Sorry for the delay. I'm a little miffed, if I'm honest. I had a saved section where I had snippets of things I would later add to this fic, but something screwed up on the app and it ended up copying this chapter to it, so I lost all the snippets.
Sadly, that means that there may be times where there's a longer wait between chapters. I apologise and hope you can understand and be patient with me.
Now that that's out of the way... Here's the next one!
After reaching the Tardis in the South Pole, Ember found herself staying with Clara and the Doctor for several days, which surprised her, but she was grateful for the brief reprieve. However, just as she'd let her guard down, dressed in tracksuit bottoms and warm sweater, the burning sensation began to build up as they were discussing where to go next.
"See you soon," the Doctor said, though what he said next puzzled her. "And sorry in advance."
She couldn't ask what he meant, for in the next moment she was gone. When she was able to take in her next surroundings, she was confused for a moment as to where she was before she noticed the coral-like structures in the hallway she'd landed in. This meant that it was either Nine's or Ten's era.
"Oh, it's you!" A woman's voice made her turn, to find Donna Noble walking up to her. Ten's era, then. "You had me going for a minute there."
Ember frowned, puzzled. The burning sensation that often accompanied her jumping hadn't faded completely this time, leaving her with a feeling of mild heartburn, but she waved it off in favour of greeting the redhead. "Hi, Donna. Um, this is gonna sound weird, but..."
Donna watched her for a moment before her eyes widened in understanding. "This is the first time you see me, isn't it? You told me something like this earlier, but I didn't really get it."
"Yea. Time travel, huh?" Ember smiled. "So, what's going on?"
"Oh, it's the nineteen twenties, and we're going to a party!" Donna moved to loop their arms together, not noticing Ember's slight flinch at the sudden contact, and began to pull her along. "I was going to get changed, so let's find something together!"
Ember hesitated. If she remembered right, the nineteen twenties meant they were about to meet Agatha Christie. That meant dresses. "Um, I'm not really into dresses..."
"Oh, I know," Donna replied with a grin. "But I'm sure we'll find something for you."
It didn't take long for the two women to find something. Donna wore a beaded flapper dress that had a variety of black and brown shades, while Ember - who refused a lot of dresses because they were a little shorter than she thought was acceptable in the time period they were in, which made her wonder why Donna was trying to get her into one - went with a longer version that was more of a rust red colour. Her hair was a little too long to have it styled for the fashion, so she put it into a neat bun instead, while Donna had hers done the traditional way.
Ember was able to weasel out of wearing high heels in favour of Mary Janes that matched her dress, saying that it was better to do so in case there's running.
As the two women headed back out towards the console room, Donna paused and looked at Ember closely. "Hang on a minute. I was gonna suggest makeup for your scar, but it's not there."
"Again with the scar," Ember murmured before facing the redhead. "I don't know anything about a scar, except it's supposed to be on my face."
Donna purses her lips, realising her mistake, before she sighed. "You told me how you got it and when, and made me promise not to tell you. But you have it more often than not, so I don't think it'll be long before it happens. I think I've seen you, what, twice now without it, so..."
Ember nodded as they reached the console room. "I wanna ask, but I get why I shouldn't. But... any hints as to when?"
"Hmm..." Donna looked thoughtful. "You said you got it after-"
A loud knocking from the doors leading outside interrupted, along with the Tenth Doctor's voice. "We'll be late for cocktails!"
Ember and Donna laughed, silently deciding it was better to not continue, and moved toward the doors. Donna stopped the brunette and motioned her to wait before she opened the door and moved into the frame.
"What do you think?" She purred, striking a pose. "Flapper or slapper?"
The Doctor pretended to look her over before he smiled. "Flapper. You look lovely."
Donna grinned. "Oh! I got a surprise for you!" She leaned back into the doorway and grabbed Ember by the arm, pulling her into view. "Look who dropped in!"
"Ember!" The Doctor grinned, moving to hug the brunette, and then paused as he took in her outfit. "You-you're wearing a dress."
Ember blushed, ducking her head. "Yea, I couldn't come out in tracksuit and sweater. I know, I don't look as good as Donna-ow!"
Donna gave her a stern look, having also given her a swift smack on her shoulder. "Now stop that. You look great, doesn't she, Doctor?"
The Doctor nodded, having not taken his eyes off of her the whole time. "You look amazing."
If possible, Ember's blush darkened at the compliment. "Thanks."
The Doctor grinned, offering an arm to each woman, gently leading them towards a grand old Manor House, where they went round the back to find a small gathering underway. A young footman started a record playing while an Indian housekeeper gave orders.
"Look sharp." She called. "We have guests."
"Good afternoon." The Doctor greeted as the young footman approached them.
"Drinks, sir? Ma'ams?" He asked.
Donna gave a charming smile. "Sidecar, please."
"A lime and soda, thank you." The Doctor added.
Ember smiled. "A lemonade, please."
A butler stepped up, calling the attention to a petite older woman. "May I announce Lady Clemency Eddison."
The Doctor kept grinning as the woman approached them. "Lady Eddison."
"Forgive me, but who exactly might you be," Lady Eddison asked, puzzled. "And what are you doing here?"
"I'm the Doctor, and my... partner here is Miss Ember." The brunette had to fight hard to keep the surprise off her face at how he introduced her. "And this is Miss Donna Noble, of the Chiswick Nobles."
Donna gave a small curtsy, putting on a posh accent. "Good afternoon, my lady. Topping day, what? Spiffing. Top hole."
"No, no, no, no, no. No, don't do that. Don't." The Doctor murmured to her before he flourished the psychic paper at Lady Eddison. "We were thrilled to receive your invitation, my lady. We met at the Ambassador's reception."
Instantly her expression turned warm, obviously pretending to know them now that they had 'proof'. "Doctor, how could I forget you? But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose."
The Doctor looked around. "A unicorn? Brilliant. Where?"
"The Unicorn. The jewel thief?" Lady Eddison clarified, looking amused. "Nobody knows who he is. He's just struck again. Snatched Lady Babbington's pearls right from under her nose."
"Funny place to wear pearls." Donna muttered, taking her drink from the footman who'd returned with their requests. Ember hid her smile behind her own drink.
"May I announce Colonel Hugh Curbishley," the butler - Greeves, if Ember remembered right - called, introducing an old man in a wheelchair pushed by his younger son. "the Honourable Roger Curbishley."
Lady Eddison smiled. "My husband, and my son."
"Forgive me for not rising." The Colonel said with a small chuckle. "Never been the same ever since that flu epidemic back in eighteen."
Roger gave Donna an appreciative glance over. "My word, you are a super lady."
"Oh, I like the cut of your jib. Chin, chin." Donna flirted with a grin.
The Doctor shook the man's hand, pulling him away from Ember, to the brunete's confusion. "Hello. I'm the Doctor."
"How do you do?"
"Very well."
The footman approached Roger with a drink on a tray. "Your usual, sir?"
"Ah. Thank you, Davenport." Roger took the drink, giving the footman what he thought was a subtle look. "Just how I like it."
"How come she's an Eddison, but her husband and son are Curbishleys?" Donna asked, missing the exchange.
"The Eddison title descends through her." The Doctor replied. "One day Roger will be a lord."
Greeves spoke again, introducing a fashionable young woman in a black and red flowered dress. "Robina Redmond."
"She's the absolute hit of the social scene. A must." Lady Eddison whispered to them before greeting the woman. "Miss Redmond."
Robina smiled as they shook hands. "Spiffing to meet you at last, my lady. What super fun."
"Reverend Arnold Golightly." Greeves announced a man with short blonde hair and a reverend collar.
"Ah, Reverend. How are you?" Lady Eddison greeted. "I heard about the church last Thursday night. Those ruffians breaking in."
The Colonel nodded. "You apprehended them, I hear."
"As the Christian Fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses." The reverend said, sounding modest. "Quite literally."
Ember shivered, knowing what was underneath that cover.
"Some of these young boys deserve a descent thrashing." Roger said.
Davenport gave him a look that was missed by most but the travellers saw as longing. "Couldn't agree more, sir."
Donna caught the exchange this time, huffing. "Typical. All the decent men are on the other bus."
"Or Time Lords." The Doctor teased, nudging Ember with his elbow and smiling. The brunette just smiled, not certain where she fit into it.
"Now, my lady." Roger addressed his mother. "What about this special guest you promised us?"
"Here she is." Lady Eddison chirped as a blonde woman in a blue dress approached. "A lady who needs no introduction."
"No, no, please, don't." The woman was saying, a light blush on her face as she reached them. "Thank you, Lady Eddison. Honestly, there's no need. Agatha Christie."
Donna blinked. "What about her?"
"That's me."
Donna's mouth fell open. "No. You're kidding."
The Doctor recovered quickly and shook the woman's hand enthusiastically. "Agatha Christie. I was just talking about you the other day. I said, I bet she's brilliant. I'm the Doctor. This is Donna and Ember. Oh, I love your stuff. What a mind. You fool me every time. Well, almost every time. Well, once or twice. Well, once. But it was a good once."
Agatha looked at him calculatingly. "You make a rather unusual couple."
Instantly the Doctor and Donna shook their heads as they rambled. "Oh, no, no, no, no. We're not married."
"We're not a couple."
"Well, obviously not. No wedding ring." Agatha gestured to their hands before pointing out something else. "And you're holding this young lady by the arm."
The Doctor looked to find that indeed, he hadn't released Ember's arm. "Oh. Oh, you don't miss a trick."
"I'd stay that way if I were you. The thrill is in the chase, never in the capture."
Lady Eddison gently guided Agatha's attention into herself. "Mrs Christie, I'm so glad you could come. I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books. Er, is, er... Mister Christie not joining us?"
A flash of irritation crossed Agatha's face, but she hid it quickly. "Is he needed? Can't a woman make her own way in the world?"
The Colonal chuckled. "Don't give my wife ideas."
"Now Mrs Christie, I have a question." Roger asked as they began to wonder away from the time travelers. "Why a Belgian detective?"
The Doctor carefully pulled away from Ember in order to move to the Colonel, gently taking the newspaper the man had on his lap. "Excuse me, Colonel."
"Belgians make such lovely buns." Agatha answerd the earlier question to gain light laughter from her audience, not noticing the Doctor discreetly waving Donna and Ember over to him.
Roger looked around. "I say, where on Earth's Professor Peach? He'd love to meet Mrs Christie."
The reverend tilted his head. "Said he was going to the library."
"Miss Chandrakala," Lady Eddison called to the housekeeper. "Would you go and collect the Professor?
"At once, Milady."
Meanwhile, Ember and Donna reached the Doctor, who showed them the newspaper. "The date on this newspaper."
"What about it?" Donna asked.
"It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared." The Doctor explained. "She'd just discovered her husband was having an affair."
Donna looked at the laughing group. "You'd never think to look at her, smiling away."
The Doctor shrugged. "Well, she's British and moneyed. That's what they do. They carry on."
Ember nodded. "It's easy to hide it all behind a mask and pretend nothing's wrong."
"Except for this one time. No one knows exactly what happened. She just vanished. Her car will be found tomorrow morning by the side of a lake. Ten days later, Agatha Christie turns up in a hotel in Harrogate. Said she'd lost her memory. She never spoke about the disappearance till the day she died, but whatever it was..." The Doctor trailed off.
Donna's eyes widened. "It's about to happen."
"Right here, right now."
"Professor!" Miss Chandrakala screamed as she ran out of the house. "The library! Murder! Murder!"
Everyone ran towards the house, but it was the Doctor enter who reached the library first, followed by Donna and Agatha. Ember stayed by the door, along with everyone else who'd crowded in the doorway.
Greeves spoke first. "Oh, my goodness."
The Doctor checked the body, pulling his glasses on. "Bashed on the head. Blunt instrument. Watch broke as he fell. Time of death was quarter past four."
As he leapt up to look over the desk, pulling his glasses on, Donna picked up a large piece of lead pipe that was lying nearby, blood coating one end. "A bit of pipe. Call me Hercules Poirot, but I reckon that's blunt enough."
Agatha, who'd also been able to get in the room before the others had crowded it, spotted a piece of burnt paper in the grate. Swiftly she plucked it up and put it in her bag, not noticing that the Doctor had seen her do it via a reflection. As she straightened, she caught Ember watching her, who gave her a brief nod before looking elsewhere.
"Nothing worth killing for in that lot." The Doctor spoke up, pretending he hadn't seen any of it. "Dry as dust."
"Hold on." Donna said. "The Body In The Library? I mean, Professor Peach, in the library, with the lead piping?"
"Let me see." Lady Eddison was saying as the others tried to push their way in.
The Colonel was trying to do the same, confined as he was. "Out of my way."
"Gerald?"
Reverend Golightly gasped, putting on what Ember knew to be an act. "Saints preserve us."
"Oh how awful." Redmond whispered.
Agatha straightened. "Someone should call the police."
At that, the Doctor sprang to his feet, brandishing his psychic paper again. "You don't have to. Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor. Miss Noble and Miss Ember are the plucky young girls who help me out."
Lady Eddison gasped. "I say."
"Mrs Christie was right. Go into the sitting room." The Doctor continued. "I will question each of you in turn."
"Come along. Do as the Doctor says." Agatha commanded, gently ushering the group out of the room. "Leave the room undisturbed."
As soon as they were alone, Donna turned to the Doctor. "The plucky young girls who help me out?"
The Doctor had gotten back onto the floor, looking at the boards carefully. "No policewomen in 1926."
"I'll pluck you in a minute. Why don't we phone the real police?"
"Well the last thing we want is PC Plod sticking his nose in," the Doctor quickly whipped out a forensic knife to scoop up a sticky substance off the floor. "Especially now I've found this. Morphic residue."
"Morphic?" Donna repeated. "Doesn't sound very 1926."
"It's left behind when certain species genetically re-encode."
"The murderer's an alien?"
"Which means one of that lot is an alien in human form."
"I could tell you," Ember piped up. "I've seen this, you know?"
The Doctor frowned. "And if you tell us now? What will the murderer do?"
Ember paused, thinking it over. "But if I don't, at least two more people will die..."
"I know you want to save everyone," the Doctor said, looking at her. "I do too. But it might be worse if you tell us."
Ember sighed. "Then here's a hint. Think of it like a murder mystery."
Donna nodded. "Yeah, but think about it. There's a murder, a mystery, and Agatha Christie."
The Doctor sniffed at the residue, then tried to get the redhead to go the same. "So? Happens to me all the time."
"No, but isn't that a bit weird? Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. I mean, that's like meeting Charles Dickens and he's surrounded by ghosts at Christmas."
That made the Doctor pause. "Well..."
"Oh, come on!" Donna laughed, clearly not about to believe that had happened. "It's not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy's not real. Is he? Tell me there's no Noddy."
The Doctor, having pocketed the tool and taken off his glasses, turned and gently took her by the shoulders, stating firmly "There's no Noddy." Before he moved to leave the room, his companions right behind him.
Donna chuckled as they reached the stairs, following the Doctor and Ember. "Next thing you know, you'll be telling me it's like Murder On The Orient Express, and they all did it."
"Murder on the Orient Express?"
The voice made them turn to find Agatha coming out from a doorway near the stairs, having waited for them.
"Ooo, yeah. One of your best." Donna tried to play off.
"But not yet." The Doctor muttered to her.
Agatha looked thoughtful. "Marvellous idea, though."
Donna smiled. "Yeah. Tell you what. Copyright Donna Noble, okay?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Anyway. Agatha and I will question the suspects. Donna, Ember, you search the bedrooms. Look for clues." He leaned over to whisper to them "Any more residue." Before he leaned back and then pulled a large magnifying glass from his pocket. "You'll need this."
Donna looked at it, unimpressed. "Is that for real?"
"Go on. You're ever so plucky."
Taking the magnifying glass, Donna turned and went up the stairs, Ember following. When they reached the hallway, Donna then turned to Ember. "Plucky, huh. I go one side and you go the other?"
Ember nodded, going for the first door on the left while Donna went right. The brunette knocked before trying the door and entering, finding a neat guest room that didn't look like it was in use. Shaking her head, Ember left the room and went to the next one, finding a small bag that suited a woman sitting on the bed. It wasn't open, and Ember had a strict self-rule of 'don't touch someone else's bag', so she left it alone, instead going to the window. Glancing out, she noticed that some of the flowers in the garden below had been damaged, right below this very window.
She couldn't see it from her view, but Ember knew that Robina must have thrown her thief tools out already.
Figuring there was nothing else to do, Ember left the room and went to the next one. This one had an open dresser drawer, and a quick glance revealed another reverend shirt tucked neatly inside. This was Reverend Golightly's room, then.
The next room was another unused guest room, but before Ember could turn to leave she felt a strong hand shove her forward into the room, slamming the door shut behind her. By the time she could recover and get back to the door, it had been locked from the outside.
"Hey!" She yelled, hitting the door. "Hey!"
No one answered, and Ember fought to calm herself as she looked around the room she was trapped in. No way out... her vision swam as she began to panic, making her lean back against a wall before sliding down until she was sat against it. Pulling her knees up to hold them, she trembled and tried not to cry as she gasped.
"It's okay," she tried to tell herself, but her panicking was starting to make her chest ache. Tears pricked her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees.
She wasn't aware of how much time passed, but she was brought back into focus as she heard a voice from outside the room.
"There's nowhere to run," it was the Doctor. "Show yourself!"
A moment passed where Ember could hear other doors opening, and then she jumped to her feet and ran at the door, banging her fist on it. "Doctor! Someone! Let me out!"
There was a ruckus, the sound of something scraping against the wood floor. Then the door opened to reveal the Doctor, who took one look at her before gathering her up in his arms and holding her close. Ember would have probably been embarrassed about being seen like this by almost everyone in the hallway, but she was too worked up to care as she sobbed, burying her face in the Doctor's chest as though she could hide there. The Doctor was gently hushing her, reassuring her that she was safe, while Donna came up to gently put her hand on the young woman's back.
"What happened to her?" Agatha asked.
The Doctor looked at the blonde. "She doesn't like being trapped. There's a... history behind it, but it's not my place to tell."
Ember either hadn't heard or ignored them as she finally managed to gather herself enough to pull away from the Doctor, though the man himself seemed to hesitate a moment longer before letting her go, and he kept a steady hand on her back. "The housekeeper... is she...?"
"Yea," The Doctor replied before he turned to the group. "Let's go downstairs. We have some bad news."
As they slowly made their way back to the drawing room, Lady Eddison was informed of her housekeeper's end, which had her in tears by the time they got to the room.
"My faithful companion," She sniffled. "This is terrible."
Davenport stepped forward, unsure. "Excuse me, my lady, but she was on her way to tell you something."
"She never found me. She had an appointment with death instead." Lady Eddison wept.
"She said, the poor little child." The Doctor said, glancing around. "Does that mean anything to anyone?"
"No children in this house for years." The Colonel gave Roger a flat look, proving that his 'secrets' were not so secret after all. "Highly unlikely there will be."
Lady Eddison turned to Agatha, wiping her eyes. "Mrs Christie, you must have twigged something. You've written simply the best detective stories."
"Tell us, what would Poirot do?" Reverend Golightly asked. Ember glared at him, though it was overlooked. She had a sneaky suspicion that he'd been the one to lock her in that room.
"Heavens sake!" The Colonel snapped, unknowingly bringing Ember out of her thoughts. "Cards On The Table, woman. You should be helping us."
Agatha looked increasingly flustered at the attention. "But, I'm merely a writer."
"But surely you can crack it." Robina tried to encourage. "These events, they're exactly like one of your plots."
Donna nodded. "That's what I've been saying. Agatha, that's got to mean something."
"But what? I've no answers." Agatha finally said, shaking her head. "None. I'm sorry, alml of you. I'm truly sorry, but I've failed. If anyone can help us, then it's the Doctor, not me."
No one stopped her when she got up and left the room. Ember caught Donna's eye and jerked her head in an indication to follow, which the redhead did. After some small talk, and a request for more drinks, the Doctor took Ember gently by the arm and led her to another room - the sitting room where he and Agatha had questioned the suspects in.
Once he was sure they were in private, the Doctor gently put his hands on Ember's biceps, leaning down slightly to catch her eye. "Feeling better?"
Ember nodded, then paused as the Doctor gave her a look that clearly showed that he wouldn't be fooled, and then sighed. "I'm coping. I dunno what happened. I was checking the rooms when someone pushed me in and locked the door."
"They didn't actually lock it," the Doctor gently corrected. "No key. But they jammed a chair under the handle so you couldn't get out."
"Ah." That explained the wood scraping sound she'd heard. "I'm sorry, I know it was stupid of me to panic..."
"Hey, now, it wasn't stupid," the Doctor interjected. "You have anxiety and are prone to panic attacks. It's normal for you to react like that. I just want to make sure you're alright now. I know how well you can hide it."
Ember looked at him. "How much about me do you know?"
The Doctor paused, thoughtful. "You've told me a fair bit. Some of it I figured out for myself. But I like to think I'm one of the lucky ones that you let in, when I know you have trouble trusting people." He gave her a small smile. "I also know a couple of things you probably wouldn't tell me right now, but you do in your future."
Ember looked away. She didn't want to talk about what she could have shared with him. "You know... there's more than one thing happening here. All of them are each hiding something from everyone else."
The Doctor looked at her, picking up on the change of topic, but let it go. "And how many of them have lowered themselves to murder?"
Ember paused. "Only one, and as you know, that killer is the wasp. The others... well, some of them have little secrets that aren't related, but a couple of them have something big in their closets, if you get what I mean."
"You said earlier that two more people will die after the professor. One already has. Any hints on who's next?" He watched as Ember paused again. "You don't have to say exactly when and how, but perhaps we can still save them."
"... It's Roger." Ember finally replied. "He's one of the small secret ones: he wasn't alone when he went for a walk, but instead with the footman we saw earlier."
The Doctor nodded. "1926 is a bad time to be gay, so he'd want to hide it. Makes sense."
Ember raised a brow. "I'm not sure about gay, either. He did like Donna, remember? Anyway, that's not important. Another clue should be coming in right about now."
As if answering her cue, the door opened and Donna strode in, followed by Agatha. The redhead waved a small case at them. "Look what we found in the flowerbeds."
The four of them sat around the small coffee table with the case atop it. The Doctor carefully opened it, to find several small lock-picking tools inside.
"Ooo. Someone came here tooled up." He mused. "The sort of stuff a thief would use."
Agatha's eyes widened in realisation. "The Unicorn. He's here."
The Doctor nodded. "The Unicorn and the wasp."
Greeves stepped into the room with a tray holding four drinks. "Your drinks, ladies. Doctor."
"Very good, Greeves." The Doctor thanked him as he grabbed his lime and soda. He was about to take a sip when Ember suddenly took it and tipped it into a nearby potted plant.
"Oops, clumsy me," She murmured, feigning surprise as Donna and Agatha looked over. "I'm so sorry, Doctor."
The Doctor raised a brow when she mouthed 'Poison', but then nodded and took her lemonade instead. She rolled her eyes but let him continue.
"How about the science stuff." Donna asked. She was puzzled at how Ember had 'accidentally' spilled the drink, but knew better than to question it. "What did you find?"
The Doctor, having taken a sip of the lemonade, made a noise before he pulled out a small vial containing something that looked like honey. Ember figured that they'd found the stinger while she'd been trapped. "Vespiform sting. Vespiforms have got hives in the Silfrax galaxy."
Agatha shook her head. "Again, you talk like Edward Lear."
"But for some reason, this one's behaving like a character in one of your books." The Doctor pointed out as he took another sip of lemonade. He offered the glass to Ember, who shook her head, before he placed it on the table next to him.
"Come on, Agatha." Donna encouraged. "What would Miss Marple do? She'd have overheard something vital by now, because the murderer thinks she's just a harmless old lady."
"Clever idea." Agatha mused. "Miss Marple? Who writes those?"
Donna blinked before she said coyly. "Er, copyright Donna Noble. Add it to the list."
"Donna." The Doctor said.
"Okay, we could split the copyright."
"No. Something's inhibiting my enzymes." Ember froze, her heart leaping into her throat as the Doctor suddenly jerked, his body tensing. "Argh! I've been poisoned."
Donna and Agatha moved to either side of him, the redhead unsure. "What do we do? What do we do?"
Agatha saw the lemonade and brought it to her nose for a sniff. "Bitter almonds. It's cyanide. Sparkling Cyanide."
"No!" Ember whimpered. "I didn't know! I thought it was in his drink, I swear, that's why I ditched it!"
The Doctor jerked to his feet and made for the door, though he did collapse a couple of times, and stumbled his way to the kitchen, followed by the three ladies. The kitchen staff looked surprised as he grabbed Davenport.
"Ginger beer!" He gasped.
The footman was stumped. "I beg your pardon?"
"I need ginger beer." The Doctor moved to look through the shelves, only to come to a stop when Ember got in front of him, holding out a bottle.
"The gentleman's gone mad!" One of the cooks exclaimed.
The Doctor grabbed the bottle and immediately guzzled its contents, pausing to the pour it over himself and spit out the excess as Agatha ran up to him. "I'm an expert in poisons, Doctor, there's no cure. It's fatal!"
"Not for me. I can stimulate the inhibited enzymes into reversal." He explained quickly. "Protein! I need protein."
Ember was already there, passing him a small jar. Donna barely saw the contents as he stuffed them into his mouth. "Walnuts?" She faltered as the Doctor began miming something that shook. "I can't understand you. How many words? One. One word. Shake. Milk shake. Milk? Milk? No, not milk? Shake, shake, shake. Cocktail shaker. What do you want, a Harvey Wallbanger?"
The Doctor finally got through the mouthful of walnuts, only to cry out "Harvey Wallbanger?"
"Well, I don't know!"
"How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?"
"What do you need, Doctor?!" Agatha cut in.
"Something salty!" Ember called from where she was looking at the jars. Where the hell were the anchovies?!
The Doctor pointed at her. "Salt. I was miming salt. It's salt. I need something salty."
Agatha moved to stand beside Ember and help her look while Donna grabbed a small bag. "What about this?"
"What is it?"
"Salt."
"No, too salty."
"Oh, that's too salty." Donna sassily copied, rolling her eyes, as Agatha grabbed a jar.
"What about this?" She asked, and a second later the Doctor was downing the contents.
"What's that?"
"Anchovies."
Donna nodded, watching as the Doctor held his palms up like he was trying to scare someone. "What is it? What else? It's a song? Mammy? I don't know. Camptown Races?"
"Camptown Races?"
"Well, all right then, Towering Inferno."
"He needs a surprise, a shock!" Ember cried. She was stood to one side, crying as she tried to work out what had happened. To her surprise, Donna ran up to her and pulled her by the arms to face the panting Doctor.
"Right then." She said. "Big shock, coming up."
With that, she shoved Ember at the Doctor, who caught the bewildered brunette before she fell. Ember knew there was no time to fight or persuade Donna to do it instead, so she grabbed the man by the lapels of his suit and pulled him down to her level, crushing her lips against his.
It was quick, and not the best of first kisses. It was clumsy as teeth caught her lip, and the taste of ginger beer and walnuts and anchovies mixed with something she couldn't identify, but it did the trick as the moment she pulled away the Doctor leaned back, blowing grey smoke out of his mouth with a gasp. Everyone looked on in varying degrees of surprise and confusion.
The Doctor finally took a breath and relaxed, wiping his mouth. "Detox. Oh my. I must do that more often."
"You mean the detox, right?" Ember asked, shaky as she silently prayed that he wouldn't be too mad with her.
"Er, yes, I mean... the detox." The Doctor himself looked unconvinced, let alone anyone else.
"Doctor, you are impossible." Agatha said, as shocked as the other humans. "Who are you?"
All she got was a cheeky wink from the Doctor, but it was short lived as Ember then burst into tears. The Doctor took a step forward to console her but stopped when she stepped back, shaking her head, before all but fleeing the room. A look to Donna had her understanding a silent request before he took off after her.
It didn't take him long to find her in a bathroom, and he gently knocked on the door. "Ember? Are you alright?"
There was a pause, and then a click as the door was unlocked and opened to reveal Ember, still crying, though looking like she'd been trying to clean herself up. "H-how did you find me so quick?"
"Call it a natural instinct." He tried to joke, though it didn't have as much of an effect as he'd hoped. "I'm guessing this is all still new to you?"
"Kind of." Ember stepped out of the bathroom, allowing him to lead her into the small drawing room they'd been in before. She sat down heavily with the Doctor kneeling in front of her. "Fourth adventure in. Two in your future, the original Satellite Five and now."
The Doctor nodded. "And I'm guessing you tried to stop me from getting poisoned?"
Ember closed her eyes, cursing herself for nearly crying again. She wasn't the one who'd almost died, after all. "I knew your drink was spiked. I didn't think about mine."
"It might not have been my drink at all," The Doctor said softly, making her look at him in confusion. "Someone locked you in a room, then your drink was spiked. I'm wondering if you were the target all along."
"But why me?" Ember asked, puzzled. "I'm just a 'plucky girl'. Killing me off wouldn't have made a difference."
The Doctor took her hands, rubbing his thumbs over her skin. "Now there I've got to disagree with you. You're helping me. I saw you getting what I needed."
Ember scoffed. "Only cuz I saw it in the show. Without that knowledge I'm useless."
"Now, now none of that." The Doctor said. "It's still early for you, but you are brilliant."
Ember shook her head, clearly not believing him, but didn't get to speak as the door opened and Donna warily stepped in with Agatha close behind.
"Are you alright?" Agatha asked.
"Yea, I'm good. I'm okay." Ember said as she stood up. The Doctor was frowning, obviously not believing her, but she didn't notice as he hid it when she turned to face him. "And there's a little trick we can pull on the wasp, since we're on the subject of poisons..."
Night had fallen, thunder and lightning crashing outside the manor. Inside, the hosts and guests were having a candlelit dinner, sat at a large table in the dining room decorated with a vase of yellow Irises. Agatha and Robina had changed into new dresses, the former in a bronze and the latter in a gold beaded. The people calmly sipped at their soup, until the Doctor broke the silence.
"A terrible day for all of us." He said, a napkin tucked into his shirt. "The Professor struck down, Miss Chandrakala taken cruelly from us, and yet we still take dinner."
Lady Eddison shrugged. "We are British, Doctor. What else must we do?"
"And then someone tried to poison Ember, maybe me as well. Any one of you had the chance to put cyanide in our drinks. But it rather gave me an idea."
"And what would that be?" Reverend Golightly asked.
"Well, poison. Drink up." Almost everyone stopped eating, looking at their soups in horror, as the Doctor and Ember took another spoonful before the former continued, pulling the napkin from his shirt. "I've laced the soup with pepper."
The Colonel grinned. "Ah, I thought it was jolly spicy."
"But the active ingredient of pepper is piperine," the Doctor added.
Ember then cut in. "Which is often used as an organic insecticide instead of chemicals. So, anyone not feeling well?"
At that moment there was a crash of thunder outside and the large windows blew open, the cold wind snuffing out the candles and leaving them with only the flashes of lightning to illuminate the room.
"What the deuce is that?" The Colonel said, but was shushed by the Doctor.
"Listen, listen, listen, listen."
A buzzing made itself known among the startled humans, and Lady Eddison gasped. "No, it can't be."
"Show yourself, demon." Agatha murmured as she stood.
"Nobody move. No, don't! Stay where you are!" The Doctor's shouts went unheard as the wasp appeared in a flash of lightning, causing everyone to panic and scatter. "Out, out, out, out, out, out!"
The Doctor, Donna, Agatha and even Greeves had managed to get out. Ember took her chance and ducked under the dining table, watching the legs of everyone else. Lady Eddison was frozen in her seat, as was her son. The Colonel's wheelchair had tipped sideways, landing him on the floor. Robina, being the Unicorn, was taking her chance in the dark to steal the Firestone that Lady Eddison was wearing. That left the reverend, who Ember knew was the wasp.
She heard the buzzing get louder and closer to where Roger was sitting, so she crawled over to where his legs were under the table. Luckily for her, the young man was leaning more on the back legs of his chair, giving Ember enough leverage to grab the back legs and pull, which resulted in the chair tipping back and Roger falling with a cry. A split second later there was a loud thunk on the table above her and she looked up to find the tip of a large knife sticking in the wood. As she crawled out from under the table, she saw that while she'd prevented the killing blow, Roger had still been knicked in the shoulder with the blade, though the wound was far from fatal.
Ember was grabbing some of the napkins to help staunch the bleeding when the Doctor burst into the room, an ornamental sword in hand as he checked around for the wasp. A quick look herself told her that Reverend Golightly was back in human form, pretending to look as scared as the rest of the room, and Robina had returned to her seat to play innocent as well.
"My jewellry." Lady Eddison gasped, patting her neck where the necklace had been. "The Firestone, it's gone. Stolen."
"Roger!" Davenport, who'd come to the room with some other servents, cried out before he could stop himself, seeing his secret lover injured. Ember pressed the napkins against the wound, thankful that it didn't seem deep enough to hit an artery.
Lady Eddison got up and moved to Roger's side, crying in a mixture of shock and relief. "My son. My child."
The Doctor, Ember and Agatha were quiet as they waited in the drawing room. Roger had been taken by Greeves to the nearest hospital, though it had been obvious that Davenport had wanted to do it.
Donna entered the room, sighing. "That poor footman. Roger's injured and he can't even fuss him. 1926? It's more like the dark ages."
"Did you enquire after the necklace?" Agatha asked as Donna sat down.
"Lady Eddison bought it back from India. It's worth thousands."
"This thing can sting, it can fly." The Doctor thought aloud. He'd grabbed Ember by the hand after the incident in the dining room and hadn't let go since, much to her confusion. "It could wipe us all out in seconds. Why is it playing this game?"
"Maybe it thinks it has to," Ember suggested, giving a hint.
"Every murder is essentially the same." Agatha mused. "They are committed because somebody wants something."
"What does a Vespiform want?" The Doctor asked.
Agatha shook her head. "Doctor, stop it. The murderer is as human as you or I."
That made the Doctor look at her, realisation dawning as he moved to sit on the lounger opposite her. "You're right. Ah, I've been so caught up with giant wasps that I've forgotten. You're the expert."
"I'm not. I told you." Agatha replied. "I'm just a... purveyor of nonsense."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Because plenty of people write detective stories, but yours are the best. And why? Why are you so good, Agatha Christie?" He gave her a moment before he explained. "Because you understand. You've lived, you've fought, you've had your heart broken. You know about people. Their passions, their hope, and despair, and anger. All of those tiny, huge things that can turn the most ordinary person into a killer. Just think, Agatha. If anyone can solve this, it's you."
A moment passed, and then Agatha gave a determined look and stood. "Gather everyone."
It didn't take long to gather everyone, and they were all now in the drawing room, confused and anxious as to what might happen next.
The Doctor moved to stand before them in front of the grand fireplace. "I've called you here on this Endless Night, because we have a murderer in our midst. And when it comes to detection, there's none finer. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Agatha Christie."
Agatha stepped forward as the Doctor moved aside. "This is A Crooked House. A house of secrets. To understand the solution, we must examine them all. Starting with you... Miss Redmond."
The black haired girl looked surprised. "But I'm innocent, surely?"
"You've never met these people, and these people have never met you." Agatha said simply before delivering the punch. "I think the real Robina Redmond never left London. You're impersonating her."
"How silly. What proof do you have?"
"You said you'd been to the toilet..."
"Oh, I know this." Donna piped up from her seat on the sofa, eating grapes. Where she'd gotten them, Ember didn't know. "If she was really posh, she'd say loo."
Agatha picked up the lock picking case. "Earlier today, Miss Noble and I found this on the lawn, right beneath your bathroom window. You must have heard that Miss Noble and Miss Ember were searching the bedrooms, so you panicked. You ran upstairs and disposed of the evidence."
Robina shook her head. "I've never seen that thing before in my life."
"What's inside it?" Lady Eddison asked.
"The tools of your trade, Miss Redmond." Agatha opened the case, showing everyone the contents. "Or should I say... the Unicorn. You came to this house with one sole intention. To steal the Firestone."
There was a minut pause before Robina rolled her eyes and stood, dropping the posh act and gaining a cockney accent. "Oh, all right then. It's a fair cop. Yes, I'm the bleeding Unicorn. Ever so nice to meet you, I don't think. I took my chance in the dark and nabbed it." She reached into her dress and pulled out the stolen Firestone. "Go on then, you knobs. Arrest me. Sling me in jail."
Donna watched Robina toss the necklace to the Doctor before she spoke up. "So, is she the murderer?"
Robins rolled her eyes. "Don't be so thick. I might be a thief, but, well, I ain't no killer."
"Quite." Agatha agreed. "There are darker motives at work. And in examining this household, we come to you... Colonel."
The Colonel looked surprised for a second before he frowned, ignoring Ember when she tried to discreetly motion him to stop speaking. "Damn it, woman. You with your perspicacity. You've rumbled me."
To everyone's surprise (except Ember), he then stood up out of his wheelchair with no effort at all.
Lady Eddison gasped. "Hugh, you can walk! But why?"
The Colonel softened his face as he looked at her. "My darling, how else could I be certain of keeping you by my side?"
"I don't understand."
"You're still a beautiful woman, Clemency. Sooner or later some chap will turn your head. I couldn't bear that. Staying in the chair was the only way I could be certain of keeping you." He faced Agatha again. "Confound it, Mrs Christie, how did you discover the truth?"
"...Er, actually I had no idea. I was just going to say you're completely innocent."
"Oh. Oh."
"Sorry."
"Well... Well, shall I sit down then?"
"I think you better had."
"So he's not the murderer." Donna said as the Colonel sheepishly sat.
"Indeed, not. To find the truth, let's return to this." Agatha took the Firestone from the Doctor, holding it up to the light. "Far more than the Unicorn's object of desire. The Firestone has quite a history. Lady Eddison."
Lady Eddison frowned. "I've done nothing."
"You brought it back from India, did you not? Before you met the Colonel. You came home with malaria, and confined yourself to this house for six months, in a room that has been kept locked ever since, which I rather think means..."
"Stop, please."
Agatha smiled sympathetically. "I'm so sorry. But you had fallen pregnant in India. Unmarried and ashamed, you hurried back to England with your confidante; a young maid later to become housekeeper. Miss Chandrakala."
The Colonel was shocked. "Clemency, is this true?"
"My poor baby." Lady Eddison grabbed a tissue and tried to wipe her eyes. "I had to give him away. The shame of it."
"But you never said a word."
"I had no choice. Imagine the scandal. The family name. I'm British. I carry on."
The Doctor spoke up. "And it was no ordinary pregnancy."
The rest of the room turned to him in surprise as Lady Eddison gasped. "How can you know that?"
"Excuse me Agatha, this is my territory." The Doctor said before addressing the Lady. "But when you heard that buzzing sound in the dining room, you said, 'it can't be'. Why did you say that?"
"You'd never believe it."
"The Doctor has opened my mind to believe many things." Agatha said, encouraging the woman.
"It was forty years ago, in the heat of Delhi, late one night. I was alone, and that's when I saw it. A dazzling light in the sky. The next day, he came to the house. Christopher, the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Our love blazed like a wildfire. I held nothing back. And in return he showed me the incredible truth about himself. He'd made himself human, to learn about us. This was his true shape."
Ember closed her eyes, recalling the episode showing clips of the events.
"I loved him so much, it didn't matter. But he was stolen from me. 1885, the year of the great monsoon. The river Jumna rose up and broke its banks. He was Taken At The Flood. But Christopher left me a parting gift. A jewel like no other. I wore it always. Part of me never forgot. I kept it close... always."
"Just like a man." Robina scoffed. "Flashes his family jewels and you end up with a bun in the oven."
"A poor little child." Agatha mused. "Forty years ago, Miss Chandrakala took that newborn babe to an orphanage. But Professor Peach worked it out. He found the birth certificate."
Donna perked up. "Oh, that's maiden. Maiden name!"
"Precisely."
"So she killed him?"
Lady Eddison looked insulted. "I did not."
"Miss Chandrakala feared that the Professor had unearthed your secret." Agatha continued. "She was coming to warn you."
"So she killed her." Donna surmised.
"I did not."
"Lady Eddison is innocent." Agatha spared the woman any more grief. "Because at this point... Doctor."
"Thank you. At this point, when we consider the lies and the secrets, and the key to these events, then we have to consider it was you..." The Doctor had stood up as he spoke, and dramatically pointed at the redhead. "Donna Noble."
"What? Who did I kill?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "No, but you said it all along. The vital clue. This whole thing is being acted out like a murder mystery, which means it was you... Agatha Christie."
Agatha looked part surprised and part annoyed. "I beg your pardon, sir?"
Donna blinked. "So she killed them?"
"No. But she wrote. She wrote those brilliant, clever books. And who's her greatest admirer?" The Doctor turned on the spot. "The Moving Finger points at you... Lady Eddison."
"Don't. Leave me alone."
"So she did kill them." Donna said.
"No. But just think." The Doctor knelt in front of Lady Eddison. "Last Thursday night, what were you doing?"
Lady Eddison looked puzzled at the seemingly unrelated question. "I was... I was in the library. I was reading my favourite Agatha Christie, thinking about her plots, and how clever she must be. How is that relevant?"
"And by coincidence..." Ember trailed off.
The Doctor stood, turning to face Reverend Golightly. "Just think. What else happened on Thursday night?"
There was a pause before the man realised he was being addressed. "I'm sorry?"
"You said on the lawn, this afternoon. Last Thursday night, those boys broke into your church."
"That's correct. They did. I discovered the two of them. Thieves in the night. I was most perturbed." Golightly smiled. "But I apprehended them."
"Really?" The Doctor said, his face clearly showing that he didn't believe it. "A man of God against two strong lads? A man in his forties? Or, should I say forty years old, exactly?"
Lady Eddison gasped, the pieces falling together. "Oh, my God."
"Lady Eddison, your child..." the Doctor added. "How old would he be now?"
"Forty... He's forty."
"Your child has come home."
Golightly tried to waved them off with a nervous laugh. "Oh, this is poppycock."
"Oh? You said you were taught by the Christian Fathers, meaning you were raised in an orphanage."
"My son." Lady Eddison murmured, still in shock. "Can it be?"
"You found those thieves, Reverend, and you got angry." The Doctor continued. "A proper, deep anger, for the first time in your life, and it broke the genetic lock. You changed. You realised your inheritance. After all these years, you knew who you were." He stood and swiped the Firestone. "Oh, and then it all kicks off, because this isn't just a jewel. It's a Vespiform telepathic recorder. It's part of you, your brain, your very essence. And when you activated, so did the Firestone. It beamed your full identity directly into your mind. And, at the same time, it absorbed the works of Agatha Christie directly from Lady Eddison. It all became part of you. The mechanics of those novels formed a template in your brain. You've killed, in this pattern, because that's what you think the world is. It turns out, we are in the middle of a murder mystery. One of yours, Dame Agatha."
Agatha blinked. "Dame?"
The Doctor flinched. "Oh. Sorry, not yet."
"So he killed them, yes?" Donna said, wanting to be sure. "Definitely?"
"Yes."
The Reverend looked at everyone who was staring at him. "Well, this has certainly been a most entertaining evening. Really, you can't believe any of this surely, Lady Edizzon."
The Doctor raised a brow. "Lady who?"
"Lady Edizzzzon." The buzzing was getting worse the more he tried to hide it, like a lisp.
"Little bit of buzzing there, Vicar."
"Don't make me angry."
"Why?" The Doctor challenged. "What happens then?"
Golightly stood up, his anger making it worse. "Damn it, you humanzz, worshipping your tribal sky godzz. I am so much more. That night, the universe exploded in my mind. I wanted to take what wazz mine. And you, Agatha Christie, with your railway station bookstall romancezz, what'z to stop me killing you?"
Lady Eddison gasped as a familiar purple haze appeared around the buzzing reverend. "Oh, my dear God. My child."
"What'zz to stop me killing you all?" The Reverend finally transformed, becoming the giant wasp.
Lady Eddison stood and held her arms out, tears in her eyes. "Forgive me."
"No, no, Clemency, come back." The Colonel, free to move now that his secret was out, jumped up and grabbed his wife, pulling her away. "Keep away. Keep away, my darling!"
"No!" Agatha shouted, holding up the Firestone. "No more murder! If my imagination made you kill, then my imagination will find a way to stop you, foul creature!"
Agatha ran from the room, and the Doctor, Donna and Ember followed, with an angry wasp on their tail.
"Great, now it's chasing us!" Donna sassed.
They ran to the driveway, the Doctor and Donna slamming the front door shut. Agatha had by now gotten into a car and stopped not far from them, beeping the horn as the wasp burst through the doors and out into the night air.
"Over here!" She called. "Come and get me, Reverend."
"Agatha, what are you doing?" The Doctor yelled.
"If I started this, Doctor, then I must stop it!" With that she drove off. The wasp hesitated for a moment before giving chase.
"Come on!" The Doctor led them to another car and they were soon taking off after the wasp. Luckily there were no other cars out so late, so they were able to catch up so they could see Agatha's car and the wasp chasing after it.
"You said this is the night Agatha Christie loses her memory." Donna said.
The Doctor shook his head. "Time is in flux, Donna. For all we know, this is the night Agatha Christie loses her life and history gets changed."
"But where's she going?!"
"The lake!" Ember called, pointing to a sign saying 'Silent Pool'.
"She's heading for the lake." The Doctor agreed. "What's she doing?"
They soon reached the lake, where Agatha had parked near the water and had gotten out, using the Firestone to lure the wasp to her.
"Here I am, the honey in the trap." She called. "Come to me, Vespiform."
"She's controlling it." Donna realised.
The Doctor nodded as they got out of their car. "Its mind is based on her thought processes. They're linked."
"Quite so, Doctor." Agatha agreed. "If I die, then this creature might die with me."
"That's not how it works!" Ember cried, moving to stand between Agatha and the wasp. "Come on, you gotta snap out of it! You know this isn't some book!"
The wasp lunged at her for a moment, making her flinch but she held her ground as the Doctor ran to her side. "Don't hurt her! You're not meant to be like this. You've got the wrong template in your mind!"
"It's not listening to you!" Donna ran forward, grabbed the Firestone from Agatha and tossed it into the lake behind them.
"No!" Ember cried again, but it was too late. The wasp didn't hesitate to dive into the water after the Firestone. The four of them watched as the water bubbled and glowed purple.
"How do you kill a wasp?" Donna murmured. "Drown it, just like his father."
The Doctor looked at her in disbelief. "Donna, that thing couldn't help itself."
"Neither could I."
Agatha didn't look as ashamed. "Death comes as the end, and justice is served."
"Murder at the Vicar's rage." The Doctor glanced at the ladies giving him odd looks and shrugged. "Needs a bit of work."
"Just one mystery left, Doctor." Agathasaid, turning to face the Doctor. "Who exactly are you?"
Before anyone could speak, Agatha suddenly gasped and doubled over in pain. The Doctor quickly caught her before she fell and looked at the lake again.
"Oh, it's the Firestone!" He realised. "It's part of the Vespiform's mind. It's dying and it's connected to Agatha!"
Ember knelt by the edge of the water and clasped her hands. "Please, you can do it. Please..."
Then, Agatha seemed to glow purple for a few moments before it faded and she slumped, unconscious.
The Doctor looked from her to the lake and then at Donna before he spoke. "He let her go. Right at the end, the Vespiform chose to save someone's life."
Donna frowned. "Is she all right, though?"
"Yea." Ember said as she stood. "But there's a price."
"Of course. The amnesia!" The Doctor said. "Wiped her mind of everything that happened. The wasp, the murders..."
"And us." Donna added, not looking upset. "She'll forget about us."
"Yeah, but we've solved another riddle. The mystery of Agatha Christie. And tomorrow morning, her car gets found by the side of a lake. A few days later, she turns up in hotel at Harrogate with no idea of what just happened."
The Doctor carefully lifted Agatha up, carrying her back to their car, followed by Donna. Ember paused to look back one last time at the lake - the grave of the Vespiform - before she turned to follow.
The Doctor, Donna and Ember watched as Agatha slowly walked towards a hotel. They'd gotten back to the manor and back to the Tardis without anyone seeing them, and had taken Agatha to Harrogate, just as history told.
"No one'll ever know." The Doctor said.
"Lady Eddison, the Colonel, and all the staff." Donna asked, listing the other people who'd been there. "What about them?"
"Shameful story. They'd never talk of it. Too British."
"And do you think anyone would believe them if they talked about giant wasps and a man who can spit up poison?" Ember added, an eyebrow raised. "They'd be laughed into obscurity."
The Doctor nodded. "While the Unicorn does a bunk back to London town. She can never even say she was there."
Ember paused. "And Roger? He was supposed to die."
"Oh, he goes on to become Lord, etc. But despite numerous inquiries he never tells the whole story about this mysterious scar on his shoulder." The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at Ember. "Only says he was attacked one night and was saved by a fiery brunette with silver eyes."
Ember looked away, a light blush across her cheeks as she muttered. "My eyes aren't silver." She paused, looking thoughtful. "That's the first person I was able to save from dying like they did in the show..."
The Doctor grinned. "And here's a spoiler for you. That's not the last one."
Ember looked at him again, surprised, but he just winked.
"What happens to Agatha?" Donna asked.
"Oh, great life." The Doctor replied. "Met another man, married again. Saw the world. Wrote and wrote and wrote."
"She never thought her books were any good, though. And she must have spent all those years wondering."
The Doctor pursed his lips as he opened the door to the Tardis, holding it open for the two ladies. "The thing is... I don't think she ever quite forgot. Great mind like that, some of the details kept bleeding through. All the stuff her imagination could use. Like, Miss Marple."
Donna sighed. "I should have made her sign a contract."
"And, where is it, where is it, hold on." The Doctor ran over to one of the gratings surrounding the main console and pulled it up, then reached under it to pull out an old wooden chest. "Here we go. C. That is C for Cybermen, C for Carrionites..."
Ember paused as he placed a large glass sphere on the floor. Inside it, enshrouded in green smoke, three women in black robes could be seen scratching at it and screaming. As she leaned closer to get a better look, she was surprised when the women stopped screaming and seemingly backed away in fear, as though they were terrified of her.
"...and Christie, Agatha. Look at that." Ember was brought out of it by the Doctor as he handed Donna a book: a 1957 paperback edition of Death in the Clouds with a wasp on the cover.
"She did remember!" Donna smiled.
"Somewhere in the back of her mind, it all lingered. And that's not all. Look at the copyright page."
"Facsimile edition, published in the year..." Donna blinked, making sure she read it right. "Five billion!"
"People never stop reading them." The Doctor said. "She is the best selling novelist of all time."
"But she never knew."
"Well, no one knows how they're going to be remembered. All we can do is hope for the best. Maybe that's what kept her writing. Same thing keeps me travelling. Onwards?"
"Onwards."
Ember looked at the glass sphere again, but before she could see what the Carrionites were doing, the Doctor swiftly picked it up and dumped it back into the chest. "Doctor, those were..."
"Spoilers," he cut her off gently. "It's still in your future."
Ember huffed, getting to her feet. "Well, I'm gonna get out of this dress. I've never been one for dresses."
"We know," Donna and the Doctor spoke at the same time, which made Ember smile as she turned and headed for the corridor that led deeper into the Tardis.
Donna waited until the brunette was gone before turning to the Doctor. "She has no scar."
"And no Mark." The Doctor added, his smile falling. "She's still early. Which means all the things we've seen her do haven't happened for her yet."
"What about..."
The Doctor silenced the redhead by shaking his own. "She needs to see it for herself."
Meanwhile, Ember had made it to the Tardis wardrobe (she had a feeling the ship had made the trip shorter on purpose.), and was now getting some more comfortable clothes to wear. She found the tracksuit bottoms and sweater she'd been wearing before and decided to change into them to sleep in, and searched for clothes to put on when she woke up. She found another pair of jeans, this time in black, along with a grey sleeveless top with a nice oriental symbol on the front, and then another blue denim jacket that she was almost sure was the one she'd worn in the first adventure. Grabbing a pair of red trainers, she then made to go change when she paused, looking at herself in the mirror, before moving closer.
She seemed mostly the same as she'd seen before, but there were two things that she noticed immediately. One was her eyes: they looked more grey than blue now, where before it was a fine line between the two colours. She could see now why Roger described them as silver.
The second was her left bicep, where she could see a faint darkening of the skin, as though it was bruising or if ink had been there and washed away with some residue leftover. She turned to look at it herself, but found it was no trick of the mirror. "What the heck...?"
As she turned, a small envelope slid out from the folds of the clothes she'd hooked over her right arm. Ember looked at it for a moment before she picked it up and turned it over to find her name written in elegant handwriting on the front. With a puzzled frown, she carefully opened it and found a wallet and a folded note. She unfolded the latter first, finding the same handwriting as on the envelope, and began to read.
'Dearest Ember,
If I've timed it right, you should be reading this fairly early in your journey. I hope I got the right jacket - it's one of your favourites, after all.'
Ember blinked, looking at the denim jacket over her arm, before returning to the letter.
'I know you must have so many questions right now, but it is simply too early for them to be answered yet.
I think we've only met once so far for you, on Satellite Five. You may remember me as the stranger in a hood.
Anyway, I'm getting off the subject. You'll find a wallet with this letter, and inside that you'll find a couple of things that will help you in future. I know this because you told me, right before you asked me to write this for you. Timelines are funny, aren't they?
I also need to give you a little bit more of a warning. If I have timed it right, you should have just met Agatha Christie. I wish I could have been there as well. I love her books.
Sorry, getting off subject again. Here is the warning: it should be very soon that you will find another piece of the puzzle. You are aware that you are half Time Lord, but this will come from the other half.
You will be confused and afraid, but you will not be alone. I will be there to guide you when I can, and the Doctor will always be there.
Good luck, my friend.'
There was no signature at the bottom of the letter, but Ember already had a feeling there wouldn't be one. She frowned for a moment before before she turned her attention to the wallet that had come with the letter. Flipping it open, she found what looked like a blank bit of paper on one side that gave off a slight shimmer, and she realised it was psychic paper. On the other side were several slots where one could put credit cards, and then the main bit had paper money of various currencies, some of which she recognised, as well as a few plastic sticks that looked similar to the one she'd seen on Satellite Five.
"Why would I need all of this?" She pondered, but then shook her head. If this was going to go like it normally did in the show, she wouldn't find out until she needed it.
Here we are! Hope you enjoyed it!
The words in italics spoken by the various characters are titles of or quotes from Agatha's books, I think. Haven't read them myself.
Next Time: Ember goes to London. A two-parter episode!
