Chapter 4

"Ms. Austen?", the young woman turned around and and met Autumn's eyes. Autumn curtsied very lightly and smiled. "I'm Lady Autumn. It's my pleasure to meet you." The moment Autumn mentioned her alibi, Jane gasped slightly and and curtsied much lower than Autumn had.

"My lady! Oh, thank you for your friendly greeting. It is my great honour to meet you." Autumn smiles slightly and places a delicate hand on the girl's shoulder. Jane lifted her head.

"Please, call me Autumn. None of this "my lady" nonsense. I want my friends to speak to me as an equal." Jane's eyes widen and she laughs breathlessly. Autumn links an arm through the other woman's. She starts walking with her, talking about Jane's life, Autumn listening while Jane narrated her life. On the outside, Autumn was kind and polite, listening quietly to the woman beside her. On the inside, though, she was far from calm. She was speaking to the woman that inspired her from a young age. The woman that was a fairy tale to Autumn was walking and chatting with her! About her life! Jane Austen was talking to her; her mind could hardly take it. She walked with Jane for a couple hours as Jane poured her heart out. After a long while, Jane finally reached the subject that was so important to the Doctor and Autumn's purpose.

"-Harris asked for my hand today, actually. It's a very smart match. Both families will benefit from our marriage. He actually told me when he asked, 'It is imperative to the plan.'" Autumn instantly went cold.

"Really? How strange..."

"That's Harris, though. He's very strange when he speaks. He never really speaks at all, but when he does, it's like... He's not really here." Jane shakes her head. "I'm so sorry, my la- Autumn. I've been speaking this whole time and haven't let you get a word in! I just-", she pauses and bites her lip. "I may sound mad, but I feel like I can trust you... Like you know me as well as I know myself." Autumn laughs slightly. She had no idea how right she was.

"I completely agree. I really don't mind listening. I think if someone is silenced in life with their families and friends, they jump at the chance to speak their mind in the company of strangers." Jane looked at Autumn, sadness in her face.

"I fear the ones I love. I can never be what I dream to be because of the shame I'd bring them. It's not just them either. I fear the looks and whispers I know comes with my dreams. I may seem strong to many, but in my heart... my fire is dying." Autumn's heart ached for the woman beside her. She had no idea of the impact her work will have on the world.

"Don't give up! I mean, you could be the greatest writer in the whole world! Millions of people will read your stories and love them, I just know it." Autumn felt desperate. She really wanted Jane to know everything she could be. She suddenly caught the look of confusion on her companions face and what she said sunk in.

"How... How do you know I want to write?", she looks at Autumn. "I've never met you before. How could you possibly know about my writing?"

"Umm..." Autumn's mind was completely blank. How would I know about her writing? She writes in secret! You idiot! "Umm-"

"Ja-ane. The-there you are are.", a man's voice came from behind Autumn. The sudden calm mask that appeared on Jane's face enforced the skin-crawling feeling that went up her spine at his voice. Empty, just an echo of human consciousness. She turned around and faced the tall, broad man before her, fighting the urge to run. He looked down at her and blinked.

"He-ello. I-I'm Harri-is B-Bigg-W-ith-her. W-who are you-u?"

"Lady Autumn of Hampshire." Harris bows low.

"Th-thank you s-so m-much for co-coming. Ex-xcuse me, I n-need to speak-k to Ja-ane al-lone.", he reached out a hand and took Jane's upper arm.

"Well, no. I'm not done speaking to my friend." Autumn reached out to take Jane's hand, but he was too quick for her. He pulled her quickly away from Autumn, cutting through the crowd. Autumn met Jane's eyes before the crowd separated them again. She ran off instantly to find the Doctor. They were going to kill her soon if they didn't stop this soon.

The Doctor weaved in and out of the crowd. He had told Autumn to find Jane Austen and keep her safe. Don't let her leave your sight.

"You need to make sure she doesn't go off with Harris under any circumstances. We can't risk her getting trapped.", the Doctor grimly told her before sending her off. He walked out of the foyer and down a dark hallway. He pulled out his sonic and starts scanning every direction. He starts walking down the hallway, his sonic scanning for the aluminium decaxide found in the helmets. As he approaches a door further down, his sonic starts going wild. He puts it away and opens the door, his jaw hardening at what he found.

It was a slaughter house room. The mechanism was hanging from the ceiling above a metal chair, restraints open and ready for the next victim. He looked around the floor and saw blood splatters here and there. He felt disgusted. The worst part of these empty people was what they would do if you wouldn't give the information they wanted. They'd change you if you were lucky… But if you weren't "compatible" for the machine… The Doctor squatted down to a nearby dried spot. He touched the ground near it.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…", he whispered at the ground in a sad voice. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner." He stood back up and went to work. He started ripping out wires and connecting reactors. He worked so hard that he almost didn't hear the voices moving quickly towards his location. He stopped and dropped wires, letting them dangle as he ran behind the chair. The door opened and people walked in. He heard a scared woman's voice along with a stuttering male's.

"W-where am I?"

"Th-his, m-my d-dear, is the Soul De-etrac-ctor. It sh-hall make us l-lords of the wo-orld." There was a scuffle and then a sharp jolt as the woman was pushed into the chair. He strapped her in quickly, ignoring her soft pleadings. The man that had strapped her in ordered her to stay put as he marched out. When the door slammed shut, the Doctor slid out from his hiding place and started at the straps holding the woman down. He looked up at her shocked and terrified face and suddenly mirroring her shock. He knew her face. It was Jane Austen. He fumbled quicker with the restraints, freeing her and taking her hands. He studied her face, checking f0r any bruises or if she was in shock.

"Are you alright, Jane?", she shrinks away in fear. "No no no! I'm a friend. I'm the Doctor. I'm a friend of Autumn's and I'm here to protect you." He smiles reassuringly at her and offers her his hand. When he mentioned Autumn's name, he could see she relaxed slightly; she held out a quivering hand. He took it and helped her up, walking her slowly out of the room. He heard footsteps walking quickly their way.

"Get down.", he ducked them behind a tapestry, cracking it slightly to see who was coming. A red-haired woman appeared, her hair had come undone with some exertion, probably running, and now hung heavily around her face. The Doctor sighed in relief and slid them out from behind the curtain.

"Autumn.", she spun around and saw him, relief overwhelming her face. She ran to him and hugged him tightly, him doing the same to her. She leaned back and cupped his face in her hands, checking for injuries. He saw a cut on her cheek, checking hers.

"What happened to you?", she shook her head absently.

"Some man kept following me. I handled it.", the Doctor grinned widely, pride for her swelling in his chest. She looked over and saw Jane shaking nearby. She gasped and ran to her, holding her tightly. She wrapped her arm around the other's shoulder and turned back to the Doctor.

"He took her from me. I tried to follow, but I wasn't quick enough. They were lost in the crowd too quickly for me to find them.", she turned back to the scared woman in her arms. "I'm so sorry. I tried to find you immediately, I really did." Jane's lip started to quiver as a couple tears slid down her cheeks.

"What's go-oing on?", the Doctor and Autumn exchanged glances before the Doctor walked closer to her.

"We can't tell you everything… All we can say is that you're in terrible danger. You need to trust us from here on out if you want to live.", he sees the fear in her eyes double and she starts to shake again. "Jane, I'm sorry, I really am, but I need you to trust me. Please." Jane looks at Autumn, who nods encouragingly, then turns back to the Doctor. She nods her head slowly. The Doctor smiles and pats her shoulder as if he was her father. He motions for Autumn to come a bit away from Jane. He turns to her, whispering harshly.

"Why didn't you stay with her?" Autumn looks taken back for a moment.

"I did. I never left her sid-"

"Obviously you did!", he ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Do you know what could have happened to her if I hadn't been there? She could have died, Autumn. Do you understand that?" Autumn looked hurt by his harshness.

"He dragged her away from me by her arm! What, did you think I could fight him? I'm not even half his size! What did you want me to do, Doctor?", Autumn clenched her fists and crossed her arms. "I'm not perfect, Doctor! This is completely new to me! I'm sorry I'm not your other friends, okay! I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you!" The Doctor stares at her, shocked slightly at her outburst. She turns away, biting her lip, and runs away from him. Before she turned away, though, the Doctor caught a glimpse of her beautiful eyes… They had been filled with tears. The Doctor sighs and rubs his temples. Every time… They all lose they're faith… He rubs his eyes and straightens up. He walks over Jane and takes her arm in his, walking her out of the house. While it was very dangerous to do this, he knew she would be safe in the TARDIS. It was the only safe place for her to go… And he had to find Autumn. Jane was important to millions… But Autumn was far more important to him than those millions.

Autumn ran blindly crying out of the house and into the forest. She wrapped her small wool shawl around her bare arms, not caring where she ended up, but just wanting to be far away from the Doctor and the things that didn't make any sense. She ran into a small clearing that had somehow been able to be sheltered from most of the snow hours before. She sat on a fallen log, breathing heavily. She looked up through the branches acting as an almost protective blanket against the cold, winter air and at the stars. The amount she could see was astounding to her. It's like someone had spilled a bottle of glitter across the sky and it looked so pretty that they just didn't want to clean it up. She sighed and shook her head. I shouldn't have done that, she thought. I just acted like a child throwing a tantrum… He must think I'm so stupid! She shook her head angrily at herself. Why did I have to do that!

When she thought more about it, she started to see what had spurred her outburst. The disappointment in his voice when he reprimanded her was heartbreaking for some reason… No. She knew exactly what the reason was. She wanted to be worthy. She wanted to be one of those shinning companions he had mentioned. She wanted him to remember her. If she messed up, though, it would be irritation that coloured his memory of her. She wanted to be perfect for him. She ran her hands through her hair, holding in a bunch while she thought. She let go of her hair and gets up after a while after making her decision. When she turns around, she sees movement in the woods. She studies at the area where she saw the shadow, hearing the snap of a twig behind her. She spins around and sees a face in between the trees. She stumbles backwards and turns to run again, but there's another face. Everywhere she looked, someone was there. She freezes when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

"DOCTOR!", she screamed, hoping he'd hear her. "DOCTO-" There was a sharp pain on her head, then everything went black