-1Disclaimer: I don't own the Doctor, the TARDIS, Rose or any of the characters, planets, technology etc that appear in Doctor Who. I am only borrowing them and they will be returned to the BBC undamaged and in their original packaging.

Chapter Ten: Behold, The Shadow

'So this is it,' Xan said, crouching down beside the wall. He touched it briefly, winced and rubbed his fingers. 'Cold.' He glanced up at the Doctor. 'It's still there.'

'You feel it?' the Doctor said.

Xan nodded, his nose wrinkling in an expression of distaste. 'I can sense it and I can smell it. Vile.'

'Let me.' Rose brushed her hand against the wall and gasped softly. 'Cold!'

'Must be strong, even you can feel it,' the Doctor said to her.

She glared at him.

'Don't give me that look,' he said, not looking around. 'Humans are so - unaware.'

She continued to glare at him.

'Rose, let it go,' he advised.

'He likes insulting species,' she said to Xan.

'Yes, I know,' he said calmly. He straightened. 'What you planning to do?' He touched the wall again. 'Is it here? It doesn't feel very strong.'

'No,' the Doctor said, running his hands over the wall. 'It's been here a long time, though. It's hiding. It's lurking close by so we can feel it but it isn't coming out just yet.'

'What's it hiding from?'

The Doctor looked up. 'Me.'

Rose gasped suddenly and swayed alarmingly. Xan moved and took her arm, steadying her. She gripped his arms, her face going white and beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

'You all right?' he asked concernedly.

She nodded then shook her head. 'I feel fine - just a bit faint.'

The Doctor and Xan looked at each other. The Doctor was scowling, then he said, 'The poison.'

'Solia said we wouldn't feel any pain,' Rose said to him.

'Solia doesn't know as much as she thinks,' the Doctor replied shortly. He paused and then said to Xan, 'How are you feeling?'

'Fine.'

'Are you all right now?' the Doctor asked Rose.

She nodded, releasing Xan's arm. 'Yes. I think so.'

'You want to like down or anything?'

'No,' Rose said, leaning against the wall and giving him a weak smile. 'I'm okay.'

'We need to get that antidote and soon.' He sighed. 'But first things first, because Solia won't give it to us without a sign of something happening here.'

Xan's expression darkened. 'Something to her liking, you mean.'

The Doctor ignored that. 'I would like you both to leave now,' he said.

Xan stared. 'What?' he said in astonishment.

'Don't pretend to be dense, Xan. You heard me and you know exactly what I meant, so do it. Now.'

'Why?' Xan demanded. 'You asked us to come with you and now you're kicking us out? That's hardly fair and it's very stupid - '

'I want you both outside,' the Doctor said patiently. 'If anything happens, I don't want either of you getting hurt.'

'Screw that,' Xan informed him calmly. 'And screw you too, if you think we're doing that.'

The Doctor glared.

'I'm with Xan on this one,' Rose said. 'What if something happens to you?'

'I'm not - I don't -

'You don't know when to give in,' Xan said. 'We're staying. I reckon if anything does happen, you're going to need us to help you get out of it. Now. Are we going to argue some more about this or are you just going to give in sooner rather than later?'

The Doctor turned a glare upon them both. 'If either of you distract me - ' he warned.

'Yeah, yeah,' Rose said, grinning. 'Get on with it.'

He gave them both withering looks which only made them grin more. Then he stepped up to the wall and touched both hands to it. 'Where are you?' he said aloud. 'Come forward, I bid you show yourself!'

Nothing happened.

'Maybe it's asleep?' Rose suggested dryly.

The Doctor ignored her. He pressed his hands against the wall harder and said, louder this time, 'I know you're there! Come out and show yourself!'

For a few minutes nothing happened. Then they all became aware that the cave was rapidly getting colder, their breath steaming in the icy air. A smell gradually filled the room, thick and heavy, smelling of rotting leaves and blood. Then there was a soft sigh, filling the room, rippling the foul smelling air and a face began to form in the wall. The stone of the wall twisted and buckled, as if something was trying to force its way out. The contours of the rock shifted, melting together and melding until it became a rough, ragged face.

The mouth opened and hissed, the eyes narrowing into furious slits, gaping blackness in the depths.

The Doctor regarded the shadow silently for a minute, then said, 'That isn't your physical form, is it?'

It simply hissed at him.

'I'll take that as a no, then.'

The face in the wall shuddered and jerked, mouth opening and exposing a mouthful of ragged teeth. The Doctor gritted his own teeth and snapped, 'Oh, no you don't!' He closed his eyes and the other two felt the mental force as he pushed the shadow back.

It howled, furious. Let me go!

'Not a chance,' the Doctor said hoarsely. There was sweat on his face. He closed his eyes tightly, lines of exertion standing out on his face. He gasped harshly, snarled under his breath and shouted, 'No, damn you! You can't fight me and win!'

The face relaxed into a sulky expression, the lips lowering and covering those menacing teeth.

'I want you to talk to me,' the Doctor said quietly.

The shadow considered him, the eyes dark, intent and terrifying. Speak.

'Who are you?'

No one.

'What are you?'

Shadows.

'Where are you from?'

Far away. Lost. Alone. Afraid and hungry.

'What is your home called?'

Don't remember...too long ago...

'Why are you here?'

Home now.

'How did you come to be here?'

Lost. Found home. Dark. Hidden. In the dark.

'Why are you harming this planet? Why are you frightening the people?'

Hungry. Home. Slaves.

The Doctor paused. 'I see. You need food, they provide you with food. What food?'

Slaves. Food.

His mouth twisted in disgust. 'You feed on the people here.'

Yes.

'What have you been doing to Solia?'

Human. Food. Slave. Fear feeds.

'You feed on their fear - on Solia's fear. Why her?

Strong and afraid.

'Why did you hide from me?'

Strong.

The Doctor paused. 'You're afraid of me, aren't you?'

There was no answer from the shadow.

'What is your name?'

There was nothing but silence. The face in the wall remained impassive.

'I repeat, what is your name?' he demanded.

Forgotten.

'You've forgotten your own name?' He shook his head. 'Then you've been here a long time. Why are you destroying the planet now?'

Sleeping, long time. Awakened. Hungry.

'You know that you're destroying this planet?'

Everything dies.

'Why would you kill it? You need the planet and the people, what will you do when it's gone?'

Move on.

'Why are you afraid of me?' he asked again. 'All right, so I'm strong but so are you. Why would you fear me?'

Once again, it refused to answer.

'I think I know. Shall I tell you? The prophecy. You know about the prophecy, don't you? I think you know what it means. Do you?'

There was such a long silence that he thought it was not going to reply at all, and then it finally did.

Great Healer has returned. The storm comes. The Great Healer returns. The tide turns, the storm comes, the shadow advances. Times of fear, times of death and the storm comes.

'That isn't telling me anything I don't already know.'

You are him. Stand in the path of the storm. Afraid. Great Healer. Lord of Time.

The Doctor paused. 'How did you know that?'

We have met.

'When?'

Long ago.

The Doctor shook his head. 'I'm sure I would have remembered.

Lord of Time.

He pondered this for some time. 'All right. But what are you doing? There must be enough people here for you to exist, so why drain this planet of life? Why torment Solia? You're driving her mad - why?'

Existence only. Not enough.

He opened his mouth to retort, then nodded. 'I think I understand. Yes, I think I do. But you can't do this. You can't drive people mad, you can't destroy an entire planet just for what you want. Life doesn't work like that, you can't simply do as you will and damn everyone else - '

You do.

The Doctor's expression darkened. 'You don't know what you're talking about,' he said heavily.

Do you?

'Yes,' he said quietly. 'I do. You can't stay here if you're going to harm this world and its people anymore - '

Meanwhile, Rose and Xan sat beside the door, listening to the conversation. Then Xan looked up sharply. Rose frowned at him as he got to his feet and walked softly to the entrance of the cave. 'I don't believe it,' he said under his breath.

'What is it?' she asked, also getting to her feet. They spoke in very low voices so as not to distract the Doctor.

'That stupid bitch,' he said, scowling. Solia and a group of guards with her. He stepped out into the corridor and blocked Solia's way. 'I don't think so,' he said. 'The Doctor is busy.'

'Doing what?' she demanded, glaring up at him.

'Trying to save your planet, although you don't deserve it,' he said shortly. 'Now go away.'

'The fate of my planet is my business and you are to let me pass,' she said.

'No.'

'My guards will remove you if you do not get out of my way.'

Xan's eyes narrowed. 'Let them try, Solia.' He grinned, and added lazily, 'Cos that's all they're going to do - try.'

'Stop it,' Rose said to him quietly, glancing behind them at the Doctor. 'Please, Solia. He's trying to help.'

'He didn't let me know what he was doing.'

'He doesn't have to,' Xan said.

She cast him an angry glare. 'This is my home, I should know what goes on here - '

'The Doctor is trying to help,' Rose said. 'He's talking to that shadow creature right now - '

'What!' Solia stared and then tried to shove past her. Rose tried to stop her but one of the guards grabbed her and dragged her backwards. Solia then tried to move past Xan who grabbed her easily and pushed her backwards. Another guard tried to grab him. He broke free easily and hit the guard, sending him crashing backwards into the guard behind him.

'Stop it!' Rose yelled, casting a worried glance back into the cave. 'The noise - it's going to distract him!'

Solia shoved Xan again who caught hold of her. 'Stop!' he snapped at her. She screamed furiously at him and tried to hit him in order to get past him. He grabbed her again and she screamed again.

The Doctor spun, distracted. The shadow took the opportunity and roared, fighting to break free. The Doctor turned back, trying to prevent it from freeing itself and escaping. 'No!' he shouted. It simply bellowed, the stone of the wall shaking and swelling and suddenly bursting out of the wall in a spray of stone and darkness. All the light stones in the room went out and the shadow swept through the cave.

Everything descended into chaos. There was stone flying everywhere, people shouting and screaming and panicking in the darkness, the stink of the shadow everywhere.

'Rose!' Xan yelled. 'Are you there?'

'Yes!' she shouted and he heard her voice close to the door. 'Can you get the Doctor? I'll get Solia out!'

'No, leave her here to die,' he muttered, blinking and trying to rub dust out of his eyes, which were adjusting to the darkness. 'Doctor?' he called. 'You okay?'

'Fine,' the Doctor's voice came, sounding angry and deeply tired. 'I'm fine - '

The stench of the shadow lessened and the heavy darkness lifted a little. Then there came an ominous noise from the cave roof. Everyone went still. The noise came again, an echoing cracking noise that was the sound of stone under immense strain.

'The cave is collapsing,' the Doctor said. 'Get out, all of you! Go! I'll be all right!'

'Idiot,' Xan muttered as Rose shouted, 'Not on your life!'

'No - ' the Doctor began. Xan grabbed his arm.

'You think we're going to leave you, you twonk,' Xan said, shaking his head. He hauled the Doctor to his feet and dragged him towards the entrance. 'Hurry up!' he yelled.

The Doctor started to say something but was drowned out as the cave collapsed.

Xan grabbed the Doctor's shoulders and threw them both onto the floor, and rolled desperately, the cave collapsing behind them. They were buried under a shallow fall of fragments of stone.

'Doctor?' Rose called as she dug through the loose fragments of stone.

The Doctor sat up slowly. His head was bleeding badly and he was covered in shallow cuts and grazes. He gave her a weak smile. 'You all right?' he asked. She nodded.

Xan sat up, brushing dust out of his hair and off his face. He looked seriously hacked off, although he nodded when Rose inquired whether or not he was all right. 'No thanks to you,' he said, directing the comment at Solia who ignored him.

The Doctor got to his feet, trying to brush dust off of his jacket and trousers. He was also glaring at Solia. 'You are getting beyond a joke,' he said. She opened her mouth indignantly to protest and he cut her off sharply. 'Shut up. You and your stupidity and stubbornness almost got all of us and you killed. I will tell you when I think you need to know something because you have not yet shown yourself to be either trustworthy or capable of acting sensibly and responsibly and I have no idea how anyone in their right mind would have made someone as stupid and self-obsessed as you leader.' He scowled. 'Go away.'

He stormed past them without waiting for a horrified Solia to respond. Rose and Xan followed him silently.

When they were some way away, Rose said, 'You were a little bit harsh on her.'

'You think so, do you?' he said waspishly. 'She poisoned you, then got us all almost killed. I#m not feeling very kindly towards her at the moment.'

'What else is wrong?' she asked.

He scowled again, then stopped walking, leant against the wall and sighed. He looked utterly exhausted. 'I'm angry because she was stupid and I'm a little bit afraid because it isn't in that room anymore. It lodged itself there and now it's moved. It's moving caused that cave to collapse, so we can assume that it doesn't move very often and it won't want to move again in a hurry. But it's gone and I'd be willing to bet it isn't happy with me. It's going to want me out of its way, I think.'

'What are you going to do?' Rose asked him.

He looked at her. 'I don't know,' he said softly. 'Yet.'