AN: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 21
They stepped out one by one into the busy, bright city. The Doctor hadn't bothered to land the TARDIS somewhere inconspicuous. They were smack dab in the middle of a market of some sort. People shouted their wares from rickety stalls and the smell of cooking food and spices mixed with the not quite so pleasant scent of the marsh around them. Bright colored flags decorated the buildings, and people rushed about with numerous animals. An old woman, for instance, stepped right past the TARDIS, a goat in tow.
Matt remembered her from filming. She had walked several miles, and just sort of appeared on set, goat in tow, and they couldn't shake her. She'd had very little English at her command, so, of course, hilarity had ensued.
"Just wait till we call then walk out, okay?"
"No! Not yet! Just wait a bit!"
"Good grief, I didn't know goats actually eat everything."
He smiled at the memory and tucked it away. This had been a fun scene to film. He heard the Doctor's words mentally right before the Doctor spoke them, remembering easily.
"Venice!" the Doctor shouted, extending his arms. "Venezia. La Serenissima. Impossible city. Preposterous city! Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding, constantly just beautiful. Ah, you got to love Venice. So many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Ooo, that reminds me." He frowned and glanced at his wristwatch, which Matt was rather certain did not display the year, and if it did, would be wrong. "1580," the Doctor murmured as they began walking toward the gates of the city. "That's all right. Casanova doesn't get born for a hundred and forty-five years. Don't want to run into him. I owe him a chicken."
Rory raised an incredulous eyebrow. "You owe Casanova a chicken."
"Long story. I was-"
Fortunately, for the Doctor's companions, an official interrupted what probably would have turned into a very long, very confusing story where the word probably almost ended. "Sirs! Sirs, you cannot enter the city without papers!"
The Doctor frowned, looking the short man up and down. "Right, of course." He flashed his psychic paper. It was blank.
Matt frowned. The paper was always blank when they filmed, but in real life it would look like it had words on it, right? He would have to have some psychic training to see through the paper. There were only a few people on the show who could do so, and Matt certainly had never had psychic training.
So why was it blank? Huh.
Maybe a glitch?
The official's eyes widened, and he bowed hastily. "My apologies, your Holiness."
Apparently not a glitch. It seemed to work for everyone else well enough. Weird.
The Doctor smiled graciously, taking on a slightly haughty air. "Oh, no need. Now, why do you need my papers?"
"Why, the plague! I am checking for aliens. The plague is rampant. Bodies piled on the streets! Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes…"
The conversation continued, but Matt tuned out. He knew what was being said anyhow. He frowned at the psychic paper once more, squinting. Nadda. It was blank.
After the official left and the Doctor took on a slightly worried frown, Rory grabbed the psychic paper. His eyes scanned left to right as if he were truly reading something.
"It says here," Rory muttered as they walked, "That I am your eunuch."
"Whose? Amy's?" Matt asked distractedly.
"No. Yours."
Matt shot the Doctor a glare, which the Time Lord returned with an impish grin.
"Here," Rory said. He handed Matt the paper. "Read it yourself."
However, Matt shook his head and tossed the paper to the Doctor, who caught it mid-air. "Naw. I can't see it."
"What? Why not?"
The Doctor slowed slightly and considered Matt. "Yes, I suppose it wouldn't work on you."
Wondering what that was supposed to mean, Matt paused in his walk before shaking his head and continuing. Whatever.
"I don't understand," Rory continued, "How can he-"
"Don't worry, Rory," Amy interjected, "It's psychic paper. I'll explain later."
Rory opened his mouth to object, but at that moment a scene across the canal caught their attention.
"Isabella!"
Matt's ears prickled at the sound. Desperation mixed with a tinge of fear filled his lungs, but he shook away the feeling. Why was he afraid?
Across the canal, a long line of veiled girls dressed in white gowns walked two by two out of large, rather impressive gates and down the street. The daughters of Calvierri's school.
Interrupting their perfect strides, was a gondolier. He raced from girl to girl, lifting their veils and shouting the name of his… daughter, if Matt remembered correctly.
Oh gosh. Poor Isabella.
Maybe he could… No.
If she was destined to die, could he, should he change that?
All at once, someone grabbed the back of his jacket and tugged him backwards through the crowds at an impossible speed.
"Oi!" he complained, pulling away from the Doctor. "What are you doing?"
"Something's happening here," the Doctor answered, darting into the crowd again. He quickly found a bridge and made sure Matt followed him before crossing. "I need your help," he said once they were on the other side.
Matt raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Well, that's a first."
"Really, Matt. Now's not the time to be childish. We need to talk to that gondolier."
"Okay, fine. Why do I have to come?"
They neared the man, and the Doctor didn't have time to respond. He extended a hand down to the gondolier and helped the shocked man up.
"What's your name?" the Doctor asked after the man dusted himself off. The gondolier's eyes still followed after the girls.
"I-I," he started.
All at once, a wave of dread crashed over Matt, accompanied by a good dose of pain. He hissed and stumbled back, but before the Doctor could even ask what was wrong, it was over.
He stood straight again, confused. What the heck was that? His heart was pounding,
and his breath came quickly and the Doctor cast him a strangely weighted look before turning back the gondolier.
"I'm Guido," the man said.
"Who were those girls?"
Guido frowned. "I… thought everyone knew about the Calvierri school."
The Doctor shrugged. "My first day here." He frowned and glanced at Matt before turning to the gondolier again. "Parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools. They move house, they change religion. So why are you trying to get her out?
Guido shivered and glanced fearfully at the school. A dark shadow seemed to hang over the place, as if the castle had its own personal raincloud. "Something happens in there," he murmured. "Something magical, something evil. My own daughter didn't recognise me. And the girl who pushed me away..." He shook his head in fearful awe. "Her face, like an animal."
The Doctor nodded and took a step away so he could speak to Matt. "Is he telling the truth?" he whispered.
Matt blinked, confused, and took a step back. "I thought you didn't want me to say anything about the future."
"That's not why I asked." He analysed Matt carefully. "I want you to tell me if it feels like he's telling the truth, foreknowledge or not."
Matt snorted. "Well then, you are just the king of obscurity today, aren't you? How the heck am I supposed to do that?"
The Doctor sighed. "If you could guess what he was feeling at this moment, what would you say?"
Shrugging, Matt glanced at Guido, who stared sightless down the street his daughter and the other girls disappeared into. For a moment, Matt just watched him. A slight shiver crept up his neck. "Guilty," he murmured.
"What?"
"If I could guess, I'd say he's feels guilty. And afraid. Definitely afraid."
Slowly, the Doctor nodded. "Good, good. I think it's time I met this Signora Calvierri…"
A few minutes later, Matt found himself standing behind the school, wondering how the Doctor even knew that this little entrance existed. He leaned back against the stonework and watched the Timelord slip through the formerly-locked door and clamour down a short flight of stairs. Matt moved to follow him.
"There is a front door, you know," he whispered.
The Doctor snorted from out of sight. "Don't be ridiculous Matt."
Rolling his eyes, Matt was about to step inside when a shiver ran down his spine. He stopped and frowned. What was that? Slowly, Matt swiveled. He glanced around the alley. It was empty. Shaking his head, Matt took a step down the stairs, but suddenly the Doctor came barreling back up again.
"Matt," he exhaled breathlessly, "I thought I lost you."
Matt frowned. "What are you talking about? I saw you like, three seconds ago."
Instead of replying, the Doctor gave him a forlorn smile that quickly turned deathly serious, and planted his hands on Matt's shoulders. "This is very important, Matt. Are you listening? Take the third door on the left and don't stop running."
"What?"
The Doctor's lips twitched up. "You'll know it when you see it." With that, he disappeared down the stairs again, leaving Matt baffled. Frowning, Matt slowly descended the rest of the staircase.
The Doctor stood in a small room, mirrors on one wall and three doors on the opposite. The Time Lord adjusted his bowtie and winked at his reflection. "Hello, handsome."
Matt was too confused to come up with a stinging reply and just stared instead. "What was that about?"
The Doctor turned quickly and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
Matt opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment, the three doors behind the Doctor creaked open. Silent like snakes, several young women stepped from the darkness of the doorways and stared emotionlessly at Matt and the Doctor.
Matt's nervousness must have shown on his face because the Doctor's eyes flicked to the mirror next to him. He frowned at it and then at Matt. "What is it? What are you looking-" Spinning around, his voice caught in his throat. "-Oh."
Quickly, he turned back and forth. Mirror, girls, mirror, girls.
"How are they doing that?" He didn't expect an answer and none was given. " I am loving it. They're like Houdini, only five slightly scary girls, and he was shorter." The Doctor frowned before correcting himself. "Will be shorter."
"You're rambling," Matt interjected nervously.
The girls continued to sway on their bare feet, staring with eyes like sharks. "Who are you, senores? You must leave."
The Doctor stopped, momentarily tongue-tied. He dug into his pockets rapidly. "Right. Just… gimme a sec- ah, HA!" With a flourish, he pulled out a card and proudly displayed a picture of his first regeneration.
Matt coughed and edged back up the stairs. "Library card," he whispered.
Instantly, the Doctor glanced at the card and gave a breathless laugh. "Library card. Of course." He scratched his neck awkwardly and launched into an attempt to explain. "It's with... He's- I need a spare…" He stuffed the card into his pocket and shot Matt a wicked grin. "Pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen. Ha. Am I thinking what I think I'm thinking?"
"That's generally how it works."
The Doctor wasn't listening. "But the city…" he murmured. "Why shut down the city?" Light dawned in his eyes. "Unless…"
All at once, the creepy girls lunged forward and to Matt's mutual disgust and fascination, needlelike fangs grew out of their mouths. He'd been expecting it, but it was startling all the same. The Time Lord skidded backwards, yelping. Matt didn't need any persuasion and shot up the staircase, only just catching the Doctor's words.
"Tell me the whole plan!" the Doctor shouted at the girls.
Despite being quite a bit terrified, Matt found time to roll his eyes.
The Doctor gave a sort of disappointed whine. "Someday that will work. Listen, I'd love to stay but… this whole thing." Matt could picture the Doctor's grin as he backpedaled up the stairs. "Oh, this is Christmas!"
With that, the Time Lord burst outside and took off running, grabbing the cuff of Matt's jacket as he raced past. "Can you believe it, Matt?" he cried gleefully. "Vampires! In Venice!"
Matt was too busy attempting to keep up with the Doctor's break-neck pace to respond for several seconds. "I- know," he said between footsteps. "I- just- saw- them!"
The Doctor laughed. The sound was loud and clear and just a bit manic. But that didn't worry Matt. He understood why the Doctor loved the impossible. The impossible was dangerous and new and that was not something that the centuries old Time Lord often witnessed.
So Matt left the Doctor to his glee, instead concentrating on keeping his feet beneath him and the feeling of exhilaration that hummed through his bones. Man, he'd forgotten how much he enjoyed running. His back injury usually kept him from racing like this.
Sure, there were vampires in Venice that were probably bent on taking over the Earth, leaving the Doctor in an impossible position. But if they just kept on going, their feet slamming through puddles and clamouring across cobblestones, Matt felt like everything would be fine.
Besides, he knew the future. Everything worked out okay.
… Right?
AN: I don't know if there are any Merlin or Sherlock fans reading this, but if there is, I thought I'd advertise a Merlin/Sherlock one-shot of mine. The basic premise is that John is Merlin and Sherlock is our lovely prince:) It's called "In the Eyes of an Immortal". So anyway, if you're interested please check it out ;D Also, please leave me a REVIEW. I very much appreciate your feedback:)