A/N : Thanks for the reviews, sorry for slow update but I've just started another fanfic and I needed a breather from this one, it's exhausting writing four thousand words everyday you know!. Also I've been lacking time recently doing other things. Well, anyway, please keep on reviewing :).
Sat in the Tardis, Astrid glanced about with a mixture of excitement and wonder. The ship was magical, it could just appear and disappear right on the spot and travel wherever, whenever. It was fasanating. "So how does this ship go through time?" she asked. then Doctor glanced at her briefly as he moved around the console panel.
"Oh let's take the fun and mystery out of everything!" he murmured."Trust me, Astrid, you don't want to know, it just does"
"He's probably saying that because he doesn't know himself" Jack grinned. Astrid giggled. The Doctor shot him a glare. The Tardis started rocking and Astrid fell down, Jack fell after her, tumbling on top of her while the Doctor went flying into the railing. The Doctor couldn't help but think if Donna was here she would have found that hilarious."Doc, don't you need a liscense to drive this thing?" growled Jack, who was clinging to the floor. Astrid was clinging to his waist.
"Yes and I failed it" he remarked. Jack stared at him with disbelief. The Tardis slowed down and everybody stood up. Astrid looked a little flushed from holding onto Jack for the last couple of minutes."I promised you one trip and one trip only, Astrid Peth. Outside this door....brave new world" the Doctor looked at her from the doors. She smiled and pratically ran out of the ship.
"Wow, we actually travelled in time!" she exclaimed happily."Where-no when are we?"
"Watch out!" Jack and pulled Astrid back as a man leant out of the window and dumped the contains of his bucket out onto the street.
"Mind the loo" he said AFTER he had gone and dumped it.
"Somewhere before the invention of the toliet, sorry about that" the Doctor apologised. Jack looked at the Doctor, disgusted.
"I guess I've seen worst" Astrid shrugged. "So us being here, doesn't affect anything does it? I mean what if I kill my grandfather?"
"Oh dear lord" Jack mumured."I'm attracted to a physco"
"Why would you want to kill you're grandad?" the Doctor asked and Astrid blushed.
"It was a rhetorical question" she explained.
"Oh" Jack said tonelessly."Are you planning on killing your grandad?"
"No"
"Well, then"
"So this is London?" she asked, changing subject.
"I think so" the Doctor confirmed."About 1599"
"So where are we going?" Jack asked the Doctor.
"I know, the globe threatre! yes, it's brand new, just opened, containing the man himself!" the Doctor proclaimed happily.
"What man?" Jack frowned.
"You really need to get cultured up or something Jack - Shakespear!" the Doctor said, appalled by Jack's ignorance.
"Not THE Shakespear!! Astrid said, surprised.
"The one and only" the Doctor replied and Astrid linked him as they walked inside the building, Jack following behind, not too happy that Astrid had gone off with the Doctor. A few hours later, the play ended and the Doctor, Astrid and Jack stood inside clapping.
"That was amazing!" Astrid beamed."It's worth putting up with the smell"
"Where those men dressed as women?!" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"London never changes" the Doctor commented, amused.
"Where's Shakespear I want to see him?!" Astrid said excitedly."Author, Author!" Jack and the Doctor looked at her strangely."Do people shout that?" around them. a man picked up on what Astrid had been shouting and started chanting it. Soon everyone else joined in.
"Well they do now" the Doctor told her before Shakespear appeared on stage. Astrid gave the Doctor a look of surprise.
"He looks a bit different from his portraits"
"Genius. He's a genius - THE genius, the most human, human, that's ever been. Now we're going to hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words!" the Doctor exclaimed with pleasure of seeing his idol.
"Shut you're big fat mouths!" Shakespear yelled and the audience laughed. The Doctor's face fell in disappointment.
"You should never meet your idols" Jack smirked.
"You have excellent taste I'll give you that!" Shakespear grinned."Oh that's a wig!" he pointed to someone in the audience, the Doctor could barely believe this was the same guy who wrote things such as the tempest, the twelfth night and romeo and julliet."I know what you're all saying, 'love labours lost', that's a funny ending isn't it? it just stops!. Will the boys get the girls? well don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah, ALL in good time, you don't rush a genius".
"He loves himself just a little bit" Jack stated.
"Then you too should hit it off just fine" the Doctor snapped. Jack gave him a mocking wounded look. The Doctor gazed at him, amused.
"When? tommorow night!" they heard Shakespear bellow."The premiere of my brand new play, a sequel no less and I call it, 'love labours won'!" Jack and Astrid glanced at the Doctor who had fallen silent. As they left the threatre, Astrid spoke.
"I've never heard of 'love labours won'"
"Exactly - the lost play" the Doctor replied."It doesn't exist - only in rumours. It turns up in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No one knows why"
"How come it disappeared in the first place?" Astrid frowned.
"Well I was just going to give you a quick trip...but I suppose we could stay a little longer" at that the three of them walked down the street until they got to an inn where Shakespear was staying. Jack and Astrid followed the Doctor up a flight of stairs and into a room where Shakespear was sat talking to two men. "Excuse me? I'm not interrupting am I? isn't it?"
"Oh no, no,no,no, no. Who let you in?. No autographs. No you can't have yourself sketched with me" Shakespear said arrogantly. Jack raised an eyebrow."And please don't ask where I got my ideas from. Thanks for the intereast, now be a good boy and shove-" his eyes fell on Astrid. "Hey, beautiful, come sit next to me. You two back to sewing those costumes, off you go" the two men left the room, Astrid sat down next to Shakespear in there place.
"What a git" Jack mumured.
"Sweet lady, such unusal clothes...so fitted" Jack looked at the man disgusted.
"No one ever said Shakespear was a pervert"
"Um, verily, forsooth, egads" Astrid spluttered. The Doctor, sat down next to her, looked at her bewildered.
"No, don't do that" he mumured into her ear before taking out his physic paper and flashing it at the man. "I am sir Doctor of Tardis, these are my companions Harkness and Miss Astrid Peth"
"Intereasting, that bit of paper it's blank" Shakespear stated. The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh that just proves it. Absolute genius!" he praised, awestruck."Physic paper, long story" he muttered to Astrid.
"Physic. Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly?. More's the point, whose you're delicious blonde lady?" Astrid blushed as Shakespear eyed her up. Suddenly a middle age man entered the room, interrupting them.
"Excuse me! hold a hard moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script . As master of the revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed" the man declared snottily.
"Tommorow morning, first thing, I'll send it round" Shakespear replied coolly.
"I don't work to your schedule! you work to mine. The script now!" he barked.
"I can't" Shakespear replied. The man glared at him vaguely annoyed.
"Then tommorows performance is cancelled" he announced.
"Wow it's busy around here isn't it?" Astrid smiled.
"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'love labours lost' will never be played!" the four of them watched the man walk out in a huff.
"Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed" Jack drawled.
"Well, mystery solved. 'Love labours won' over and done with. I was hoping it would be more mysterious...." Astrid sighed. Suddenly screaming came from outside. Jack looked at the Doctor and didn't really need to know what he was thinking before the three of them ran outside and saw the man, banning the play, lay down on the ground, spitting up water. Dolly, the inn keeper, stood nearby.
"What's wrong with him? - I'm a Doctor" the Doctor said kneeling beside the man.
"So am I near enough" Astrid added and knelt down on his other side.
"I've never seen a death like it" the Doctor exclaimed, shocked."His lungs are full of water - he drowned and then...I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisable blow" he looked up at Dolly."Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away" however, another young lady approached them and offered to do instead. So the three of them left her to it and went back into the Inn where Dolly showed them to their room.
"It's not exactly five star" Jack noted with disgust.
"It'll do, I've seen worst" the Doctor retorted.
"How does everyone fit on the bed?" Astrid asked, alarmed at the size of the small double bed.
"I'll sleep on the floor" the Doctor said firmly."Jack can sleep with you" Astrid blushed as Jack winked at her."I didn't mean it like that!"
"Okay, whatever you say Doctor" he smirked.
"Jack you have such a dirty mind. I don't even want to imagine you and Rose in the same room" the Doctor groaned. "Pass me a pillow at least" Jack chucked him a pillow from the bed.
"So what's going on Doctor? it's all magic and voodoo isn't it?" Jack piped up.
"No, it's not magic. Can't be" he muttered."There's such a thing as physic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we would have spotted , there's something I'm missing, Jack. Something really close, staring me right in the face and I can't see it. Rose would know" the Doctor sighed."A friend of mine, Rose, she'd know exactly the right thing to say"
"From the way you talk about her, I got the impression she was more than a friend" Jack said casually. The Doctor blushed.
"She was, we were...erm...sort of...together and there was this other friend of mine, Donna. She was brilliant, she was the best friend I could have asked for.....still can't be helped" he said quickly changing subject. Jack and Martha soon fell asleep but the Doctor stayed wide awake, thoughts of Donna and Rose flashing through his mind. They were both trapped alone, one in the wrong time and one in another universe, how had he manage to screw things up so badly? he wished so much he could just go back and stop it but he knew it was forbidden. He still couldn't help but wish. Suddenly there came a terrifying scream, providing a welcomed distraction from his thoughts and the Doctor jumped up and ran out of the room, quickly followed by Jack ans Astrid. They walked into the room where it came from to find Shakespear fast asleep on his desk and Dolly dead on the floor.
"What, what was that?" Shakespear asked, waking with a start.
"She died of fright" the Doctor said, frowning."Literally, her heart gave out"
"Doctor" Jack whispered from the window. Had he just seen what he thought he'd seen?
"What is Jack? what did you see?"
"A witch" he said seriously.
"Oh sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like what could have scared her so? she had such enormous spirit" Shakespear said a few minutes later, of his friend.
"Rage, rage, against the dying of the light" chanted the Doctor. Shakespear looked impressed.
"I might use that"
"You can't it's someone elses" the Doctor replied.
"I think that guys death and Dolly's are connected" Jack piped up and everyone looked at him."I saw a witch , flying cackling away"
"Peter Street spoke of witches" Shakespear said.
"Whose that?" Astrid asked him.
"The architect" Shakespear explained and inadvertantly causing the Doctor to have an epihany resulting in them all being dragged back to the globe theatre where the Doctor proceeded to babble about the way it was built.
"Will, why fourteen sides?" the Doctor asked of the building.
"Just the shape Peter thought was best, carried the sound well" Shakespear shrugged.
"There are fourteen lines in a sonnet" Astrid pointed out.
"Good point" the Doctor praised Astrid while trying to think why the words and shapes were following the same design."Peter Street can I talk to him?"
"You won't get an answer" Shakespear said warningly."A month after finishing this place, he lost his mind"
"What happened?" Astrid asked.
"Started raving about witches, hearing voices his mind was addled"
"Where is he now?" the Doctor inquired.
"Bedlam, the madhouse" Shakespear replied and the group quickly found themselves walking down a street towards Bedlam."So?" Shakespear looked at Astrid flirtily."Tell me about where you come from...where women can be doctors, actors, writers"
"This country is ruled by a woman" Astrid pointed out.
"Ah, she is royal. That's Gods bussiness, though you a royal beauty" Astrid blushed.
"What a lame line" Jack smirked outloud. Shakespear raised an eyebrow at him .
"Sorry mate, I know you have a wife in the country and I don't go for marry guys" Astrid said simply.
"But Astrid this is the country-"
"I don't care, your still married" she smiled.
"Besides, why would she go for you when she already has me?" Jack smirked. Shakespear rolled his eyes.
"Come on, we can all have a good flirt later!" the Doctor snapped.
"Is that a promise Doctor?" Jack and Shakespear said at the same time. They looked at each other taken back.
"Good lord" the Doctor murmured."Get a move on!" they did as he said and they soon found themselves in Bedlam. Astrid didn't supress her disgust at the way the patients were treated, it was awful, nothing like this would happen back in her own time. They finally found themselves in Peter's cell where the Doctor persuaded Peter to tell him his story and Peter told them about the witches right before one actually appeared right next to the Doctor.
"Too many words" she croaked."Just one touch of the heart" she laid her hand on Peter's chest.
"No!" the Doctor yelled out but it was too late and Peter dropped dead.
"Witch, I'm seeing a witch!" Shakespear exclaimed with shock.
"No, you don't say!" Jack snapped.
"Who will be next?" she smirked coldly."Hmm, just one touch. Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor fragile mortals. Who will die first?"
"Well, if your taking volunteers" the Doctor said casually. Jack looked at his insane friend with disbelief.
"No mortal has power over me" she cackled.
"Oh but theres power in words...If I can just find the right one..."he trailed off thinking.
"None on Earth has knowledge of us" the witch hissed.
"Then it's a good thing I'm here, now think think. Humanoid, female, uses shapes and words to channel energy, ah fourteen! that's it! the fourteen stars of the rexel planetary confirguration! creature, I name you carrionite!" he shouted. The ugly woman wailed in pain before disappearing.
"What on Earth did you just do?" Astrid asked and the Doctor explained about the power of a name, leading him to telling them that words are just a different kind of science, not really magic like Astrid had believed. The group then left Bedlam and returned to Shakespears room in the Inn. The Doctor knew what the carrionites wanted but he needed to find out what they were going to do.
"I'm looking for the man with words" the Doctor said and Shakespear looked offended.
"Me? what did I do?"
"Hold on, what were you doing last night?" Jack asked him.
"Finishing the play" Shakespear replied as if it was obvious.
"What happens on the last page?" the Doctor piped up.
"The boy gets the girl, they dance. It's all funny and thought provoking except the last few lines...I don't remember writing them" Shakespear frowned.
"That's it! they used you! they gave you the writing combination of words - 'Love labours won' is a weapon!" the Doctor announced before launching into yet another speech of techno babble. "Astrid, Jack, we'll track down the Carrionites. Shakespear, do whatever you can to stop that play!"
"I'll do it" Shakespear said shaking the Doctor's hand."Goodluck Doctor!" the man ran out of the toom, leaving the three of them alone. The three quickly left the Inn and found their way to Hallows Street and into the witches house. They found the young Carrionite, Lilith,waiting for them inside.
"I take it we're expected" the Doctor stated.
"Oh I think death has been waiting for you for a very long time" she hissed.
"I name thee Carrionite!" Jack suddenly bellowed, the witch laughed at him humourlessly.
"The power of the name only works once, fool. Like so, I gaze upon this man in darkness and now I name thee Jack Harkness" Jack immediately collasped to the rushed to his side horrified.
"What did you do?" the Doctor snapped angrily.
"Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact, he is somehow out of his time. And as for you, sir Doctor!" Lilith waited, expecting a reaction. When she got none, she continued."Fasanating but there is no would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh but look. There is still one word with the power that aches"
"The naming won't work on me" he replied, unimpressed.
"But your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distant....Rose" she sneered cruelly. The Doctor stoof up, clearly angry now.
"Oh big mistake because that name keeps me fighting, the Carrionites vanished, where did you go?" he demanded and she explained that the eternals found the right word to banish them into deep darkness and explained what the Carrionites wanted and what they were up too before she plucked one of the Doctor's hairs and flew out of the window. He looked at her alarmed."What did you do?!"
"Souvenier" she said flying higher and twisted the hair round the doll. She stabbed the doll, laughed hysterically and flew away into the night. The Doctor gasped and rolled over on his side in pain. Jack, who had now woken up and Astrid rushed to his side.
"Oh my god Doctor, don't worry we've got you!" Astrid gasped and remembered the two hearts as she listened for a heartbeat
"You're making a habit out of this" he groaned." Aah, I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope? I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me on the chest!" he cried and Astrid hit him on both the left and ride side of his chest as hard as she could. Finally they began working again and when he recovered he picked himself up off the ground and the three of the ran out and headed to the globe theatre.
"We're going the wrong way" Jack growled.
"We're not!" the Doctor snapped as they ran down a street and he realised that Jack was right."We're going the wrong way" Jack rolled his eyes and followed him and Astrid back the way they came.
"Maybe you should listen to me for a change!"
"Did you just say something?" the Doctor asked, sarcastically. When they finally got to the globe theatre, all they could hear was screaming and a red glow of energy pouring out of the globe. The three of them didn't stop to admire the view, the ran in and burst through into the backstage. They say Shakespear sat down rubbing his head. "I told you to stop the play!"
"I hit my head" he groaned.
"Don't rub it you'll go bald" the Doctor warned before another batch of screams nearly deafened them."That's my cue!" Jack followed the Doctor out onto the stage, Astrid following them, grabbing Shakespears hand and taking him with her. "Come on Will, history needs you!" the Doctor said when they got onstage.
"What do I do?" he asked confused.
"Reverse it!" the Doctor replied plainly.
"How?"
"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!"
"But what words? I have none ready!" Shakespear yelled, exasperated.
"You're William Shakespear! trust yourself. When you're locked away in a room, the words just come don't they? like magic, so just improvise!" the Doctor said, urgently.
"Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!"
"No, words of power!" Lilith shrieked.
"Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show between the points..."Shakespear looked at the Doctor for help.
"7-6-1-3-9-0"
"7-6-1-3-9-0" Shakespear repeated."And banished like a tinkers cuss I say to thee..." Shakespear once again turned to the Doctor but he looked lost himself.
"Expelliarmus!" Jack yelled out of nowhere.
"Expelliarmus!" the Doctor repeated.
"Expelliarmus!" added Shakespear and the Carrinates screamed as they began to get sucked up into the clouds.
"Good old JK" the Doctor grinned and suddenly it was over and there were no more Carrionites.
"Wow people must have thought it was special effects" Astrid smirked.
"Your effect is special indeed" Shakespear said to her charmingly.
"Not your best line" Jack muttered.
The next morning, the four of them were at the globe theatre and Astrid sat with Shakespear saying goodbye. The man continued to flirt with her blatantly and even tried to kiss her but she wasn't having any of it, especially from a married guy.
"Time we be off!" the Doctor said to Shakespear."I've got a nice attic in the Tardis were I can put this lot to scream for all of eternity" the Doctor held up a glass bowl full of Carrionites."And take Astrid back home"
"You mean travel on through time and space" Shakespear said and the three looked at him half alarmed, half surprised.
"What?!" the Doctor said, shocked.
"You're from another world like the Carrionites and Astrid and Jack are from the future" Shakespear stated.
"That's incredible!" the Doctor squealed. Jack supressed a laugh. Suddenly there were interrupted when a man ran in announcing Queen Elizabeth was here to see him. Sure enough, the Queen herself strolled in and the Doctor, Astrid and Jack looked on in awe."Queen Elizabeth!"
"Doctor, my sworn enemy, off with his head!" she ordered.
"What?!" the Doctor gasped as the guards lifted up their bow and arrows.
"Nevermind what, just run, thanks Will by the waY" Jack said grabbing Astrid's hand and followed the Doctor as fast as they could out of there and to the Tardis. They just about made it inside when an arrow hit the ships door.