Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
The Name of the Doctor – Part One
A man sitting in a Victorian cell, a serial murderer by the name of DeMarco, began to chant, seemingly to himself. "Do you hear the Whisper Men? The Whisper Men are near. If you hear the Whisper Men, then turn away your ear. Do not hear the Whisper men, whatever else you do. For once you've heard the Whisper Men, they'll stop and look at you"; With these last words, he turned to face Madam Vastra, whom he'd called to give some very…interesting…information. "One word from you could save me from the rope" he told the Silurian detective.
She regarded him without mercy and replied, "Then you may rely on my silence". The man before her didn't deserve to live. DeMarco then continued, "I have information. Valuable information", trying to persuade her to change her mind, but Vastra wouldn't be so easily swayed. "Are you bargaining for your life?" she asked incredulously, "You have the blood of fourteen women on your hands. There are no words you can speak that will save your neck". With that, Vastra turned to leave, but then DeMarco said one single word, "Doctor".
Vastra paused, and DeMarco smiled sinisterly. "Ah, yes. I know all about him, your dangerous friend".
"How?"
"In the babble of the world, there are whispers, if you know how to listen. The Doctor has a secret, you know".
"He has many".
"He has one he will take to the grave. And it is discovered. Well?" DeMarco grinned at Vastra. She hesitated, because she didn't trust DeMarco at all, but if this information would affect the Doctor, and his family in turn…she couldn't stand back and let it happen. With much trepidation, she asked DeMarco what he meant, and he gave her co-ordinates to another planet, one which he refused to name.
/
"We can't let that terrible man live!" Jenny protested when Vastra returned home and described what DeMarco had told her. "He lives till I understand what he told me. We're going to need a conference call. I'll send out the invitations, you fetch the candles" Vastra instructed. Jenny nodded obediently. "Yes, ma'am" she replied, walking out of the room. She thought she heard someone whispering, but dismissed it; it was probably just her imagination playing tricks on her. "Where's Strax got to?" her wife inquired.
"The usual, it's his weekend off" Jenny reminded Vastra, as she came back carrying some candles. Vastra rolled her eyes. "I wish he'd never discovered that place" she sighed.
/
"Sontar-Ha! Sontar-Ha!" Strax chanted proudly as he and his sparring partner went crashing through the window of a bar. They got to their feet and turned to each other, glaring. "Come here while I kill ye, ya filthy wee midden!" the man, Archie, yelled at Strax. The Sontaron gave as good as he got, hefting a large shovel and shouting "Prepare to die in agony for the glory of the Sontaran Empire!"
Just before Strax and Archie could start bludgeoning each other, a messenger boy came in. "Excuse me, Mister Strax?" Strax stopped and huffed in annoyance. "What is it, girl? Can't you see I'm trying to crush the brains of this stinking primitive? Sorry about this" he added to Archie, who shrugged. "No problem".
"It's a telegram, sir. Very urgent" the boy explained, handing Strax a letter. The Sontaron read it and sighed; duty called, he supposed. "Conference call" he scoffed, turning to Archie, "Sorry, Archie. I'm going to have to ask you to render me unconscious" he informed the Scotsman. "Fine" replied Archie, lifting his big mallet. Strax offered him the shovel instead. "Better use this, it might take a while". Archie took a big swing at Strax's head, and the Sontaron dropped to the ground, out cold.
/
Vastra and Jenny settled themselves into high backed chairs set around a six sided table. "Sleep well, my love" Vastra smiled at Jenny, who smiled tenderly back at her. "You too". They closed their eyes and let the soporific candles send them into a dream state…when they opened their eyes, they were still sitting at the table, but the décor had changed. "Oh, I like the new desktop" Jenny commented appreciatively.
"I was getting a little bored of the Taj Mahal. The tea should be superb. It's drawn from one of my favourite memories. Strax, good of you to join us" Vastra greeted the Sontaron, who had just blinked into existence. "It had better be important. I was in the middle of destroying some very pleasant primitives" he complained.
"I apologise for the interruption, but there is urgent news concerning the Doctor".
"Who else is coming?"
"The women".
/
Angie and Artie sat at the kitchen table, doing their homework, whilst their nanny busied herself preparing to cook something. Angie realised what she was doing and groaned slightly. "Oh, no. You're going to try and make a soufflé again, aren't you?" she asked Clara, who nodded. "My mum's soufflé, yeah. Although this time I'll get it right. This time I will be Soufflé Girl" she said confidently. Just because she'd got it wrong all the other times, didn't mean she was always going to get it wrong. This time, she would get it just right.
"How can it be your mum's soufflé if you're making it?" asked Artie; after all, if Clara made the soufflé, then it would be her soufflé wouldn't it? Clara smiled at him and replied, "Because, Artie, it's like my mum always said. The soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe". A snarky comment flitted through Angie's mind about her nanny's mum being 'deep on puddings', but she managed not to say it. Instead she asked, with just a hint of a scoff, "What does that even mean?"
Clara's expression became thoughtful. "She never really got a chance to explain. She said I'd understand it one day". Her mind was taken off her departed parent when she noticed a yellowed envelope. The writing was written in fancy cursive script, and it had a wax seal. There were instructions – Open When Alone. "What's this?" she asked. Angie explained, "Oh, it arrived today. It's for you", before going back to her homework.
After another not so brilliant attempt at recapturing her mother's soufflé – Angie didn't know why she refused to use an actual recipe – Clara went to her room to read the mysterious letter. She managed to break the wax seal, and pulled out a single sheet of paper, reading the following words –
My dearest Clara. The Doctor entrusted me with your contact details in the event of an emergency, and I fear one has now arisen. Assuming this letter will have reached you as planned, on April the tenth, 2013, please find and light the enclosed candle. It will release a soporific which will induce a trance state, enabling direct communication across the years. However, as I realise you have no reason to trust this letter, I have taken the liberty of embedding the same soporific into the fabric of the paper you are now holding. Speak soon,
This was as far as Clara got, before the soporific took hold and she found herself sitting in a chair around a five sided table, along with the three people she'd met briefly when she and the Time Lords ended up in Victorian Yorkshire. "So glad you could make it" the lizard woman smiled – Madam Vastra, that was it. "Where am I?" she asked nervously. Jenny smiled and assured her, "Exactly where you were, but sleeping".
"Time travel has always been possible in dreams. We are awaiting only two more participants" explained Vastra, and Strax groaned. "Oh, no. Not the ones with the gigantic heads?"
"It's hair, Strax" Jenny corrected him with a roll of her eyes. "Hair" he repeated with distaste. The fifth and sixth participants appeared in a burst of smoke - two women who were clearly sisters, to judge by their similarities; one with curly blonde hair, and one with curly ginger hair. "Hello again, River" the ginger one greeted her sibling with a happy smile. "Good to see you, Melody" the blonde woman replied in turn.
"Professor Song, Doctor Pond, thank you for joining us. Help yourself to some tea" Vastra offered them. River thanked her, lifting the tea cup to her lips – by then, it had become a champagne flute. "How did you do that?" asked Jenny, and River smirked. "Disgracefully" she replied, as Melody transformed her own cup into champagne. "You were such a terrible influence on me, what would our father say?" she laughed, before looking Clara over. "You must be the Doctor's new companion" she guessed.
Clara blinked, surprised that Melody had figured it out so fast. "Um, yes, I'm Clara Oswald. Sorry, but who are…?"
"Melody Pond and River Song, daughters of his former companions. Well, daughter and stabilised clone" replied Melody, gesturing first to River and then to herself. "The Doctor or the Corsair might have mentioned us?" River added, half curious. It would be nice to know that the Corsair at least hadn't forgotten about her after she...left. Clara nodded hastily. "Oh, yeah, yeah…well, at least I've heard the Corsair telling Emily stories about someone called River and a girl called Melody…but he made it sound like you were older than she was" the girl explained to River.
Before the conversation could get needlessly complicated, Vastra cleared her throat pointedly. "Perhaps we should get down to the business at hand" she reminded them all. "That might be good, dear, yes" Jenny agreed - she was getting the creepiest feeling they weren't alone, and she'd rather have something to focus on to keep her mind off of it.
Vastra waved her hand and an image of DeMarco's face appeared in holographic form above the table. "Clarence DeMarco. Murderer, under sentence of death. He offered us this in exchange for his life" she explained, changing the image. "Space-time co-ordinates" River noted, studying the interconnected circles and lines. "This, Mister DeMarco claims, is the location of the Doctor's greatest secret" Vastra explained. Clara asked curiously, "Which is?"
Everyone looked at her oddly. "We don't know, it's a secret" Jenny reminded her, and Clara felt embarrassed. What a daft question. "The Doctor does not discuss his secrets with anyone, my dear" Vastra told Clara gently, "If you're still entertaining the idea that you are an exception to this rule, ask yourself one question. What is his name?"
Clara couldn't answer – none of them could. Jenny stiffened slightly; she thought she felt someone touch her cheek. "That's not all true" said Melody, "he discusses his secrets with one person – Romana. She'd know his name" she pointed out. River sipped at her champagne. "I know his first wife's name, but I don't think that would help much here" she commented. Clara gave her a confused look and asked, "He…told you his first wife's name?"
"He had to".
"Why?"
"To prove he trusted me…and more so I could prove he could. It's complicated" River explained, waving the subject off. Vastra though, looked at her sympathetically and asked, "They've still not contacted you?"
"The Doctor doesn't like endings…the Corsair sends me a message through Melody from time to time, though. So what else did this DeMarco tell you?" River inquired, getting the subject back on track, "He didn't just buy his life with some coordinates. How did he prove their value?"
"One word, only".
"What word?"
"A word I've heard in connection with the Doctor before. Trenzalore" Vastra revealed. Clara didn't understand, but Melody and River clearly did – they froze and paled. "Madam Vastra…how exactly did he convince you to listen to him?" Melody asked warily. The holographic DeMarco reappeared and repeated, "The Doctor has a secret, you know. He has one he will take to the grave. And it is discovered".
The two sisters looked at one another in alarm. "You misunderstood" River began to explain, but she was interrupted by Jenny. "Ma'am, I'm sorry. I just realised I forgot to lock the doors" she said nervously. Vastra dismissed her saying, "It doesn't matter, Jenny. What misunderstanding? Tell me".
"No, ma'am, please. I should've locked up before we went into the trance".
"Jenny, it doesn't matter!"
"Someone's broken in. Someone's with us. I can hear them" Jenny explained, tears filling her eyes. Finally Vastra realised something was very wrong. "Jenny, are you all right?" she asked. The young woman swallowed, tears running down her cheeks. "Sorry, ma'am, so sorry, so sorry, so sorry…I think I've been murdered" she replied. Then she began to fade away.
"Jenny!"
"What's happened to her?"
"Jenny, can you hear us?"
"Speak to us, boy!"
"Jenny!"
"You're under attack" River realised, "You must wake up now. Just wake up. Do it!" She leaned across the table and slapped Vastra hard across the face. The Silurian was jerked back into the waking world, and found Jenny lying on the ground in their parlour, surrounded by a group of faceless creatures. "Who are you? What have you done to her?" she demanded, but they simply snarled at her.
Melody woke up Strax by throwing her champagne in his face, and he too awoke to find himself surrounded by the faceless creatures – the Whisper Men. The same creatures appeared in the dream world with Clara, Melody and River. "Tell the Doctor. Tell the Doctor. Tell the Doctor" they chanted. A flicker caught Melody's eye – she looked over and for the briefest of moments, met the eyes of the Corsair, but then with a look of alarm he disappeared. It all happened so quickly that she wasn't sure it had even been real.
"Tell him what?" Clara asked fearfully. The face of DeMarco became the face of Walter Simeon. "His friends are lost for ever more, unless he goes to Trenzalore" warned the new hologram. River looked horrified. "No! You can't say that. He can't go there. You know he can't" she protested. The Whisper Men continued to chant, this time repeating what Simeon had said. "His friends are lost for ever more, unless he goes to Trenzalore" they whispered threateningly.
Melody turned to Clara and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Clara, don't tell them. The Doctor can never go to Trenzalore" she warned. Clara tried to ask why, but the next thing she knew, someone was shaking her. "Clara! Hey, Clara! Wake up!" they called. Groaning, Clara sat up on her bedroom floor, with the Corsair kneeling beside her. "Oh, she's back! Hello, sleepy head. Care to tell me why you were passed out on the floor?" the Time Lord asked cheerfully.
"…I was…" Clara's head spun and she tried to get her thoughts in order… "Having a bad dream. And I fell out of bed" she replied. The Corsair raised a dubious eyebrow. "You were asleep at two o clock in the afternoon?" he asked. Clara nodded slowly. "…Okay. Come on, the others are downstairs. You should see what the Doctor's doing, it's hilarious" the Corsair grinned in amusement, helping Clara to her feet.
They went downstairs to find the Doctor stumbling around blindfolded, watched by the Time Ladies, the youngest of which was sniggering behind her hands. "Am I getting warm? Look, I'm pretty sure you have to tell me if I'm getting warm. I'm, I'm, I'm pretty sure that's in the rules" he protested, his hands outstretched at waist height. His long fingers brushed against Emily's head, and he patted it with a frown. "…Artie?"
"No, daddy" Emily giggled. The Doctor pulled his blindfold off and sighed. "Okay, I give up. Where are they?" he asked Romana, who straightened his bowtie before explaining, "At the cinema – I did tell them not to go, but the most I could do was get them to agree to come home by eight". She hoped Emily wouldn't be that troublesome when she was a teenager…well, when she'd matured into a teenager.
The Doctor pouted. "The little…Daleks!" he huffed, before demanding "Hang on, why didn't any of you tell me they'd gone?"
"Because watching you wander around like a headless chicken was the funniest thing we've seen all day" the Corsair replied from the stairs, grinning at a very put out Doctor. He looked questioningly at Romana, feeling a bit hurt that she of all people hadn't warned him. "I knew you'd figure it out on your own" she explained, and he smiled at her, appeased. Then he turned to Clara, pulling her into a hug. "Hello, Clara! What's wrong?" he asked in concern, seeing her expression.
Clara vividly remembered Melody's warning, and schooled her features into mild confusion. "Nothing, what do you mean?" she asked. Romana gave her a stern look. "Clara, don't hide things from us" she chided, "now what's the matter?"
/
Fifteen minutes later, Clara had made tea for four (herself, Romana, Flavia and the Doctor – Emily had orange juice and the Corsair had some wine), and reluctantly explained what had happened. "So…I met River and Melody? From the stories you tell Emily?" Clara asked the Corsair, who rubbed his jaw and nodded, looking thoughtful. Flavia patted his shoulder sympathetically. You could still visit her, you know.
No…the Doctor is right. Endings hurt.
But if nothing ends, then nothing begins, isn't that true as well?
The Doctor spoke for the first time since Clara had begun to explain. "River asked Vastra for the exact words. What were they?" he asked Clara, who recited as best as she could from memory, "he Doctor has a secret he will take to the grave. It is discovered…Doctor?" she said worriedly, seeing that the Time Lord was on the verge of tears. "Sorry" he sniffled, "And it was Trenzalore? Definitely Trenzalore?" His voice broke.
"Yeah" Clara answered softly. The Doctor wiped away a tear. "Oh dear…sorry…" He scrambled up and ran out of the room, not stopping until he reached the TARDIS. Romana and Emily followed him of course, right under the console. Emily climbed into his lap as Romana wrapped her arms around them both, silently comforting him. He smiled softly…he didn't know what he'd do without them, his girls.
Clara, Flavia and the Corsair joined them a few minutes later, after the Doctor had managed to calm down and get his emotions under control. "So…?" Clara asked hesitantly. The Doctor sighed, and came back up to the console level. "Trenzalore. I've heard the name, of course. Dorium mentioned it. A few others. Always suspected what it was, never wanted to find out myself. I don't think any of us did… Right, come here" he beckoned to Clara, "Give me your hand. Now, the coordinates you saw will still be in your memory. I'm linking you into the TARDIS telepathic circuit. Won't hurt a bit".
He stuck her with a wire. "Ow!" she exclaimed, frowning at him. "I lied" he admitted, patting her hand and moving to another part of the console. "Okay, what is Trenzalore? Is that your big secret?" she inquired.
"No".
"Okay, what then?"
"When you're a time traveller, there's one place you never want to travel to" the Corsair informed her, "All of time and space to visit, and there's one place you mustn't ever go".
"Where?"
"You didn't listen, did you?" the Doctor asked her, continuing before she could reply, "You lot never do. That's the problem. 'The Doctor has a secret he will take to the grave. It is discovered'. He wasn't talking about my secret. No, no, no, that's not what's been found. He was talking about my grave. Trenzalore is where I'm buried" he explained.
"How can you have a grave?" Clara asked in disbelief – the Doctor just seemed so timeless, she couldn't imagine him ever…ever... "We all have a grave somewhere, Clara" Romana told her with a sigh, "not even Time Lords live forever". Emily whimpered slightly, not liking all this talk of dying and her father being buried…Romana stroked her hair and smiled down at her comfortingly.
"You're not going to go though, are you" said Flavia; the Doctor just looked at her. "Oh no, Doctor, you can't! Apart from it being one of the major Laws of Time, think how Romana and Emily will feel!" she protested, gesturing to the other Time Ladies. Romana frowned slightly. "Flavia, please don't try to use us to guilt the Doctor…but I appreciate you trying to talk some sense into him" she added to the now abashed Time Lady.
The Doctor sighed, and explained "I know, but…I have to save Vastra and Strax. Jenny too, if it's still possible…they're our friends. They've taken care of Emily, and they've helped to save our lives – we owe them. I owe them. I have a duty". He had a long history of abandoning his friends, or at least that was how he felt in the dark times when nothing seemed right with the universe…those times were less nowadays, of course. "There's no point in telling you this is too dangerous" he said to Clara, who shook her head and answered, "None at all. How can we save them?"
"Apparently, by breaking into my own tomb" the Doctor replied, pulling down the dematerialisation lever. The TARDIS shuddered and jerked, making it difficult for them to keep their balance. The adult Time Lords hurried to try and stabilise the wayward time machine, whilst Emily and Clara simply held on tight to the railings. "She's just figured out where we're going. She's against it!" the Doctor exclaimed by way of explaining the TARDIS' behaviour.
"I'm not surprised! You're breaking every rule in the book, Doctor. I know you want to save our friends but this is insane!" cried Flavia, holding onto the console with one hand and manipulating controls with the other. "What makes you think that's going to stop him?" the Corsair asked her sarcastically, as the TARDIS finally stopped. It didn't land, it just stopped. "Now what?" Clara inquired.
"She doesn't want to land. She's shut down" the Doctor breathed as the lights dimmed, only the emergency lighting staying on.
"So we're not there?"
"We must be close". The Doctor went over to the doors and opened them, looking down at a roughly Earth sized, volcanic planet. "Okay, so that's where I end up" he murmured. Clara and Romana joined him, one on either side. He put his arm around his wife's waist. "Always thought maybe I'd retire" he admitted, "Take up watercolours or bee-keeping, or something. Apparently not". Romana didn't say anything, she just squeezed his hand.
"So, how do we get down there? Jump?" asked Clara, and Romana told her, "If you want to burn to death, go ahead". They retreated back to the console, and Romana advised everyone to hold on very tight. "Why?" asked Clara even as she obeyed; Emily strapped herself into the seat by the console, gripping the edges of the chair tightly. "She's turned off practically everything, except basic life support and the anti-gravs. Guess what I'm turning off" said the Doctor, flicking his sonic at the console. They screamed as the TARDIS plummeted down…down...down.
