A.N: Should be studying, but have decided to give you all another chapter :P. Still, thanks must go to…

Freak and Proud (Much to my mother's chagrin, I basically live on the BBC Doctor Who page. THEY NEED NEW PICTURES!), Joshwales, James Jago (Wow! Can't believe you bothered to review three times! Still, that dagger will show up again… Jackie has got a key, but that was mainly coz she was always taking care of the twins before this, and I'm honoured you think I've got them all right!) And Dory Shotgun (Atm, I'm doing 9 subjects, but then six of them have extra exams, so that would mean I'll actually be doing… 15 exams, not counting the one I sat on Sat… Good Luck for Yours!)

Anyway, Thanks to everyone else who read, but I would LOVE to hear from you. Till next time, Cya!

Thought of the week: All our dreams can come true, if only we have the courage to pursue them.

The Greatest Summer of All Time, Chapter 8

Tolling Lamentation

By Starlite1

"Hey!" Josie called out across the square, jogging slightly over to where her father was perched on the edge of a wagon.

"Find anything interesting?" The Doctor asked as she fell in beside him.

Her forehead creased slightly in concentration, "Nothing really. Anyone find anything else?"

"You're the first back." He replied.

"But now not the only." Added Rose, coming up behind her husband, giving his hand a tight squeeze.

He smiled at her, "Any luck?"

Balancing beside him, she related, "Well, I found that a bronze coin will get me four loaves of bread, that the woman over at the stall on the other side of the square is expecting her fourteenth child come summer, that there is a visiting monk from the north, and, most importantly, the Mistress of the Manor has fallen extremely ill."

"Not bad. What's the deal with the mistress?" he inquired.

She shrugged, "Absolutely adored. She supposedly has everything from the flu to the consumption to the plague. The one thing that everyone seems to be able to agree on is that she is not expected to see another day."

As if to echo her words,a great tolling echoed out from the bell tower suddenly, reverberating through the square as everyone fell into a stunned silence. A second toll followed, joining the melancholic death knell. As tears began to fall from the eyes of those around them, the heavens joined in, weeping for a life lost. Slowly the people moved into the shelter of the walkways, the wind suddenly picking up to howl through the square with a mournful cry.

IOIOIOI

The rain continued to beat against the walls of the keep throughout the afternoon, rattling the thin shards of glass and hammering the doors. Torches guttered in drafts, spluttering their unsteady illumination across the endless stone corridors.

In the Chapel, the Mistress lay in state, her face pale and finally peaceful. Around her face was a cloud of once lustrous auburn hair, framing her finely boned face. An emerald shroud covered her emaciated figure, her hands crossed gently over her breast, clasping a lock of hemlock and a pewter medallion, an echo reaching through the ages to send her to her final resting place.

Silently walking up the side of the cavernous hall, a great sense of sadness washed over her, tearing at the last vestiges of control left to her. Coming to the alter, she lit a candle, adding to the dozens already there, before whispering softly, "I'm sorry I failed you, Mistress."

"How so?" Asked a voice quietly behind her.

"She saved me, and I couldn't save her in return." She replied, not noticing the tears that fell softly down her face.

A strong, reassuring hand clasped her shoulder, "Want to talk about it?"

"What good would it do? It wouldn't change the fact that I should have been able to save her!" she replied miserably.

"Maybe it would help you, and I wouldn't mind hearing the story myself."

She chuckled humourlessly, "Close to thirteen years ago, some bastard abducted me from my home, and I'd rather not go into detail about what he did to me. Still, he dumped me in the Aldonreigh, and she found me half-drowned. If she hadn't found me, I would have died from hypothermia. As it was, it took me nearly six months to recover. By that time I found I had another problem. Unmarried and pregnant is not what you want to be in the m- I mean in a good Christian society… Anyway, to continue, she offered me a place on her staff as one of her handmaids, and knowing I had little other choice, I accepted. So for the past 12 years, I've lived here, and she's been a friend, a confidant, as I was to her. At home, I was training as a healer, and although I gave up hope of returning home long ago, here my skills are actually worth something. But for all my training, I was unable to help her." She choked back a sob, finally surrendering to the waves of grief.

IOIOI

Dusk was upon them by the time the anguish was spent from her soul.

"Look…" her companion said, indicating the window.

Somehow the sun had managed to battle through the clouds, and a single beam had managed to break through to the Chapel windows, bathing the altar in the golden light of sunset, and setting the clouds aflame.

"Thank you." She said, finally turning to look at her companion.

"No worries." He said, "I'm glad I could be of help. I'm Jack, by the way. Jack Harkness"

"Tam Lucia," she replied, grasping the proffered hand, "Or more commonly known as Lucy around here. No-one can get the accent right, and I don't fancy spending half my days going around correcting people."

He turned to look at her, eyes like sapphires staring at her, "So is Tam your family name? Because I've never heard of anyone having that name arrangement, or at least in this part of the world."

She shrugged, "As I said, I'm a very long way from home…" She drifted off, "How about you?"

He smiled mysteriously, "I'm rather close to home at the moment, but at the same time rather far away."

"How does that work?" she inquired.

"That's for me to know, and for you to figure out."

"Right then. Are you staying for the wake?"

"What wake?"

She paused, mentally berating herself, "Maybe that was the wrong word. A feast for all to celebrate her life."

"A proper send-off" he extrapolated.

She smiled, "That pretty much describes it. Will you and your family attend?"

Pausing momentarily, "I'm sure that they will be honoured."

"Well, once you have found them, just follow the crowds. As I said, everyone should be in attendance, so there'll be no problem for you to find your way."

"Thank you." He told her gratefully.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you."

"Until later, then."

IOIOIOIOI

"Jack!" Lucy called over the melee of conversation, "Over here."

Spotting her at the far table, Jack quickly navigated his way through the crowd over to where she was sitting, the rest of the Tyler troupe following soon after.

"Good evening, Ma'am." He said, "You faring better?"

She smiled, "Indeed. Might I introduce my son, Senka." Indicating the boy next to her.

"Pleased to meet you, Senka." Offering his hand.

Senka paused momentarily before accepting, "Likewise, Jack."

"And now let me introduce my own family: This is the Doctor, his wife and my surrogate sister Rose, and their children Adrian, Josephine and Anita."

Introductions were exchanged quickly as a glass was tapped for silence.

"I know you!"Senka hissed across the table at Josie.

"Very few people don't." She hissed back, before the adults silenced them.

All eyes fell upon the head table, where the master stood, clothed entirely in black and awaiting the congregation. His long brown hair was just showing the first tinges of grey at the temples, yet his eyes seemed so much older. Although he attempted to stand tall, there was a slump of defeat in his broad-set shoulders.

"I bid thee all a good Eventide. We have come here today to pay our final respects to the Mistress of this house, who was taken from us this day. More so than that, we have come to celebrate her life. Thus, I request you raise your glasses to Departing Friends."

"To Departing Friends." Came the murmur of acquiescence.

As the master returned to his seat once more, the kitchen staff began moving once more, placing numerous dishes on the tables before taking their seats. After a moment for Grace, the meal began.

IOIOIOIOI

As soon as the last plate left the hall, Lucy stood up, unconsciously adjusting her shawl around her shoulders. Standing in the guttering candlelight, her face became a contrast between light and shadow. Slowly her throat opened, and she began to sing:

"Why does life lead us blind?
Why are we left behind?
The dawn it calls unto me,
Let my love shine down on thee.

Daylight falls upon my face
Let me feel your warm embrace.
Heed my cry from the sky.
Let my fly once more sky-high.

One final kiss 'fore we part
To hold eternally in my heart
Forever I will hold you near
Forever I will hold you dear."

As the last notes died away, a stunned silence hung over the hall. Quickly, brushing away the tears in her eyes, she rushed out into the night

IOIOI

She sat upon the rim of the fountain, staring at the moon, silhouetted in shadows. The still biting wind tousled her hair and snarled at her shawl.

Taking his place beside her, he told her quietly, "That was beautiful."

She chuckled dryly, "For all its beauty, it barely means a thing. Naught has been changed for it, and nothing ever will." Turning to face him, she regarded him with her intense jade eyes, "I suppose I must accept it."

"The pain never lessens, but it will become bearable. Yes, she would want you to grieve, but she would also want you to move on, and not punish yourself for what fate decided to take out of your hands."

"You are rather different from any man I have ever met."

He shrugged, "I learnt the hard way that having someone is a blessing."

"Even if they're a stranger?"

"Even if they're a stranger."

IOIOIOIO

The Doctor crept on cat-like tread through the Chapel, ignoring the ghost-like shadows dancing against the wall. Approaching the shrouded figure, he fished out his sonic screwdriver from deep within his jacket. Flicking it through the settings, he ran it over her, taking in the data, but not believing what he was seeing. Shaking the implement, he repeated the action, still not believing it, but forced to accept the facts.

As he walked out, he muttered sullenly, "We have a problem…"

IOIOIOI

Re-entering the hall through the servant's entrance, the Doctor slipped back into his seat beside his wife.

"Rose, have you seen anything suspicious?" he muttered to her.

She raised an eyebrow, her attention diverted from watching her daughter dance, "No, why?"

Leaning back, he explained, "Just a feeling. Oh, and also found some poison which shouldn't be invented for at least another eighty centuries."

"You mean-?" She shook her head, "That's bad."

"And that's putting it lightly. Now-"

He was interrupted by a page boy sprinting in, "Sir!" he screamed breathlessly, "Attackers!"

Instantly the hall erupted.

IOIOIOI

A.N: Hehehe… I'm naughty, but reviews shall help me to get the next chapter out faster. Constructive criticism is great for exams, flames shall be used to light the secret stash of fireworks I have.

Also, with this chapter, The Greatest Summer of All Time has become my longest fic! So thanks to everyone, I definitely couldn't have done this without you!