Phase Nine
It Ends Tonight
"What?!" Sadie and the Doctor exclaimed in unison, both turning to face the Sllih with wide eyes.
"Sing," the Sllih repeated. "It's the only way to stop them."
"Wait," The Doctor said, looking a bit confused. "You said before that you weren't able to stop the Onkitalls…but now you say that ultimately they can be stopped with singing?"
"I said that I was unable to stop them. I said nothing about you stopping them."
"Well, that's convenient," The Doctor remarked while Sadie rolled her eyes. The two of them stared dumbly at each other for a moment. Meanwhile, the larger Onkitalls were back to crashing themselves into the Doctor's legs, starting up their annoying chant again.
"Not again," Sadie groaned. "Do something already!" The Doctor shook his head.
"I don't sing. That's your department."
"Why is it mine?!"
"You were the one who sang in the café, remember?" Sadie frowned.
"Point taken, but still…" The chanting was growing in volume and pitch, beginning to reach its ear splitting decibel again, so Sadie decided to relent. She cleared her throat nervously and sang out the first thing that popped inside her mind.
"The hills are alive, with the sound of music…"
"That's the best you can come up with?!" The Doctor cried, very nearly laughing, but catching himself just in time. Sadie blushed furiously.
"Well, it's…it's all I could think of, okay?" she said finally, stammering a little. She looked down to see the smaller Onkitalls still wrapped around the Doctor, and the larger still slamming themselves into his calves. "But it didn't seem to work."
"You've got it wrong," the Sllih said. "You have to sing, but it has to be heartfelt."
Sadie shook her head.
"No way. I've gotta sing AND it has to mean something. This is getting ridiculous." She turned to the Doctor. "You already laughed at me once, if I get all mushy and stuff you're just going to laugh more. Forget it. Hope you don't give him indigestion or anything." She started to walk off but the Doctor spoke quickly.
"I'm sorry for laughing. I promise, I won't do it again. Please, just sing and let's get out of here." Sadie sighed. She never could have left him, no matter what she'd said. She remembered how lonely she'd felt earlier without him around, and she knew she didn't want to live through that again. Suddenly it hit her. That was it! Smiling ever so slightly, she opened her mouth and began to sing softly.
"I'm looking for a place, searching for a face, is anybody here I know. Cause nothing's going right and everything's a mess, and no one likes to be alone. Isn't anyone trying to find me? Won't somebody come take me home? It's a cold night, trying to figure out this life…Won't you take me by the hand, take me somewhere new, I don't know who you are but I... I'm with you.
I'm with you…"
She let the song trail off and looked up cautiously. The Doctor was standing, newly freed hands on his hips, grinning. Small piles of dust that had once been Onkitalls surrounded him. "You said you wouldn't laugh!"
"I'm not laughing!" he protested, still smiling. "That was just…"
"Yeah…" Sadie coughed. "Hey look, the Onkitalls are gone!"
"I told you," the Sllih broke in. The Doctor moved closer, carefully stepping over the Onkitall dust.
"Alright so tell me, if the Onkitalls could be stopped by singing, why did they go to such lengths to give people the ability to sing?" he asked. "It doesn't make sense!"
"Not everything has to make sense, Doctor," the Sllih replied. The Doctor looked puzzled.
"So, did the people really enjoy it as much as they say they did? Even though they had to feed you people to keep it going?" Sadie asked.
"Yes, they enjoyed it, but it was the Onkitalls that insisted on the sacrifices," the Sllih answered.
"But why didn't you stop them?"
"No arms."
Sadie and the Doctor stood outside the TARDIS, watching the city. The Doctor had made an agreement with the Sllih to keep the spontaneous singing permanently for the planet, an act that had made him a hero with the planet's inhabitants. They had even thrown him a parade. Jackson had arranged it all, having decided that being sacrificed was not such a good thing, after all. But all the excitement was over now.
"It really isn't a bad place," Sadie remarked.
"No, not now anyway," the Doctor agreed. "Though it's a little noisy for my liking." Sadie nodded. The Doctor grinned cheekily. "So what was it that song said…something about 'take me by the hand, take me somewhere new'?"
"You promised not to laugh! Besides, I didn't hear YOU doing any singing!" Sadie pointed an accusing finger at the Doctor.
"Good reason for that, too. I can't carry a tune at all. A few bars from me and the Sllih would have eaten me just to make me stop!" Sadie giggled. The Doctor held out his hand and Sadie took it, walking with him into the TARDIS.
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Notes: Okay, so it might have been a little cheesy, but I like it, so there :P I hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for all your reviews and stuff – I'm so pleased, really, I am. I'm starting a new Sadie/Doctor story very, very soon, so be on the lookout for it!! Thanks again, you awesome readers, you!
