Chapter Eight: Love

The Doctor, who was carrying Amy, the Professor, who was carrying Belle, went into the teleport room, followed by Rory and Mr Gold. The Doctor and the Professor walked up to the teleport pad and laid down Amy and Belle next to each other.

"Will sleeping help them, dearie?" Mr Gold asked. "Will this slow down the process?"

"You'd better help so," Oswin said over the speaker, "because pretty soon they are going to try and kill you."

"Ow," Amy said, getting up slowly.

"Amy. Still with us?" the Doctor asked.

"Amy, it's me. Do you remember me?" Rory asked. And in response to his question, Amy slapped Rory, which made him mutter, "She remembers me."

"Same old Amy," the Professor said. "Now, let's check on Belle."

Mr Gold bent down beside Belle and kissed her on the lips. Belle stirred and woke up slowly. "Belle, darling. Do you remember me?" he asked.

"Yes. You are Rumplestiltskin. And you are my true love," Belle said.

"Do you know how you make someone into a Dalek?" Oswin asked over the speaker. "Subtract love, add anger. Doesn't Amy seem a bit too angry to you?"

"Well, somebody's never been to Scotland," Amy retorted back.

"What about you, though, Oswin. How come you're okay?"the Doctor asked. "Why hasn't the nanocloud converted you?"

"I mentioned the genius thing, yeah? Shielded in here."

"Clever of you. Now, this place. The Daleks said it was fully automated. Look at it. It's a wreck."

"Well, I've had nearly a year to mess with them, and not a lot else to do."

"A junior entertainment manager hiding out in a wrecked ship, hacking the security systems of the most advanced warrior race the universe has ever seen. But you know what really gets me about you, Oswin? The soufflés. Where do you get milk for the soufflés?" Everyone was silent. "Seriously. Is no one else wondering about that?"

"Well, kinda," the Professor said. "But it's certainly not the main thing on my mind."

"So, Doctor," Oswin started, "I've been looking you up. You're all over the database. Why do the Daleks call you the Predator?"

"I'm not the Predator, I'm just a man with a plan," the Doctor said.

"You've got a plan?" Oswin asked.

"That's all he ever is, dearie," Mr Gold said. "He looked after me, when I was young. My father had abandoned me and the Doctor was my only family. He had a different face back then. He had short wavy brown hair, a black coat, opened all the way down with a light gray undershirt and a dark blue scarf around his neck."

The Doctor sighed, glad Mr Gold remembered his eighth incarnation. " So, in no particular order, we need to neutralise all the Daleks in this Asylum, rescue Oswin from the wreckage, escape from this planet and fix Amy and Rory's marriage, as well as getting Rumple and Belle back to Storybrooke," the Doctor said.

"Okay, I'm counting three – maybe four – lost causes. Anyone else?" Amy asked.

"Oswin, there's a Dalek ship in orbit," the Doctor said.

"Yes. Got it on the sensors," Oswin said.

"The Asylum has a forcefield. The Daleks upstairs are waiting for me to turn it off. Soon as I do, they'll burn this whole world and us with it. So, Oswin, my question is this. How fast can you drop the forcefield?"

"Pretty fast. But why would I?"

"Because this is a teleport. Am I right, Oswin?"

"Yeah. Internal use only."

"I can boost the power. Once the forcefield is down, I can use it to beam us right off this planet."

"You said when the forcefield is down, the Daleks will blow us up," Rory asked.

"Yes, Rory. They were gonna blow us up. That is why we have to be quick. Or, we can use magic," the Professor said, then realised. " No, we have my father with us. It won't work."

"Well, we'll be quick. But where do we beam to?" Amy asked

"The only place within range. The Dalek ship," the Doctor said.

"They'll exterminate us, won't they?" Belle asked.

"Ah, so this is the kind of escape plan where you survive about four seconds longer," Rory said.

"What's wrong with four seconds? You can do loads in four seconds," the Doctor said.

"And besides, we have magic on our side, as I said before," the Professor said. " That's one advantage of magic. Although it won't work on Time Lords, it can work on Daleks. I hope..."

"Oswin, how fast can you drop the forcefield?" the Doctor asked.

"I can do it from here, as soon as Scarfy comes and gets me," Oswin responded.

"No. I'm not letting my son out there with Daleks alone. Just drop the forcefield and come to us."

" Again...magic," the Professor said.

"There's enough power in that teleport for one go. Why would you wait for me?" Oswin asked,

"Why wouldn't I? I would like you in my family," the Doctor said.

"No idea. Never met you. Sending you a map so you can come get me."

"This place is crawling with Daleks," Rory said.

"Yeah. Kind of why I'm anxious to leave. Come up and see me sometime," Oswin said.

"So, are you two going to go get her?" Mr Gold asked the Doctor. "She wants the Professor but you don't want him to go out alone..."

"I don't think that we have a choice. Okay, as soon as the forcefield is down the Daleks will attack. If it gets too explody-wody in here, you go without us, okay?" the Doctor asked.

"And leave you to die?"

"Oh, don't worry about us. You're the one beaming up to a Dalek ship to get exterminated."

Mr Gold seemed scared but kept his cool. "Fair point, Doctor. But what about Amy and Belle?"

"Keep them remembering. Keep her focused. That'll hold back the conversion."

"What do we do?" Amy asked.

"You heard what she said. They're subtracting love. Don't let them," the Doctor said.

"Like what I always say," Mr Gold started, "love ... It's like a delicate flame. Once it's gone, it's gone forever."

"Very thorough, Rumple. Very, very thorough. Now, if there is trouble, use magic," the Doctor said. "Son, lets go rescue Oswin."