Joan sat contentedly at one of the many tables placed around the dance hall. John waved at her from the refreshment table. Joan's smile considerably dimmed when she saw the figure walking towards her.

"Please, don't. Not again." Joan begged as Rose sat down at the table across from her.

"He's different from any other man you've met, right?" Rose asked, jumping right in and ignoring Joan's pleas.

"Yes…" Joan answered reluctantly.

And sometimes he says these strange things, like people and places you've never heard of, yeah?" Joan started to answer, but Rose cut her off. "But it's deeper than that. Sometimes when you look in his eyes, you know, you just know there's something else in there. Something hidden. Something right behind the eyes, something hidden away, in the dark."

"I…I don't know what you mean. I—"Joan stammered out before being cut off again.

"Yes, you do. I don't mean to be rude, but the awful thing is that it doesn't even matter what you think. But you're nice. And…you're lucky. And I just wanted to say…" Joan tensed in anticipation of the brutal things that this woman would surely say to her. "Thank you." Joan opened her eyes warily.

"What did you say?"

"I said thank you. For what you did earlier. You certainly didn't have to, but you did. And I needed to say thank you." John Smith picked that precise moment to walk up to their table.

"Really, Rose this is getting ridiculous!" He complained. Rose looked at Joan in apology, and then looked him straight in the eye.

"You're not John Smith, you're called the Doctor. That man from your journal, he's real. He's you. And I need him to come back more than anything." Suddenly, a large, burly man burst into the room with Baines from the school, and Jenny.

"THERE WILL BE SILENCE!" He screamed at the crowds of people. "I said SILENCE!" He screamed again. The host stepped forward to stop the commotion.

"Mr. Clark! What's going on?" In an instant, Mr. Clark rounded on him with an alien gun in his hand a fired. The host dissolved into dust. Rose turned back to John.

"Mister Smith, everything I've just told you, I need you to forget it. Just forget it! Don't say anything." She put a finger to her lips, and he nodded.

"We asked for SILENCE!" Baines shouted. Rose bowed her head. "Now then, we have a few questions for Mister Smith."

"No." A small girl's voice stated plainly. A little girl in a pink coat carrying a red balloon stepped forward. "Better than that. The teacher—he's the Doctor. I heard them talking." Baines looked at him with his goofy grin.

"You took human form." He said, almost laughing.

"Of course I'm human! I was born human, as were you Baines! And Jenny, and Mr. Clark! What is going on? This is madness!" John shouted.

"Ooh and a human brain too—simple, thick, and dull." Baines retorted.

"But he's no good like this." Jenny hissed.

"We need a Time Lord." Mr. Clark rumbled.

"Easily done." Baines smirked. He stepped forward and aimed his gun at John. John recoiled in horror and Rose had to keep herself from stepping in front of him and shielding him with her body. "Change back." Baines said.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" John exclaimed.

"Change back!" Baines yelled.

"I—I literally do not know!" John shouted back. Suddenly Rose felt an arm wrap around her neck and a gun point at her temple.

"Get off me!" Rose screamed, kicking at her captor.

"She's your friend isn't she?" Jenny asked, keeping the gun trained on Rose's head. "Doesn't this scare you enough to change back?"

"I don't know what you mean!"

"Wait a minute," Jenny cooed. "The maid told me about Smith and the Matron. That woman, there!" Jenny jerked her head in Joan's direction. Mr. Clark advanced on her, gun aimed.

"Then let's have you!" Mr. Clark shouted, grabbing Joan roughly by the arm. John felt the tears begin to well up in his eyes.

"Have you enjoyed it, Doctor? Being human?" Baines mocked. "Has it taught you wonderful things? Are you better, richer, wiser, hmm? Then let's see you answer this—which one of them do you want us to kill?" Rose's blood ran cold. She knew John would choose her. Simple choice, for him. The one he loved or his maid. She was going to be killed by the man she loved. "Maid or Matron? Your friend or your lover? Your choice." Baines's words hung in the air as John looked back and forth from her to Joan. He knew he would always choose Joan over her, but still whenever his eyes passed over her, she saw something flash in them, just for a moment. Something protective and loving and fearful all at once. Something very…Doctor-y.

"Make your decision, Mister Smith." Jenny hissed.

"Perhaps if that human heart breaks, the Time Lord will emerge." Baines smiled.

Time Lord… John heard a click and then a voice that sounded eerily similar to his echoed through the room. The possessed humans at the front of the room jumped.

"It's him!" Jenny loosened her grip of Rose just long enough for her to twist the gun out of her grasp and aim it at Baines.

"All right!" Rose shouted over the din. "One more move, and I shoot."

"Oh, the maid is full of fire!"

"And you can shut up!" Rose shouted back at Baines, irritated further by his comments. She fired a warning shot at the ceiling just to prove that she was serious.

"Careful, son of mine." Mr. Clark warned. "This is all so that you can live forever."

"Shoot you down!" Baines said as he raised his gun to Rose.

"Try it!" She challenged him straight out. "We'll die together." For whatever reason, when Rose said this John knew she wasn't joking, and his stomach sank.

"Would you really pull that trigger?" Baines goaded her. "Looks too scared." He smirked at her, and Rose's hand wavered for an instant.

"Scared and holding a gun, it's a good combination." Rose steadied her hand. "Do you want to risk it?" Baines held Rose's stare for a few moments, and then lowered his gun. The other members of his "family" followed suit. Joan ran over to John and grasped his hands tightly. He surveyed her eyes thoroughly for any indication that she was anything more than shaken. "Doctor, get everyone out." Rose commanded. "There's a door at the side, it's over there." She jerked her head towards it, but John did not move. "Go on!" she shouted at him, still brandishing the gun to Baines. "Do it, Mister Smith. I mean you!"

"Do what she says! Everybody out now!" Joan's instincts kicked in, and she began ushering all of the guests toward the door. "Don't argue, Mr. Jackson. They're mad, that's all we need to know!" Joan pushed one man towards the door. "Outside, all of you!" she shouted. John ran to Timothy Latimer, who had his right hand shoved deep into his coat pocket.

"Move yourself, boy! Go back to the school, quickly!" John pushed him towards the door, and he ran out. John turned back to Rose, who was still holding the gun in Baines's face. "What about you?" he asked, suddenly deeply concerned for this brave woman.

"Mister Smith, I think you should escort your lady friend to safety, don't you?" she didn't even look at him, just kept her eyes trained on her target. He looked conflicted from her to the door a few times, and then ran out after Joan.

"Latimer!" He shouted, running up to the boy after Joan had reached him. "Get back to the school, tell the headmaster." Latimer slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" He recoiled. "You're as bad as them!" He turned from his shocked teacher and ran down the road leading back to the school.

Back inside, Rose let Jenny go, and the Family raised their guns to her.

"Don't try anything, or sonny-boy get it!" she shouted, aiming the gun from one to the other. The all began advancing on her, lowering their guns.

"She's almost brave this one!" Baines remarked.

"I should have taken her form." Jenny smirked. "Much more fun. So much spirit!" Rose back up, keeping her gun pointed directly ahead of her.

"What happened to Jenny?" Rose asked calmly. "Is she gone?"

"She is consumed." Jenny replied. "Her body's mine."

"You mean she's dead?"

"Yes." Jenny answered saucily. "And she went with precious little dignity. All that screaming!" She screamed once in imitation just for Rose. Suddenly a pair of straw arms grabbed her from behind.

"Get the gun!" Baines shouted, and the straw arms wrenched it out of her grasp before she could knock them off of her. As soon as she was released she bolted out the door.

"Don't just stand there, move!" She yelled at Joan and John who were still standing outside of the building. "God, you're rubbish as a human! Come on!" Rose grabbed John's hand and dragged him behind her.