NicoleR85: thanks!
Doctor11rocks: I realise that some may not have as much deviation from the show but I will attempt to put a little bit of a spin on things for each episode.
"But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?" Martha asked while clinging onto the console.
"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't want to know. It just does", the Doctor said "Hold on tight!"
The TARDIS jerks to a halt. Martha would've nearly fallen if Imogen hadn't grabbed hold of her with one hand while gripping onto the console with the other. "Blimey. Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?" Martha asked.
"He failed it", Imogen said dryly "big time".
"I did not", the Doctor said quickly.
"12 months instead of hours. Going for Naples we end up in Cardiff. Aimed for New York and got London 1953", Imogen listed off "Shall I go on?"
"Please don't", the Doctor muttered. He turned to Martha who was looking a little worried. If the Doctor had ended up in the wrong place several times would he be able to get her home? "Anyway, make the most of this because I promised you one trip. And one trip only" the Time Lord walked down the ramp to the doors "Outside this door, brave new world", he said.
"Where are we?" Martha asked as she and Imogen joined him.
"Take a look. After you", the Doctor replied opening the door. Martha left the TARDIS and was amazed.
"Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me. Oh, my God, we did it. We travelled in time", Martha said taking in their surroundings "where are we?" she asked "No, sorry…where are we?" she amended. She was suddenly pulled backwards by Imogen just as a man empties his slop bucket from an upstairs window.
"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that", the Time Lord said answering her question.
"I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift A+E", Martha said. Imogen screwed her nose up at the smell. "We safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?" the trainee doctor asked.
"Of course we can" the Doctor answered "Why do you ask?"
"It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race", Martha said.
"What have butterflies ever done to you?" Imogen asked confused.
"What if, I don't know, what if I kill my grandfather?" Martha asked.
"Are you planning to?" the Doctor asked starting to walk again.
"No", Martha replied.
"Well, then", the Doctor said.
"This is London, right?" Martha asked looking around as they walked.
"Yep", Imogen replied popping the p "about…." she tilted her head thinking "1599 I believe". Imogen looked to the Doctor and he nodded.
"That's about right", the Doctor confirmed.
"So where are we going first?" Imogen asked.
"Well if I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark, right next to…" the Doctor grabbed Imogen's hand and ran. He stopped when the Globe Theatre came into view "the Globe Theatre! Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe…"
"It's a tetra decagon. Fourteen sides", Imogen said interrupting him.
"And containing the man himself", the Doctor added.
"Whoa, you don't mean… is Shakespeare in there?" Martha asked, a little thrilled at the prospect of meeting the infamous playwright himself.
"Yep", Imogen replied.
"Miss Jones, Miss Smith, will you accompany me to the theatre?" the Doctor asked offering both arms to them.
"Mr Smith, I will", Martha replied taking one of his arms.
"Watching a play by Shakespeare in the Globe Theatre sounds like fun. Count me in", Imogen said linking her arm through his other one.
"When you get home, you two can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare", the Doctor said.
"I could get sectioned", Martha joked.
"If you did, I'd rescue you", Imogen assured her.
"Really?" Martha asked.
"Of course!" Imogen said.
"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah?" Martha asked after the play had finished.
"Ah…men dressed in drag", Imogen sighed "London never changes".
"Where's Shakespeare?" Martha asked "I want to see Shakespeare. Author!" she called "Author! "Do people shout that?" she asked to the Doctor and Imogen quietly "Do they shout Author?"
"Author! Author!" a man shouted and soon the crowd started chanting it.
"Well, they do now", the Doctor said. The chants turned into applause as the one and only Shakespeare came out on the stage.
"He's a bit different from his portraits", Martha commented.
"He's better looking than his portraits", Imogen said earning her a look of disbelief from the Doctor. Not that the brunette noticed.
"Definitely", the dark skinned woman agreed.
"Nothing on you love", Imogen added looking at the Doctor who now looked pleased.
"Genius", he said "He's a genius. THE genius. The most human there's ever been. Now we're going to hear him speak. Always he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words".
"Maybe we should leave and let the Doctor fan boy over Shakespeare. We could take Sexy for a spin", Imogen whispered to Martha. She was going to reply when the playwright spoke.
"Shut your big fat mouths!"
"Oh, well", the Doctor said clearly disappointed.
"You should never meet your heroes", Martha said.
"You've got excellent taste, I'll give you that. Oh, that's a wig. I know what you're all saying. Loves Labour's Lost, that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops. Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius", Shakespeare said and then bowed. He suddenly jerked upright, Imogen frowning at the action "When? Tomorrow night. The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it Loves Labour's Won", he added. But there isn't a sequel Imogen thought, she knew that much.
"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of Loves Labour's Won", Martha said as they filed out with the rest.
"Exactly. The lost play. It doesn't exist, only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. And no one knows why", the Doctor said.
"Have you got a mini-disc or something?" Martha asked "We can tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint".
"That wouldn't be a good idea Martha", Imogen said.
"How come it disappeared in the first place?" Martha asked.
"Well…I was just going to give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS, but I suppose we could stay a bit longer", the Doctor said.
Eventually the trio find where Shakespeare was staying. "Hello! Excuse me, not interrupting, am I? Mr Shakespeare, isn't it?" the Doctor asked entering the room.
"Oh, no. No, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove..." Shakespeare then noticed both Imogen and Martha "Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me". The writer then turned to Burbage and Kempe "You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go", he said.
"Come on, lads. I think our William's found his new muses", Dolly said ushering out the other two men.
"Sweet ladies", Shakespeare said as the trio sat down in front of his table "Such unusual clothes. So fitted".
"Er, verily, forsooth, egads", Martha said trying to sound like the Elizabethan people.
"Martha don't do that", Imogen said knowing that you only had to talk normally to them.
"I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS. This is my wife Dame Imogen and our companion Miss Martha Jones", Doctor said showing Shakespeare the psychic paper, making sure to emphasise the word wife. He didn't want Shakespeare to flirt with his Imogen. Martha, yes. Imogen, no. Absolutely not.
"Interesting, that bit of paper", Shakespeare commented "It's blank".
"Oh, that's very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius", the Doctor said happily.
"No, it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Martha Jones. It says so", Martha said looking at it and seeing the words.
"And I say it's blank", Shakespeare repeated.
"Psychic paper. Er, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch", the Doctor said tucking the psychic paper in his coat.
"Psychic? Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady and lovely woman with unusual eyes?" Shakespeare asked eyeing the two females
"What did you say?" Martha asked slightly outraged by what he called her.
"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric?" Shakespeare asked.
"I can't believe I'm hearing this", Martha said getting more annoyed.
"Unbelievable", Imogen muttered.
"Its political correctness gone mad", the Doctor said "Er, Martha's from a far-off land. Freedonia". Freedonia? Imogen thought could've come up with a better name than that.
A man in expensive clothes and wearing a gold chain of office enters the room. "Excuse me! Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mister Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed"
"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it round", Shakespeare said to him.
"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!" Lynley demanded.
"I can't", Shakespeare said.
"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled", Lynley said firmly. Imogen glanced over at the young maid as she slips out of the room. "I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, Love's Labours Won will never be played", Lynley said and with that he walked out of the room.
"Well then, mystery solved. That's Love's Labour's won over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know, more mysterious", Martha said.
Imogen suddenly shot to her feet and dashed out of the room, the Doctor and Martha quickly following her. The trio rushed outside in time to see Lynley stagger across the courtyard spewing water.
"It's that Lynley bloke", Martha said. She, the Doctor and Imogen went to him to try to do something to help. The man collapsed on the cobble stones "Got to get the heart going. Mister Lynley, come on. Can you hear me? You're going to be all right", Martha said starting to clear Lynley's airways for CPR, and water gushes out "What the hell is that?" she explained.
"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water. He drowned and then, I don't know, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow", the Doctor explained. Imogen looked up at the balcony where the maid was watching what was going on. Their eyes met and Imogen got the sensation of an instinct. It left her with a bad feeling. You had something do with this she thought as she moved away from the balcony.
"Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away", the Doctor said to Dolly.
"Yes, sir", Dolly said.
"I'll do it, ma'am", the maid offered. Dolly nodded and the maid walked off but not before making eye contact with Imogen.
"And why are you telling them that?" Martha asked.
"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft"
"Okay, what was it then?" Martha asked.
"Witchcraft", the Doctor replied seriously.
~...~
"I got you two rooms, Sir Doctor. You, Miss Jones and Dame Imogen are just across the landing", Dolly said to the three of them when they went back the Shakespeare's room.
"Poor Lynley", Shakespeare sighed "So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where a woman can be a doctor?"
"Where a woman can do what she likes", Martha replied.
Shakespeare turned to Imogen "there's something about you Dame Imogen, something… impossible. In more ways than one", he said. He then looked at the Doctor "And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?" Shakespeare asked turning to the Doctor.
"I do a lot of reading", the Doctor replied.
"A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I'd do" Shakespeare turned to Martha "And you? You look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much of a puzzle to you as he is to me" he looked at Imogen "But not to you Dame Imogen".
"I think we should say goodnight", Martha said and left the room. Imogen leaves also.
"You and the Doctor share a room. I'll take the other", she said to the woman and entered one of the rooms. Truthfully she wanted to be alone so she could think. There was something about the maid that was bothering her and she still couldn't shake that bad feeling she'd got from her instinct.
"I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, and I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours", Shakespeare said to the Time Lord.
"All the world's a stage", the Doctor said.
"Hmm. I might use that. Goodnight, Doctor".
"Nighty night, Shakespeare", the Doctor said and left.
