Yes, I finally started it. I know, I'm cruel for making you wait this long. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, please read Activate the Heart and Smith and Tyler first. Thanks!


"So, where are we going this time?" Rose asks the Doctor, keeping Martha out of earshot.

"What do you think about Shakespeare? I bet he's brilliant!" The Doctor said, wheeling about the console.

"What, William Shakespeare?" Rose asks, smiling.

"The one and only!" The Doctor exclaims, still keeping it quiet. Rose gets up from the jump seat and stands in his path.

"I bet you ten quid he sees right through the psychic paper." Rose says. The Doctor gives her a look.

"Rose, no ones ever seen through the psychic paper." He says. Rose raises an eyebrow.

"Fine, twenty quid. And you still owe me that tenner from when we visited Queen Victoria." Rose reminds him. He runs a hand through his hair.

"Alright, fine! Twenty quid, plus the ten from Queen Victoria." The Doctor agrees. Rose smiles and sits down. Martha laughs.

"I take it you do this a lot then?" Martha asks.

"Not really. I just like the look he gets when he's wrong about something." Rose said, giving Martha a cheeky smile. The TARDIS bucks, and Martha hangs on to the console. Rose grips the jump seat.

"But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?" Martha asks the Doctor.

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't want to know. It just does. Hold on tight." He advises.

"We don't have much of a choice!" Rose reminds him. The TARDIS comes to a halt, and Martha, Rose, and the Doctor fall to the floor.

"Blimey. Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?" Martha asks, picking herself up. Rose does the same.

"Yes, and I failed it." The Doctor informs them. Rose snorts. 'Figures.'

"Now, make the most of it. I promised you one trip, and one trip only. Outside this door, brave new world." The Doctor says, standing in front of the door.

"Where are we?" Martha asks, excited.

"Take a look." The Doctor says, opening the door.

"After you." Rose says. Martha bounds forward and the Doctor and Rose follow.

"Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me. Oh, my God, we did it. We travelled in time. Where are we? No, sorry. I got to get used to this whole new language. When are we?" Martha says, looking around.

"Mind out." The Doctor warns, pulling Martha back as someone empties a chamber pot.

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that." The Doctor says, releasing Martha.

"I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift A+E. But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?" Martha asks as Rose and the Doctor walk ahead.

"Of course we can. Why'd you ask?" Rose asks, turning to face her.

"It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race." Martha says, still standing where she was.

"Tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies. What have butterflies ever done to you?" The Doctor says, being rude. Rose elbows him.

"What if, I don't know, what if I kill my grandfather?" Martha asks, moving forward a bit.

"Are you planning to?" The Doctor asks.

"No." Martha says, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, then." The Doctor says, turning away.

"Oi! These are good questions! If I had asked them, we might have avoided the whole situation with my dad, not to mention Adam." Rose says. He gives her an exasperated look.

"Those were your own fault." He reminds her.

"And this is London?" Martha asks, bringing them back to the present. Or rather, past.

"I think so. Round about 1599." The Doctor says, testing he air.

"Oh, but hold on. Am I all right? I'm not going to get carted off as a slave, am I?" Martha asks, only half joking.

"Why would they do that?" The Doctor asks.

"Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed." Martha says, pointing to her face. Rose sighs. The Doctor can be so oblivious.

"I'm not even human. Just walk about like you own the place. Works for me. Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England, not so different from your time. Look over there. They've got recycling." He points to a man shoveling horse manure into a bucket.

"Water cooler moment." Rose adds, pointing to two men talking at a water barrel. The keep walking and hear someone preaching.

"And the world will be consumed by flame." The man says.

"Global warming. Oh, yes, and entertainment. Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark, right next to-" he grabs their hand and they sprint around the corner.

"Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe, it's a tetradecagon. Fourteen sides. Containing the man himself." The Doctor proclaims.

"Whoa, you don't mean. Is Shakespeare in there?" Martha asks, perking up.

"Oh, yes. Dame Rose, Miss Jones, will you accompany me to the theatre?" The Doctor asks, offering an arm for each of them. Rose smiled and linked arms with him.

"Why, Sir Doctor, I believe I will." Rose said, teasing.

"Mister Smith, I will." Martha agreed, linking arms. The group walked towards the theatre.

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare." The Doctor informs Martha. Rose rolls her eyes.

"Then I could get sectioned." Martha exclaims sarcastically.


"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah?" Martha says, applauding the performance they just saw.

"London never changes." Rose comments, clapping along with the crowd.

"Where's Shakespeare? I want to see Shakespeare. Author! Author! Do people shout that? Do they shout Author?" Martha asks, turning to the Doctor. A man next to her picks up the chant.

"Author! Author!" Soon the entire crowd is chanting.

"Well, they do now." The Doctor says, looking around. Shakespeare comes out onto the stage to rapturous applause.

"He's a bit different from his portraits." Martha comments.

"Genius. He's a genius. The genius. The most human human there's ever been. Now we're going to hear him speak. Always he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words." The Doctor whispers to Rose and Martha, awestruck.

"Ah, shut your big fat mouths!" Shakespeare tells the audience, causing them to burst into laughter.

"Oh, well." The Doctor says, obviously defeated.

"You should never meet your heroes." Rose tells him, shaking her head.

"You've got excellent taste, I'll give you that." He points to a man in the audience. "Oh, that's a wig." The crowd laughs. I know what you're all saying. Loves Labour's Lost, that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops. Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius.". Shakespeare suddenly goes rigid and blank. "When? Tomorrow night. The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it Loves Labour's Won."


A short while later, everyone is filing out of the theatre. Rose started walking with the Doctor, Martha following them.

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of Loves Labour's Won." Martha said, voicing the concern both the Doctor and Rose felt.

"Exactly. The lost play. It doesn't exist, only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. And no one knows why." The Doctor said, with a curious look in his eyes that Rose knew well.

"Have you got a mini-disc or something? We can tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint." Martha suggested. Rose and the Doctor looked at her.

"No." The Doctor and Rose said simultainiously.

"That would be bad." Martha guessed.

"Yeah, yeah." Rose and the Doctor said again.

"Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?" Martha asked. The Doctor looked at Rose and scratched his head with his free hand.

"Well, I was just going to give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS, but I suppose we could stay a bit longer." He conceded. Rose laughed and leaned close to him the whisper.

"Doctor, we both know you were going to check this out from the minute you found out." Rose teased. He gave her a long-suffering look. She laughed and skipped ahead of him, dragging him by the hand.

"Well, if we're going to be here for a bit, we might as well find lodging's. I think I saw an Inn further ahead." Rose said, still dragging the Doctor. She pulled him along, with Martha following until she saw a sign for a tavern called The Elephant. She pulled him inside and Martha entered after.

"Right. Mister I-can-accidentally-flirt-with-anything-without-eve n-trying, you can get us our rooms. Preferably two beds, thanks." Rose ordered, pushing the Doctor toward the bar. "Now, we are going to have a nice chat, girl-to-girl." Rose said, turning to address Martha. She steered them towards an empty table and they sat down. "So, where do you want to start?" Rose asked.

"How long have you known the Doctor?" Martha asked.

"Bit over two years now." Rose answered.

"How long have you been together?" Martha asked this time.

"Barely two days." Rose answered, laughing at little.

"Really? How come?" Martha asked her.

"I was trapped in a parallel world after the Cybermen attack." Rose explained.

"Oh." Was all Martha managed to say. Rose gave a little breathy laugh.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Rose said. "But I suppose that's life with the Doctor. Dramatic, breath-taking, devastatingly sad, scary as all get out, but so, so worth it. 'Cos everything we see, it's totally unique. We get to see everything the Universe has to offer, but more than that, we get save it. Defenders of the Universe." Rose smiled at Martha.

"Rose! Good news, Shakespeare's here! If we're quick we can talk to him." The Doctor said, running up and grabbing her arm. Rose motioned to Martha and she followed them up the stairs and down the hallway.

"Hello! Excuse me, not interrupting, am I? Mister Shakespeare, isn't it?" The Doctor called out, stepping into the room.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove-" Shakespeare cuts himself off when Rose and Martha enter the room. "Hey, nonny nonny. You girls sit right down here next to me. You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go." He says, addressing the two men that he was talking with. The waitress collects the empty mugs and ushers the boys out.

"Come on, lads. I think our William's found his new muses." She says with a smirk.

"Sweet ladies." Shakespeare says, motioning for them to sit down. Martha sits at a bench a bit away from the Doctor and Rose. Rose makes sure to snuggle up close to the Doctor.

"Such unusual clothes. So fitted." The bard says, leering. Martha blushes and Rose smiles.

"Er, verily, forsooth, egads." Martha says, stumbling. Rose bites back a laugh.

"No, no, don't do that. Don't." The Doctor says, much in the same way he told Rose not to speak in a Scottish accent.

"Hoots, mon." Rose whispers into his ear. The Doctor chuckles and gives her a Look. Then he pulls out his psychic paper and shows it to Shakespeare.

"I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS, this lovely lady is Dame Rose of the Powell Estate, and this is our companion, Miss Martha Jones." He says, introducing them. Shakespeare looks at the paper funny.

"Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank." He says. Rose grins.

"Yes! Oh, I told you! He's a right and proper genius he is!" Rose brags. The Doctor groans in defeat.

"No, it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Dame Rose, and Martha Jones. It says so." Martha insists, looking at the little wallet.

"And I say it's blank." Shakespeare insists.

"Psychic paper. Er, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch." The Doctor complains. Rose nudges him and mouths 'rude'.

"Psychic? Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady?" Shakespeare asks, flirting at Martha.

"What did you say?" Martha exclaims. Rose winces.

"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric?" Shakespeare asks, not getting what he said wrong.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." Martha exclaims, in utter shock.

"It's political correctness gone mad. Er, Martha's from a far-off land..." The Doctor begins.

"Tardis." Rose fills in. She smiles at the Doctor.

A man in expensive clothes and wearing a gold chain of office enters. He appears to be the official censor, from the Lord Chamberlain's office.

"Excuse me! Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mister Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed." The pompous man demands. Shakespeare rolls his eyes and sighs on exaspersation.

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it round." Shakespeare told him, waving it off.

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!" The Master of the Revels demanded.

"I can't." Shakespeare confessed.

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled." Lynley states.

"It's all go around here, isn't it?" Martha remarks.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, Love's Labours Won will never be played." He leaves and goes down the stairs.

"Well then, mystery solved. That's Love's Labours Won over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know, more mysterious." Martha confides in Rose. Rose is about to respond, but right then they hear something. A man's scream comes from the street, then a woman's. The four rush out to investigate.

"Help me!" A woman yells. They all enter the courtyard and see Lynley staggering about and spitting up water.

"It's that Lynley bloke." Martha exclaims.

"What's wrong with him?" Rose asks, stepping forward. The Doctor darts in front of her.

"Leave it to me. I'm a doctor." He tells the bystanders that have gathered.

"So am I, near enough." Martha mutters and follows him. Rose follows her and tries to keep the crowd away. Suddenly Lynley collapses.

"Got to get the heart going. Mister Lynley, come on. Can you hear me? You're going to be all right." Martha tells him. She starts to clear his airways for CPR, and water gushes out.

"What the hell is that?" Martha demands.

"Doctor? I'm guessing this isn't normal, yeah?" Rose asks looking to him.

"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water. He drowned and then, I don't know, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow." The Doctor muses, scrunching his eyes in that adorable way of his.

"But, water full of lungs, that's drowning. How can some one drown on dry land?" Rose asks. The Doctor shakes his head and turns to the barmaid that was in Shakespeare's room.

"Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away." He explains, slipping into the speech of the time like it was nothing.

"Yes, sir." The maid, Dolly Bailey, answered.

"I'll do it, ma'am." One of the younger maids said. Then she leaves, smiling. 'I don't trust her.' Rose thought to herself.

"And why are you telling them that?" Martha asks.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft." The Doctor explains.

"Think about how people would react to you if you told them you travelled in time. That's how these people think about anything new or different." Rose added.

"Okay, what was it then?" Martha asked, curious. The Doctor looked at Rose, then they both turned to Martha.

"Witchcraft." They both said.


Hey, me again. So, what did you think? Did you like what I did with Rose? Are they're interactions in character? Do you have any suggestions? Review! One review to get the next chapter started!