone. You told Poppy, that if she did that, people would get killed. So," Rose effected another shrug attempting a casual stance as she did her best to stare the man down, "Your choice. Tell us, or we'll start talking."

The Doctor quirked his brows at her, "Is that supposed to sound tough?" he questioned, smirking, a little incredulous and a little amused.

"Sort of," Rose replied with another small shrug.

"Doesn't work," the Doctor informed her.

Rose shrugged again this time smirking right back at him, "Meh, when all else fails I've got her," she jerked a thumb at her twin.

The Doctor blinked and glanced at Poppy who wiggled her fingers at him in response, he blinked again, "Scary," he deadpanned.

"That's me," Poppy agreed lightly, and the Doctor scoffed as she added dryly, glancing at her twin, "I terrify."

Rose sniggered, before sobering as she eyed the man standing across from them, "Who are you?"

"Didn't she tell you?" the Doctor mused gesturing at Poppy, before stating, "I'm the Doctor."

"Yeah, she mentioned that bit," Rose huffed, "But Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor," he stated firmly.

"The Doctor," Rose repeated, eyeing him a bit dubiously.

"Hello!" the Doctor grinned waving the plastic arm at them as if to say that's me.

Poppy eyed him, blinking a bit quizzically, lips quirking upwards a bit as she stared, before she deadpanned, working to keep her face straight, "Impressive."

"That's me," the Doctor nodded before he grinned widely at her as he stated seriously, "All the time."

Poppy huffed out an amused breath as she grinned.

"Come on," Rose insisted, "You can tell us. We've seen enough," she eyed him over, "Are you police?"

"No, I was just passing through," the Doctor replied, before swallowing a little heavily, "I'm a long way from home."

"But," Rose frowned, "What have we done wrong?" she asked, "How come those plastic things came after my sister and then me?" she could still feel the lingering sensation of those plastic fingers digging into her skin.

"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Suddenly the entire world revolves around the two of you!" he huffed as he eyed them.

"You mean it doesn't?" Poppy asked with mock affront, widening her eyes at him in mock surprise before she turned to her sister, "Rose, why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Don't look at me," Rose shrugged, smirking at her with amusement, "I was working under the same assumption."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, exasperated and amused at the pair of them, "You were just an accident," he informed them his eyes focusing on Poppy as he stated seriously, "You got in the way that's all."

"It tried to kill me!" Rose exclaimed, "And last night," she swallowed recalling what Poppy had told her of what happened at Henriks before it went up in a fiery explosion that gutted the entire building, "It tried to kill my sister!"

"It was after me, not either of you," the Doctor stated, eyeing the twins troubled expressions as they stared at him, "Last night," he continued, "In the shop. I was there, you," he jabbed a finger at Poppy, "Blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing," he huffed.

"Like I knew there was gonna be killer dummies down there," Poppy huffed, she'd just needed to deliver the lottery money!

"Then this morning," the Doctor carried on with what little of an explanation he was willing to give them for their persistence, "I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down. The only reason it fixed on you is 'cos you've met me."

"So, why'd it attack me, then?" Rose asked frowning at the plastic arm in the Doctor's grip, "I wasn't there last night."

"You were there with me in the flat," the Doctor shrugged.

"Brilliant," Rose groused, before eyeing him, "So, really," she continued, "What you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you."

"Sort of," the Doctor nodded, grinning at them, "Yeah."

"Oh," Poppy scoffed her brows raised high on her forehead as she smirked at him a bit amused all over again, "You're full of it."

"Sort of," the Doctor nodded again, lips curved into another wide grin, "Yeah," and the twins rolled their eyes, amused.

"Alright," Poppy gave a small nod, "Now that we've established that you've got an ego the size of Mount Elephant…"

"Oi…!" the Doctor protested mock scowling at her, blue eyes shining with amusement as he stared at her.

"…What about this demonic plastic stuff," Poppy continued and the Doctor let out a low scoffing sound, "Who else knows about it?"

"It's not demonic," the Doctor stressed and then gave her a mildly exasperated look as she gave him a cheeky tongue in teeth grin, "And, no one."

"What, you're on your own?" Rose questioned as she and Poppy frowned disquietedly, glancing at each other, neither could really imagine being completely on their own with something, they'd always had each other. Always.

"Well, who else is there?" the Doctor asked, giving them a look, "I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly!" Poppy frowned a little insulted, "While all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

"Ok," Rose stepped towards him and snatched the arm back from him, falling into step with her twin as the Doctor started moving again, "Start from the beginning. I mean if you're gonna go with this living plastic, and I don't even believe that…"

"Did you see the flying plastic arm with the grabby fingers?" Poppy cut in with mild sarcasm, nudging her twin when she waved a dismissive hand at her.

"But if we do," Rose continued, Poppy ducking at Rose swiped the plastic arm at her head in retaliation for her nudge, "How did you kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm," the Doctor explained glancing at the twins, "I cut off the signal, dead."

"So, that's radio control?" Rose guessed.

"Thought control," the Doctor corrected.

"Demonic possession woulda been cooler," Poppy mused as she took the plastic arm from her twin looking it over again as the three of them continued to walk.

"You're kind of strange, you know that?" the Doctor murmured brows quirked as he glanced over at her, amused.

Poppy nodded, eyes still on the plastic arm, "I've been told."

There was silence and the Doctor looked at both of the twins with a bit of concern, "Are you two alright?"

"Yep," Poppy looked up from the plastic arm and shot him a bit of a grin.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, "So," she took the plastic arm back from Poppy as she asked, "Who's controlling it then?"

"Long story," the Doctor waved off.

"Ooh, those tend to be the best kind," Poppy mused, eyeing him with a smile, and the Doctor shot her a small smirk.

"But what's it all for?" Rose questioned, "I mean, shop window dummies… what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?" and the three glanced at each other and laughed.

"No," the Doctor denied with a shake of his head.

"I know," Rose agreed.

"It's not a price war," the Doctor laughed again.

"Good," Poppy nodded.

The Doctor's expression turned serious as he sobered, "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you," he admitted.

"And, not so good," Poppy muttered, her expression falling.

The Doctor glanced at the two of them, trying to judge what they were thinking, "Do you believe me?"

"No," Rose replied with an unapologetic shrug.

"Hard to argue when the plastic is actually trying to kill you," Poppy shrugged and Rose rolled her eyes at her whilst the Doctor smiled, nodding.

"Really, though, Doctor," Rose stopped, "Tell us, who are you?" she asked as her twin came to a stop too.

The Doctor paused in his stride, turning to look at the pair of them as they stared right back, taking in their curious expressions, "Do you know like we were saying? About the Earth revolving?" he got a couple of nods and he stepped back towards them, "It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it," he explained as he took Poppy's hand and the pair watched curiously as he traced his fingers around on her palm in a circle as he continued, "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour. And the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, the three of us, right now. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go..." he released Poppy's hand, "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Poppy and Rose Tyler," he told them seriously before he grabbed the arm back from Rose and waved it at them, giving them a last smile, "Go home," he told them firmly.

The twins stared after him, watching as he walked towards a big blue box. Poppy blinked at it, almost positive that there wasn't usually a big blue box right there and… hadn't there been one tucked into an alley just outside Henriks last night too… Rose nudged her and she glanced at her twin distracting her from her line of thought and they slowly turned away to head back towards the Powell Estate.

It was probably nothing anyway, Poppy had only just decided when a strange wheezing sound coming from somewhere behind them made them pause. They whirled back around and ran back to where they'd last seen the Doctor to see that both he and the Police Box that he'd been wandering towards had disappeared like they'd never been there at all.

"So…" Poppy murmured, breaking their stunned silence after a short moment, "You going home?"

"Pffht!" Rose scoffed.

"My thoughts exactly," Poppy nodded and the twins glanced at each other, eyes meeting, exchanging a tongue in teeth grin, before they whirled back around and hurried back down the path towards the Powell Estate.

They had a man with a computer to see.

*O*O*O*

"Hey, hey, here's my woman," Mickey grinned as he opened the door to see Rose behind it, shifting back to let her in, about to slap her bum as she walked past him only to catch sight of Poppy and pause, refraining, "And, Grandma," he grinned as Poppy lightly swatted his arm, "Guess we'll be keeping our clothes on, Rose."

"Shut up," Rose huffed at him.

Poppy pulled a face at him, "Really don't wanna hear about that, ya Dweeb," she grimaced as she stepped further into Mickey's flat as Rose gave him a kiss.

"Coffee?" Mickey offered.

"Sure," Poppy agreed.

Rose nodded, "But only if you wash the mug," she added, "And I don't mean rinse," she warned, "I mean wash."

"As in with dish washing liquid and hot water," Poppy elaborated with a teasing smirk.

"I know how to wash dishes, thanks," Mickey retorted, mocking glowering at her.

The twin's eyes flicked over to the sink in the kitchen, stacked with dirty dishes, "Coulda fooled me," Poppy deadpanned.

"Shut up," Mickey huffed, waving a dismissive hand at her, and smirked as Poppy rolled her eyes at him.

"Can we use your computer?" Rose asked as Mickey turned to head into the kitchen.

"Yeah," Mickey glanced back at them as they started towards his bedroom, "Just don't read my emails!"

"That only makes us actually wanna read 'em, ya know!" Poppy called back as Rose shut the bedroom door behind them.

Poppy sat down in front of the computer Rose leaning against the back of the chair behind her, knee bouncing against the back of it and teeth abusing her lower lip as she watched Poppy bring up .

"That's far too many," Rose muttered as Poppy's first search gave them and overwhelming 17,700,000 results.

"Relax would ya," Poppy muttered, rolling her eyes, feeling Rose's knee bouncing against the back of the chair, "We just need to narrow the search down, is all."

"I know that," Rose huffed, just impatient and curious as Poppy's fingers moved over the keys again adjusting the search criteria.

There were 55,300 results for 'Doctor Living Plastic' and Poppy frowned before trying again this time with 'Doctor Blue Box' and got only 493 results.

"Oh, that's better," Rose murmured.

"Yeah, and this top one looks promising," Poppy murmured before she clicked on the link labelled 'Doctor Who – Do you know this man? Contact Clive here…'

It took them to a webpage with a blurry picture of a man that despite the blur was definitely recognisable as the man they'd met.

"Oh, we're good," Poppy murmured and the two exchanged wide grins as they exchanged a high-five.

"Too good," Rose agreed before Poppy moved the mouse hovering it over the link that read 'Contact Clive' before clicking on it.

*O*O*O*

"You're not coming in!" Rose insisted as Mickey pulled up across the street from the address Clive had given them, "He's safe. He's got a wife and kids."

"Yeah but who told you that?" Mickey huffed, eyeing the house, the whole street, distrustfully, "He did. That's exactly what an internet lunatic murderer would say."

"Well," Poppy began teasingly from the backseat as Rose opened the front door of Mickey's old yellow VW Beetle, "If he is an internet lunatic murderer, we're gonna need someone to drive the getaway car when we come running out of there screaming."

"Really not helping me to feel better Poppy," Mickey deadpanned, as he turned his head to give her an unimpressed look, whilst Rose folded the seat forward for Poppy to be able to clamber out of the car after her.

"We'll be careful," Poppy said more seriously and smiled at her best friend who nodded, watching with continued concern as she clambered out of the car, shutting the car door behind her, before she and Rose started across the residential street, before his gaze was drawn by a man that was wheeling out his black wheelie bin, and Mickey glowered at the man with suspicion. Much to the man's bewilderment.

Across the street Poppy and Rose stepped up to Clive's front door, the blond rapping her knuckles against it. Barely a moment later the door was pulled open by a boy that Poppy didn't think was any older than 11.

"Uh, hello," Rose smiled at the boy who was staring up at them a bit flatly, "We've come to see Clive? We've been emailing."

The boy rolled his eyes, before moving away from the doorway, "Dad!" he shouted, "It's a couple of your nutters!"

The boy disappeared back into the house and a man that had been drawn by his son's shout ambled towards the open front door, "Sorry," he gave them a friendly smile, "Hello. You must be Poppy and Rose," the twins nodded returning his friendly smile, "I'm Clive, obviously!"

"Uh, we'd better tell you now. My sister has mad martial arts skills and my boyfriend's waiting in the car, just in case you're going to kill us!"

"No, good point, no murders," he agreed good naturedly and sent a wave at Mickey who was peering through his car windshield at him suspiciously but none the less nodded in acknowledgement, "And, hopefully no mad martial arts skills," Clive added jovially as his gaze returned to the girls on his front porch.

"I'll keep myself in check," Poppy promised.

"Who is it?" A woman, Clive's wife called from the floor above them.

"Oh, it's just something to do with the Doctor. These young women have been reading the website," Clive called back before turning back to the two still standing on his front porch, "Please, come through," he ushered them ahead of him down a narrow corridor by the staircase, following them down it, "I'm in the shed."

"Young women?" Clive's wife questioned as she started down the stairs carrying a full washing basket, "They're girls?" she questioned with amusement and smiled ironically, before shaking her head as she closed the front door that Clive had left open.

*O*O*O*

Poppy and Rose followed Clive as he showed them around his shed, "A lot of this stuff is quite sensitive," he told them as he led them over to his set up, "I couldn't just send it to you," he explained, "People might intercept it, if you know what I mean," he stated conspiratorially and Poppy's brows quirked up, "If you dig deep enough – keep a lively mind – this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place. Political diaries, conspiracy theories. Even ghost stories. No first name no last name. Just the Doctor. Always the Doctor. And the title seems to have been passed down from father to son, it appears to be an inheritance," he told them one of his hypothesises, rather glad to have such a rapt interested audience. It wasn't all that often he got people that were truly interested in his work. He pointed at a picture of the Doctor on the screen of his computer that was set up behind them, "That's your Doctor there, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Rose nodded.

"That's him," Poppy agreed.

"I tracked it down to the Washington public archive last year," Clive told them, "The online photo's enhanced, but if we look at the original…" he opened up the slender folder he'd picked up and pulled out photos, first showing them one of the Doctor standing in a large crowd, one face among many, "November the 22nd, 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy."

"If that's him there in 1963…" Poppy frowned at the picture of the Doctor whose face had been circled with red marker, "Then he hasn't aged a day," she muttered with confusion.

"It must be his father…" Rose murmured.

"Going further back… April 1912," Clive continued as he moved away picking up a photo album and bringing it over to them, "This is a photo of the Daniels family of Southampton, and friend," he pointed to the man who looked exactly like the Doctor they'd seen earlier that day, "This was taken the day before they were due to sail off for the New World. On the Titanic. And for some unknown reason, they cancelled the trip and survived. And…" Clive pulled out a sketch with careful hands, showing it to them, "1883. Another Doctor. And look – the same lineage. He's identical."

Poppy and Rose exchanged a disquieted look, it was. It really was… but that was impossible… their eyes returned to the sketch as Clive continued.

"This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra on the very day Krakatoa exploded. The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He has a storm in his wake. And he has one constant companion."

"Who's that?" the twin's questioned, their brows slightly furrowed.

"Death," Clive replied ominously and the twin's exchanged another disquieted look at that. Whilst outside on the street where Mickey was still waiting in his car, peering about with suspicion. The black wheelie bin that had been brought out to the curb earlier started to shuffle its way towards him.

"If the Doctor's back…" Clive continued seriously, "If you've seen him, Poppy, Rose… then one thing's for certain. We're all in danger. If he's singled you out… if the Doctor's making house calls then… God help you."

"But who is he?" Rose asked a bit unsure now that she really wanted to know, "Who do you think he is?"

"I think he's the same man. I think he's immortal," Clive admitted seriously, "I think he's an alien from another world."

*O*O*O*

"Alright," Rose exclaimed as she pulled open the passenger side door of Mickey's car, "He's a nutter! Off his head! Complete online conspiracy freak!"

"A very nice none lunatic murderer online conspiracy freak," Poppy nodded as she clambered into the back seat allowing Rose to push the front seat back up.

"You win!" Rose huffed as she threw herself into the front seat beside Mickey, blowing out an exasperated breath as she slammed the car door shut annoyed that they'd wasted their time, "What are we going to do tonight?" she asked glancing from Mickey to Poppy, smiling brightly at them, "I fancy a pizza."

"Ooh, me too!" Poppy cheered grinning back at her twin.

"Pizzzaaa!" Mickey elongated the word strangely as he gripped the steering wheel, "P-p-p-pizza!" he stuttered.

Rose blinked at him, a brow quirking, "Or a Chinese…"

"Pizza!" Mickey repeated grinning rather manically as he took off down the road.

"Ack!" Poppy exclaimed as he weaved precariously about the street, "What are ya doin'?!" she huffed hastening to buckle up, "Mickey! Ya spaz!"

*O*O*O*

"Honestly Mickey," Poppy quirked her brows at her best friend, eyeing the strange wide grin he'd been wearing since they'd come back out of Clive's place, "You're gonna pull a muscle if you keep that up."

"I dunno what you mean, friend, bestie, pal, compadre," Mickey replied, wide grin not faltering in the slightest.

Poppy blinked at him a little perplexed at the strangeness, "Huh?"

"What do you think about trying at the hospital?" Rose asked turning the conversation back to what they'd been talking about when they'd first sat down at the table in the restaurant, "Suki said they had jobs going in the canteen. That's it then…" she sighed, "Dishing out chips."

"Wearing a hairnet and an apron, and getting the smell of food ingrained in your pores," Poppy shook her head, no, not for her.

Rose pulled a face at the image that gave her, yeah. Perhaps not. She sighed and glanced at her ginger twin, "How was taking your A Levels?"

"Stressful," Poppy muttered before levelling a look at her twin, "But worth it."

Rose grimaced, "Yeah, yeah, don't start on me," she huffed, "It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school because of him, and look where he ended up."

Poppy grimaced at the thought of Jimmy. She'd never liked him. Liked him even less after he broke her sister's heart, "If you really wanted to do your A's you definitely could. I'd even dig out my notes for ya."

"Would ya?" Rose asked hopefully.

Poppy gave Rose a look like she thought the answer should be obvious to the blond, "Duh!" she huffed.

Rose grinned and nodded, "I'll keep that in mind," her twin's notes would be rather handy to have if she did decide to take her A's.

"So, where did you meet this Doctor?" Mickey asked, cutting into the conversation.

"I'm sorry," Rose huffed at him, eyes narrowing with irritation that he'd brought the conversation back round to the Doctor. That man was the last thing she wanted to continue thinking about today not after their strange meeting with Clive the conspiracy nut, "Wasn't I talking about me for a second."

Poppy blinked at her innocently, "Aren't you always?" and Rose swatted at her playfully, mock scowling.

"Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right?" Mickey pressed on, "He have something to do with that."

"No…" Poppy muttered, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, honestly, she hated lying to Mickey, it felt almost as bad as when she tried to lie to her twin.

"Convincing," Rose sniggered at her and Poppy swatted a hand at her as she shot her a look that clearly said, 'not helping'.

"Come on," Mickey wheedled.

Poppy slumped back in her seat giving up on trying to lie, Rose had pretty much dobbed her in anyway, "Kind of."

"What was he doing there?" Mickey questioned, eyeing the two women sitting across from him intently.

"Do we have to go on about it?" Rose sighed, "I really don't want to, Mickey," she admitted, "I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe. I think he's dangerous."

"But you can trust me, sweetheart!" Mickey exclaimed before rambling in quick succession much like he'd done earlier, "Babe, sugar, babe, sugar," his gaze skirted to Poppy, "Right, friend, bestie, pal, compadre?"

Poppy stared at him confused, "Mickey what…"

"Tell me about the Doctor and what's he's planning, and I can help you, Rose, Poppy. Because that's all I really want to do, sweetheart, babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart."

Rose stared at him as equally as confused as Poppy at his behaviour, it really wasn't like him, "What're you doing that for?" she asked as a waiter approached their table, a bottle of champagne in his hands.

"Your champagne?" he proffered the bottle at them.

"We didn't order any champagne," Mickey dismissed him not looking up as he continued to stare at the twins intently, "Where's the Doctor?" he asked a he grabbed Rose's hand.

"Madam, your champagne," the waiter proffered the bottle again this time at Rose.

"It's not ours…" Rose replied distracted as she eyed her boyfriend, "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I need to find out how much you know," Mickey stated, handing tightening around Rose's, "So where is he?"

"Mickey," Poppy said carefully eyeing how he was tightly holding her twins hand, "I love ya like family but if you don't let go of my sister…"

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" the waiter cut in, loudly.

"Look," Mickey said with exasperation, "We didn't order it…" he looked up, the twin's following his gaze to see the Doctor standing by the table, bottle of champagne in his hands, "Ah," Mickey smirked triumphantly at him, "Gotcha."

"Don't mind me," the Doctor grinned at them as he started to shake the champagne bottle vigorously, "I'm just toasting the happy couple," he fiddled with the cage around the cork, working it open, "On the house!" he exclaimed as he got it off and the cork popped free of the bottle, smacking directly into Mickey's skull.

"Oh my God!" Poppy gasped as the cork instead of bouncing off Mickey's forehead, it got absorbed into the 'skin', "He's plastic," she gaped as Mickey chewed… she'd thought he was acting a bit unlike himself but she hadn't thought plastic! Hadn't thought that it was possible for her best friend to become some kind of plastic creature thing!

Mickey spat out the cork, glowering at the Doctor the entire time, "Anyway," the Auton Mickey stood, turning a hand into a plastic club and Poppy yanked the shocked gaping Rose up and out of the way just before he brought it down on the table smashing it. Rose screamed in shock whilst Poppy gaped wide eyed as the Doctor grabbed the plastic creature with the face of her friend and proceeded to yank his head from his body.

"Don't think that's gonna stop me," the Auton Mickey declared with a glower and the Doctor grinned at it, whilst a couple at the nearby table screamed eyes wide with shock at what they'd just witnessed.

"Fire alarm," Poppy exclaimed to Rose, nodding at where she'd spotted it against the wall as the plastic body got up and started to thrash and stumble about the restaurant waving its arms, both now shaped like clubs, about. Scaring the already startled customers into a panic.

The pair hurried over to the alarm and a brief moment later it was blaring loudly and shrilly through the chaotic restaurant, "To the exits everyone!" Poppy shouted over the noise at the frantic customers, "Quickly now! Move!"

"Everyone out!" Rose was shouting just as urgently as her twin, "Out now! Get out! Get out!" she repeated a bit panicked, "Get out!"

"Now," Poppy grabbed her twin's hand as the customers raced screaming out the front doors of the restaurant, "We get out!" she urged and they turned fleeing through the kitchens and out the back exit.

The Doctor running after them, the plastic Auton head shaped like Mickey's tucked under an arm. The Auton body stumbling about wrecking more of the restaurant as it hastened to follow after the fleeing trio.

The twins ran straight down the alley towards the gate whilst the Doctor calmly shut the restaurant door they'd burst through, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. The device whirring as he aimed it at the door, locking it, before he turned and started calmly down the alley after the two humans that had reached the locked gate.

"Open the gate!" Rose shouted rattling the doors of the gate in an attempt to pull them open as the Auton slammed up against the back door of the restaurant, "Use that tube thing!" she demanded glancing back at the Doctor, "Come on!"

"What, this?" the Doctor held up the slender device for them to see.

"Yes!" Poppy nodded a bit frantically, turning from looking at the gate that she'd been half pondering if she'd able to manage to scramble up and then pull up her twin, to look at the Doctor seeing him holding up the strange slender device she'd seen him using, "The handy small buzzy thing, that fries lift control panels, fixes toasters and disables killer plastic arms!"

The Doctor huffed a bit amused by her rather frantic description, "It's a sonic screwdriver," he informed her.

Poppy paused at that, blinking, diverted from the impending doom of the plastic body that was hammering against the back door to the restaurant, "Seriously?"

"What's wrong with that?" the Doctor huffed, a little affronted.

"Nothing," Poppy replied, eyeing the slender device with interest and the Doctor beamed a wide grin at her.

"Hardly the time for nattering!" Rose exclaimed banging at the gate, "Use the thingy!" she exclaimed.

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor corrected again.

"Just use it!" Rose demanded shortly.

"Nah," the Doctor replied, tucking his sonic screwdriver away, "Tell you what, let's go in here," he nodded in a direction.

Poppy looked over and blinked at the big blue box she hadn't noticed earlier, "How'd we miss that, Ro-Ro?"

"Does it matter?!" Rose asked as the Doctor moved towards it digging out his key as he went, "We can't hide inside a wooden box!" large dents appeared on the metal backdoor of the restaurant as the Auton continued to hammer at it, "It's going to get us!" she cried as the Doctor slipped inside the wooden box, "Doctor!" she stared at her twin incredulous as the ginger started towards the box, "Poppy! You can't be serious!"

"What else are we gonna do?" Poppy shrugged glancing back at her twin with an arched brow, "Wrestle with the locked gate?" she snarked, before continuing towards the big blue box that was sitting in the alley.

Poppy poked her head inside the box and blinked gaping at the inside with shock, before she popped her head back out, stretching so that she could see around the side of it, before poking her head back in. Whilst behind her Rose tried the gate again, tugging at it uselessly before glancing back at her twin to see her peeking around the sides of the Tardis again in a rather strange fashion before stepping inside the box completely.

Poppy slowly turned as she walked about the large space she'd stepped into, her mouth still agape with awe, hardly aware that she was moving at all as she looked about the room. Her brown eyes wide, until she bumped into something.

"Oi, careful," the Doctor huffed and her head wiped around to look over her shoulder to see him arching a brow at her, "You can't walk through me you know," he chided, before he shifted around her continuing with his setting up of the plastic head still in his hands.

"It's smaller on the outside," Poppy blurted out, unable to help herself as she stared at him her eyes still a little wide.

The Doctor blinked, "That's a bit different," he muttered, finding himself a little disappointed to not hear the usual, "People normally go with…" he broke off as the door opened again and Rose stepped inside.

The blonde's mouth fell open much like her sisters had, before she spun on her heel and darted outside again.

The Doctor huffed out an amused laugh, "You and your sister. You both do good Jack in the Box impressions," he grinned, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and aiming it at the head as Poppy headed back towards the door.

Poppy poked her head back outside in time to see Rose running out from around the side of the big blue box having run a circuit around it.

"It's… It's…" Rose stuttered a bit as her gaze found her twins.

"I know," Poppy nodded a moment the Auton managed to smash a hole through the metal restaurant door, "Rose! Come on!"

Rose nodded in agreement and dashed towards the doors of the strange blue box, her twin stepping back to allow her past, "It's gonna follow us!" she shouted desperately as Poppy slammed the door shut behind her.

"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried."

Poppy blinked at him quizzically, "The assembled hordes of what?"

"Genghis Khan," the Doctor repeated for her, annunciating the words for her, "Now, shut up a minute."

Rose stood beside her twin, darting her eyes about the strange rounded interior whilst Poppy eyed what the Doctor was doing, attaching wires to the plastic head with open curiosity, "What are you doing?" she broke the silence forgetting briefly that he'd rather rudely demanded silence.

"Hush!" the Doctor insisted not looking up from what he was doing with the head of the Auton, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Alright, alright," Poppy muttered lowly, grimacing slightly, "Didn't have to be rude about it," she groused under her breath unaware that the Doctor could still hear her from where he was standing by the console.

"You see," the Doctor started to explain as he rounded the console after another moment of silence had passed, "The arm was too simple, but the head's perfect," he set the head down on the console wiring the last bits of it into the Tardis console, "I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right," he turned to them with a grin, giving them his full attention, "Where do you want to start?"

"Um…" Rose floundered slightly still glancing about rather overwhelmed, "The insides bigger than the outside?"

The Doctor grinned, honestly, it never got old… and he'd missed hearing it in the time that he'd been travelling about on his own, "Yes."

"It's alien," Rose muttered, a bit uncertain as she darted her eyes about the large rounded space again.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded.

"So…" Poppy turned her eyes from the interior to look at him, "This is a spaceship then?"

"Yep," the Doctor nodded again.

"Which means…" Rose muttered drawing his eyes back to her, she trailed before finally posing it as a question, "Are you alien?"

"Yes," the Doctor agreed again, and eyed the two of them carefully, both their faces a bit pale, trying to judge their reactions, "Is that alright?"

Rose swallowed, "Yeah."

"Sure," Poppy nodded, swallowing a bit herself before taking a small steadying breath, "So, what's her name?" she asked.

The Doctor arched a brow at her, eyeing her curiously, "What makes you think she has one?"

Poppy shrugged, "All ships have names," she stated glancing about the alien interior of the ship again, "Whether they're a sea ship or a spaceship."

"It's called the Tardis," the Doctor replied patting the console he was standing in front of fondly, "T.A.R.D.I.S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

"Catchy," Poppy murmured.

Rose let out a sob as she burst into tears and Poppy turned, wrapping her arms about her twin, hugging her, "Its ok, Ro-Ro. We're alright," Poppy murmured as she rubbed her hands up and down Rose's back as the blonde's shoulders shook.

"That's ok," the Doctor nodded, "Culture shock. Happens to the best of us," he assured them as he shifted about the console.

"They made a plastic Mickey," Rose murmured around her tears as she hugged her twin, getting the gingers yellow t-shirt wet.

"I know," Poppy murmured back, swallowed heavily, heart clenching in her chest with worry, as her gaze went to the head that was sat on the console, "I'm sure he's ok, though," she tried to assure herself and her twin as she blinked back tears of her own. She really hoped that her best friend was ok. That they hadn't hurt him, doing whatever they'd done to create a plastic creature version of him.

"Did they kill him?" Rose asked turning her head, but not pulling away from the comfort of her twin's arms, her heart aching, "Mickey?" Rose clarified as the Doctor blinked at her a bit quizzically, her eyes narrowing on him, "Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?"

"Oh…" the Doctor grimaced, tugging at his ear, "I didn't think of that," he muttered, internally cringing at the domestics that were playing out in front of him, and inside his Tardis at that, he grimaced again.

"He's my sisters best friend. My boyfriend," Rose narrowed her eyes on him as Poppy's arms tightened about her, "You pulled his head off. They copied him and you didn't even think?" she questioned, before her gaze went back to the head of the Auton Mickey, to see the plastic was melting heavily into the grating, "And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt?" the Doctor blinked.

"He's melting," Poppy exclaimed aghast her gaze having shot back to the head at her sisters observation, her arms tightening about Rose again before releasing her as the blond pulled away whilst the Doctor turned to look at the head, his eyes widening at the sight of the heavily melting head.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, NO!" the Doctor grumbled as he started to frantically run about the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers.

"What're you doing?!" Rose questioned with alarm as she and Poppy watched him madly dash about the console.

"Reviving the signal, it's fading!" the Doctor replied not pausing in what he was doing, "Wait I've got it…" he turned his head to look at the monitor, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he groused hands moving frantically over the console. The Tardis starting to shake as the engines stirred to life, the rota rising and falling.

"What's happening?" Poppy asked as she glanced about the now shaking spaceship curiously and a little worried. Was she supposed to shake?

"We're almost there!" the Doctor called in response not tearing his eyes away from the console as he urged his ship on, "Almost there! Almost there!" he pressed some more buttons and pulled another lever, "Here we go!" he shouted as the shaking came to a stop and he turned and dashed for the doors.

"Here we go, where?!" Poppy called, not hesitating to follow him in her curiosity. Had they moved? And if so… where had they ended up?

"You can't go out there!" Rose shouted alarmed as her twin ran after the Doctor, "Poppy!" she cried before hastening to follow her twin, "It's not safe!"

"We're in Westminster!" Poppy couldn't help but gape, surprised and delighted as she glanced around the north bank of the Thames, they were right next to the RAF monument. They'd moved! They'd really moved! She couldn't help but smile.

"I lost the signal," the Doctor bemoaned ignoring Poppy as he wandered a short distance away, "I got so close."

"We've moved!" Rose blinked surprised and confused as she stepped out of the Tardis to see the north bank of the Thames.

"Yep!" Poppy agreed, smiling at her twin.

"Does it fly?" Rose asked her eyes going to where the Doctor stood, his back to them.

"Disappears there and reappears here, you wouldn't understand," the Doctor replied, distracted, as he started to pace back and forth, gaze searching.

"So… it teleports?" Poppy frowned a bit pensively.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," the Doctor informed her over his shoulder, still distracted, still searching.

Rose swallowed, "But if we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing?" she questioned brow furrowed lightly in concern, "It's still on the loose."

"Yeah…" Poppy frowned with concern, "And I don't think that gate would stall it for long," it had smashed a hole through the metal door after all.

"It melted with the head," the Doctor informed them dismissively, "Are you two going to witter on all night?"

"Are you always going to be this rude?" Poppy shot back, her arms crossing and the Doctor rolled his eyes.

Rose sighed lowly, her eyes going to her twin, "We'll have to tell his mother," she lamented, heart sore.

Poppy shook her head, "I'm choosing to believe he's alive," she stated, before swallowing her heart feeling heavy, "Until, if, we find proof that tells us otherwise."

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at them, staring at them quizzically, what were they wittering on about now? He was busy!

"Mickey!" the twin's exclaimed in response, expressions incredulous as they glowered at him indignantly.

"We'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again!" Rose exclaimed angrily.

Poppy gritted her teeth, "He's not dead," she denied, shaking her head adamantly he couldn't be!

"You were right," Rose seethed still glowering at the Doctor as he rolled his eyes completely unconcerned, "You are alien."

"Look," the Doctor called after the twins as they turned to walk away from him, and they paused, "If I did forget some kid called Mickey…"

"He's my best friend!" Poppy yelled as she and Rose whirled back around to face him, a finger pointed at him.

"Yeah, and he's not a kid!" Rose shouted, the pair levelling twin glares, their angry brown eyes identical.

"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, alright?!" the Doctor yelled, glowering right back at them.

"Alright!" Rose shouted.

"Fine!" Poppy shouted at almost the same instant.

"Yes! It is!" the Doctor snapped, glaring, irritated. Why exactly had he stopped them from leaving again?

Rose shook her head in disbelief arms crossing at almost the exact same moment that Poppy crossed hers. The ginger taking in a calming breath as she too glanced away from the alien.

Rose looked back at the Doctor, eyeing him a bit sceptically, "If you are an alien, how come you sound like you're from the North?"

Poppy blinked her gaze going back to the Doctor her arms uncrossing, he did sound like he was from the North.

"Lots of planets have a North," he harrumphed dismissively, crossing his arms indignantly as he looked away from them, frowning.

"You trying to tell us that the North's on every planet out there sound exactly the same?" Poppy asked, brows quirking at him, a bit amused and a bit disbelieving.

"Might do," the Doctor retorted, with a bit of an evasive shrug and a tiny smirk as he turned his head to look at them again.

Rose glanced at the big blue box again, eyes lifting to lettering on it, "What's a police public call box?" she questioned, eyes going back to the Doctor.

The Doctor grinned, "It's a telephone box from the 1950's," he explained.

"Ok," Poppy nodded then blinked, a brow arching curiously, lips quirking up into a small kind of bemused smile as her eyes went back to the box, "Why does it look like telephone box from the 1950's?"

"It's a disguise," the Doctor grinned again, patting the side of the Tardis fondly.

Rose shook her head, exchanging a bemused smile with her twin as they glanced at each other, "Ok," the blonde's eyes focused back on the Doctor, "And this living plastic, what's it got against us?"

"Nothing," the Doctor replied.

"Nothing?" Poppy parroted a bit incredulous, her brows rising, what was it trying to kill them for then?

"It loves you," the Doctor nodded, "You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air… perfect," he grinned at them, "Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all it's protein plants rotted," he explained, "So Earth… dinner!"

"Any way of stopping it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor grinned at them and pulled out a tube of liquid from his inside jacket pocket, showing it to them.

Poppy blinked at it, "Blue goop?" she glanced up at him, "Blue gloop is gonna stop the living plastic things?"

The Doctor huffed out a breath at her, "It's Anti-plastic."

"Ant-plastic," Poppy tested the word, her brows creeping up again.

"Anti-plastic," Rose repeated a little incredulously, eyeing the small tube of blue liquid-y goop dubiously.

"Anti-plastic!" the Doctor exclaimed, with a bit of an amused smirk before tucking the tube back into his inside jacket pocket, "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"You consider London small?" Poppy quirked her brows at him as he turned from them starting to look around again.

"Tiny," the Doctor replied and Poppy blinked unable to help but wonder just what he'd been able to see that dwarfed London so greatly in comparison.

"Hold on…" Rose frowned at his back, "Hide what?"

"The transmitter," the Doctor explained, "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"What's it look like?" Rose questioned as she started glancing about the night as the Doctor started to pace back and forth again.

"Like a transmitter," the Doctor retorted.

"We're going to need a bit more than that," Poppy glanced at him, before going back to scanning the area with her eyes.

"Round and massive," the Doctor expounded in response, "Slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure… like a dish…" he came to a stop in front of them, his back to the harbour, "Like a wheel. Close to where we're standing," the twin's gazes slid past him to the 450 foot London Eye as he continued, "Must be completely invisible," he paused, eyeing their considering expressions as they stared past him, "What?" they nodded, still staring at a point behind him and he turned, brow furrowed, eyes scanning the south bank, before he turned back to them completely nonplussed, "What?" he demanded again, looking from one to the other questioningly. Rose shook her head, her eyes still locked on the London Eye and the Doctor turned eyes scanning the south bank again, before turning back to them again, "What is it?" he insisted and Poppy pulled her eyes away long enough to glance at him, lips quirking at him, "What?" he persisted and the ginger pointed at a spot behind him. The Doctor whirled around again, a bit irritated now and his eyes locked on the London Eye, "Oh…" it clicked for him and he grinned his previous irritation forgotten, "Fantastic!" he whirled back around the beaming grin still lighting up his face and the twins grinned back widely, tongues poking out from between their teeth, before the trio were running. The Doctor's hand finding Poppy's as they took off, running the length of the Westminster bridge and crossing over to the south bank. The three not stopping until they'd reached the foot of the London Eye.

"Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive," the Doctor told them, "The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…"

"The dolls…" Poppy grimaced.

"The breast implants…" Rose added.

Poppy blinked, nose wrinkling as she glanced at her twin, "Now, that's a disturbing image."

"Still," the Doctor continued, "We've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath," and the three split up as they started to look around the area for anything that looked like a possible entrance.

"What about down here?" Rose called and the Doctor and Poppy turned to see her looking over the parapet. They hurried over and looked over it with her to see a large manhole at the bottom of a set of steps.

"Oh, jackpot," Poppy smiled.

"Looks good to me," the Doctor nodded and the three descended, running down the stairs to the manhole. He took the lid off the top and smoke tinted an ominous red by a light billowed out at them.

Poppy and Rose watched as the Doctor lowered himself into the man hole, quickly disappearing from view as he climbed down the short ladder. They shared a look before they moved towards it Poppy descending the ladder and then Rose. The pair swiftly following the Doctor over to another door. He got it open and they stepped through it into another chamber, before starting down another set of steps that led them into a larger multi-level chamber. The Doctor pointed to a large vat in the centre of the chamber, a wobbly orange mass inside it, "The Nestene Consciousness, that's it, inside the vat. A living, plastic creature."

Rose nodded, eyeing it, before she turned her gaze to the Doctor giving him a look, "Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go."

"I'm not here to kill it," the Doctor frowned as he glanced at her, "I've got to give it a chance."

"To what?" Poppy blinked at him, "Repent?" she muttered.

"Pretty much," the Doctor grinned at her.

Poppy blinked at him again. He was serious. He was really serious. Living plastic that wanted to destroy their world as they knew it, and he wanted to give it a chance to apologise? "Ok," she nodded slowly, blowing out a breath, eyeing him, "How likely is it to do that?"

"Won't know till I ask it," the Doctor replied before he started down some more steps, Poppy and Rose exchanging a quick look as they followed him, "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor announced, leaning over the railings and the Consciousness flexed and wobbled about as it made its reply, "Thank you," the Doctor replied and Poppy and Rose glanced around the space. The blond pacing a bit, "If I might have permission to approach?"

"Mickey!" Poppy exclaimed catching sight of his huddled form and the Doctor rolled his eyes as the twins dashed over to him.

"Oh, God!" Rose exclaimed, "Mickey, it's us! It's ok. It's alright!" she told him as they squatted down next to him twin relieved smiles on their faces.

"Are you hurt?" Poppy asked looking his huddled up form over.

"That thing down there," Mickey swallowed, barely able to pull his horrified gaze away from the orange mass in the vat to look at them, "The liquid. It can talk!"

Rose wrinkled her nose at her boyfriend, "You're stinking!" she grimaced.

"What did you do? Take a dive in a dumpster?" Poppy asked, her own nose scrunching up at the smell clinging to him.

"It wasn't voluntary!" Mickey exclaimed staring up at her wide eyed, voice trembling slightly as he recalled unable to pull free of the plastic clinging to him, before being pulled headfirst into the dark depths of the black wheelie bin.

"Doctor," Rose called, grinning with relief, "They kept him alive!"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded a bit absently, "That was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

Rose scowled at him with irritation, glaring at the Doctor's back, "You knew that and you never said?"

"Can we keep the domestics outside?" the Doctor huffed.

"I'll give you domestics in a minute!" Poppy grumbled lowly, glowering at the Doctor herself before focusing on Mickey, smiling with relief again as she and Rose helped him to his feet. He was alive…! And from what she could tell, unharmed.

"Thank you," the Doctor muttered as silence came from where the three had grouped together as he approached the vat, "Am I addressing the Consciousness?" he spoke to the mass in the vat, focusing his attention on the creature, "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warped, shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" the living plastic globbered and the Doctor frowned, "Oh, don't give me that, it's an invasion! Plain and simple! Don't talk about constitutional rights!" the Doctor demanded and the plastic roared angrily rearing up to form a head, "I… AM…TALKING!" he roared back, "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf - please, just go."

Poppy was brushing some crud from Mickey's shirt, looking him over again when her attention was torn away by her twin's alarmed cry.

"Doctor!"

She turned to look in time to see two window shop dummies grab the Doctor by the arms and she frowned her gaze darting around the large multi-level chamber. Just where had those two come from? And, where there anymore of them waiting to creep out of the woodwork to take them by surprise?

"Poppy!" Rose hissed her eyes wide as her ginger haired twin moved to take a step towards the Doctor and the dummies holding him captive, one reaching into the Doctor's jacket. A hand catching Poppy's arm and gripping firmly, as Mickey reached out and fisted a hand tightly around the back of her jacket, bringing her up short and she glanced back at them taking in the concern and fear on their faces.

"That was just insurance! I wasn't going to use it," the Doctor assured the living plastic struggling to get free whilst the plastic globbered angrily at him again, "I was not attacking you. I'm here to help," he insisted, "I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not..." he paused as it globbered again, "What do you mean?" he asked confused.

Doors above him blew open and the four in the chamber with the Consciousness turned their heads looking up to see the Tardis in the doorway.

"Oh, oh no, honestly, no!" the Doctor exclaimed with alarm, "Yes, that's my ship," he attempted to explain to the living plastic only for it to roar enraged, "That's not true," he denied, "I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!" he shouted.

"What's it doing?!" Rose shouted as the place suddenly started to shake around them rather violently.

"It's the Tardis! The Nestene has identified its superior technology. It's terrified! It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Poppy! Rose! Just leg it! Now!" he shouted desperately as he struggled against the grip the dummies had on him. He didn't want to lose anyone else he couldn't.

"Poppy, what are you doing?!" Rose hissed as her twin started towards the Doctor again, shaking off her and Mickey's hands.

Poppy swallowed tearing her eyes from the dummies and the Doctor to look at her twin again, "Probably something stupid," she admitted with a small grimace, before starting forward again, face set in a determined line as she approached.

Mickey let out a whimper and clutched at Rose tighter as he watched his best friend move further and further away from them and closer and closer to danger. Rose's brow furrowed with concern and worry for her twin as her eyes followed her movements, her teeth abusing her lower lip almost painfully.

Poppy continued, moving closer and closer to the Doctor and the roaring vat of Nestene Consciousness, her steps slow and careful due to the shaking, not feeling or hearing her phone ringing and vibrating in her jeans pocket.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor questioned alarmed as he spotted her closing distance, "I said run, Poppy!"

"You did," Poppy agreed, not looking away from the tube filled with anti-plastic in the dummies hand as she reached out for it, snatching it in a quick movement and ducking backwards at it swiped at her viscously, releasing the Doctor to follow, herding her back away from the large roaring mass in the vat.

"Ooh," Rose bemoaned as she watched her twin duck and dodge the viscously swiping plastic arms of the dummy that was trying to grab for her, "She did something stupid alright," her heart pounding as she watched her twin block a blow from the arm before swiftly having to duck as its other arm came at her once again. All the while Poppy was trying to manoeuvre herself back towards the roaring vat.

Mickey whimpered his agreement.

The Doctor who'd been gaping shocked, still held in place by one of the dummies, gave himself a bit of a mental shake, "Just toss it in!" he shouted at her.

"I'm trying!" Poppy shouted back with irritation as the dummy cut off her attempt to get round it once again. A swiping arm forcing her back again and she scowled with mounting irritation, her hand that was clutching the anti-plastic tube, that the dummy was trying to take her head off for, getting sweaty.

"Ooh, talk about bad timing!" Rose groused as she heard her phone ringing, glancing away from her sister as she tugged it out to look at the screen with the intention of hanging up, only to see her 'Mum' on the caller ID and so jabbed the accept button instead, "Mum?!"

"Oh, good I managed to get you," Jackie replied, "I was just trying to get a hold of your sister. Where is she?"

"She's uh," Rose glanced anxiously at her twin as the dummy managed to grab her by the throat, only for her to break out of it in the next moment as she brought her arms up slamming them down against the dummies arms, before head butting it knocking its head a bit askew, making it release her and stumble backwards a bit whilst Poppy groaned a hand going briefly to her head, dummies heads where harder than they looked, apparently, "Busy," Rose finished a bit lamely as Poppy started moving again.

"Oh, and here I thought she was avoiding me 'cos she thought I wanted to yell about the mess you two made of the living room," Jackie muttered dryly, "Anyway, tell her that she can get compensation. I said so. I've got this document thing off the police – tell her she doesn't have to thank me."

Rose tensed a bit more at that, "Where are you mum?!"

"I'm in town," Jackie replied.

"No, go home!" Rose exclaimed urgently, half shouting in fear for not just her mum but her sister too, "Just go home, right now!"

"Darling, you're breaking up," Jackie told her, "Listen, I'm just going to do a bit of late night shopping. I'll see you later. Ta-ra!"

"Mum!" Rose shouted into the phone as the line went dead, trying to throw off Mickey's clinging hands, "Mum!"

"What the hell is that?!" Poppy shouted alarmed as she finally managed to duck around the dummy to start towards the vat as a bright bolt of energy shot up from the orange roaring mass.

"It's the activation signal," the Doctor shouted in reply as the dummy kept its grip on him, holding him by the edge, "It's transmitting!"

"It's the end of the world…" Rose swallowed heavily as high above them the Eye of London lit up with energy.

"No it's not!" Poppy shouted as she ran for the vat that the other dummy was now trying to push the Doctor into only to be brought up short as the dummy chasing her grabbed her tightly by the arm, "Omph," she grunted as she struggled to pull her arm free, "Let go!"

"Get out, Rose!" the Doctor shouted, tearing his eyes from the struggling Poppy to look at Rose who was staring at her twin, "Just get out! Run!" he insisted a moment before a section of the ceiling collapsed.

"The stairs have gone!" Rose shouted, heart pounding and she wasn't prepared to leave her twin behind, not when she couldn't run too! Her gaze went to the Tardis and she ran for it, Mickey following her. Maybe, just maybe she could find something in there that'd help do something… she didn't have a clue what though. She tried the doors, only to find them locked, she smacked at them agitatedly, "I don't have the key!"

"We're gonna die!" Mickey cried alarmed and terrified as he crouched down, cowering, overwhelmed by everything that had happened to him and what was going on right now. Whilst Rose darted her gaze about desperately in search of something anything else!

"No, we're not!" Poppy all but growled as she managed to slam her elbow back twisting to try and break free only for the tube to slip from her sweaty hand and her eyes widened as it went flying through the air. Making Poppy still in alarm, eyes wide with horror as she watched it move through the air.

"No!" the Doctor shouted as it came back down a fair distance from the vat, afraid that it'd break open. Their last chance lost. It clattered to the ground, not breaking. It skidded across the floor closer to the vat, but stopped short.

And it was like the world came flooding back to Poppy as she unfroze, fighting with the dummy that had her arm again, its other hand trying to grasp her other arm again as it started trying to force her closer to the vat with the intention of pushing her in.

"Time Lord!" the Consciousness roaring globbering seemed to shriek in its increasing agitation.

"Just leave him!" Mickey shouted after Rose as she moved, running about the chamber snatching up an axe, "There's nothing you can do!"

"I've got no A Levels… no job… no future…" Rose exclaimed starting to hack at a rope that was holding a long chain secured to the wall.

"Yes you do!" Poppy grunted, slamming her elbow back again as the dummy brought her too close to the edge for her comfort twisting herself, grabbing the dummy firmly as she knocked its hand free of her, before with sure hands and a powerful movement flipped it up into the air and over her head, sending it right into the bubbling vat.

"Ok, maybe you're a little scary," the Doctor commented rather surprised again and impressed and Poppy shot him a quick tongue between her teeth grin before she was turning to run for where the tube had skidded too.

"And no martial arts training," Rose continued as she chopped through the rope and grasped the chain between her hands, "But I tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School under 7's gymnastic team. I got the Bronze!" she declared determined before she took a small run and swung across the chamber, legs extended out before her as she swung through the air towards the Doctor, knocking the single dummy that had hold of him right into the vat.

The Doctor grabbed her as she swung back helping her get her feet under her again, before his attention returned to Poppy who'd just picked up the tube of anti-plastic, "Toss it in and let's go!" he shouted to her. Poppy nodded and tossed it into the vat before running over to the Doctor and her sister, giving her twin a tight hug, just before the Consciousness started to explode as the anti-plastic started to take effect. The Doctor grabbed them pulling them away from the edge, "Right, now we're in trouble."

The three ran over to the Tardis where Mickey still cowered holding onto it for dear life eyes wide and terrified. The Doctor swiftly unlocked the door and the Time Lord ushered them in before him before darting in himself shutting the door on the dying living plastic creature as the fire the explosions had caused started to spread. The big blue box materialising from the chamber as the angry orange mass gave another pain filled roar.

The moment the Tardis reappeared in an alleyway by a row of shuttered kiosks, Mickey dashed out the doors like the hounds of hell were after him, before he fell to the ground and stayed their staring at the box, terrified.

Poppy and Rose stepped out next a lot calmer, the blonde's phone already going to her ear as she rang her mother back, needing to know that she had escaped unharmed and beamed a grin as her mum answered.

"Rose! Rose! You and your sister, don't go out of the house!"

"Sounds like she's fine," Poppy breathed relieved as her sister let out a relieved laugh, her mum's voice having been loud enough to carry to her.

Rose nodded pulling her phone from her ear as they walked towards Mickey whilst the Doctor leaned against the open doorway of the Tardis watching them.

*O*O*O*

"It's not safe!" Jackie cried into her phone, unaware that her daughter was no longer listening, "There were these things, and they were shooting! And they…" she frowned as the line went dead, "Hello?! Hello?!"

*O*O*O*

"A fat lot of good you were," Rose grumbled at Mickey as she and Poppy came up to him, Mickey immediately latching onto their legs.

"Leave him alone," Poppy chided her twin and his arm tightened around the leg that he had it wrapped around, "He's had a tough day."

"Oh, like we haven't," Rose muttered but smiled good naturedly, before she shook her head, looking down at Mickey again.

"Nestene Consciousness," the Doctor cut in from where he was still standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, he clicked his fingers, "Easy," he smirked at them.

"Says the guy who got himself taken hostage," Poppy retorted, smirking back at him, brown eyes shining.

"You were useless in there," Rose agreed with a smirk of her own, "You'd be dead if it weren't for me and Poppy."

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "I would. Thank you. Both of you," he added with a smile before he straightened up, "Right then! I'll be off!" he clapped his hands together and then paused, "Unless… uh…" his gaze focused on Poppy who quirked her brows up at him curiously, her breath catching in her throat, "I don't know… you could come with me."

Poppy swallowed her mouth feeling dry as her gaze drifted behind him to the big blue box that was bigger on the inside, hesitating, "I…" she trailed as she felt the arm around her leg tighten further as Mickey clutched at her, eyeing the Doctor with suspicion and fear.

"You both could," the Doctor carried on his gaze flicking to Rose to let her know that he was including her, before he turned his head to look at his box, patting it with a fond hand, "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know," he looked back at them, eyes focusing on Poppy who was staring transfixed and he smiled, "It goes anywhere," he informed her and her eyes jerked to his, "Anywhere in the universe," he added persuasively and saw her swallow hard eyes not wavering from his, "Free of charge."

"Don't!" Mickey spoke up for the first time since he'd run into the Tardis, "He's an alien!" he cried clutching the Tyler twins harder, not wanting to let go, "He's a thing!"

"He's not invited," the Doctor shot him a glare before he focused back on the twins who had both been rather fantastic, "What do you think?" he questioned, "You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go, uh..." he smiled at them, wide and encouragingly, "Anywhere."

"Is it always that dangerous?" Rose asked a bit cautiously, her gaze flicking from the box to the Doctor.

"Yeah," the Doctor gave a small nod.

"Yeah, I can't," Rose shook her head, sadly, feeling Mickey's arm tight about her leg.

Poppy swallowed again, before she managed to tear her eyes away from the Doctor who was offering her everything that she'd ever dreamed about and more to look at her sister, "Will you tell mum not to worry," she asked, her heart pounding with excitement at the prospect of being able go somewhere. Travel somewhere anywhere in the universe.

"Poppy…" Rose frowned as her eyes shot to her twin swallowing heavily, her sad brown eyes meeting her sisters excited ones. Her sister had always wanted to travel… to see the world far more than anyone else she'd ever met…

"Could you tell her," Poppy continued, "That I got the chance to go somewhere amazing and that I'll be back as soon as I can…"

"Well," Rose started her throat tight with reluctance, wishing that she could go with… "Got to find her anyway…" she muttered.

"He just said it was dangerous!" Mickey protested, clutching at her.

"I know," Poppy nodded as she looked down at Mickey placing a hand on his head, "But, I can't not Micks. It's all I've ever wanted," she looked back up at her twin, brown eyes hopeful, "You sure you don't wanna come with?" it was the one thing that would make it even better, if her twin was there too.

Rose hesitated, eyes going back to the big blue box and the Doctor, a bit of longing in her eyes, Mickey's arm tightened about her, "We can't both swan off on mum without any notice she'd freak," she looked back at her sister who grimaced, "Plus someone's gotta look after this lump, so…" she let out a somewhat pained laugh as she placed a hand on Mickey's head.

Poppy nodded, eyes on her twin.

"Right," the Doctor nodded, getting uncomfortable with all the domestics, "See you inside then Poppy," he glanced back at Rose briefly, "See you around, Rose," he nodded at her before disappearing inside.

Rose stepped away from Mickey forcing him to let her go and wrapped her twin in a tight hug, "Be back really soon!" she murmured, tears pricking at her eyes. She'd thought she'd have more time before her twin got to go travelling.

"I promise!" Poppy nodded, hugging her twin back just as tightly, before pulling away, "Bye, Micks!" she said stooping to give him a quick hug, "I'll miss ya and I promise I'll bring you both back something!"

"Better be something awesome!" Rose called after her as she started for the Tardis.

Poppy smirked at her from over her shoulder, "Would I give you something that was anything less?" she retorted, before she turned away and her steps quickened, swiftly breaking into a run, before she disappeared inside the Tardis, the door shutting behind her, and an instant later the Tardis wheezed, dematerialising.

Rose sighed loudly, her heart heavy in her chest. She'd see her twin again, she assured herself as she glanced down at Mickey, "Come on, let's go," she tried to urge him up…

*O*O*O*

"So," the Doctor grinned at Poppy from across the Tardis console, "Where did you want to go first? You can pick anywhere in the universe…"

"First?" Poppy murmured, "I dunno…" she had so much to choose from! So many places she wanted to go! And now there was a whole universe instead of just Earth to choose from. Where was she even supposed to start, "I want it to be a really good one…" she mused aloud and the Doctor nodded, "I mean I can't stay long," he froze, "Just long enough for a trip…" the Doctor's expression fell dramatically as he eyed her, "Maybe two depending…"

"You're not planning on staying?" he questioned, doing his best to sound casual, "I thought you wanted to travel. See the world… the universe."

"I do!" Poppy insisted, "But, this is really sudden, and I didn't really have a chance to let mum know… and it wouldn't be fair to disappear for ages without even a goodbye! Not mention I don't have a bag, clothes, passport. Anything…" she trailed and blinked at him, "What are you looking at me like that for?"

The Doctor tugged at his ear as he continued to eye her, a look of realisation brightening his face, "Did I forget to mention… that it travels in time?" he asked almost offhandedly, something that was spoiled by the wide amused grin that curved up his lips as she gaped at him, mouth opening and closing for an extended moment.

"No!" Poppy exclaimed trying to sound annoyed and failing miserably as she couldn't help but grin back, "You left that bit out!"

"Right then," the Doctor gave a nod and turned back to the console, "Hold on a minute," his hands moved about the console, "My mistake!" he grinned as the Tardis started shaking lightly as he sent them back through the vortex, materialising his ship back in the alley a mere couple of seconds after they'd left, "Won't be a second!" he started for the doors, a bounce in his step. Poppy staring after him a bit bemused and a bit hopeful as he pulled one of the doors open and stuck his head out, "By the way…" he called, still grinning, "Did I mention it also travels in time?" he turned and started back towards the console, "She won't be a minute," he said with confidence, jerking a thumb over his shoulder as he grinned at Poppy.

No more than a second later Rose ran into the Tardis, bright enthusiastic grin on her face and Poppy grinned back, the door clicking quietly shut behind her. The Tardis wheezing as she dematerialised from the alley again, leaving Mickey standing alone in the alley, gaping rather horrified, at the space it had been, taking his best friend and his girlfriend with it.