Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! It's nice to see I'm not just shouting to the void alone. Here's chapter two AKA In Which Nurses are Like Sharks. Enjoy!

Rey landed hard and really hoped it wasn't going to be a pattern. She had jumped twice since her first adventure, both times with the same Doctor. So far all her landings had been a miss. The second jump had her sprawled on the floor, and the third landing ended with her falling to her knees.

The actual sensation of jumping was strange. When she disappeared, it felt like she was fading away. Her senses would dull; hearing went first, and sight last. There was a moment of darkness where she never failed to fear that maybe she wouldn't "land" and that maybe she really was dying this time. Reappearing was like snapping awake, complete with that panicked sensation of falling. There was no gradual awareness, no teetering on the edge of consciousness. Everything came at her all at once until it bordered on sensory overload.

Still on the floor, she realized the rocking sensation was because she was on a ship. An old ship, not like the modern metal ones, and not a spaceship. It was an old wooden ship, and it was very dank. The smell of salt hung heavy in the air, along with some other unsavory scents.

The door opened and a girl with red hair who definitely wasn't Donna was forced into the room. She yelled back some creative insults at whoever had pushed her inside. Rey shuffled to her feet. The Doctor had given her a quick rundown of the major traveling companions from his past, but this girl didn't look like any of them. Was she in his future, then? Judging from how she was dressed and what she'd yelled, she didn't belong on a ship like this.

"Rey! You're back!" The redhead instantly brightened when she caught sight of her, hurrying to her side to give her a tight hug. Rey had a brief moment of deja vu back to Donna and wondered if so much hugging was a thing normal people did or if it was particular to gingers. "What's wrong," she when Rey didn't hug back.

There was no point in beating around the bush. "Who are you?"

She jerked back and studied her. "It's me, Amy." When Rey gave no sign of recognition, she realized what what going on. "Wait, this isn't…"

"This is my first time meeting you." distantly, she wondered how many times she would have to do this. Frankly, it was starting to feel like everyone was in on a secret except her.

"Oh." Amy deflated a little. "So this is all new to you then, right? It's not your first time, is it?"

Rey tied her dark hair back. The humidity made it stick to her neck uncomfortably, and if all her previous jumps were any indication, she was anticipating the need to run soon. "It's not. Where are we? And when?"

"The Doctor said 17th century. Apparently there was a distress signal, but good luck finding one here." Amy made a face like she was remembering an argument she already had.

"Where is the Doctor?" Would he even be the same Doctor? He said he could change his face and even showed her pictures of his previous incarnations…

"He's upstairs with Rory. Rory Williams, my husband."

Rey looked around some more. The fact that they weren't all together was weird. There was no reason to separate them if they were all prisoners. She didn't know much about ships from the 1600s, but she had a feeling that this wasn't an ordinary one. "Are the crew pirates? Since he isn't with us, I'm guessing the Doctor said something that didn't help clarify things at all?"

"They're making him and Rory walk the plank." Now that the excitement had died down, Amy looked worried.

A coat and tricorn hung on a peg by the door. In the corner was an open chest of swords conveniently propped up against the wall. She handed Amy one and tested the other in her own hand. It was heavier than she imagined it would be, but not unwieldy. "I guess it's our job to save them then."

Amy grinned. She wanted to charge back on deck, but Rey convinced her to go for a sneak attack instead. They were outnumbered and technically the Doctor and Rory were hostages. Direct confrontation would just raise the number of casualties.

She crept quietly across deck while Amy went the other way. The rocking and creaking of the ship covered the sounds of their steps. A brunette who couldn't seem to figure out what his hands were for was trying, and failing, to talk his way down from the plank. It had to be the Doctor; no one else could stick their foot in their mouth that much. Or dress like that. He'd changed his face, just like he said he could.

It shouldn't have made her sad, but for some reason it did.

"Where are the rest of the crew? This is a big ship. Big for five of you. I s'pose the rest of them are hiding some place and they're going to jump out and shout 'boo.'"

"Boo."

The tip of her blade was aimed squarely at Captain Avery's throat. For once, Rey was grateful for her deadpan expression. She wasn't going to kill him, but it helped to make the act more convincing. And his shocked expression was immensely satisfying. "Put the gun down," she commanded. He hesitated for a split second before obliging.

"The rest of you, on your knees," Amy told them.

"Rey! Amy, what are you two doing?"

"Saving your life. Okay with that, are you?"

"Put down the sword," Avery growled. "A sword could kill us all."

"That's the point," Rey said neutrally. "Doctor, feel free to step down at anytime."

One of the pirates charged her, wooden paddle in hand. He swung down with the intent to crush her skull. Rey pulled her sword arm back and did a half-twirl, half-twist to dodge. Chaos immediately broke out as the Doctor ran forward to help only for Avery to punch him back. Amy raced over, ushering the pirate with the oar across the deck with her sword. The terrified expression on his face was nearly comical as Amy, twice as thin and a head shorter, corralled him back.

Rey held off two others from helping out. Like their crewmate, they kept switching back and forth from lashing out to being scared stiff of getting hurt in return. Every time she stepped forward, they reared two steps back. Only when she showed no signs of attacking did they muster up the courage to advance back on her. When she stepped forward to meet them, they'd scurry back again.

A gasp caught her attention, and she turned to assess the situation. Amy had managed to nick Pirate One, though it didn't seem life threatening. "You have killed me," he told her dramatically, cradling his injured hand to his chest.

"No way. It's just a cut. What sort of rubbish pirates are you?"

"One drop, that's all it takes," Avery breathed. "One drop and she will rise out of the ocean."

"She," Rey echoed, only to be ignored.

"Come on, I barely even scratched him. What are you all in such a huff about?"

Pirate Four took advantage of the lull to sneak up behind Amy. She swung out on a rope to dodge him but lost her sword in the process. Another man—Rory, Rey presumed from his modern clothing—tried to catch it only to nick his hand on the edge. They all watched as a black spot appeared on the center of his palm, barely larger than a ten pence coin.

"Doctor? Rey? What's happening to me?"

"She can smell the blood on your skin. She's marked you for death," Avery warned.

"She," Rory repeated.

Rey shifted her focus back on the captain, who seemed to know the most about what was going on. "You're not helping anyone by being vague. Some specificity wouldn't hurt. She who?"

"A demon, out there in the ocean."

The Doctor's body radiated heat, warming her chilled skin as he came to her side, so close they's be touching if she so much as twitched. She found her instincts warring between yes, warmth and no, touching. Being around a different Doctor was a little weird. "Okay. Groovy. So not just pirates today. We've managed to bagsy a ship where there's a demon popping in." He grabbed Rory's hand and examined it quickly. "Very efficient. I mean if someone's going to kill you, it's nice that it drops you a note to remind you."

In the distance, a woman started singing. Soft at first, the melody grew louder and closer quickly. It sounded more like an instrument than a person, like a full on acapella performance of an orchestra, only condensed into one single voice. Rey had never heard anything like it. Not even the Ood songs could compare. There was something disarmingly alluring about it, like if she kept listening she would never be satisfied with anything else.

One of the pirates commanded the others to shut their ears.

"The creature. She charms all her victims with that song," Avery growled.

"Oh, great, so put my fingers in my ears. That's your plan? Doctor, come on, let's go. Let's go back to the… back to the…" Rory trailed off. His eyes glazed over, his face went lax, he swayed on his feet, and a dumb, lazy grin stretched out on his lips. It was like he was drunk. Or drugged. "You're so beautiful," he told his wife.

"What?"

"I love your get up." Amy had put on the coat and hat from below deck. "That's great. You should dress as a pirate more often. Cuddle me, shipmate."

"Rory, stop."

"Rey! Look guys, Rey's back. Everything is totally brilliant, isn't it? Look at these brilliant pirates. Look at their brilliant beards. I'm going to grow a beard."

"You're not," Amy told him.

"The music turned them into fools," Avery grunted out. The other injured man, the one Amy had cut, was acting similarly silly.

The water on the ship's starboard side glowed green. Seconds later, a ghostly woman, transparent and glowing the same emerald shade, flew up and landed on deck. Like magnets towards a charge, Rory and Pirate One tried to get to her. Amy managed to catch her husband and hold him back, but the others were too scared to grab Pirate One. He disappeared the instant he touched the Siren with a flash and shriek.

Rory kept insisting he needed to do the same. The Siren hissed and turned an angry red at Amy as she tried to stop him. An invisible force sent her flying, landing on her back a few feet away with a loud thud.

Rey rushed to her side, checking her over quickly. No blood or broken bones, just the wind knocked out of her and a bit of shock. The Doctor ordered everyone into the hold. He helped Rey and Amy up, ushering them to the others before running back out and grabbing Rory. The music cut out as the door slammed shut.

Down below they splashed through the foot high flood of seawater. Avery gave them a quick rundown of the situation: the ship was becalmed and the Siren had been picking off the injured crew members one by one. Pirate Three likened her to a shark.

"Okay," the Doctor agreed. "Just like a shark. In a dress. And singing. And green. A green singing shark in an evening gown." Rey stifled the urge to smile. At least one thing was for sure: life with the Doctor would never be boring. And despite the danger, it wasn't without humor. It was much better than being stuck in a hospital room without even a window to look out of.

He grinned at her. "Hello."

"Hi."

"The ship is cursed," Avery complained.

"Yeah, right. 'Cursed' is big with humans. Means bad things are happening but you can't be bothered to find an explanation."

"Amy said you were following a distress signal—could that be connected," she suggested.

"See? Look at Rey, she's actually thinking."

"She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Rory said dreamily, speaking of the Siren.

"Actually, I think you'll find she isn't." Amy's mouth thinned into a line. "We have to leave. Right now."

"What about the TARDIS?"

"That thing of yours is really a ship," Avery asked. If he saw it materializing it would explain why he was so quick to try and kill the Doctor and Rory. Then again, just about anything could have set him off. He was a pirate near the end of his rope, and the Doctor had more than a little problem with authority figures.

"Well it's not propelled by the wind."

"Show me. Weigh anchor. Make it sail!" He pulled out his gun threateningly. Rey hadn't even seen him pick it up amid the confusion on deck, but she shouldn't have been surprised that he'd taken the time to do so. Or if it turned out he'd had an extra pistol hidden away somewhere else.

The Doctor was quick to position himself in front of her. "And the gun's back. You're big on the gun thing, aren't you? Freud would say you're compensating. Have you ever met Freud? No? Comfy sofa." Joking words aside, he was deadly serious. It was nice to see that he really hadn't changed.

Rey was wearing gloves. Thinner than the ones she had worn on the Ood-Sphere, but they covered her fingers completely. She reached out to take his hand, surprised at her own boldness. His grip was tight and secure, sending tingly sensations back to her.

Pirate Four cried out and jerked his leg out of the water. "It's a leech," Amy exclaimed.

"Everyone out of the water!"

They scrambled onto the crates stacked up against the wall. The Doctor lifter her up by her arms and held her close to him. Rey shivered. The water was freezing and all the splashing had left her practically soaked. But the Doctor was warm, and even though it was a different Doctor than she was use to, it was comforting to be around him.

"It's bitten me, I'm bleeding." The black spot appeared on Pirate Four's hand.

"It's okay," the Doctor assured. "We're safe down here. No 'curse' is getting through these three solid inches of timber."

No sooner had the words finished coming out of his mouth that the Siren popped up out of the water.

"Ah. Hello again."

She immediately started singing. Rey reached over to help Amy hold Rory back, who seemed to have been affected even faster this time. With no one to restrain him, Pirate Four met the same fate as his former crewmate. They scrambled to get out of the hold, the Doctor bolting the door behind them.

"Safe," Amy repeated angrily.

"I have my good days and my bad days," he protested, using the sonic to examine the fallen pirate's hat.

Rey let out a little "Oh," prompting him to jolt and look her over with fear in his eyes. "I'm not hurt," she assured him. "It just that the sonic is different."

He examined her carefully for a moment. "Rey?" She nodded and tried her best to keep her face open. "Hello," he said again.

"Hi," she repeated.

"I'm the Doctor."

"I know." He grinned. She pretended not to notice the tightness at the corners of his mouth in exchange for him not making a big deal about how this was her first time meeting his him. It didn't stop her from feeling a flicker of bitterness and unease. Was the Rey that the others waiting for really her? At this rate, she might as well have just been a stand in for an older version of her.

Avery looked disgusted with them. "If you're done," he said loudly, eager to get the conversation back on topic. "How did the demon get in?"

"Right." The Doctor went back to sonicing the hat. "The bilge water—she's using water like a portal, a door. She can materialize through a single drip. We need to go somewhere with no water."

"Well, thank God we're not in the middle of the ocean."

Next to them, Rory and Amy bickered. Or rather, Rory, who was still feeling the lingering effects of the Siren's song, gushed about her, and Amy warned him against unfaithful thoughts.

"The magazine," Avery declared, the only one preoccupied with the Doctor's original plan.

"The armory? Where you store gunpowder," she added as it clicked.

"It's dry as a bone."

"Good. Let's go there."

The key to the magazine room was missing, but the door was unlocked when they tried it. To everyone's surprise, Avery's son had stolen away on the ship for who knew how long. He was in terrible shape, coughing and feverish. To make matters worse, the Siren had marked him as hers as well.

"There's nothing wrong with the boy," Avery reported. "He has no scars."

The Doctor nodded contemplatively and told them to disregard his previous theory. "He has his good days and his bad days," Amy mocked.

"It's not just blood. She's coming for all the sick and wounded. Like a hunter chooses the weakest animal."

"Or a nurse," Rey muttered under her breath. Sure, none of the ones she met at the hospital could disintegrate rowdy patients, but some of them were pretty rough.

When he was done complaining how second-rate human bodies were, the Doctor stood and declared the TARDIS could get them out safely. Avery, as he was prone to do, whipped out his pistol. "You're not the captain here, remember?"

Coughing, Toby pushed the lid off one of the barrels. It was full of water and the Siren wasted no time in trying to reach up through it. Rey, who was closest, immediately slammed the lid shut again.

"The water's dangerous," Avery warned his son. "That's how she gets through. One touch of her hand and you're a dead man!"

"We're all cursed if we stay aboard," Pirate Three cried.

"It's not a curse. Curse means game over. Curse means we're helpless. We are not helpless! Captain, what's our next move?"

In a surprisingly touching and out of character move, Avery draped his pendant around Toby's neck. He commanded the others to stay with Toby while he and the Doctor retrieved the TARDIS. Rey insisted on joining them. She hated just waiting around, and if a shark demon in a dress/siren-hunter-nurse was after them, she wanted to be working towards a solution.

"Sure you want to go," Amy asked nervously.

"We have to get Rory and Toby away," the Doctor told her. "She's out there now, licking her lips, boiling a saucepan, grating cheese."

"Okay, well remember, if you get an itch, don't scratch too hard."

"We've all got to go sometime."

Amy and Rory shared worried looks. The longer Rory was away from the Siren, the more of his senses he regained. The Doctor didn't notice the exchange, but Rey did. She felt simultaneously better and worse to know that there were secrets between them on all their parts. Was future-her in on any of them, or were there even more unspoken secrets that she just didn't have the necessary experience to be aware of?

"Don't worry," he assured them. "Not now. Not when Rey's only just met us."

The Ponds let the subject drop. Avery took over the lead as they left the magazine behind them. It was his ship, he knew it better than anyone—the uneven flooring, the cracks in the wood, the unsecured cargo. Aside from a close call with his hand narrowly missing an exposed nail, they managed to reach the TARDIS without any problems. Even from the outside, Rey could see something was different. The wood was a deeper color, and the door had gained a new sticker. Stepping inside only proved what she already knew.

She hadn't known there could've been an opposite of the coral design, but this was it. This was sleek metal and two stories and a glass floor. She looked around slowly, taking it all in. Albeit dimmer, the walls still had a golden glow to them. Wires still hung low from the ceiling like a hazard inspector's nightmare. The console itself had a few new patches and a new rearrangement, but was mostly the same.

"I guess it really is a new you." She didn't say it to be unkind, it was just fact. A new face, new sonic, new TARDIS—there were so many changes and she had just gotten used to the last Doctor she'd met. It made her head spin.

Rey was going to leave it at that, but he suddenly looked so heartbroken that she just couldn't. Her own chest ached, and something hard jumped up to her throat, like a stone of sadness that refused to be swallowed down. An old hurt, familiar but no less painful, hung in the air like an unspoken ghost.

"New doesn't mean bad." She crossed the distance between them. "The TARDIS is still a time machine. The sonic is still a screwdriver. You're still the Doctor." She reached out to take his hand again. This time it was limp until she tightened her grip. Prompted, the Doctor squeezed back like he was afraid of what would happen if he let go.

Her heart steadied, and the tightness in her throat loosened a bit. She forced herself to meet his eyes, hoping to convey how serious she was. He kept his gaze on her for a moment longer before closing his eyes and repeating the words he'd said when she first met him. "I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."

Bside them, Avery made a half-choked sound, reminding them of his presence. Rey tried to burry her embarrassment as they broke apart. The Doctor coughed and fixed his attention on Avery. Some people took in the TARDIS in stride, and some people lost it. You could never tell who fell into what category until they experienced her for themselves. She liked to think she'd taken it well, all things considered. Avery seemed to be hovering above the line between wonderment and acceptance.

"By all the…"

At least he hadn't pulled out his gun again.

"Let me stop you there. Bigger on the inside. Don't mind, do you, if we just skip to the end of that moment? Oh, and sorry I lied by the way, when I said yours was bigger. Kitchen that way. Choice of bathrooms—there, there, there." He pointed and turned back to the console.

Rey moved to get a better vantage. This too was different, but not as much as she seemed to be a limit to how much the TARDIS could change her controls. The way the Doctor moved about, so fast and all over it was hard to follow sometimes, she never knew if the configuration mattered. Or even if he was flying her properly.

"What's this do?" Avery ran his hands over one of the levers.

"That does very, very complicated. That does sophisticated, that does, whoa, amazing, and that does whizz bang far too technical to explain!"

"Wheel?"

"Atom accelerator," the Doctor corrected.

"It steers the thing."

"No… Sort of… Yes."

"Wheel. Telescope. Astrolabe. Compass." He pointed at each instrument as he named to less-technical counterpart. Avery was a natural, and Rey was very jealous. "A ship's a ship."

"This is how the professionals do it," the Doctor informed him before inputting a series of commands. "Have I taught you how to fly the TARDIS yet Rey?" Taught her? Her? Well, it was nice to know one day she'd get the hang of it.. "Ah! There'll be time for that later. For now…" He flipped a switch. The machinery groaned, twitched, then stopped. "It's stuck. Not responding."

"Becalmed?"

"Mm-hm. Apparently. That's new. You had to gloat, didn't you?"

"I'm not gloating," Avery protested

"I saw that look just now. Ha-ha his ship is rubbish." The Doctor checked the controls again. "It can't get a lock on the plane. The space we travel in, The… ocean. Sort of ocean but not water. The TARDIS can't see. It's sulking because it thinks the space doesn't exist. Without a plane to lock onto we're not going anywhere."

"I'm confused," Avery stated.

"It's a big club. We should get T-shirts," the Doctor offered.

"Our slogan can be 'we have our good days and our bad days.'" Avery had no qualms over laughing. The Doctor pouted at her, but really, what did he expect? It was too good an opportunity to pass.

An explosion swiftly killed the joking mood. He jerked Rey away from the console, using his body to shield her from the sparks. Her heart was trying it's best to find a way out of her chest, through her sternum if necessary. The sudden rumbling and shaking reminded her vividly of the quake in the hospital.

"Okay?"

She nodded and nudged the Doctor back to the controls. The sooner he figured out what was wrong, the sooner it would stop. He worked quickly and loudly. "Okay. She's had her little sulk. Now she's heading for the full-on screaming tantrum."

"Can you fix it," Avery asked.

"The parametric engines are jammed. Orthogonal vector's gone. I'm almost out of ideas."

"Almost?"

"Well, we could try stroking her and singing her a song."

"Will that help," Avery asked, desperate for any solution.

"Hard to say, never had before."

"A 'no,' then," Rey concluded sarcastically just as the rocking started.

"Argh! I've lost control of her, she's about to dematerialize. We could end up anywhere!"

"Doctor, I think now would be a good time to abandon ship." She grabbed his wrist and led the way back out. A loud, sparking explosion pushed them the rest of the way through the door and into the small closet the TARDIS was parked in. Emerald light enveloped the time machine just as it disappeared, leaving them stranded. Rey brushed herself off. "That went well."

"Okay, okay, okay. TARDIS runs off on its own. That's a bit of a new one. Bang goes our only hope of getting them out of here."

Out of options, they headed back to the magazine. One of the pirates, Mulligan, confronted them along the way. He was brandishing two pistols wildly, and had with him not only Avery's stolen treasure, but also the last of the supplies.

"We should go after him." The Doctor opened his mouth to suggest she head back first, but she gave him a hard look before he could even start.

Mulligan, expectantly, fired back at them when he discovered he was being pursued. They chased him back into the hold, kept back by a locked door. There was a yelp, a loud "Ow," and then singing. Green light shone through the cracks, and by the time the Doctor managed to unlock the door, Mulligan was gone.

Avery picked up the fallen crown. "No water in here. How did she take him? You said she uses water like a door. That's how she enters a room."

"I was wrong. Please ignore all my theories up to this point."

Rey huffed. "What, again," Avery complained.

"We're all in danger. The water's not how she's getting in. When we were down in the hold think what happened. You, me, Rey, Amy, Rory, leeches."

"She sprang from the water."

"But only when it stilled," Rey recalled. The Siren had only come out after they had all climbed onto the crates and stopped moving. "You said she only appeared when the ship was becalmed."

The Doctor nodded. "Still water: nature's mirror. Not water… reflection."

So the original siren legend was based on truth. They attacked ships filled with treasures because they were also filled with reflective surfaces. The Doctor shoved the crown in a sack. Avery's hand came up to grasp his pendant, paling as he remembered he'd given it to Toby. "We must warn them."

They rushed back to the magazine. As soon as the door was in sight, the Doctor called for Amy, urging her to get it open. He immediately ran to Toby and grabbed the necklace from him, breathing heavily on the surface to fog it up.

"The Doctor was wrong," Rey explained.

"Again," Amy and Rory asked in unison.

"It's not water, it's reflection."

Once he was satisfied the Siren wasn't going to be popping out any time soon, the Doctor ran back out the room. He went around the ship, using the butt of Mulligan's fallen gun to smash the glass window panes and mirror—anything that could serve as a way in for the Siren. The treasure and other reflective surfaces, even the cutlery, he commanded to be thrown overboard.

And then there was nothing left to do but wait. The TARDIS was gone, "towed," he complained, and until the wind decided to pick up again, there was no other way out. The term sitting ducks echoed in Rey's mind. She tried passing the time by getting to know Amy and Rory better. If they were going to be traveling together, she didn't want them to be strangers. She especially wanted to know more about them since they seemed to know so much about her.

They started with the basics: jobs. Of course, nothing was ever so simple in life. Rory was a nurse, and Rey felt her guard instantly go up. He seemed friendly enough, but she couldn't help it. Medical professionals just put her off. She spent too long in the hospital; nurses felt more like prison guards to her.

It was a little easier to relax around Amy. Rey liked her spunk, and she seemed to have lived a colorful life. She talked about her previous jobs, including a stint as whatever a kissogram was. Quietly, after Rory had fallen asleep, Amy admitted that she didn't know what she wanted to do. All she had ever dreamed about since she was a little girl was traveling with the Doctor.

"You should probably figure that out," Rey suggested bluntly. Amy's face fell, and she scrambled for something to say. "I don't mind traveling with you two, but don't you think something in the meanwhile would be nice? Look at Rory."

"Yeah, except it's easy for him. He always wanted to help people."

"What did you like doing back in… Leadworth?" Amy nodded. "What did you do there other than kissograming?"

Frustrated, Amy crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know! Why do you think I became a kissogram? Back home it was like I was nothing more than a pretty face." She turned away, face red in shame.

Rey moved in front of Amy and made an effort to look her in the eye. Today was a day of eye contact, and she had only been here for a few hours. Normally, she avoided it when she could. Rey understood that it was a cultural thing, and maybe it was because she never had a parent scold her for bad manners, but meeting gazes made her feel a little uncomfortable. For Amy, though, she forced herself not to flinch. If Rey looked away, she'd take it as a rejection.

"Your face is pretty, but that's not all you are. You handle the Doctor like an expert, and you were pretty good with that sword." That earned her a small smile. "What do you like to do?"

Minutely, only noticeable because she was looking for it, Amy relaxed a little. "When I was a girl I had this book that had all these stories in them. I used to change them, put myself in them and save the day."

"If you like stories why not tell them yourself?"

"They were kid's stories," Amy argued.

"Then write for kids. Write about the adventures of Amazing Amy and how she always saves the day. It's not far from the truth from what I've seen. And God knows the Doctor needs saving constantly."

Amy giggled. To Rey's relief, she hadn't actually made things worse. "What about you?"

Rey paused. What about her? She supposed she was a little like Amy. Only, instead of the Doctor, all she had ever thought about was getting away. Now that she thought about it, all her plans were abstract. She wanted to see the ocean and mountains and sunsets and dawns. She wanted to run as far and as long as she could, stay out all night, taste more than bland gruel and smell more than disinfectant.

"Rey?"

Something was wrong. In the few seconds she had zoned out, something had shaken Amy. She looked pale and queasy, and she sounded scared. Her eyes were focused on the far wall like she was seeing something that wasn't there.

Rey placed her hand on her shoulder. "I'm right here. What's wrong?"

"I thought I saw… Nothing, never mind. Where do you think the Doctor is?"

It was a poor attempt to change the subject, but she let it slide. "Why don't you stay here with Rory and I'll go find him?"

Leaving Amy, she wandered around and eventually wound back up deck where it was much colder. While there was no wind, the humidity in the air made the chill sink into her bones. The stars and moon were beautiful. There was no need for a lantern or torch with them twinkling above head. Cast in the dim light, it felt like she was on a ghost ship.

Amy's reaction down in the magazine left her feeling unsettled and paranoid. Despite there being only a handful of people left on the ship, she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. Something caught her gaze as she walked past a row of broken window panes. For a moment, she saw a hundred unmistakable eyes gazing back on her. She'd know that harsh stare anywhere. The woman put in charge of her well-being hardly ever set foot inside from the doorway. She always looked from a distance, peeking in through the door and crushing Rey under her heavy gaze.

She took a shaking step back and fell. When she looked up again, there was only moonlight peeking through the jagged shards of glass still clinging to the window frame. It was all in her head. No one was looking at her, watching her, studying her. She was just being paranoid.

Embarrassed at her overreaction, she shoved that line of thought out of mind and concentrated on finding the Doctor. It took some time, but she finally tracked him to the captain's cabin. He was just standing in the middle of the room, completely silent. Thinking he was alone, for once he wasn't putting on a performance for the people around him. Rey was struck by the thought that he looked made of marble. No, not marble. Marble was too soft and easily scratched. He looked like he was carved from diamond and coal, crystalline and untouchable.

She thought she had been quiet, but something alerted him to her presence. The blocked off expression was wiped from his face, replaced by something younger and more open. "What is it," he asked worriedly. "Did something happen with Amy?"

She shook her head. "We just talked."

"She didn't spoil anything, did she?"

"No." He smiled, and she almost believed it if not for what she just saw. "Doctor…?"

He perked up, head tilted to the side and eyes earnest. "What is it? You can ask me anything, Rey."

Now was the perfect time to talk to him. She had putting it off for a while, not wanting to come off as crazy in front of the others. Or crazier. But she was at a loss for words. She felt thrown, tugged in a dozen directions, and afraid. What if it was all in her head, just like all the doctors always insisted?

"No, it's nothing."

"Do you hear something?" His expression shifted suddenly, focused on listening to something in the distance. "It feels like something's out there, staring straight at me." Rey gulped loudly and tried not to put too much thought in how his words echoed her own feelings just moments ago.

A thunderclap boomed before she could respond. For the first time since she arrived, the entire ship rocked. She and the Doctor exchanged excited looks, all talk of being spied on forgotten.

"Man the sails!"

They ran out of the room to gather the others. In no time at all the storm was upon them. It was pouring buckets, the sound of rain against the wooden deck a constant buzz that needed to be shouted over. Gusts of wind cut through the air, making it feel even colder.

"To the rigging, you dogs," Avery commanded. "Let go the sails. Avast ye!" She joined Amy and Rory in untying the ropes holding the mainsail back. The Doctor went for the wheel. "Put the bunt into the slack of claws!"

"I swear he's making half this stuff up," Amy complained.

"What we really need is some sort of phrase book," Rory suggested.

Avery ignored their grumbling. In one breath he ordered Toby to find him his compass and in another he yelled at them to work faster.

Toby rushed back with his arms full of Avery's coat. Halfway across the deck, he stumbled, and the golden crown Mulligan had tried to steal fell out. There was a moment of pause where they could do nothing but watch it roll across deck. Toby looked at his father, eyes full of hurt.

With a shower of green light, the Siren burst out of the crown. She fell back smoothly down to the deck, singing and with an arms stretched out to Toby. Avery warned against it, but, it was too late. Enthralled, Toby reached for her.

He disappeared with a scream.

Amy grabbed Rory to stop him from following suit. Alone, Rey struggled with the rope and prayed she wouldn't be blown away. The sail was free now, but it still needed to be tied down. If she let go, they wouldn't have a hope of securing it. Sneaking behind the Siren, the Doctor made a grab for the crown and tossed it overboard to banish her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"You couldn't give up the gold, could you? That's why you turned pirate! Your commission, your wife, your son. Just how much is that treasure worth to you man," he yelled.

The ship lurched again and the main yardarm swung around. It caught Rory at his shoulders and knocked him into the stormy sea. Amy immediately ran to the side of the ship. "Rory! Rory! I can't see him. Rey, Doctor, I'm going in!"

"He drowning. You go in after him, you'll drown too!"

"The Siren can save him," Rey told her. Truth be told, she wasn't completely sure of what she was saying herself. What she did know was that they were missing something big, something obvious that they were too close and emotional to see. With the Siren, Rory had half a chance, which was better than no chance at all.

"What are you talking about," Amy demanded.

Before anyone could stop her or she could talk herself out of it, Rey made for the water barrel and lifted the lid. The Siren popped out, looking around almost confused for a moment until she urged her after Rory in the water.

"What did you do," Amy asked, horrified as the Siren dove after him.

"If he stays in there he'll die," the Doctor pointed out.

"She'll kill him," Amy argued.

"That thing isn't just some ravenous hunter! It's intelligent. We can reason with it. And maybe, just maybe, they're still alive somewhere. We have to follow."

He produced a blade and they took turns pricking their fingers. A black spot appeared on each of their palms, perfectly circular and painless. The area around it felt a little tight when she flexed, and it tingled a little like numbed nerves reawakening.

When she glanced back up, the Doctor was looking at her curiously. "Rey? Did you see something?"

What did he mean by see?

Before she could reply, the Siren's song started up again. None of them tried to fight when she appeared, they just reached for her inviting hand. There was a flash of light, the sensation of falling, and when she opened her eyes, she was lying on the floor of a spaceship.

"Where are we," Amy asked, cautiously looking around.

"We haven't moved," the Doctor told her. "We're in exactly the same place as before."

A large window took up much of the wall to the left, and through it they could see Avery's vessel. "We're on a ghost ship," he concluded.

"No, it's real. Spaceship trapped in a temporal rift."

"Same place, different plane," Rey mumbled.

The Doctor beamed. "Two planes, two worlds, two cars parked in the same space. There are lots of different universes nested under each other. Now and again they collide and you can step from one to the other."

Amy nodded. "Okay, I think I can understand."

"Good. Cos it's nothing like that at all. But if that helps."

"Your explanations get worse as you age, don't they," Rey asked. She ignored his pout and picked up a small piece of metal from the floor. It sailed directly through the glass smoothly, landing on the deck of the other ship. "The reflections became doorways," she clarified. "It explains the distress signal."

"See, Rey gets it. Ever look in a mirror and think you're seeing a whole other world? Well, this time it's not an illusion."

They explored the ship quickly, trying to find where Rory and the others would be kept. Singing could be heard from the distance, which confirmed that the Siren was on board. Just as well, there was no one left of Avery's ship for her. Behind one of the doors was the desiccated body of an alien. The remains looked vaguely dinosauric. Another body was at the controls on the bridge. Through the window was Avery's captain quarter.

"You were right about something staring at us the whole time," she noted. "How long as this ship been marooned here?"

"Long enough for the captain to have run out of grog," Avery reckoned.

"I don't understand. If this is the captain," Amy pointed to the body, "then what's the Siren?"

"Same as us," the Doctor guessed as he did scanned with the sonic. "A stowaway."

"She killed it?"

He checked the readings. "Human bacteria. A virus, from our planet. Airborne, traveling through the portal. That's what killed it. Didn't get its jabs." Leaning to get a better look, a light squish sound when his hand landed on the panel had him flinching back, holding up his hand for them to see. "Urghhh! Look."

"What is it?" Amy moved to lean forward, but Rey shook her head. Her alarm bells had been ringing since the Doctor said "virus." She wasn't mysophobic, but some things were just gross, and anything that could go squish in a pilot room where nothing should squish was likely going to fall under that category.

"Sneeze," the Doctor exclaimed. "Alien bogies." He shook his hand, trying to get it off. When that didn't work, he wiped it off on Amy's appropriated coat as he passed her on the way to the door.

The next room they entered reminded her sharply of the hospital. It was clearly the sickbay, with beds suspended from the ceiling. The unconscious figures lying in them were all intubated. Avery recognized the closest one of as from part of his crew. It took only a moment for him to find Toby and for Amy to find Rory. Even the TARDIS was there, and the Doctor ran to give her a big hug.

"We have to get them out of here." Avery moved to disconnect his son, but the Doctor stopped him.

He scanned the boy. "His fever's gone." He moved onto Rory next. "She's keeping him alive. His brain is still active but its cellular activity is suspended. It's not a curse." Stepping back, he took another look at Rory's black spot. "It's a tissue sample. Why get samples of people you are about to kill?"

Finally, it clicked.

"Help me get him up," Amy requested. The Doctor reached to remove the tube from Rory's throat, tripping an alarm.

The singing started getting closer. "She's coming," Rey warned.

They managed to duck out of sight just before the Siren arrived. She went straight to a now awake Rory. He tried jerking away from her, but her song slowly drained the fight from him.

"Anesthetic," the Doctor explained. Of course. Rey should have known. Hadn't she thought that Rory looked drugged that first time? "The music. The song. So she anesthetizes people and then puts their bodies in stasis."

The Siren moved over to Toby next, hand hovering above him. Avery, unable to stay hidden while his son might be in danger, leaped out with his gun at the ready. He ignored the Doctor's protest and shot at her. The bullet sailed through and she whipped around to face him, literally and completely red with anger. The Doctor ran to the other side of the room and tried to catch her attention to no effect. Only when he sneezed did she stopped her advance and turned to him.

A flame flickered between her hands. "Whoa. Fire! That's new. What does fire do? Burn? Yes. Destroy? What else?"

"It sterilizes," Rey told him. "You sneezed. This is a sickbay and you brought germs in."

He pulled out his handkerchief, blew his nose, and threw the cloth to the floor. The flame shot out at it, reducing the fabric to ashes in an instant. Still red, the Siren inched slowly to Amy and Rey, who had taken advantage of the distraction to go back to Rory.

"Amy, Rey, stop. Don't interfere. Don't touch him. Anesthetic, tissue sample, screen, sterile working conditions. Ignore all my previous theories!"

"Yeah, well, we stopped paying attention a while back," Amy told him.

"Rey! You said it before, at the very beginning. She's not a killer at all."

"She's a doctor." She touched Amy's arm, prompting her to, reluctantly, step back. The Siren's red faded back to green.

"This is an automated sickbay," the Doctor continued. "Its teleporting everyone on board. The crew are dead and so the sickbay has had nothing to do. It's been looking after humanity whilst it's been idle. A virtual doctor! Able to sterilize a whole room."

"And burn a person's face off," she muttered. This really wasn't improving her opinion of medical professionals.

"She's just an interface. Seeped through the join between the planes. Broadcast in our world. Protean circuitry means she can change her form and become a human doctor for humans. Oh, sister, you are good!"

Amy tried reaching for Rory again. Enraged, the Siren hissed viciously until she backed away. Stubbornly, Avery stayed by his son's side. "She won't let us take them."

"She's keeping them alive but she doesn't know how to heal them," the Doctor concluded.

"I'm his wife for God's safe! Why can't I touch him?"

"Try telling her," Rey suggested, eyeing the Siren carefully. The Doctor had said she was intelligent.

"Yes, tell her Amy. Show her your ring." He held her left hand out for her. "She may be virtual but she's intelligent. You can't do anything without her consent. Come on! Sophisticated girl like you, that must be somewhere in your core program."

"Look, he's very ill," Amy said, trying to reason with the Siren. "Okay? I just want to look after him. Why won't you let me near my husband?"

She held her hand out, and a ring of light appeared around it. "Consent form," the Doctor explained. "Sign it. Put your hand in the light. Rory's sick. You have to take full responsibility."

Amy did so without hesitation, and the Siren drifted off to look after the other sickbay inhabitants. The moment they turned off the power to the machines attached to Rory, he began to thrash. "He's still drowning, turn it back on," Rey urged.

Amy immediate flipped the switch. "What do we do? I can't just leave him here."

"He'll die if you take him out."

Amy stroked his face tenderly. "Rory? Wake up."

Now that the drugs were flushed out of his system, he was quick to obey. Bleary eyes blinked up. "Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital. If you leave you might die." Rey eyed the Doctor. Uncharacteristically succinct. That was how she knew things were bad.

"But if you don't you'll have to stay forever," Amy added miserably.

"You're saying that if I don't get up now…"

"You can never leave," she confirmed.

"The Siren will keep you safe," the Doctor added.

"And if I come with you?"

"You're currently drowning and on the verge of death," Rey told him.

"I'm a nurse," Rory suddenly declared. He only had eyes for Amy, clutching her hands just as tightly as she was holding onto him. "I can teach you how to save me."

Amy took a tiny step back. "Hold on."

"I was drowning. You just have to resuscitate me."

"Just?"

"You've seen them do it loads of times in films. CPR. The kiss of life."

"Rory, this isn't a film, okay. What if I do it wrong?"

"You won't." He sounded so sure. It was suddenly so clear how much he loved Amy. Moreover, he respected her. He believed in her more than anything. If Amy had half as much confidence in her own abilities that Rory did, Rey was sure things would work out.

"Okay, what if you don't come back to life? What if…?"

"I trust you," he said calmly.

"What about him?" She gestured to the Doctor. "I mean, why do I have to be the one? Why do I have to save you?"

"Because I know you'll never give up."

Rey stayed with the couple while the Doctor moved to talk to Avery. She listened in on Rory's explanation, filing the instructions away for later. You never knew when CPR might come in handy. And knowing the Doctor, sooner or later it would. A few beds away, Avery volunteered to stay aboard. Toby's condition was terminal, and unlike Rory he didn't stand a chance. Disconnecting him from the life support would be a death sentence.

"I know you can do this. Of course, if you muck it up I'm going to be really cross. And dead."

"I'll see you in a minute," Amy told him. She looked to Rey for reassurance before unhooking Rory. Together, the three of them carried him to the TARDIS as he gasped for air. They set him down just inside, getting him in the proper position so Amy could get to work.

"Come on," the Doctor urged. His hands were balled into tight fists by his side. Rey wished she could somehow give him some measure of comfort, but she knew the only thing that could reassure him now was Rory opening his eyes. "Come on Rory. Not here. Not this way. Not today."

"He trusted me," Amy cried as she pounded on his chest. "He trusted me to save him."

"You still can," Rey urged her. "You can do this. Amazing Amy, remember? Always saving the day."

"Please," she begged as she pressed harder. "Please, please wake up, wake up, wake up." Amy sobbed as she sat back, Rory still and pale on the floor. Just when they were about to lose all hope, he jerked and began coughing up water.

The Doctor threw his arms around Rey in joy. She allowed the hug, leaning in slightly and hiding her smile in his chest. Amy was sobbing in Rory's arms as he whispered reassurances in her ear.

When the celebration was over Amy and Rory retreated to their room. The Doctor fiddled with the TARDIS monitor, bidding them goodnight almost absentmindedly. He had his worried look on. It was funny, actually, how a different face could make the same expression.

"What's wrong?" She had noticed a scan running in the background on the monitor earlier, but she hadn't paid attention to what it was for, distracted by the sulking TARDIS.

"Spoilers." He made a face when he said it, like the word left a nasty taste in his mouth. "Speaking of, have I spoken to you about those yet?"

She shook her head. "You talked about how time was wibbly, could be rewritten, and wasn't the boss of you, but then you went off on a tangent and got distracted." He grinned sheepishly at her. "I can figure it out. Since our timelines aren't in order, one of us might have foreknowledge. You're saying we shouldn't spoil things for one another?"

"Yeah. But it's more you keeping them from me. You're better with secrets?" He pouted.

"Am I?"

They drifted closer as they talked. Finally, Rey understood all those books that described characters as magnetic. The pull was natural, unnoticeable until it was brought to attention or she tried to fight it. As easy as breathing, she went along with the Doctor, and it scared her. He was like the ocean, and it would be so easy to lose herself in the current.

With a vicious yank, she undid her bun and combed her fingers through her hair to try and fight the creases. She needed something to do with her hands and a reason to look away from him. Rey wasn't going to lose. She wasn't going to get caught in his undertow or magnetic field or whatever metaphor that applied. She was going to keep herself and move forwards.

A hand reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. She jolted, gaze following it back to him. Just like that, the Doctor had launched his counter, so easily slipping past her defenses. "What is it?"

"You're so young," he said mysteriously.

What did her age matter? "I'm eighteen."

"Exactly my point." He looked down at his feet, shoulders slumping. "I'm an old man, Rey. Very old. I've seen and had more than my fair share of terrible things. And amazing things. Brilliant things."

"We've all got to go sometime," he had said to Amy, and he didn't sound defeated, but he did sound resigned. The Doctor didn't have an active death wish, but maybe… maybe he was tired. Time and space were so vast, and there were only so many terrible things a person could take.

"Let's exchange secrets," she suddenly proposed, wanting to banish that exhausted expression from his face. It didn't belong there, and not just because this Doctor looked so young.

"What?"

"This is my first time meeting this you," she explained. "And as you keep reminding me, I'm new at this. I don't know you very well. So let's exchange secrets to get to know each other better."

Now that she explained it she felt foolish. It was a child's idea, immature and naive. The Doctor had an incomprehensible look on his face and she panicked, opening her mouth to take it back. Then, of all things, he chuckled.

"Alright. I love knowing secrets."

She breathed a silent sigh of relief. Part of her wondered if she was just being humored, and another part of her felt… grateful. Like the Doctor wasn't just pulling her along, he was working to meet her halfway.

"I'll go first," she offered. This wasn't really a secret, but she hadn't ever told anyone it either. "I don't like doctors." His face fell, aghast. It was almost comical, and she struggled not to laugh. "But I like you."

Rapidly, he flushed, darker and darker. It spread down the collar of his shirt to the tips of his ears. Rey hadn't known it was physically possible to turn that red, but maybe Time Lords were extra capable. Embarrassed by her frank words, for once it was him ducking her gaze.

Never was Rey so glad that she was incapable of blushing. She was embarrassed by her own boldness too. Thank god Amy and Rory were no longer around, or she might've jumped just to get away.

After a while, she started getting antsy. Just standing there in silence felt so awkward. Fair was fair—they had an agreement, and it was his turn to spill. No way was she leaving without something out of him in return. Not after that.

She fidgeted, nudging him lightly, to remind him why she'd said that in the first place. The Doctor mumbled something incomprehensible to the floor.

"Huh?" She leaned in closer.

Without any warning, his hands came up to her shoulders. The tips of his ears were still flushed, and he was still wound so tightly that it was clear he wasn't completely passed the embarrassment. She startled at the abrupt turn of events, blinking incomprehensibly at his now much less red face. "That was hardly fair, Rey, saying it so out of the blue like that."

"I never claimed to play fair." No, that wasn't what she meant to say. What was it about the Doctor that made her so flustered that she just blurted thing out? "It's your turn."

He cleared his throat. "Right, my turn. My secret to tell. Well get ready, cos this is a good one, the secret to ends all secrets."

As he spoke, his voice started getting quieter and quieter. No, it wasn't his voice, it was her hearing. It was starting to go out, which meant that she was getting ready to jump.

He mouthed something, and all she heard was a half incomprehensible whisper. "-s—- — —-nd —you...

"Wait," she tried to say, but she was unsure if what came out was actually the word, or if it was just a jumble of sounds. His hands were still on her shoulders, but she could no longer feel the weight nor the warmth of them. Vision tunneling, she could still make out the Doctor's face. A bittersweet smile, more bitter than sweet, pulled at his lips.

Rey reached up, but she couldn't even tell if she succeeded in touching him. No. She didn't want to leave him like this. Not in the middle of a conversation, not when he was looking like that. But she had no idea how to stop or how to stay.

Forcing her unfeeling tongue to work, she could only hope that the words came out at least somewhat intelligibly. Four words were hardly enough to make a difference, but she could try.

"I'll see you soon."