REFUGEES

A/N: This is the fourth in the series about the Eleventh Doctor and an Indiana family. The other stories are Happy Hillbilly Thanksgiving, A Country Christmas and Loss and Healing.

Chapter One

(June, 2014…)

Michelle was feeling sick today. She had the flu and while everyone else went with the Eleventh Doctor and Donna to look at a possible house in London, she stayed home and rested after the Doctor gave her something that would quickly combat the flu. She was lying on the sofa bed while Rex lay beside her. She was watching Cartoon Network and trying to keep still since she had a massive headache at the moment.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard an enormous bang inside the storage room. Rex jumped up and barked furiously as he ran towards the door. Michelle groaned and slowly sat up.

"That hurt my head even more," she groaned while she slowly stood up. "Rex, quit it! I have a headache!" she said, going into the unfinished room while Rex barked and scratched at the storage room door. "It's probably Uncle Doctor anyway."

She opened the door and Rex ran in but both he and Michelle froze. Instead of the TARDIS, there was an enormous sphere resting in the middle of the room. Rex sniffed at it and whined as he backed away in fear.

"Doctor?" Michelle said, walking over to it. "Donna?"

She touched the side of the sphere, wondering what it was. She had never seen the TARDIS as anything other than the blue police box. Could it change shape.

She backed up and Rex whined even more when she heard a hissing sound coming from inside and then slowly the sphere started to open. Michelle put her hand on Rex's head while the sphere opened up. Then the hissing stopped and she walked forward while Rex cowered by the door and whined. Michelle looked in and saw a man and a woman lying at the bottom of it along with two battered rucksacks. The two people had closely cropped hair and they were severely emaciated. Both of them were asleep or unconscious but after staring at the man, she realized he was the tenth Doctor. Her heart beat furiously. She thought she'd never see him again but she was alarmed how bad he looked. Not only was he thin but he and the woman were dressed in torn and ragged clothes and they had bruises and scars all over their bodies. Michelle noticed the woman was holding a note in her hand. She called out to them but they didn't respond so she reached in and took the note out of the woman's hand. She read it.

My name is Rose Tyler and this is my husband, John Smith. We have fled from a repressive world that has been taken over by aliens. We have come across the void in a void ship with the hope of finding a safe haven. If you find this and know how to contact the Doctor, please help us. If not, please help us anyway.

"Hey, Rose? Are you okay?" Michelle called to her.

She didn't respond so Michelle walked back to the TV. On top was the mobile, the Doctor gave them so they could contact him. She located the Doctor's mobile on the menu and dialed the number while Rex stood by her.

"This must be Rose from the Crucible and stuff," Michelle said to Rex while he wagged his tail. "And that might be the Doctor's clone! Hey!" Michelle said when the Doctor answered the mobile. "Uncle Doctor? I need to tell you something…"

She told him what happened and read him the note.

"Are they conscious?" the Doctor said when she finished her explanation and the reading of the note.

"I don't think so. I tried to talk to Rose and she won't answer or wake up. They're really, really thin and they look sick."

"Wait a tic, Bookworm…"

Michelle waited and rubbed Rex's head. She slowly walked back towards the storage room with the mobile in case Rose and the clone woke up.

"Shelly, I'm coming back with the TARDIS. Donna's staying here with your family. I'm going to bring them and you on board and fly back. If they're that bad off, I need to put them in the med bay. Okay?"

"Uh-huh," Michelle said.

"What time is it there, love?"

Michelle went and looked at a clock and told him.

"Brilliant, be there in a minute or so," the Doctor said.

Michelle ended the call. By the time she got back downstairs, she heard the wheezing of the TARDIS and she and Rex raced into the storage room where the TARDIS was landing beside the sphere. The Doctor smiled as he stepped outside and rubbed Rex's head.

"Feeling better, Bookworm?" he said to her.

"I was until this thing went bang in here, I got a headache now," Michelle said.

"I can fix that for you but for now…"

The Doctor walked around to the other side of the sphere and he and Michelle peered in.

"Rose? Rose!" he called to her.

"Is this Crucible Rose?" Michelle said.

"Yes and that's my clone. Doctor?" he called to him.

He sighed deeply when neither responded.

"They're in a void ship," he said, feeling the side of it. "You could stay ages in there as it went across the void. Who knows how long they were in there. Blimey, they've nearly wasted away. Do you feel up to helping me, Bookworm?"

"Yes."

"Good because they need medical attention now. I'll get them inside but I need your help stabilizing them. Okay?"

Michelle nodded. The Doctor reached in and pulled Rose up a bit so he could get her into his arms. He looked at her tenderly when he finally gathered her into his arms.

"She's lost so much weight, she's nearly weightless in my arms," he said to Michelle. "Stay with my clone while I take her inside. Reggie, follow me."

Michelle nodded and watched over the clone while the Doctor took Rose and Rex inside the TARDIS. While they were gone, the clone began to stir and Michelle called to him. The clone opened his right eye slightly.

"Hi, I'm Michelle," she said when the clone finally focused on her face.

"Where's Rose?" the clone said in a soft, scratchy voice.

"The Doctor took her into the TARDIS."

"He's…here?" the clone said weakly.

"Yes. He's gonna help you in a minute, he just took Rose back to his med bay thing."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Michelle, the Doctor comes to visit us and helps us and we adopted him and Donna and Amy and Rory and River. But none of them are here right now. Donna's in London with my family and the Doctor came back home when I found Rose's note. Are you the Doctor's clone?"

"Yeah. I prefer to be called John Smith though," John said, struggling to sit up.

"Hi, John Smith. Don't worry, we're gonna help you. Doctor, he's awake," Michelle said when the Doctor came out of the TARDIS.

John looked at him with his one open eye. He slowly opened the other one and the Doctor frowned when he noticed it was milky white.

"Are you blind in one eye?" the Doctor said as he and Michelle looked in at him.

"Yes," John said, nodding. "Is Rose alright?"

"She's weak. You and her are painfully thin which is why I need to give you immediate care. Can you stand?"

"I don't know."

The Doctor reached his hands in and grabbed his arms. John groaned while he helped him to stand. Michelle gasped when he teetered a bit on his weak legs. The Doctor urged him to come close and he slowly gathered him into his arms.

"I realize it's not dignified but this is quicker," the Doctor said to his clone. "Shelly, follow me."

The Doctor carried him inside and had Michelle close the doors behind them. He asked the TARDIS to take them back to London while Michelle followed him out of the room. He took him to the med bay while Michelle followed along. John looked at Rose who was lying on an examination table.

"Tend to her first, I can wait," John said to the Doctor.

The Doctor asked for a comfortable bed and after the TARDIS made one and put it in the corner of the room, he had Michelle pull back to the blankets and gently put him inside.

"What happened, mate?" the Doctor said while he and Michelle covered him up.

"Hell. Hell happened," John said grimly.

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