Chapter Nine

Family Affairs

Flubber

The TARDIS landed with a distinct thump and Emma jumped off from her place on the jump seat. Without hesitation, she ran for the doors and stepped outside.

Right across the street was her home, a fresh layer of snow covering the ground.

"Amazing," she muttered. "I will never stop being amazed by this."

It wasn't long before the Doctor joined her in front of the TARDIS. His hands were stuck in the pockets of his brown suit, pushing away his overcoat. He looked rather pleased with himself.

"What date is it?" Emma asked.

"The day before your cousin's wedding, just like you asked," the Doctor answered. He furrowed his brow. "So this is where you live?"

Emma scoffed, wrapping her coat around her tightly. "What did you expect?"

"I dunno...something adventurous."

"Well, Doctor, welcome to my parents' house."

The Doctor's eyebrows shot up and he slowly started inching back to the TARDIS. "Parents? Well, I'll think I'll just pick you up after the wedding now."

Emma frowned. "Hold on! Shouldn't I introduce you to my parents? I mean if I tell them I've been traveling time and space with an alien in a police box they won't believe me. Oh! And you could come to the rehearsal tonight!"

"Emma, I don't do rehearsals. Or weddings, for that matter."

She raised her eyebrows. "You're an alien, not a performer. Come on! It'll be fun! Do you never stay in one place for awhile?"

At this he scoffed. "Me? In one place? A travesty in the making."

"Oh fine." Emma suddenly heard the front door opening and smiled mischievously. "Looks like you're too late, anyway."

They both looked to the door to see Natalie run out looking both relieved and worried. She had her arms out and went straight for Emma, bringing her in for a bone crushing hug. Both women laughed happily. It was the first time in a long time that Emma was thrilled to see her own mother.

"You're back!" Natalie exclaimed, pushing back some of her own red (but greying) hair. "Oh, I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, mum."

Natalie suddenly noticed the Doctor and scrunched her face up in confusion. "And who is this?"

The Doctor was now looking very uncomfortable and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"Are you the reason my daughter took off for no reason?" she asked in a raised voice.

"Well-"

Natalie stepped closer to him and craned her neck to look up, pointing her index finger towards his chest like she was scolding him. "Now listen here, whoever you are - my daughter is a wonderful young lady with such potential. She was a perfect student, got A-levels, she could've gone to Oxford if she wanted, which she did!"

The Doctor's brow furrowed and he leaned towards Emma. "You wanted to go to Oxford?"

"It didn't seem necessary to tell you," she answered. She then turned to Natalie. "Mum, listen, let me explain-"

"Oh, you are in major trouble, young lady," Natalie interrupted, using her mother voice.

Emma groaned. "Mum, I'm twenty-four! I can do what I want now."

"But you still live in my house which means-"

"I live by your rules," Emma finished. She stifled an eye roll. "Mum, just let met explain. Doctor, this is my mum, Natalie Scott. Mum, this is the Doctor."

Natalie's eyes abruptly turned cold. She fixed her stony gaze on the alien. "The Doctor? No doctor is welcome here."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Emma gaped.

"It means he has to go."

"It's fine, really," said the Doctor, glancing at the TARDIS.

Emma's stubbornness came out instantly. "No, it's not fine." She latched onto his arm tightly, making him stifle a painful groan. "Mum, my friend is staying for dinner and that's it. I thought you wanted me to socialize more!"

"Not with strange men that wear trainers with a suit!"

Emma rolled her eyes and sighed. "Mum, I'm not gonna compromise here. Either you let the Doctor stay for dinner or the two of us leave and I don't know when we'll come back." She paused for effect. "Or if we'll come back."

Natalie chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, her eyes narrowing. She crossed her arms over her chest before replying, "As long as he doesn't cause any trouble." Giving one last threatening look toward the Time Lord, she pivoted on her heel and headed back into the house.

The Doctor motioned to the TARDIS with his thumb. "Y'know, I wouldn't be hurt if you just wanted me to-"

"Shut up," Emma interrupted, staring at the house icily. "I'm making a point."

It was probably a bad idea to be so stubborn, but Emma had only been home a few minutes and she was already arguing with someone. Considering both Sam and Dan would be home and William would finally have time off of work, the tension in the Scott household was going to be high.

Taking a deep breath, Emma grabbed the Doctor's hand tightly (perhaps a bit too tightly) and tugged, pulling him forward.

The front door was left unlocked and Emma pushed it open, dragging the Doctor inside. She could hear the sounds of her family getting dinner together, William's baritone voice echoing through the house and the twins' laughter coming in loud bursts.

"Prepare yourself, Doctor," Emma muttered to the Time Lord.

She brought the both of them into the kitchen where Natalie was back to work, finishing the meal. William, dressed in a polo and nice trousers, his grey hair growing long again, sat at the table with his sons, talking away. Sam and Dan were identical twins save for the scar above Dan's eyebrow that he got when he fell out of a tree as a kid. They both had William's originally sandy hair, and had it cut in the same fashion, parted on the left. Fortunately, they were dressed completely different. Sam was in skinny jeans, a leather jacket, and a checkered scarf whilst Dan was wearing a sweater and black trousers.

"Hey, look who it is!" exclaimed Sam, he and his twin standing up.

"Long time no see, ginger sister!" said Dan.

Emma tensed as they both wrapped their arms around her in a bone crushing double hug. She swore they were getting stronger each time.

"We just saw each other at Christmas," she replied once she got her breath back.

Sam scoffed. "That was weeks ago. Too long to be parted from such a cute wittle sister like you." He pinched her cheek and she slapped his hand away.

"I'm older," Emma huffed, grinding her teeth.

"Oh, and who is this handsome bloke?" asked Dan, catching sight of the Doctor.

"He is indeed handsome ," said Sam, looking up and down.

Emma sighed. "Guys, this is the Doctor. Doctor, these are my little brothers Sam and Dan." She glanced at William. "And that is my dad, William Scott."

William stood, revealing his large belly, and put his hand out. "Doctor? That's a strange name."

The Doctor accepted the handshake. "Well, it was a nickname that stuck." It was clearly a lie to Emma, but the others seemed to buy it, though Natalie scoffed from the kitchen.

"You two friends then?" William asked, eyebrows arched.

Emma knew where this was going and set to stop it before it began. "Yes, dad, we're friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Alright, but-"

"No more, no less."

His eyebrows went higher, but he let it go. "So, Doctor, have a seat. I'll grab another chair."

Emma took off her coat and put it on the back of her seat. She counted the chairs around the table as she and the Doctor sat down next to each other and the twins took their places again.

Six. Like always there was six. Five for each family member and one for any guest that may appear.

Emma furrowed her brow. "Why d'you need another chair?"

"So everyone can have a seat," William answered as if it was obvious.

"But then who-"

"Oh, Emma, I was sure you weren't gonna make it tonight."

Emma turned to see a man with dark hair coming down the hall. The sight of him and his stupid sweater vest and big, out-dated glasses made her blood boil. Her fingers curled into tight fists and she could feel the Doctor looking at her worriedly.

"Hello, Jimmy," she said as civilly as possible.

"Hello, Emma," he answered, mocking her tone. "Gosh, it looks like you gained a few pounds. Good thing, too - you were getting far too skinny."

Forcing a nice smile on her face but stabbing Jimmy in her mind, Emma replied, "Thanks so much for your concern about my health."

"Oh, no problem." He sat down at the chair William had brought over, right next to Dan and they immediately linked hands. "Someone has to look out for your if you're not gonna do it yourself."

Emma sucked in a deep breath and felt as though she could hear one of the Doctor's eyebrows shooting upward.

"Alright, dinner's ready!" said Natalie. With the twins' help the food was brought to the table and the sound of utensil against plate filled the room.

"So," said William, swallowing some mashed potatoes and looking at the Doctor, "what exactly do you do?"

Emma gaped. "Dad, that's a boyfriend investigation question!"

He shrugged. "And he's not your boyfriend?"

"We're just-" the Doctor began and then looked to Emma, as if waiting to see what she'd do. "You know what, William Scott? You're right."

Emma drank her water too fast and choked. She leaned over to the Doctor and whispered, "What the hell d'you think you're doing?"

"Helping," he muttered back.

"I thought you said he was just a friend," said Natalie, eyeing them skeptically.

"It seemed the best to lie," answered the Doctor. "What would you think if your daughter ran off and met some daft old blo- old minded bloke and suddenly came back with him?"

William stared. "But my daughter did run off and met some daft old minded bloke and suddenly came back with him."

"I think it's sweet," said Jimmy. He turned to the others. "Emma's always needed a bit more guidance, don't you think?"

"I think it's dangerous," argued Natalie with a frown.

Sam scoffed. "Of course it's dangerous!" He smiled widely. "But Emma's been cooped up in that shop for too long. This was bound to happen."

"Ditto," said Dan. "So are you two just traveling then? Have you seen anything cool?"

Both Emma and the Doctor opened their mouths to speak but William cut them off. "So you're unemployed?"

"Well," said the Doctor, "I wouldn't say unemployed."

"So you have a job then?" asked Natalie.

The Doctor looked up in thought. "Not exactly-"

"Then you're unemployed!" exclaimed William. "Emma, how is he ever going to support you?"

"Dad!" Emma nearly shouted. "We're not getting married!"

"Your dad's right," said Jimmy, taking a sip of wine. "One day you'll be dying in a hospital and who's going to pay the medical bills? You won't, of course. I can't see you ever landing a stable job."

Emma ignored him. "Dad, please. Can we just get through dinner?"

"I have a right to know who my daughter is seeing," he argued.

"Dad, I'm twenty-four! I can date whoever I want! I could date that girl down the street with the eye patch or that bloke in the long coat that mum sees walking by the house every now and then. How many times must I tell you that my life is mine."

Jimmy tutted. "Here we go..."

Fuming, Emma turned to him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You always go off on these little...tantrums," he answered. "Maybe if you realized the world doesn't revolve around Emma Scott-"

Emma put down her silverware and threw her hands up. "Okay, that's it." She grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him out of his chair as she stood, the Time Lord looking very confused. "I've had it. I'll see you all at the rehearsal." She could hear Natalie and the twins protesting, but she didn't care. Instead she dragged the Doctor out of there, too embarrassed to even look at him.

"You don't have to come to the rehearsal," Emma told him, her eyes downcast. "Or the wedding, for that matter. It was stupid of me to want you to come."

"And why's that?" he asked.

Emma shrugged and began to walk down the street, the Doctor at her side. "I dunno. I just - I don't have a lot of friends anymore. I've had some bad experiences so I thought isolating myself a bit would be good but I didn't know how to stop so my family thought there was something wrong with me. I guess I thought that if I could show them you, they'd all be happy I finally did something. But it was stupid. They're not easily impressed, anyway." She looked up at him, praying she wouldn't find pity in his eyes, and was relieved when she found none. "I won't mind if you just go and pick me up after the wedding."

"Nah," said the Doctor, tugging on his ear. "I think I can manage."

Emma's heart leapt and she tried to shove it down. "Are you sure? I mean, you'll be seeing more of my family and that isn't a good thing."

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"You probably shouldn't have said that."

"Yeah, probably."

Emma smiled and wrapped her arms around herself. She realized that in her hurry to leave the house she had forgotten her coat. Before she could mention it, the Doctor was already taking of his own long coat and placed it around her shoulders. The bottom of it graced the pavement, but it filled her with warmth. The coat smelled strangely of old pages and sand, but it was a nice smell, if she was honest.

"Thanks," she said, keeping her eyes down again. "I'm really sorry about what happened in there."

The Doctor scoffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I don't blame you for walking out. I'm assuming you and Jimmy have never got on, then?"

Emma shook her head. "Him and Sam have been together for ages but for some reason Jimmy hates me. Nobody else sees it though. I think Dan does every now and then but he doesn't say anything that might upset Sam."

"Have you ever tried telling them?"

"My brothers?" Emma laughed humorlessly. "I'd rather not start a fight."

"Touché."

Sighing, Emma came to a stop, glancing at the house. "I suppose I better go back in or something. At least get my coat. D'you mind taking me to the rehearsal? The less time I spend with them the better."

The Doctor's old eyes lit up. "Of course! We could always make a pit stop, too. Biggest library in the universe, planet of hats, or this one place where you pay two hundred credits to watch a circus of trained seahorses. Just something to cheer you up."

Emma couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face. "Thanks but no thanks, Doctor. I might as well just get this all over with. Besides, you're enough to cheer me up." He bumped his arm playfully with her own and a grin lit up his face.

Emma turned toward the house and saw her brothers come out, huddled together. At first she thought it was because of the cold weather, but as she craned her neck, she could see that they were instead carrying something toward the family van that sat in the driveway.

"What are they doing?" Emma wondered aloud. Without waiting for the Doctor, she set off for the twins, eyebrows scrunched together. "Oi! What d'you think you're doing?"

At the sound of her voice, both of them turned to face her, their sides touching and their hands behind their backs.

"Nothing," they replied in unison.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Then what's behind your backs?"

"Nothing."

"I think you're lying. Because if you aren't, then show me your hands."

They looked at each other, then back at their sister. "No."

"Really? Are we really gonna do this?"

They were unable to respond as something slimy and green dropped out of their hands and onto the ground. It looked at lot like that green thing from the movie Flubber, the way it swished around.

"What the hell is that?" Emma asked them.

"Nothing!" They scrambled for it, Sam getting a hold of it first and hiding it behind his back.

Emma would have pressed them more, but she had found them with weirder things. Some things she didn't like to talk about. Sighing, she let it go and went inside the house.

Jimmy was speaking with Natalie and William. He had their complete attention and Emma was able to sneak in and grab her coat and sneak out. In front of the house, the twins were waking away from the van, looking a lot less suspicious. The Doctor was nowhere in sight, so she assumed he was in the TARDIS.

"Listen, tell mum and dad I'm off to the rehearsal with the Doctor," she said to the twins.

They looked around. "In what?" asked Dan. "I don't see a car."

"Just tell them, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Sam, faking a salute.

"Good. Now get back inside before you catch a cold."

Dan groaned. "You sound just like mum."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Once both twins were inside, Emma made her way to the TARDIS, stomping snow off of her boots before stepping inside.

Standing at the console, the Doctor was looking at a monitor with his eyebrows pressed together. His nose was scrunched up like a sniffing bunny.

"I'm ready to go," Emma told him as she plopped herself down on the jump seat.

The Doctor only acknowledged her with a, "Huh."

Emma locked her ankles together and folded her hands on her lap. "That means we can head on to the future."

This time the Doctor didn't say anything and she began to wonder if his "Huh" was even toward her at all. Sighing, Emma stood up and came up next to him, looking at the monitor as well. It seemed that the TARDIS was scanning something - something that looked an awful lot like the green thing Sam and Dan had been hiding behind their backs.

"Would you mind telling me what you're doing?" Emma asked.

The Doctor flipped a switch. "Scanning the Flubber-y thing your brothers had."

"Why?"

Biting down on his tongue, the Doctor moved the monitor so that Emma could see it better. "Because that's why." He pointed to a group of numbers.

"It's just a bunch of numbers," said Emma.

"Not just a bunch of numbers, they're coordinates!" The Doctor leaned his right hip against the console and crossed his arms over his chest. "This pile of green goo is from the planet of Dexesilorenos."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Dexesilorenos?"

"Dexesilorenos! In fact, it's not just a pile of goo at all. It's the blood of the planet's inhabitants."

"Then how did my brothers get it?"

"That's the question, Emma Scott. ESPECIALLY because Dexesilorenos is a dead planet."

Emma looked from the monitor to the Doctor's face. "So everyone on the planet is dead?" She resumed her gaze on the detailed picture of the goo. "That's a bit alarming."

"Their three suns all burned out at the same time. Within a decade the everyone and everything on the planet was dead. Apparently the rich and famous got a chance to leave before things went downhill, but it's impossible to tell."

"Why's that?"

The Doctor moved the monitor out of the way and began pressing buttons, making the TARDIS take off. "They're shapeshifters, the Dexesilorenosians. They can turn into anything or anyone. If some of them got off the planet, there's no way to tell because they would've found a new planet and blended in."

Emma began to catch on. "So if my brothers found some blood from a...Dexesilorenosian - then that means someone around here isn't human?"

The Doctor smiled widely. "Exactly! Which is why we need to find out where your brothers found the blood which will lead us to the Dexesilorenosian!"

"But...what will that do?" asked Emma. "I mean, it's not like they're harming anyone...or are they?"

"Doesn't hurt to check."

The TARDIS landed with a thump and the two moved toward the door.

There weren't many cars parked at the church, though Emma instantly recognized the family van and Simon's silver Mercedes.

"I think we might be a bit late," she said, stepping out of the TARDIS, staring at the snow slowly drifting down from the night sky. "For a Time Lord you're not very punctual."

"Oh, we can't be more than a few minutes late," argued the Doctor with a petulant expression. He looked down at her. "For a human you're quite picky."

Emma rolled her eyes and walked across the streets, sticking her hands in her coat pockets. She smiled to herself as she skipped through the fresh layer of snow, listening to it crunch beneath her boots.

She turned around, bouncing lightly. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Stop worrying, Emma. I once stopped the Titanic from crushing Buckingham Palace; I think I can handle a wedding rehearsal."

He's so naive, Emma thought as she chewed her bottom lip.

This was definitely going to be a big mistake.

Emma led the Doctor up to the grand church doors. She pushed one open first, letting him walk inside. Emma was very familiar with this building; being raised in a Catholic family had brought her to the church every Sunday morning. She could still hear the sounds of her brothers arguing about whose turn it was to play the Game Boy and their mother snatching it away with a scolding glare that read "We'll talk about this later." They weren't particularly happy memories, but coming back after having traveled with the Doctor brought a wave of nostalgia.

The entrance foyer was small and led straight to a hallway through which Emma could see her family gathering. She began walking forward, her steps echoing off the walls. Glancing behind her, she could see the Doctor looking around curiously, his brown eyes wide like a child's. She smiled to herself.

They quickly went through the narthex and into the nave; most people were gathered by the front pews, dressed in nice clothing. Abigail stood in the center of everyone, practically glowing. Her blonde hair was down her back in curls and her face was clear of blemishes. Emma was pretty sure her cousin wasn't wearing any makeup, yet still looking beautiful. She wore a tight black dress that fit her like she was born with it on.

Emma had grown up envying Abigail's natural beauty, but had eventually learned to put it aside. It was only human to be jealous - or at least she hoped so.

"Emma-bear!"

And so it begins.

Emma plastered on her best smile at the sound of her old nickname and braced herself as Abigail left the pack of people, coming toward her with arms out.

"Where have you been?" Abigail asked as Emma grunted from the force of the hug. "Your parents said you went traveling."

Emma pulled away. "Yeah, sorta. But that's not import-"

"And who is this handsome devil?" Already Abigail had noticed someone that was attractive. And already Emma was pushed to the side. Again.

The Doctor looked down at Abigail, looking rather overwhelmed with the young woman's flirty expression.

"Uh, hello," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "You must be Abigail."

Abigail giggled, glancing at Emma with a wide smile. "So you've heard of me?"

Emma took a step forward as the Doctor looked to her for help. "Abby, this is my friend-"

"John Smith," the Doctor finished for her, putting out his hand.

Abigail took it and they shook hands. Emma pulled Abigail's arm away when their hands were together for too long.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, John," said Abigail. She looked to Emma. "So he's your friend?"

"Boyfriend!" exclaimed Sam from where he stood with Dan and Jimmy.

Abigail's jaw dropped. "Since when has this been going on? Why didn't you tell me?"

Emma sighed. "Because we were travelling okay?" She shook her head and leaned forward. "Why are you trying to flirt with him, anyway? Where's Simon?"

"Over there." Abigail pointed to the tall man standing with this family, his dark hair spiked up, a nice white shirt tucked into dress pants with the top few buttons undone.

"Why aren't you with him?" asked Emma. "He's your fiancé after all."

Abigail rolled her eyes. "He's having a conversation, Emma. Have some manners." With that she walked away to go interrupt the conversation between Natalie and William, exclaiming, "It's almost my wedding day!" It was Emma's turn to roll her eyes.

"Sorry about that," said Emma, turning to the Doctor. "Actually, sorry any of my family exists."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not big deal, honestly." Emma realized he wasn't looking at her but instead was staring at her brothers.

"D'you wanna ask them now?" she said, following his gaze.

"I suppose-"

"Sorry we're late, everyone. Ran into a few...problems."

Emma turned to see her favorite of Natalie's cousins walking into the nave with her son in tow. Before Emma could even say hello, the Doctor managed to shock her.

"Sarah Jane?"

"Doctor?"

Emma looked back and forth between them, her brow furrowed and lips parted.

Sarah Jane Smith walked down the aisle with Luke, looking confused yet thrilled. She and the Doctor embraced like old friends and Emma stood there dumbfounded. What was going on?

"What in the world are you doing here?" Sarah Jane asked. She looked to Emma. "Hello, Emma! I'm surprised you're here. I heard you had gone travel-" She frowned as she put the pieces together. Pointing to both Emma and the Doctor, she said, "Are you two traveling together?"

Emma was still trying to figure out what was going on, so the Doctor answered. "For a few weeks. Well, I'm not sure about the weeks. Time's all wibbly wobbly in the time vortex."

Sarah Jane smiled fondly. "Wibbly wobbly?" She laughed. "This would explain Emma running off out of nowhere."

At last, Emma found her voice. "How the hell d'you two know each other?"

"We traveled together, too," said Sarah Jane. "Some time ago."

Emma found it hard to find the words to describe her utter surprise. "I just don't believe it."

Sarah Jane smiled widely. "What are the chances?"

Emma opened her mouth to say hello to Luke and ask Sarah Jane some more questions, but was cut short as one of the bridesmaids, who Emma knew as Christine, cupped her hands around her lips and shouted, "The rehearsal is beginning!" Emma stifled a sigh, remembering spending time with Abigail and Christine. The two could have been twins, Abigail the blonde and Christine the brunette. The rest of their physical features were also different, with Abigail more filled out whilst Christine was not, but their personalities were practically identical with the exception of Christine having the tendency to plan out every single second of her life.

"Everyone needs to be in their places within the next thirty seconds!" shouted Christine.

Emma turned to the Doctor. "I'm a bridesmaid."

"Then what're you waiting for?" He gave her a gentle push. "Get up there!"

She glanced at him over her shoulder to see him grinning at her encouragingly. Taking a deep breath as everyone found where they were supposed to be, Emma walked up to the alter and stood with Christine and one other bridesmaid named Gloria. Emma looked out at the pews and saw the Doctor sitting behind everyone else with Sarah Jane and Luke, his sonic screwdriver out. They were discussing something that looked important. Perhaps he was telling her about the Dexesilorenos blood.

The rehearsal went by quickly. From where Emma stood, she could see the love Simon had for Abigail in his eyes and it made Emma smile. She always liked Simon; he was rich and had a good job at a company that produced some line of soft drinks considering his father owned the company. And fortunately, Abigail seemed to love him for him, not for his money. Or so Emma hoped.

Once it was over, everyone started gathering together to talk whilst Emma nearly ran up the aisle, ignored by everyone, to reach the Doctor. He stood with Sarah Jane and Luke and smiled at his companion as she approached.

"See, nothing bad happened!" he told her. As if on cue, sparks shot out from his screwdriver and he his face changed to a mix of fear and anger. "No, no, no! That's not supposed to happen!"

"It wouldn't have it you hadn't been messing with it," said Luke.

Sarah Jane gave him a motherly scolding look. "Oh Emma, I'm so happy for you."

"About what?" asked Emma.

"About traveling with the Doctor, of course! If anyone deserves to see all of time and space, it's you."

Emma wrapped her arms around herself and kicked the ground with the toe of her shoe. "I dunno, I bet there's lots of others that deserve it too."

"I suppose. But that doesn't make you any less deserving."

"Mum!" called Luke, near the entrance to the narthex. "We have to go or we'll be late to that meeting!"

Sarah Jane thought for a moment before remembrance crossed her face. "Oh, yes! That's right." She turned to Emma. "I will see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be here," Emma answered with a nod. The two embraced.

After letting go, Sarah Jane approached the Doctor who was still fussing with his screwdriver, his face annoyed and his hair sticking up from running a hand through it. "Don't go getting into any trouble now, Doctor," she told him.

The Doctor looked up at her and gave a hint of a smile. "Oh, you know me! Not-getting-into trouble is my middle name."

Sarah Jane clearly didn't take his comment seriously, but she took it all the same. They hugged one more time before parting, Sarah Jane moving to catch up with her son as they left the church.

Emma walked up next to the Doctor, pulling her sleeves over her hands. "What are the chances that someone you traveled with would be my mum's cousin?"

"To be honest, the chances are - or were, I suppose - slim." He bit down on his screwdriver and exclaimed "A-HA!" when it made its normal whirring noise. Emma noticed that Doctor went from excitement to curiosity to concern in a matter of seconds. "Hell-o, what is that?" he said.

"What is what?" asked Emma, staring at the device in his hand, wondering where he found the information it seemed to always give him.

The Doctor turned, his screwdriver out like it was a metal detector and he was on a hunt for some hidden treasure. He pointed it at one of the pews and took long strides toward it, Emma following.

"Oh," said Emma, looking down the row. "That's what."

At the end of the row was a pile of green goop, just like what Sam and Dan had been trying to hid. The Dexesilorenos blood.

"What's that doing here?" asked Emma as she and the Doctor moved down the row to get a closer look. The Doctor reached out to touch it and Emma slapped his hand away. "What the hell d'you think you're doing?"

The Doctor looked at her in shock, one of his eyebrows arched and his eyes wide. "I touched it before when your brothers gave it to me!"

"Yeah, well my brothers sat over there," said Emma, pointing to where her brothers sat with Jimmy on the opposite side of the narthex. "Something's wrong here. Is someone in my cousin's wedding an alien?"

"Possibly." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Has anyone here come from out of London? Or even out of England?"

Emma thought for a moment. "Not really. My brothers go to university not too far away and Jimmy's there with them. Though Jimmy's actually from Leeds, if you want specifics. Oh, and there's Christine. She's from Scotland."

"And she came from Scotland for the wedding?"

"Yep. I've always thought there was something off about her. What if she's the Dexesilorenos? Is there a way to check?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not unless you can find a way to make her bleed without causing a scene."

Emma sighed. "What was that you said earlier about what could go wrong?"

"I should learn to never say that."

Once back in the TARDIS, Emma chose to take a short nap before the wedding in case anything did go wrong, which was bound to happen. She figured it would be best to be prepared. After she woke up, she showered and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and stopped home to grab her bridesmaid dress. It was long and light pink, just reaching Emma's feet. One think strap covered her left shoulder whilst the other remained bare. She also slipped on her matching heels, cursing Abigail and Christine for picking these out.

When she got back on the TARDIS, Emma found that the Doctor was dressed in a black suit and white dress shirt, finishing up tying his bow tie.

"I've never understood these things," he muttered angrily, finally managing to get it secured around his neck.

Emma smiled. "Oh come on, bow ties are cool."

The Doctor looked up and froze when his eyes landed on her. Emma's gaze shifted downward and she played with the skirt of her dress. She could feel heat rising from her neck to her face.

"You look beautiful," she heard him say. She finally looked up and felt the heat get even greater.

Oh god, she thought, I better not be blushing.

Even if she was, it seemed the Doctor didn't notice. He flipped some switches on the console and pulled the monitor in front of him.

"Alright then!" he exclaimed. "Off to the wedding."

Emma finally got a grip on herself and walked up next to him. "What about the Dexesilorenos blood?"

"We'll just have to wait and see," he told her. "Not how I'd prefer to do this but it's the only option we have."

Emma frowned. "Wait for what? Someone to die?"

"No, of course not! We wait for the Dexesilorenosian to show itself."

"By leaving a trail of blood?"

The Doctor nodded. "I figure it's been leaving blood for a reason and the next time it leaves some-" He took his screwdriver out of his pocket and threw it in the air before catching it, raising an eyebrow. "-we'll be ready."

Emma couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her lips and once she was smiling, the Doctor was too.

They reached the church in a matter of seconds. Emma left first, the Doctor looking over some stuff with the blood before leaving the TARDIS. When Emma entered the church, she was immediately found by Natalie.

"Oh, good, you're here!" she exclaimed. She eyed her up and down, a frown appearing. "You haven't finished getting ready, have you?"

Emma bit the inside of her cheek hard. "I guess not."

"Alright then," said Natalie. "Let's get you upstairs and get you finished."

Emma sighed and followed her mother, lifting up the bottom of her dress as they headed toward the staircase. "Is she nervous?" Emma asked

"As nervous as Abigail can be," Natalie answered. They reached the top of stairs and Natalie ushered Emma into one of the nearby empty rooms. With a heated up curling iron, Natalie curled Emma's hair and applied more makeup than Emma was comfortable with - but she didn't protest. It was one day; just one really long day.

Once Natalie was satisfied, she pointed Emma in the direction of Abigail's room.

"Thanks," said Emma as her mother went back down the stairs. Emma made her way to the bride's room and knocked on the door. Only a second later the door was opened by Christine, her brown hair pulled back into a tight bun and a green flower sitting upon it. Instead of looking relieved at Emma's arrival, she appeared annoyed at being interrupted. She didn't even say anything; she just left the door open and walked away.

Maybe she is the alien, Emma thought, pushing away all negative feelings. This wasn't a day to throw a tantrum, it was a day for Abigail. And although she got many days, Emma knew she could hold it inside for the time being.

Walking in, Emma saw Abigail from behind and then glanced at the mirror, where she saw her cousin from the front. Wearing typical white wedding dress, Abigial made it so much more. The dress fanned out at her waist, looking rather like a hoopless hoop skirt. The bodice was adorned with white and clear jewels whilst the arms and top of the bodice were lace. Abigail's blonde hair was up and curled and she wore a pair of dangling, shining crystal earrings. She must have caught sight of Emma as she smiled widely and turned around to meet her eyes.

"How do I look?" asked the bride.

Emma grinned. "Beautiful, of course!"

Abigail put her hands on her hips and looked at Christine. "Can you give us a minute, please?"

Christine didn't look happy with having to leave, but still complied, though with her chin up haughtily in the air. Once the door had been shut behind her, Abigail turned back to Emma.

"Are you sure you're okay with not being my head bridesmaid?" she asked.

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Yes?" She shook her head. "I didn't mean that as a question. I just-"

"What is that?"

"-I am perfectly fine with being just a bridesmaid."

Emma noticed that Abigail wasn't paying attention to what she had been saying, so she glanced over her shoulder to follow Abigail's gaze. There was nothing there. "What is what?" Emma asked.

"What?"

"You said 'what is that?' and I don't see anything."

Abigail squinted her eyes and looked to Emma, shaking her head. "I don't remember saying anything."

"Maybe it's just pre-wedding jitters?" Emma offered.

"Maybe."

There was a knock on the door. "Abigail, we have to get going otherwise you'll be late to your own wedding!"

Emma looked to her cousin who suddenly looked vulnerable; her eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted, an expression of fear that was uncommon on her pretty face. She walked up to Abigail and grabbed her hands. "You love Simon, right?"

Abigail nodded.

"Then everything's going to be fine. I promise." Emma let go of Abigail's hands and wrapped her arms around her instead, pulling her in for a tight hug. "I know everything will be okay."

She heard Abigail let out a long breath. "Okay. I think I'm ready." They pulled apart and Emma offered a smile. Abigail gave a thin grin, but it was better than nothing.

"Then go get married," said Emma.

This got a laugh out of Abigail and it was enough of a confidence boost that the blonde finally shook herself out. "I'm going to get married." She nodded to herself. "I'm ready." She walked forward toward the door and opened it, revealing a very aggravated Christine. "Let's go."

Inside the narthex, the Doctor sat with Sarah Jane and Luke, messing with the sonic screwdriver again.

"What's so important that you need that out?" asked Sarah Jane.

"Well," said the Doctor, "it's highly probable that one of the people in this church is an alien. Other than me, of course."

"Hmm." She looked around as if examining each person. "Is that why you're here?'

"Not exactly. Emma invited me to come."

Sarah Jane turned toward him abruptly. "Emma invited you?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and met his old companion's gaze, feeling rather confused. "Why d'you sound so surprised?"

She shrugged. "Emma's just not the type to do that."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's just...Emma's never really been an open person. I bet you don't even know what her parents do for a living or even the fact that her mother's adopted?"

"Adopted?"

Sarah Jane nodded. "But then again, you're not the most open person either." She smiled dolefully. "Maybe she'll be the one to open you up, huh?"

The Doctor frowned and was about to respond when he saw Sam and Dan sit down with Jimmy and he couldn't help but notice that Dan was holding something - something that was green and gooey.

"Maybe it is Jimmy," the Doctor mumbled.

Sarah Jane looked over. "Jimmy's going to make you open up?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, maybe Jimmy is the alien."

"Sam's boyfriend?" asked Luke. "He's probably the least alien you can be."

"We'll have to see about that," said the Doctor. He moved to get up but Sarah Jane pulled him down as the music started playing.

The wedding was starting and the Doctor was too late.

Like always, I'm sorry for the delay. I've been having a lot of problems with my school lately and it's been very frustrating. But alas, I have returned!

P.S. I'm sorry if there's mistakes...I really wanted to get this out today and didn't read over again.