"Stop her!" Rosana's shout echoed in the passageways as a group of girls chased after Renata. Rosana wasn't particularly chasing after Renata but she was still keeping an eye on where she was going, preferring to leave the job to the girls.
Renata was fuming and shouting as well but for Amy instead, knowing she had to be in danger. Renata didn't want to be in the school for another moment. "AMY! AMY! Where are you!? AMELIA!" She was forced back when a group of the fanged girls appeared, all hissing at her like she was next on the meal course.
Rosana smirked as she watched the Time Lady stumble back into the wall. "For all that bravery, you are still very outnumbered."
Renata swallowed hard, getting even more nervous when she heard Amy's voice begin to call for her. The girl was in the trouble and if she wasn't, she would be soon.
"Oh, the girl's here too," Rosana clapped her hands together, smiling sarcastically. "Who shall we go after?"
~ 0 ~
The Doctor had pushed his way up the grate that allowed them into the chamber room full of chests. He helped Rory and Gabby climb out and once they were all above ground, they called for Renata and Amy. Neither woman answered.
"Doctor, I can't see anything!" Gabby exclaimed. "We left the torch down!"
"Just as well I brought this, then!" Rory pulled out a small pencil torch from his pocket, giving a bit of light to the room.
The Doctor, however, came truly prepared. He took out an even longer torch from his inside pocket, one that didn't need to be flamed on. "Ultraviolet. Portable sunlight!"
Rory was amazed at how he had even carried that in his pocket. "Yours is bigger than mine."
"Let's not go there!"
Gabby smacked her hand to her forehead. "So, whether alien or human, men are truly all the same! Idiotas los dos!"
The Doctor merely smiled and turned to study the room they were in. The grate had been opened for them so at one point in the night, Renata and Amy had to have been in here. He noticed several chests against the walls and walked over to one.
Gabby watched him open one chest and crinkled her nose when he held a grimy old hand. "What happened to them?" She was sure she could see more grimy bodies inside the chest.
"They've had all the moisture taken out of them…"
"That's what vampires do, right? They drink your blood and replace it with their own," Rory said, basing his knowledge off what he'd seen on t.v. How accurate it was, he didn't know.
"Yeah, except they haven't just had their blood taken, but all the water in their bodies," the Doctor straightened up and looked around at the other chests. If Renata was here and she'd seen the chests, her hearts must have broken.
"Why did they die? Why aren't they like the girls in the school?" Rory asked.
"Maybe not everyone survives the process," the Doctor theorized. If there was such a process then of course there would have to be dead bodies along the way. Nothing was ever perfect.
Rory huffed in frustration. Amy was in terrible danger, more than he previously thought! "You know what's dangerous about you? It's not that you make people take risks. It's that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don't want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around."
"That's not his fault Rory," Gabby said quietly. "Everyone has a choice and Amy happens to be adventurous." Rory shook his head at her, not wanting to hear more of her defense. Gabby wouldn't insist, he clearly wasn't ready for that realization right now. She tried to do her best to help the Doctor figure more things out about the corpses but instead she ended up finding a hole in the wall. "Doctor, look at that," she pointed to the wall. The Doctor hurried to it and soon realized it was blasted in. "What is it?"
"Renée was here," he mumbled, his hearts beginning to pick up at the image of her having to fire at the wall. What could have made Renata fire? Rory was right, they needed to find them.
"Renata!?" they suddenly heard Amy's voice. "Renata!"
Rory sprang up like a spring. "Amy!" He ran out of the chamber room, making Gabby and the Doctor run after him.
~ 0 ~
Renata scrunched her face and pressed herself even more against the wall the closer the girls got to her. She was really outnumbered, she would admit that, but she was totally powerless. She could COULD use some of her butterflies but she...she didn't want to hurt the girls. They were still children, girls' whose lives had been ripped away.
~ 0 ~
"Renata!" Amy cautiously crept down the passage with Isabella in tow. Of course it would be their luck not to find the Time Lady when they really needed to get out. "God, Renata! Where are you!?"
"Amy!" Rory thoroughly scared her that she'd immediately smacked him away. "Ow! Amy!"
"Sorry!" Amy gasped when she realized it was him. She hugged him then saw the Doctor and Gabby coming down.
"Where's Renata?" the Doctor scanned the immediate area to no avail. He only saw Isabella and presumed who she was. "You found Isabella?"
"Yeah but I don't know where Renata is," Amy said as she stepped back from Rory. "She and the Signora were going to have a talk."
The Doctor properly panicked. Of course Renata would do the talking with the bad people. It's what he would do. He would much rather it was him than her. "RENATA!" He screamed, making the others jump in their spot. "RENATA!" He hurried down the passage, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Behind them, Gabby sighed. "So much for the element of surprise..." She still ran after the Doctor to join the screams.
~ 0 ~
"You should have just taken the deal," Rosana went 'tsk, tsk' as she watched her girls inch closer to Renata. Each time one of them hissed, Renata tried to lean away but remembered she was already against a wall, so instead she sucked her chest and body in as best as she could. "One entire city for us all. I could have even gotten your little friend a husband."
"She's already engaged and I don't do deals with murderers," Renata still spat despite her situation.
"Then I suppose you'll just have to end here," Rosana pretended to pout. She waved for the girls' to move back, but only slightly, so she could come face Renata.. "I can't risk the process on you and have you causing harm to my sons."
"Who said I would've wanted a Mummy's boy as a husband?" Renata smirked proudly at herself for that remark when she saw Rosana's indignant face. Gabby would have been proud of her!
"Those are my sons! How dare y—"
Renata took her chance and kicked the woman away. Funny, she felt something hard on Rosana's legs. Renata quickly backtracked with her eyes glued to Rosana, watching how the woman's entire appearance briefly shifted into an insectoid creature. "Saturnyne," Renata realized. "You're a Saturnyne! Of course!" She laughed until she realized she sounded exactly like the Doctor would. "I mean...you're a Saturnyne, of course you are," she nodded firmly.
Suddenly, the girls hissed again and Renata had no choice but to run again. She yelped each time one girl got close enough so that she could feel their hair touching her body. "I don't want to hurt them! I don't want to hurt you!" she cried, grabbing the sides of her dress to run quicker. "Please, just stop!"
"RENATA!"
Renata abruptly stopped at the Doctor's voice, making a huge mistake in the process. She felt one of the girls' hands on her and screamed. "GET AWAY!" She blasted a swarm of butterflies against the girls, knocking them to the ground.
"Renata!" the Doctor finally saw her and hurried towards her. Renata barely had time to move when he already had her in his arms. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
"Woah, what happened to them?" Gabby blinked at the girls stumbling to get back up. She laughed, though, when she saw a remaining golden butterfly in the air. "Ah, Renata got hardcore."
"Did not!" Renata huffed and pulled away from the Doctor. "I didn't...I didn't mean to…" she turned to the girls with a heavy heart. She didn't want to hurt any of them but she certainly wasn't going to let them hurt her. "They're all empty shells now."
"And they're getting back up! We should go!" Amy motioned them to start running again.
"Quickly, through here!" Isabella took the lead fast.
"Wait!" Renata stopped the Doctor from following and thoroughly startled him when she started pulling his jacket off him.
"What are you doing!?" he exclaimed, feeling part of his face get rather warm.
"She'll need it!" Renata hung his jacket over one of her arms then grabbed the Doctor's hand to keep running.
Isabella had led them down a few steps to get out through its door. She and Rory pulled on it to open it and ushered Amy and Gabby out.
"Quickly, get out!" Isabella then told Rory. She tried to follow herself but the sunlight burned her skin.
"It's okay! It's okay! I got you!" Renata came as quickly as she could with the Doctor. The dress was truly heavy. She threw the Doctor's coat over Isabella's head and then carefully led her outside. While they hurried down the steps, the Doctor sonicked the door behind them.
"Isabella! Isabella!" Guido climbed out of the gondola to meet his daughter. He was overfilled with joy seeing his daughter again.
"Don't take the coat off her!" Renata immediately instructed as the two now helped Isabella into the gondola. "Doctor?" She turned around to see him lagging at the staircase. "Get over here!"
"I need to meet this woman," he declared with absolute anger lacing his tones and features.
"Fine, but after we get the humans to safety. Then we'll both go back," Renata gestured to the group waiting for him. She wasn't all too crazy to go back into that school anymore but if he was going, then she had to as well.
"You're not coming," the Doctor came straight to her.
Renata raised her head defiantly. "Oh yes I am. In fact," she flashed a smirk at the Doctor before turning to the gondola, "Guido, take them back to your house please. And make sure that Isabella doesn't take the coat off until she's inside. Rosana sent her girls after me. I would like a word with her about her behavior," Renata nodded at Guido to take them away. He didn't question them. He needed to get his daughter away from the school as quickly as possible.
"You are mad, do you know that?" the Doctor groaned when it was just him and Renata. He just got her out of the school and now he was about to bring her into it again.
"I'm not mad, I am furious!" she snapped. "They're Saturnynes! And Rosana has kidnapped these girls, turning them into empty shells for her sons! She's stolen people's daughters and she tried to make them kill me. I am beyond mad. I am angry on behalf of every mother, every parent, who lost their daughters to Rosana and her cult."
The Doctor would not point out to Renata that her face was completely red solely because he was already walking on thin, almost nonexistent, ice with her. He nodded his head, acknowledging her feelings on the matter and then endeavored to help ease those feelings by doing whatever he could which, in this case, would be taking her back to the school.
He tried taking hold of her hand but she flinched away from his touch, whether it was due to her current state or because she was still upset about earlier he couldn't tell. Together, they made their way back to the school, this time going by the front to make their presence very known.
Rosana was sitting on her throne, clearly waiting for them - Renata, at least. Her lips curled into a smug smile upon seeing the Time Lady. "You stole one of my students."
Renata had no sense of control at the moment so she stormed over, or at least tried to because the Doctor had grabbed her back only a few steps forwards. "She's not your student! She was a prisoner!" she still yelled at the woman across the room. "Just like every other girl in here!"
The Doctor was very aware of the light gold that was rising from the top of Renata's head. It used to be less noticeable with her once blonde hair but now that her hair was as dark as night, the gold had nowhere to hide. Rosana was privy to the secret as well, for she rose from her throne with an accusing finger pointed at Renata.
"You say that I'm a liar but you lied first. You are not a Time Lady. What are you?"
Renata stopped thrashing in the Doctor's arms, stumped for a moment. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You're glowing, Marchioness," Rosana smirked as she came down the small steps of her throne's dais.
Renata glanced at the Doctor to see him nodding. He looked concerned but if she was being perfectly honest, she felt fine. In fact, she felt great. She was angry but her health was perfect. She carefully untangled herself from the Doctor, apologizing to him for her behavior. Once she calmed, the golden energy faded.
"What are you really?" Rosana asked again, her eyes glinting with fascination.
"I am a Time Lady," Renata reiterated, adjusting her dress in the process. "And you are a liar." Rosana scoffed. "You're even wearing a perception filter."
"Funny thing that perception filter," the Doctor spoke for the first time, especially now that he was semi-sure Renata wouldn't try to kill Rosana on the spot again. "It doesn't change your features, but manipulates the brainwaves of the person looking at you. But seeing one of you for the first time in, say, a mirror, the brain doesn't know what to fill the gap with, so leaves it blank... hence no reflection. But why can we see your big teeth?
"Self-preservation over-rides the mirage. The subconscious perceives the threat and tries to alert the conscious brain." Rosana arched an eyebrow at him, as if just now realizing Renata hadn't come alone. She looked him over for a few minutes before answering a question he hadn't asked. "Ah, you're the husband."
The Doctor scowled and glanced at Renata to see her throwing murderous glares at Rosana again. "No! We're not" she shouted even, as if the mere idea of someone thinking they were husband and wife was utterly despicable.
It hurt. A lot. Was she that angry with him? Did she think they were too far gone to ever fix things? No, she couldn't think like that. One error, an error that he didn't even commit, shouldn't be the end of their relationship. He couldn't let it be. He loved her as much as he knew that she loved him. She was just being her stubborn self again.
He cleared his throat. "I'm the Doctor and the only thing Renata and I are only concerned about is what's going on at this so-called school."
Rosana rolled her eyes. "I don't understand what is so difficult about this. We're all refugees here. I am only trying to create a second home. I offered a partnership with your, uh...friend…" She made a gesture towards Renata. "She's made it pretty clear she's no longer interested. But, I am a fair woman, so I shall offer you the same deal."
"And what would that be exactly?"
"Help me finish my plans and you can enjoy Saturnyne II with me." There was a new sultry type of look on her face as she approached the Doctor.
Renata immediately felt like charging on the woman again, only this time she was well aware it wouldn't be on behalf of the mothers everywhere but more...on behalf of herself.
"My partnership can be in any way you choose," Rosana delivered her last words with a charming smile.
It became a trust testament to Renata's self control when Rosana dragged her finger across the Doctor's chest. She didn't need a mirror to know that she was glowing again. This time she could actually feel a warmth bubbling inside her, urging to come out and tear Rosana away from the Doctor. She shouldn't be anywhere near him! Including Amy!
And once Renata thought about what it must have looked like when Amy kissed the Doctor, she felt a new rage wash over her. Tears and sadness were gone to be replaced with utter anger. Jealous. Yes. That's what she was. Jealous that everyone always wanted to keep her and the Doctor apart. Whether it was to keep the Doctor for themselves, or simply because they didn't like him being with her, it always happened. It. Always. Happened.
The Doctor very kindly, but sternly, pulled Rosana's finger hand off him. "I don't think so."
Rosana very quickly understood where they were and, after yanking her finger out of his hand, stepped away from the pair. "Get out!" she barked. "Rest assured that I will do what neither of you could do for your planet. I will bend the heavens to save my race."
"Not if we have anything to say about it," Renata shook her head. "Not this way."
"GET OUT!"
"Don't think this is over!" Renata yelled right back. "We'll tear down the House of Calvierri, stone by stone! That's a promise!"
The Doctor grabbed her hand, this time letting him, and left the school.
~ 0 ~
Renata got a quick change out of her period dress into her regular clothes again. She brought Amy's clothes back to her at Guido's house in case she wanted to get out of the dress as well. It had been something Amy wanted to do ever since she got out of the school, but Gabby said no one was leaving the house until the Time Lords were back. Rory agreed as well.
Renata put all of her attention to Isabella after coming back. "Isabella, how are you feeling?" The young girl was sitting in a chair next to her father. Renata assumed Guido hadn't left his daughter's side ever since they came home.
"She says things look too bright," Guido said before Isabella even opened her mouth. It did explain why Isabella was staring at the table. "Is that normal? What were they doing to her there?"
Renata glanced back at the Doctor for some help. He was standing across the room, purposely keeping his distance from her because he knew that's what she wanted. As soon as she realized that he was holding her hand after leaving Rosana's school, she'd yanked it out of his and picked up her pace.
Still, it only took one look from Renata to make him come over. "Rosana said that this whole process lasted 2 weeks," she started explaining, "And Isabella's been at the school for how much time?"
"One week," Isabella answered, still keeping her gaze on the floor.
"Right, so then the process wasn't finished. They were draining her blood—"
"My what!?" Isabella made the mistake of looking up and quickly shielded her eyes before lowering her head again. "That's what they were doing to me!?"
"Why would they want to do that?" Gabby asked.
"They're vampires, aren't they? Isn't that what they do?" Rory said.
"They're far from vampires Rory. They're Saturnynes," the Doctor explained. He knelt down in front of Isabella, placing a hand on her shoulder as he ducked enough to meet her gaze. He pulled out his sonic with his other hand and waved it in front of her. "I'm going to scan you really quick, is that alright?"
Isabella nodded her head and watched him wave the sonic in front of her again, the light reflected off the sonic making her look away. Amy returned at that moment, dressed in her regular clothes, and strode over to Rory and Gabby.
"No, the Saturnynes' DNA didn't get to permanently change her," the Doctor said to Renata. "I'm guessing it really has to be a two week thing. I think Renata got you out just in time."
"I did too," Amy mumbled under her breath. She was the one who found Isabella in the first place. It was a joint mission and they jointly got her out.
"Thank you," Guido smiled at Renata with the most grateful gleam in his eyes. "I have my daughter back because of you."
Renata smiled back softly. "You don't have to thank us. No parent should ever have to lose their child." Her smile faded as the weight of her words truly settled. It was the same for the Doctor.
"What about my eyes?" Isabella's natural question pulled the two out of their darkening thoughts.
"Here yah go!" the Doctor exclaimed as he pulled out a pair of black sunglasses from his pocket.
"Dude," Gabby laughed at him while Renata shook her head at him.
"The side effects from the process should fade soon enough," the Doctor told Isabella as he helped her put the sunglasses back on.
"Now then..." Renata moved away to pace. Yes, she was pacing because there was still a school to tear down, stone by stone she would add. "Rosana and her little sons are not vampires," she sent a smile at Rory for his earlier assumption, "They're actually Saturnynes — basically like your local fish. They need water. And today, brides."
"Brides?" Amy made a face. That was surely becoming a theme, wasn't it?
"Is that why they're using the school then? To recruit...brides?" Gabby made a similar face as Amy.
"They're not 'recruiting', they're kidnapping," Renata snapped, although not at Gabby but at the situation. "Rosana is kidnapping girls to turn them into brides for her sons."
"And these sons...where exactly are they?" asked Rory, looking around as if he would find them right there.
"In the water," Renata glanced at the Doctor. "She has them waiting for these girls."
"I say we take the fight to them," Guido declared, but Renata was quick to point a finger at him.
"You need to focus on your daughter and only her well being. We can do the rest, can't we Doctor?"
The Doctor nodded. "Oh yeah. We need to figure out how exactly Rosana is planning on taking the city over. Saturnynes come from the sea, they can't survive forever on land, so what's she going to do? Unless she's going to do something to the environment to make the city habitable…"
"She said, "I shall bend the heavens to save my race," Renata said. "And God knows she's desperate. What could she do in this state?"
The Doctor thought of the answer fairly quickly. "How about sink Venice?"
"Oh," Renata's eyes widened. "And then repopulate it with the girls she's transformed. She has her sons waiting for that moment…"
"Gross, Mommy's making compatible girlfriends for her sons?" Gabby crinkled her nose. "How are we going to stop—" A loud clattering from above cut her question off.
"The people upstairs are very noisy…" the Doctor said after they listened to a bit more of the clattering.
"There aren't any people upstairs," Guido said as he rose from his seat, moving even closer to Isabella.
The Doctor sighed, resigned that this was just part of the usual day-to-day for them. "I knew you were going to say that. Did anyone else know he was going to say that?"
"If they're fish people, how are they doing that?" Rory swallowed hard as the wood creaked even louder.
No one got to answer as those fish people shattered the glass to get into the house. The entire group huddled together. The Doctor brandished his ultraviolet torch again, and Renata made sure that Isabella was behind that ultraviolet torch.
"Aren't we on the second floor?" Amy exclaimed when she spotted girls outside the windows. She flinched when they shattered that glass too.
Renata brandished her sonic at the girls, purposely forcing the girls' true selves. It definitely got the group to yelp.
"What's happened to them!?" Guido asked, now taking hold of Isabella's arm even tighter. They were not taking her away again!
"There's nothing left of them," Renata said sadly. They were gone with no way of returning.
"They've been fully converted," the Doctor agreed with a nod and then after a moment's thought he added, "Blimey, fish from space have never been so... buxom."
"Because that's going to make things better for you!" Gabby genuinely concluded that all men, whether human or alien, were just that clueless.
Well, Renata was glaring at the Doctor for his little remark. "GO!" She suddenly yelled and started pushing people towards the stairs. "Doctor, coat!" she yelled again when they left the stairs.
He understood and swept his coat from where he'd left it, throwing it over Isabella in preparation for the outside. "Go, go!" he ushered the girl with Gabby. Amy and Rory helped them towards the door.
"What are you doing!?" Renata stopped when Guido did by the barrels of explosives.
"They need to be stopped!"
"By exploding them!?"
"They're not gonna stop, are they!?"
Renata stopped and looked back at the staircase. She could hear the rumbling of the girls.
"We have to stop them," Guido insisted and looked at the Doctor for his help. They couldn't let the girls keep terrorizing them or anyone else.
"This is your house," Renata said as a last resort, but she hadn't said it very argumentatively in the first place.
"Doesn't matter. I've got Isabella now. Home isn't a place, you know?" Guido was fast at working even when he was saying meaningful words.
"We know," the Doctor said quietly, making Renata look over to him. He was already staring at her. "My home isn't a place either." Renata felt the air leave her when he grabbed her hand. He gave it the gentlest of strokes before running for the door. "Guido, c'mon!" he called back.
"Dad!" Isabella exclaimed, trying to make her way back into the house. Gabby was doing a good job holding her back.
Guido dropped a candle near the explosives and ran for his life. Soon as he was out, the Doctor ran them all away from the house before it would explode. It still threw the group to the ground but they were unharmed. Not a second later did lightning strike the darkening sky.
"Rosanna's initiating the final phase," Renata picked herself up and listened to the clamoring of people on the street.
"We need to stop her. Come on!" Amy said, about to leave when Renata said a very sharp 'no'. She turned around to see the Time Lady shaking her head. "What?"
"You need to get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said, coming up behind Renata. "All of you."
"Is that really necessary?" Gabby frowned. She didn't like the idea very much either.
"Absolutely," Renata nodded. "No more people getting hurt. Too many girls have been lost already."
"But you can't stop her on your own!" Amy exclaimed.
"With all due respect Amy, we've been doing fine before you." Truly, Renata felt just a bit of twinge for her harsh words when Amy's eyes widened.
"Get back to the TARDIS, all of you!" the Doctor exclaimed and glanced at Guido and Isabella. He was trying to cover Isabella as much as he could, never knowing when the dark clouds would disappear to let the sun back out. "And take them too!" He told Gabby.
"Fine," Gabby relented if only to get them to safety. "But if that woman tries anything, let the Vortex Butterfly have her ass."
"Gabriella," Renata shook her head.
"I mean it!" Gabby ushered Guido and Isabella to follow.
"Amy, you too!" the Doctor snapped when the ginger had remained back. Rory clearly wanted to go as well but since Amy wasn't moving, neither was he.
"But—"
"We don't discuss this! I tell you to do something, Amy, and you do it. Huh?"
Amy couldn't believe both of them were sending her away like a child. She was not a child, dammit! Why must they insist on seeing her like one? She stormed off, leaving Rory to truly thank the Time Lords for what they did.
~ 0 ~
When they returned to the school, Renata went directly to the throne. She almost rolled her eyes when they discovered the circuitry behind it. It was so predictable and a tiny bit conceited.
"You're too late. Such determination... just to save one city," Rosana walked into the room, smirking at the two. "Hard to believe you let an entire race turn to cinders and ash. Now you can watch as my people take their new kingdom."
"Renata didn't do anything like that," the Doctor said, to clear the air at least. He would not have anyone thinking that Renata did what he had to Gallifrey.
"Rosanna, this is over," Renata hurried down the steps of the dais."The girls have gone."
"You're lying," scowled Rosana.
"Then wouldn't we be dead?"
The realization struck Rosana in seconds but for all she wanted to say, she held her head high and turned to leave.
"Rosana!" called the Doctor. "Help us please. There are 200,000 people in this city."
"So save them," she said sourly.
Renata felt a whole new wave of anger hit her. She shouted after Rosana. "You know, I never got to be a Mother but I still try to save any children in danger that I come across but you...you're fine with killing them."
Rosana turned around with more or less fury as Renata. "You killed them! You did! I was trying to save them—"
"By killing someone else's children!? How is that any better!?"
Rosana had no answer at that moment. With one swift move, she was out of the room again.
Renata took a moment to calm her breathing down. She turned to the Doctor with tears in her eyes. "I didn't want to hurt the girls," she said, as if he was accusing her of the same thing.
"I know that, of course I know that," the Doctor came around the chair and hurried over to her. "Renata, you can be angry with me all you want but it doesn't change the fact that I know you. I know who you are." She let him take her hands in his, actually relishing with the light squeeze he gave them. "Let's save this city, alright? No more children are going to die."
Renata swallowed down that bile she was sure was part of her tears trying to come out. "Okay."
They went back to the throne to work on shutting down whatever Rosanna had started. A few minutes later, Amy and Rory showed up.
"Get out!" the Doctor exclaimed. "We need to stabilise the storm!"
"We're not leaving you!" It was Rory who said it this time, making the Doctor scoff with incredulity.
"Right," he stopped working, something Renata glared at him for, and stormed over to the two. "So one minute it's, "You make people a danger to themselves," the next it's, "We're not leaving you!" But if one of you gets squashed or blown up or eaten, who gets…" The ground shook the three to the ground. Renata held onto the throne to avoid the same fate.
"At least tell me Gabby's still in the TARDIS!" she called.
"Yes!" Amy exclaimed. She presumed it anyways.
"Uh, what was that?" Rory asked as he helped Amy stand up.
"Nothing. Bit of an earthquake," the Doctor dismissed it only for Amy to question him even more.
"Forget about it!" snapped Renata. "You'll be more worried when the city actually sinks!"
The Doctor hurried back to her side to keep working on the throne, though there wasn't much they were doing to it anyways. It wasn't where they would get everything done. They had to divide and conquer. "Alright, Amy, Rory, come here!" The two hurried over. "So, Rosanna's throne is the control hub but she's locked the program, so tear out every single wire and circuit in the throne. Go crazy. Hit it with a stick, anything. We need it to shut down and re-route control to the secondary hub, which I'm guessing will also be the generator."
"What are you going to do?" asked Amy.
"Gonna go check that bell," he answered and rushed off with Renata.
The two hurried outside to the balcony where the bell was tolling incredibly loud. They managed as best as they could to keep working on the second set of circuitry connecting the throne to the main control.
"What are you doing!?" Renata called when the Doctor hurried closer to the toiling bells, his hands clapped over his ears.
"I can't take the noise!"
"Oh, but you live to create noise!"
The Doctor's face went flat for a few seconds, though he did make a note that her sarcasm was back. He could work with that. He ignored the rest of her calls when he started climbing the bells. All Renata knew was that he could fall just like he did the last time he decided to climb something huge, only last time involved the prehistoric times and the ground was covered with mushy snow and not hard cement like it was now.
She focused on the wires instead, hoping to get them finished so he could come down quicker. He did, however, get the bells to stop toiling which did make a huge difference. He came back down with a smug grin.
"Shut up!" she warned before he started. "Help me pull! These cables are really stuck!" Not to mention the pouring rain was making it harder for her hands not to slip off.
"We need to go directly to the source," he declared and, knowing the types of shouts he was about to get, got onto the rail to climb up yet again.
"GET DOWN!" she jumped from the ground but soon regretted her shout when it nearly made him slip. "Oh my God, please just get down!" she called in a much quieter but still frantic manner. "Let me do it!"
"Out of your mind, you are! That's my job!" He sent her a wink, keeping her still for a second.
Renata swallowed incredibly hard as she watched him climb even higher. It was just like the last time. He was trying to do something for them and she had her hearts in her mouth with fear. She peered down to see it was a long way to the ground. He could not fall. She'd jump to catch him.
The Doctor did his best to keep a grip when he reached the top of the sphere at the pinnacle. He opened the sphere up and was relieved to see he'd finally found the main controlling device inside. If he shut that thing down, the storm would be no more.
"Doctor, did you find it?" Renata called from below. "Please be careful!"
He smiled to himself while he kept searching. She still very much cared about him. Hope was very clear right now. As soon as this was over, he was going to try and talk to her again. He just needed to finish this.
He searched like mad for a way to end the storm and to his delight, it almost made him laugh really, he found one simple toggle switch in the middle. With one flip, the storm was no more. He soon heard the cheers and clapping from below and, in his excitement, he waved down at them.
"DOCTOR!" He flinched with Renata's scream. Funny how her new incarnation still had the same scary scream.
~ 0 ~
Rosanna silently walked the way to the canal where her sons remained. She kept trying to turn off the perception filter around but the device was dead by then. She yanked off her gloves and pulled her dress off to be left in her chemise. The closer she got to the water, the more it bubbled.
"Rosanna, you need to stop," Renata's voice froze her for a mere second before the woman looked back at her and the Doctor.
"One city to save an entire species. Was that so much to ask? You, who care so much about 'children' and whatnot."
"I am sorry for the loss of your children but you had no right to steal someone else's."
"You said you were almost a Mother once?"
Renata nodded slightly. "I never got to meet them. Didn't know if it was going to be a girl or a boy."
"And yet you carry yourself like a Mother, when the reality is you never were one. Maybe that was a good thing."
Renata pursed her lips together. "I didn't mean…"
"Rosana, stop!" the Doctor called when the woman inched closer to the edge. "You can't go back and change time. You mourn but you live. I know, Rosanna, I did it. We both did."
Rosanna shook her head. "Tell me, Doctor... can your conscience carry the weight of another dead race? You, Marchioness, watch my children die off...Remember us. Dream of us." She let herself fall into the water where the last of her sons would end her life.
Renata's eyes filled with tears and turned to the Doctor, where he would hold her and remain for a few minutes.
~ 0 ~
With the storm gone, there was only cleaning to do afterwards. Gabby caught up with the group after being tasked to bring Guido and Isabella to a new home they'd oh-so-luckily won.
In a lottery.
Gabby laughed at the Doctor's sheer cluelessness but it always warmed her heart when he pulled these stunts for people. Isabella would soon be back to normal and then they could live happily in their new home.
"Alright you two you," the Doctor called to Amy and Rory who did seem far happier than when they first arrived. Maybe the trip wasn't a total loss. "Next stop Leadworth Register Office? Maybe I can give you away."
"Best not," Gabby mumbled to him on her way to the TARDIS. Those jokes were still on hold as far as he knew.
"It's fine. Drop me back where you found me," Rory said suddenly. He wasn't quite accustomed to this type of life. One moment, he was sure that all he wanted was for Amy to stay away from the Doctor because he was dangerous...but then a moment later he himself wanted to go help. It was like an invisible urge he wasn't yet sure how it worked. "I'll just say you've…"
"Stay…with us. Please. Just for a bit. I want you to stay," Amy smiled at him as she came closer to his side. It could do well for her mind to finally get things cleared up once and for all.
"Wow, this place just gets bigger huh?" Gabby laughed. So far, she loved Rory. She would definitely be good friends with him with the time.
"Fine with me," the Doctor said and spared a glance at Renata. She was keeping her distance again but upon being called, she came closer to them.
"Of course Rory," she smiled at the man sweetly. It was a smile that hadn't come up in a while, making the Doctor just a tad jealous of Rory at that moment. "And yes Gabby, it does keep getting bigger."
"Long way from where we started," Gabby said with a saddened smile. If only Donna could see them now. She would love it. Of course, Donna would love it even more if she could figure out a way to get Renata and the Doctor back to talking. Time was they would each take their half and make the two Time Lords fix their problems in the end. Now...now it was just her. She had to figure out a way to do it. "Rory, you want to see the swimming pool?" Gabby suddenly asked. "I bet Amy told you how it got lost, huh?"
Rory nodded. "Oh yeah. Talked about it for hours."
"Hey," frowned Amy.
Gabby laughed. "C'mon!" She reached for the TARDIS doors and opened them up, ushering the two in, then pointed a warning finger at the Doctor and Renata. "I am not letting you in until you talk to each other and I mean really talk. No more screaming, no more being cryptic—"she sent a direct look at Renata, because Gabby was sure that the woman was doing that bit again, "—and just...just talk, alright? Amy and Rory are doing well so I think...I think you can too." She pleaded to them with a tiny, almost minuscule smile, to heed her words. She disappeared in the TARDIS shortly afterwards.
It wasn't the place the Doctor envisioned for his talk with Renata but he would take whatever opportunity arose. He turned around and saw Renata had already put distance between them again. She had her arms folded over her chest, tightly enough to appear more like she was hugging herself rather than putting on a stance. She wasn't looking at him.
"Renata, Gabby's right. If Amy and Rory can work through a relationship of a few years I think we can do the same."
Renata's eyes darted to him in a snap. "Our relationship hasn't exactly been great from the start. Or did you forget that 700 year gap between then and now?"
"How could I? But really, what's the point in bringing out all the bad stuff that's already happened? You're clinging to all the bad parts!"
"Someone has to be realistic!"
"About what!?"
"About the fact that we always end up hurting each other! I love you, yes, but what if this is just destined to end in heartbreak again?"
"It's not—"
"How do you know!?" Renata practically screamed frantically. This time, however, she paid no attention to the gazes of the onlookers. "How do you know it's not going to end like the first time?"
The Doctor remained totally calm, an eerie calm that Renata silently questioned how it was possible. Wasn't he afraid of the same thing? Didn't he ever think about how things could end between them again? It terrified Renata. She didn't think she could handle that again.
"Because I have no intention of letting you go," the Doctor finally answered her, looking matter-of-factly. "Never again." Renata blinked. He looked like he had all the answers, he definitely felt like he did.
"Renata," the Doctor came closer to her and before she would even think of backing away, he wrapped an arm around her waist, "Last time we did this, things were so different. We were on Gallifrey, our heads filled with all these customs and rules — you more than I, let's be honest." Renata rolled her eyes. "We were so young. You weren't even out of the Academy. I, personally, had no idea what the hell I was doing. I mean, you know, more than what it is now. Last time, I was too much of a coward to come back for you. We argued, you told me to leave you even when you didn't mean it, but I still did it. I left you, I ran away, and I never looked back. I'm not doing that again. You screaming at me is a cover up for what you actually feel. It's always been how you operate. You grew up learning how to bottle up your feelings and keep quiet. And you don't get it, Renata..." the Doctor managed a small chuckle, "You still don't get it. You don't have to do that anymore. You don't have to be cryptic or hide how you feel. If there's something bothering you, tell me what it is. You won't get in trouble. Tell me what you're thinking. Tell me everything that's running in your head right now."
Renata nervously licked her lips. She couldn't meet his waiting gaze right away but at least she was making the effort to. The Doctor took that as a good sign. He wouldn't expect her to pour all her feelings out on the first try. It was a centuries-old battle that would last for a while. Little by little, he would help her change that habit of hers.
"It's hard," Renata admitted with tears in her eyes, her voice strained even then.
The Doctor brought his hands to Renata's cheeks, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears rolling down her face. "I know. I know it's hard—"
"No, you don't know," Renata shook her head, sniffling, "Because you've never struggled to talk to people. You always say what you want, whenever you want—"
"And that usually lands me in trouble," the Doctor reminded her for the sake of bringing a little humor to her right now.
"But you always have the courage to say what you want," Renata reiterated how different they were. "You were the one who confessed first. All those years ago, you said it first. You told me how you felt. Doctor, if you hadn't, I would've never said anything. I can say what needs to be said, but never what I want to say. Look how long it took me to tell you who I was when you and Martha found me? I hate myself for that — I hate that I can't tell you and even more that I end up lashing out instead like it's your fault that I'm so incompetent."
"None of that, please. You're not incompetent," the Doctor said, pressing a kiss on Renata's forehead, "Some people are naturally more shy, quieter, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not asking you to stop being neither of those. I just want you to know that you don't have to keep things bottled up inside. The way you grew up has played a huge role in the way you express yourself, yes, but it doesn't mean that you're 'incompetent'. You built a whole Foundation on Gallifrey, expanded it because you knew how to use your words in the right way."
"That's business, Doctor," Renata whispered, "I'm good at business, but everything else..."
"So let's take it step by step," the Doctor offered her, "It's going to take a while but we have all the time in the world. We can start right now."
"I don't know..." Renata sniffed, "It's frightening telling you..."
"Gala, talk to me," the Doctor spoke to her in their native tongue, cupping her face. With that, her eyes immediately locked with his. "Tell me what's wrong. You can do it. I'm here, listening."
Renata's eyes started looking around their immediate area. She was not used to being so open about a relationship, much less talking about it. It just felt wrong — like she was doing something that was wrong.
The Doctor leaned over and pressed another kiss on her temple. His lips lingered on the spot, wanting to be close and comforting for her. "I'm here," was all he said, implying that she could take as long as she needed to and he would stay right there with her.
Renata's eyes closed with his presence so close to her. She did love him. She loved him so much and it pained her to be so challenging for him. She wished she could be as carefree as others were, but there was just something inside her that didn't allow it. But if she didn't learn how to let go, even just a bit, she ran the danger of losing the Doctor. She couldn't let that happen. "I'm...I'm afraid..." She brought her hands up to the Doctor's arms, perhaps gripping them a bit tightly but he never said a thing about it. "I'm afraid that we won't work again. I'm...afraid that just like the first time...something is going to tear us apart."
"What's going to tear us apart?" the Doctor asked her, leaning back from her enough to meet her gaze.
"My sister did it first," Renata reminded him, "And now...now there's Amy..."
The Doctor chuckled. "Amy got confused but she's harmless, trust me. Plus, she didn't even know that we were together. What happened was insignificant."
"She's not the only one," Renata felt ridiculous the way her tears seemed to stream down her face. She wasn't used to making such a spectacle.
"Well who else is there?"
"...River Song. She's made it very clear that she knows you in the future—"
"There is a clear difference between knowing someone and...knowing someone," the Doctor said, even shivering at the assumption Renata was making. "I have zero interest in doing the latter and not quite fond of the former either, if I'm being honest."
"You can say all that stuff but what can you really do to fight the future? Because, despite her behavior, River has made very good points about me. Points that I can't argue against. She says I'm a fraud, and I am. I'm a liar. I lied to you for so long. I'm not this golden, dainty butterfly you want to see me as."
"I never saw you as a 'dainty butterfly'," the Doctor was puzzled with that assumption. Where did she ever get that from? "I never expect you to be dainty. You're Renata. You're actually very scary when you want to be. And all that stuff that happened between us...Renata, you have to let it go. I don't mean that you have to forget it, I mean...it's just time to move on. It was horrible, and painful, but it happened and we can't change it. I'm sorry. You can't let River Song dangle that in your face. She has no business talking about it. She draws power from that when you let it get to you."
"But what she says is true, I've hurt you too much."
"And I think I hurt you just as much. Darling I'm not saying we're perfect doves, but I love you like you wouldn't believe. So I beg you, let me take you on a date. Let me show you how much I love you and how I will never stop."
Renata's eyes twinkled with tears but her lips were twitching into a smile. "Can I show you that I love you too?"
"I definitely wouldn't mind," he smiled with her. He had taken hold of her hand and raised it between them, intertwining them with his. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and brought their bodies together. "This is good. This is the first time you've talked to me like this. Are you okay?"
Renata nodded slowly. "Yeah, just...feels weird," shes admitted, chuckling through her tears.
"It'll get easier with time, I promise. You don't have to talk to the whole world. I can do that for the both of us...just...always know that you can talk to me okay?"
Renata nodded again, this time truly intending on following through.
"Does that mean we're okay now?"
"I don't know if we'll ever be okay like we want to be, but I really cannot see myself living without you," Renata whispered. "I can't do that anymore. But...please try to keep other people from kissing you. It literally hurts my hearts knowing your lips were on someone else's."
"She kissed me," the Doctor reminded her, but he understood what she was trying to say. He didn't want to picture anyone else trying to kiss Renata either, much less that her lips had been pressed to others that weren't his. "But it'll never happen again. Now, can I kiss you?"
Renata pursed her lips together. He was waiting for her to answer, being patient and yet their closeness hadn't factored in as a disadvantage for her. Of course she'd want him to kiss her. She lost herself every time he was close to her. Right now was no exception. She began to nod, very lightly, but it was enough to draw the Doctor in.
She watched him close the gap between them and when his lips had finally pressed against hers, she kissed him too. She pulled her hand out of his - momentarily worrying the Doctor that it still wasn't enough - and grabbed his jacket's lapels instead, gripping them tightly as if he were going to run off on her. If it was up to the Doctor, he'd gladly let her hold onto him for all of eternity. He didn't want to be without her ever again.
Author's Note:
I looooved writing this episode. I really wanted to show that Renata is not your typical "bold, always speaks her mind" Time Lady that I feel like I've made my other DW OCs. And it's funny because Renata is technically the first Time Lady OC I've written and I just decided to go down this road with her. Like she said, she's very good with words when it's concerning business but not when it comes to talking for herself. Basically, she sucks at it - badly. And it's just another reminder of how different she is from the Doctor. They're stark opposites but they feed off each other and aid each other where they need it. I don't know, I think that makes for a good realistic relationship. My previous OCs have been that they're both intelligent/bold or they're both so chaotic. I wanted this one to be different. And I can't wait to show you the next OC I have planned for this show too. She's a-coming ;)
P.S. As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "saiilorstars"
For the Reviews:
savethemadscientist: I've never liked the story they gave Amy in these episodes and every time I get to these episodes, it's a battle trying to write them. Gabby will forever be their number one supporter, especially on behalf of Donna. That friendship between will forever be with Gabby :/. Renata will always try to protect people, even though she's upset with them although in this case, I don't think she was "mad" at Amy. She was upset that once again something was happening that could potentially break her and the Doctor up. Of course! I'm excited to post for Grier, I've finally finished her first fic! ^.^
The Time Lord Oracle: You know that Gabby would never let that kiss slide. She was going after Amy one way or another. I love writing the Marchioness and this will not be the last time she shows up again ;). Thank you so much!