Sorry that this is so long in coming to you. It's been a very busy holiday season for me, not allowing me time to relax with a good word processor. :D Again, please let me know what you think about this chapter. I haven't been getting a lot of reviews lately and, as I said before, reviews help me write. Criticism is always allowed but make sure it's constructive.
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
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Chapter 12
Cardiff, Wales
United Kingdom, 2008
The brown-haired wig and the colored contact lenses did nothing to reassure the widow that no one recognized her, although she didn't let her discomfort show on her face. Ever since she had escaped capture for the murder of her husband, she wondered if any of them were looking for her. She was constantly keeping an eye out for any familiar face, hoping that she wouldn't run across any of them. As such, she also kept her head down, kept herself unnoticed. The last thing she needed was to be noticed by them.
She could still hear her beloved's voice in her head, telling her what she needed to do. The problem, though, was that she had no idea how to do what she had to do. First and foremost, she didn't know the location of the place where they were destined to reunite. Second, she didn't have the necessary means of transportation to get there. And third, she didn't know how to find the Doctor to ensure the revenge that was due to him.
The only advantage she had was the precious gift of time sense. Before she met her beloved, she was just ordinary. But he had given her the extraordinary, telling her that she always had the ability, that she just needed the right person to open her up to what she was truly capable of. Once he had taught her how to use that gift, she could see more clearly than she could ever before. She could see a person's life by just looking at them. She could see into a person's soul. And because of her new abilities, she had changed from a demure shy girl to a strong, dangerously confident woman who would do anything for her beloved. That was why she feared and loved him; she knew him better than anyone could ever know him and, through knowing him, she knew herself.
Thus it was that when the short blond-haired woman dressed in black leather walked into the same coffee shop where she was, the widow gasped at the brilliance around her, the aura that screamed time traveler to her. She could see the woman wasn't from the 21st century, probably wasn't even from Earth, though she was obviously human. The woman ordered a coffee and found a seat two tables away, apparently focused on the paper in front of her.
The widow watched her for a long moment before standing from her seat, walking to the woman's table, and sitting without any announcement. The woman didn't seem to pay attention to the widow for a long moment before she spoke.
"You know, in 21st century Cardiff, it's typically considered rude to sit at an already occupied table without asking for permission first." She paused, raising her eyes to meet the widow's. "And I didn't give you permission to sit at my table."
"We need each other, Veronica Ramses," the widow told her bluntly. Seeing the astonished expression on the woman's face, she smiled slightly. "Yes, Roni, I know who you are and I know what you want. You want your ex-partner's head on a platter. After all, he ruined your life, didn't he? He was the one that got you kicked out of the Time Agency."
Roni stared at the widow for a long moment before finding a voice. "Who are you? How the hell did you…"
"Who am I doesn't matter. What does is what we can do for each other," the widow interrupted. "As for how I knew, let's just say that I have a gift for seeing into a person's soul."
The ex-Time Agent looked upon this strange woman with growing suspicion. "And what is it, exactly, that you think we can do for each other?"
The widow smiled slightly at her question. "I can give you your ex-partner and insure that he is punished for what he has done to you. All I ask in return is transportation and the Doctor."
Roni raised an eyebrow. "I'd say you need a doctor, alright," she commented derogatorily.
The widow ignored the insult, speaking over Roni's last word. "He's a Time Lord. A very powerful being. Your dear friend and ex-partner knows him. They're very close friends."
"Hate to tell you this, but you're delusional," Roni told her, leaning forward over the table. "Okay, so you know some things. But the Time Lords are extinct. And even if they weren't, how do you expect me to catch one? They were masters of time and space. Your 'Doctor' could be anywhere, anytime. As for my ex-partner, I don't need your help getting to him. I know he's here on Earth and can't leave. I can find him and exact my revenge on my own."
"How?" the widow asked. "Shooting him? Knifing him? Drowning him? He'll only come back to life." Seeing the disbelief on Roni's face, she continued. "He's immortal now. Don't believe me? He's going by the name Captain Jack Harkness and he lives here in Cardiff. Go ahead and try. I'll even escort you to him. But I guarantee you'll be back looking for me to help you."
"If he is immortal now, as you say, how are you going to insure his punishment?" Roni pointed out with wariness.
The widow gave a wicked little grin. "There are fates far worse than death, dear Veronica. Trust me." She leaned forward to match Roni's gaze. "We'd make an excellent team, Veronica. We'd both get what we want and then we'd never have to see each other afterwards. In fact, since I'm asking for far more than I'm offering, let me raise the offer. You give me transportation and the Doctor and not only will I give you Captain Jack Harkness and insure he's punished, you'll also never have to worry about money for the rest of your life."
There was silence between them as they watched each other, trying to determine what the other was thinking. Finally, Roni leaned back in her chair, giving the widow a slight smile. "All right," she agreed. "We'll work together on this. But I need a down payment. Five hundred thousand pounds, if what you say about… Jack… is correct. Meet me here tomorrow at the same time and bring the money."
"Of course," the widow replied, watching Roni stand. "Until tomorrow, Veronica Ramses."
Roni stopped as she turned to walk away, looking at the woman with growing curiosity. She was such an odd woman, as if she really didn't belong of this world, even though she plainly was born into it. "Since we appear to be partners now and you know my name, what do I call you?"
The widow seemed to consider her words for a moment before smiling slightly. "Harriet. Harriet Mayhill."
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East Hampton, New York
United States, 2010
The Doctor, dressed completely in Earth traditional black for mourning, escorted Grace from the gravesites, his arm wrapped around her shoulder protectively. Ever since they had found Erik and Janet dead in Grace's living room, the Doctor's wife just hadn't been the same as normal. While he himself had once sized her up as being tired of life but scared of death when they first met in 1999, he knew that their first adventure had brought out the true Grace Smith, nee Holloway, the one who embraced life with fervor and with the knowledge that even if she couldn't hold back death forever at least she could fight it. Her parents' deaths, however, wounded that adventurous spirit. The Doctor knew she would recover with time – that was one of Grace's greatest strengths – and that with recovery would come determination. It was that determination that the Doctor looked forward to seeing again on his beloved's face. But until then, he needed to be her support.
They were approaching the waiting black limousine they had arrived in when he noticed a blonde woman standing a short distance from the funeral party, watching with what the Doctor could only call immense intensity. He turned his head slightly to see if Jack or Martha had seen the odd woman but wasn't able to see them. When the Doctor returned his eyes to where she had been, however, the woman was gone. Immediately concerned, he motioned for Andrew Holloway to come take his sister's arm and gave Grace a reassuring kiss before leaving her side to investigate.
Arriving at the spot, he looked around quickly but thoroughly, trying to locate the woman he had seen before. He frowned slightly when he noticed no sign of her, something that shouldn't be possible in a graveyard such as the one they were in. He was about to move a little further away from the funeral party when he felt Jack's presence beside him.
"What is it?" Jack asked somberly, following the Doctor's actions of sweeping the area with his eyes.
"A blond-haired woman was watching the funeral from around here. She didn't seem as interested in the funeral itself as she was in who was attending," the Doctor explained. "She appeared to match your description of Ramses."
Jack's eyes narrowed slightly. "And you just had to walk into a potentially dangerous situation. Typical." He put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "You let me do the worrying about Roni. You have your own responsibilities right now and one of them is avoiding getting yourself killed. I've just gotten used to this face; I don't want you changing it on me anytime soon and I seriously doubt that Grace feels any different about the issue."
"Don't exaggerate," the Doctor protested, allowing Jack to return him to the limousine. "You've known this face for three years whereas you only knew the other for a few short months." He gave Jack a half of a smile at his own words, letting him know that he appreciated his worrying about him. "Thank you," he said quietly to his friend and then, without a word, returned to Grace's side just as she slowly slipped into the back seat of the limousine.
Jack searched the area warily as Grace, the Doctor, and Andrew got into the limousine. Seeing no sign of Ramses, though he had no doubt that the Time Agent was somewhere nearby, he waited until the limousine had pulled from the curb before joining Martha to follow the grieving family in the rental car Martha had procured.
The trip to the reception was fairly silent, only broken with an occasional word here and there as the Doctor held Grace close to him, her sadness breaking his own hearts. Every once in a while he proclaimed his love for her, kissing her temple gently and brushing her hair. Grace, for her part, remained silent, the only indication that she was even aware of her surroundings being sad smiles to her husband and her brother.
The reception was in an elegant ballroom large enough to hold the dozens of people who came to support the family in their hour of grief. The room itself had two large entrances manned by intricately adorned double doors. Every wall had ornate patterns covering every inch. Given that there were no windows, all lighting came from crystal chandeliers that hung from evenly spaced positions on the ceiling. To the Doctor, the room seemed out of place for 21st century New York City. It very much reminded him of Versaille, France.
Once in the heart of the reception, Grace grew more talkative amongst the guests who came to give their condolences and to share stories with her. She wasn't up to being her usual self but seeing her starting to enjoy the company around her helped to alleviate the Doctor's concerns for her. What really eased his mind, though, was when after they had been there for a about an hour, the Doctor noticed her laughing gently as one of her friends relayed an amusing story which the Doctor himself didn't bother to eavesdrop on, though with his excellent hearing he could have quite easily done so. He smiled slightly, leaning against a wall as he surveyed the scene, grateful for the outpouring of support for his new wife.
"Good to see her with a smile on her face," Jack commented as he approached the Time Lord, a glass of wine in each of his hands. He handed one glass to his friend as he gestured towards Grace with his head. "The only time I ever saw her smile before was just as you two were pulling into the driveway that day." When the Doctor didn't reply verbally, just nodding in agreement, Jack tilted his head slightly. "So, what about you? How are you?"
The Doctor gave a weak smile. "Well, I suppose," he replied honestly. "I think that I'm thinking too much."
"About?" Jack encouraged.
"About the last week," the Doctor replied softly. "About whether or not I've made the right decisions concerning… us."
Jack exhaled slowly, nodding his head slightly. "You're still blaming yourself for their deaths." Seeing the look in the Doctor's eyes only confirmed his supposition. "Doctor, it wasn't your fault. Veronica Ramses killed the Holloways, not you."
"They wouldn't have been killed if I hadn't taken up residence in Grace's house," the Doctor countered with a murmur.
Jack sighed slightly. "Like you had a choice in where you were going to crash land." He gave him a pointed look. "Listen. I don't know how many times I can tell you before you actually start believing me, but not everything in the universe happens because of something you did. And if you keep up with the kind of logic you're on, you're going to find yourself in a courtroom getting a divorce because I seriously doubt that even a woman like Grace is going to put up with that attitude for long."
The Doctor gave him a wry grin. "Time Lords mate for life, Jack."
"In that case," Jack corrected himself, patting his shoulder, "good luck with the rest of your life." That brought the genuine smile he was waiting for.
Again, for a long moment, silence ruled between the two men, both watching their surroundings. Finally, the Doctor broke in, a slight frown on his face. "Do you smell that?" he questioned, sniffing at the air slightly.
Jack smiled slightly at his words. "Yeah. It's called food, something you haven't eaten in the last few days," he teased mercilessly. His face dropped slightly when he saw that the Doctor was quite serious in his query. "What is it?"
The Doctor shook his head slightly, handing his near empty glass to Jack. "Don't know. Slightly metallic," the Doctor commented as he followed the scent around the room. "Can't you smell it?" he questioned, noting Jack's following him. He stopped just under an air vent, sniffing the air again. "It's coming from the ventilation," he surmised, raising an eyebrow towards his friend.
Even as he spoke, his attention was diverted to the sight of one of the guests dropping suddenly to the floor, causing a murmur of concern. Almost immediately afterwards, on the other side of the room, another collapsed as others began to stagger slightly.
"Doctor!" Martha cried from the middle of the room, causing the Time Lord to hurry to her.
"Grace!" he exclaimed, seeing his wife lying on the floor with Martha at her side.
"She just fainted," Martha explained as the Doctor dropped to one knee to check his wife's condition.
"She's not the only one," he quickly told her. Then, without diverting his eyes from Grace's still form, he ordered Jack and Martha, "Get everyone out of here."
Jack needed no further explanation. It was plainly obvious that the room was being flooded quickly with a colorless gas, rendering people unconscious at an alarming rate. The solution, of course, seemed simple: open all the doors and escort people outside the building before finding the cause of the flooding and stopping it. But Jack learned a long time ago that things never seemed to go the simple way when it came to either the Doctor or himself.
Jack sent Martha to open one door, furthest from the air vents, while he attended the other.
"Doors are locked from the outside!" he shouted to the Doctor when he couldn't open his door. He turned his head to get verification from Martha only to see her succumb to the increasingly gas flooded room. Mentally, he cursed, kicking the door. "Need a little help here!" he told the Doctor, frustration clear in his voice.
Finally having assured himself of Grace's eventual recovery, the Doctor quickly stood and reached into his jacket for his sonic screwdriver. Coughing against the growing metallic stench, he tossed the device to Jack and carefully started towards the other door to see what he could do to get it open. He didn't get far when Jack's incredulous voice filled his ears.
"They're deadlocked sealed!"
The Doctor quickly turned towards Jack at his words, an action he immediately regretted as his head swam in protest. He was starting to really feel the effects of the gas on him, effects that not even his respiratory bypass system could stall. A quick glance at the rest of the room revealed that he and Jack were, quite literally, the last two men standing. He knew it wasn't going to be long before even that changed.
"That's impossible! Humans don't have… that kind of… technology yet," the Doctor protested, coughing between pauses as he approached Jack, taking the sonic screwdriver back from him. His blurred eyes tried to read the setting to make sure Jack was using it correctly – he was, of course – but everything around him seemed to shift, causing him to lose his balance and collapse into Jack's arms.
"Whoa!" Jack exclaimed, helping him to the floor. "Take it easy. I'll get us out," he assured, retrieving the sonic screwdriver from the floor where the Doctor had dropped it.
The Doctor blinked at Jack, suddenly feeling a bit of envy for his immortal friend. Not that he envied Jack's immortality. But Jack's unique physiology made it impossible for him to pass out from something as simple as a sudden change in atmospheric conditions.
"Can't breathe," the Doctor breathed, leaning against the wall Jack had propped him against. "Jack…" Whatever he was going to say was lost as his eyes drifted closed and his body went slack, showing that he himself was finally defeated by the noxious fumes that filled the room.
"Damn it!" Jack cursed. A quick check of the Doctor's vitals showed that he'd recover, giving Jack some relief as he explored the options, which were none to speak of. Both doors were deadlock sealed, preventing even the sonic screwdriver unlocking them. The vents themselves had no shut off or reversal, which left only one option. Someone had to open the doors from the outside.
Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed 911 and waited. Nothing happened. Not even a single ring. He frowned with frustration, instantly recognizing the technology involved. Communications disrupters were common with the Time Agency and Jack had no doubt that one was being used now. Going to Martha, he apologized to her still form as he searched for her phone, one he knew the Doctor had updated with universal roaming. Again, no ring, no connectivity.
"So, it's a waiting game," he commented to himself. Positioning himself so that he could get to either of the doors quickly, he took a deep breath and exhaled, wincing slightly at the burn the action caused his already healing lungs. "Alright, Roni. Your move."
He didn't have to wait long.
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Nearly two years of meticulous planning and execution was finally about to come to fruition. Veronica Ramses smiled gently at the thought while she watched and waited for the gas to take effect. But even as she waited, she couldn't help but wonder how her current partner, Ms. Mayhill, was able to arrange the set-up. But then again, she supposed a woman who could find a lost planet of an ancient and powerful race could probably do almost anything.
It had taken the duo over a year of space travel to find the planet, using a trail of clues that Harriet Mayhill had them follow. And when they finally found the planet, Mayhill insisted that Roni wait in the timeship while she disembarked alone. And when she returned several hours later wheeling a large barrel in front of her, she gave no explanation, only instructing Roni to return to Earth in the 21st century. After that, Roni had been sorely tempted just to kill Mayhill and continue with her own quest for revenge on Jack Harkness without her aide. After all, what good was a partner if all they did was take from you, giving you nothing in return but grief? But for some odd reason, she just couldn't kill her. It was almost as if the mysterious woman had a hypnotic power over Roni that the latter couldn't fight.
It was Mayhill who connected the barrel of gas to the environmental systems of the hall where the Holloway funeral reception was taking place. It was Mayhill who deadlock sealed the doors once the Doctor and his entourage were in the room. And it was Mayhill who turned on the non-lethal – or so Mayhill had assured Roni – gas to flood the ballroom, knocking all except one unconscious. All Roni had to do was go get their prize which, to Roni's great annoyance, did not include Jack Harkness.
"We should take him too," Roni again protested as the two women stood outside of the hall.
"No," Mayhill insisted with a glare. "Stick to the plan. We need him here on Earth."
"You mean you need him here on Earth," Roni contradicted. "I need him on that planet you found, suffering."
"And I have those planets coordinates, which I've already removed from your ship's memory banks for insurance purposes," Mayhill retaliated with a wicked grin. "You're stuck doing things my way if you want things your way, Miss Ramses. Now, I suggest that you do as you are told before I decide that you are too much of a liability." Without any further word to her, but feeling Roni's response in the form of a vicious glare at her back, she stepped towards the door and released the deadlock seal with a small dangerous-looking device. Then, taking a step back, she turned to Roni with a grin. "You're on… partner." She patted Roni's shoulder with four quick taps before continuing on her way, the grin still firmly in place.
Roni watched for a moment as the woman walked from the scene, supposedly to prepare the timeship for take off with their prize in the storage hold. Then, realizing once again that she needed Mayhill more than Mayhill needed her, she slipped on the gas mask that would protect her from becoming another casualty of the flooded ballroom. Pulling out her laser blaster, she pulled hard on one of the doors, stepping back to allow the doors to swing open on their own.
"Jack," she called out, her voice muffled by the mask on her face. Seeing nothing but still forms in the room, she continued, unconsciously tapping a rhythm against the handle of her blaster. "I know you're unaffected by the gas so you might as well come out where I can see you." She paused, waiting for a reply of some kind. Getting none, she raised her blaster and aimed for the closest person in her sights. "You may be able to recover from a laser blast to the chest, Jack, but I don't think the nice lady in front of the door will. She looks familiar, Jack. Doesn't she work for you?"
Jack, who had pressed himself against a wall just next to the door when he heard the door unlock, glanced to the woman in question, instantly recognizing Martha. Silently, he cursed. Why couldn't Roni just walk into a nice little trap like a good girl instead of threatening the life of a dear friend of his? Taking a breath of the slowly dissipating fumes, he exhaled and pushed away from the wall. Cautiously, he walked into Roni's view, his hands up in surrender.
"So, now what?" Jack questioned, once again wishing that he hadn't obeyed the Doctor's insistence that he remain unarmed.
Roni smiled under her gas mask. "Quite simple," she told him. "I collect my prize and leave while you and everyone else wait here until the police and fire department come to the rescue." She took a step forward, obviously ready to do exactly what she had just said.
Jack shook his head. "Can't let you do that, Roni," he told her plainly. Slowly lowering his hands, he extended one of them towards her. "Give me the blaster, Roni, and I promise no harm will come to you." Getting to reaction from her, he lowered the pro-offered hand. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded, his frustration showing easily in his voice.
"Again, simple," she replied. "Revenge." Without further word, she fired three times into Jack's chest, watching with some delight as he fell to the floor, his eyes still open. Walking up to his still form, she shivered slightly. "Still freaks me out," she muttered to herself as she searched for and retrieved the one person needed to complete Mayhill's master plan.
