THIS CHAPTER DEALS WITH DEATH, DEPRESSION, AND GRIEF/MOURNING. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—

Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,

Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—

On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—

Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!"

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

-0-0-

I woke up warm, a soft blanket wrapped around my waist. I was in my room, in the same clothes I had been wearing when I was in the library, with no idea how long it had been. My body ached like I had run a marathon but I sat up anyway.

The TARDIS gave a small hum, and the lights brightened slightly. I looked up at the ceiling. "Thank you."

The blanket that was draped over my legs was a bright blue color, and not one that I recognized from before, but I assumed someone had placed it on me. My guess was the Doctor. My eyes began to water as I stared at the color, vision blurring.

The door to my room swished open, and the Doctor paused in the doorway. Amy peeked her head over his shoulder, pushing past him once she saw I was awake.

"Chloe!"

She threw her arms around me, only letting go at the sound of a metal clang. The Doctor had placed a tray filled with a plate of food and a glass of water on my bedside table. He shooed Amy to the side and she did with minimal groaning.

"How are you feeling?" The Doctor asked, even as he scanned me with the sonic screwdriver.

"Fine," I muttered.

I rubbed my eyes to wipe away my tears, and opened them to find both of them sharing a silent conversation. I reached for the water and Amy pulled the tray closer for me. I thanked her softly.

"Well, doesn't seem like there's any permanent damage," The Doctor began, wringing his hands together. "Where were you before this?"

"You just showed up out of nowhere, and then you collapsed. You scared us," Amy added.

I finished the water, the sudden weight in my stomach giving me nausea. "Ugh, you can blame River for that."

"River?"

"We were at the library," I explained, tipping my head back against my pillow. "I tried to stop her. She threw something at me, a strange device, and the next thing I know, I'm being forced to jump."

"Why would she do that?" Amy asked, eyes wide.

The Doctor placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's a long story. Do you think we could have a moment?"

He began to guide Amy out of my room, and the red head hissed something at him just before he closed the door in her face. I grabbed a cracker from the plate and watched as The Doctor began to pace slowly across the floor, a heavy energy filling the room.

I pushed the crumbs off the sheets. "She didn't survive, did she?"

"No," He replied distractedly. "I couldn't change her mind either. She never mentioned forcing you to jump, I had always just assumed-"

The Doctor pulled the device I had seen before out of his pocket, except it was now charred as if it had been burned, and parts of the wires were dangling from the sides. I reached out to touch it, but stopped half way.

"It won't do anything anymore," He reassured me. "One time use only. Fried the moment it activated."

I picked it out of his hand, turning it around and to the sides as if somehow I would understand how it worked, but it remained just a lump of metal to me. I threw it on the tray.

"So what does that mean? River just happened to have access to an object that could make me jump to another point in your timeline? Where did she even get something like that?"

"From someone who knows about you, and really hates me," He said, mostly to himself.

"Hates you?"

"That device was created by somebody who wanted to hurt me," He answered, his voice low and full of a violent rage. "And nobody I trust should have ever used it on you."

I shook my head. "No, Doctor. Don't go there. River didn't do this to hurt me, she was trying to stop me from doing something stupid."

The Doctor closed his eyes, pressing his hands against his face as he inhaled deeply, before he sat down onto the bed with a harsh exhale. I reached out to grab his hand and pulled them out of the fist's they had made.

"She saved us both from making really stupid decisions," I said. He squeezed my hands, pulling one up to place a kiss to my fingers as he stared into my eyes. "She saved our lives at the cost of her own."

"She's still alive," He reminded me.

"Technically."

We both sat in silence for a few minutes, me still trying to process the fact that I was unable to change River's fate. I wasn't sure what the Doctor was thinking, but I figured he had a lot on his mind.

I took in the lack of his jacket and his messy hair. "Where have you been lately?"

"Oh, here and there." He ran his fingers through his hair, and suddenly the messy hair began to make sense. "It's been …"

Something flashed across his face, a lot like regret and guilt. I reached out again, but he pulled back. "Doctor?"

"We lost Rory," He whispered, like saying it any louder was impossible.

I immediately leaned forward to hug him, pulling him in close and not complaining even when he hugged back, the ache in my muscles straining at the pressure. He rested his chin on my shoulder, and I rubbed his back soothingly.

"It's going to be okay," I promised him. "He'll be back."

The Doctor gave me a look. "Yes, you mentioned that before."

"Before-"

There was a knock on the door. "Doctor? Are we still going on that trip you promised?"

"Trip?" I asked.

"Ah, I told Amy I would take her to the Musée d'Orsay, but that was before you - erm, anyway. We can go later."

"No, that sounds amazing," I insisted, needing the distraction. "We should go."

"Are you sure?"

There was more knocking, louder this time. "Doctor? Chloe? You're not ignoring me are you?"

I gave him a knowing look. "Yes, I'm sure."

I kicked the Doctor out so I could change, and by the time I had arrived in the console room the TARDIS had already landed, if the way the corridors had been shaking was any indication. While Amy excitedly ran ahead, the Doctor made sure I was okay before following.

It was sweet.

All it took was a flash of the psychic paper and the three of us were walking through the museum, on our way to the Van Gogh section. There was a man with a bowtie giving a tour, kids running around, and the entire room was full of beautiful paintings.

Amy looked around in wonder. "Thank you for bringing me. I wouldn't have minded waiting a little longer."

"I think we both earned a little vacation," I told her.

"What do you mean? You're the one that got hurt."

The Doctor shot me a look. "I think what Chloe means, is that we could use a break from all the running and saving days. Nothing goes wrong in a museum."

"If you just jinxed us, I'm going to kill you," I warned him.

-0-0-

"I'm going to kill you," I groaned, watching the Doctor run around as he input the coordinates into the TARDIS.

Amy shook her head next to me. "Oh, don't bother. I knew it was coming eventually. It's been too quiet with him lately."

The Doctor pouted, refusing to even look at us. He walked past us to the doors, where Amy and I followed him out into a cobblestone alleyway. A cat meowed from somewhere nearby.

"Right, so, here's the plan. We find Vincent and he leads us straight to the church and our nasty friend," The Doctor explained.

"Easy peasy."

"Well, no. I suspect nothing will be easy with Mister Van Gogh," The Doctor mused, "Now, he'll probably be in the local cafe. Sort of orangey light, chairs and tables outside."

Amy paused to open up the guide book she had received in the museum, showing a painting of 'Cafe Terrace at Night' by Van Gogh. She turned it towards us. "Like this?"

The Doctor reached out to grab my hand. "That's the one."

I reached up with our joined hands to point out the building in front of us, an exact replica of the painting in Amy's guide book.

"Yes, that's it!" The Doctor exclaimed excitedly, pulling me along as he ran up to the cafe terrace where two waitresses were cleaning up the tables outside. A man began to walk outside. "Good evening. Does the name Vincent Van Gogh ring any bells?"

The man made a face. "Don't mention that name to me."

The Doctor paused in surprise as the man immediately turned around and walked back inside. Amy gave him a shrug when he caught her gaze. The Doctor go of my hand momentarily to grab the back of a chair, the one next to the table the waitresses were tending to.

"Excuse me. Do you know Vincent Van Gogh?"

One of the waitresses scowled. "Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?" Amy wondered from behind.

"He's drunk, he's mad and he never pays his bills."

The Doctor let out a nervous chuckle. "Good painter, though, eh?"

As the waitresses and patron's outside began to laugh hysterically at the idea, The Doctor sat down disgruntled. I pulled out the chair next to him just as voices began to drift from inside.

"Come on! One painting for one drink. That's not a bad deal."

Two men exited the cafe and the Doctor reached out to grab my hand again. He squeezed it tightly. The Doctor and Amy began silently freaking out over the appearance of Van Gogh, and I found myself smiling at their excitement.

"It wouldn't be a bad deal if the painting were any good. I can't hang that up on my walls. It'd scare the customers half to death." The manager shook his head at the painting. "It's bad enough having you in here in person, let alone looming over the customers day and night in a stupid hat. You pay money or you get out."

"I'll pay, if you like," The Doctor spoke up.

"What?"

"Well, if you like, I'll pay for the drink. Or I'll pay for the painting and you can use the money to pay for the drink."

Vincent slowly turned around with a frown. "Exactly who are you?"

"Oh, I'm," The Doctor paused, "New in town."

"Well, in that case, you don't know three things. One, I pay for my own drinks, thank you." Vincent claimed, but everyone around us began laughing again.

He made a face as he continued.

"Two, no one ever buys any of my paintings or they would be laughed out of town. So if you want to stay in town, I suggest you keep your cash to yourself. And three, your friend's cute-" He turned to look at Amy. "-but you should keep your big nose out of other people's business."

Vincent turned back around and continued to try and persuade the cafe's manager, going back and forth in their argument until Amy finally had enough, yelling at both of them to shut up. She stepped closer to the pair.

"I would like a bottle of wine, please," She said, "which I will then share with whomever I choose."

Vincent eyed her up and down before answering. "That could be good."

"That's good by me," The manager got out.

"Good," Amy said, giving both me and the Doctor a look before she walked into the cafe.

We all sat down at a table inside, where Amy was given the bottle of wine she had ordered. She offered me some but I shook my head, taking the cup the Doctor was offered before he could grab it and handing it back.

He made a face.

"Trust me, you won't like it," I told him.

"How do you know?" He grumbled. Amy hid her smile behind her glass.

Vincent took a sip of his own glass. "So, that accent you've got. You're from Holland like me?"

"Yes." "No."

Both the Doctor and Amy answered at the same time, and Amy shot him a panicked look at her slip up. I patted her arm from where I sat in between them both.

"What Amy meant was yes," I answered. "Sorry, it's been a late night for all of us."

"Amy, was it?" Vincent leaned forward, eyes only for the red head.

I rolled my eyes, and the Doctor held out his hand to grab Vincent's attention. "Yes, from the start. I'm the Doctor, this is Chloe."

Almost immediately Vincent recoiled back into his seat, a look of disappointment etched across his face as he exclaimed that he knew it. The Doctor's hand dropped to the table.

"My brother's always sending doctors," Vincent said, shaking his head. "But you won't be able to help."

"Oh, I'm not that kind of Doctor," The Doctor reassured with a nervous laugh, pointing out the painting Vincent had next to him. "That's incredible, don't you think?"

Amy nodded. "It's one of my favorites."

"One of your favorite what's?" Vincent demanded, "You've never seen my work before."

"Ah yes. It's one of my favorite paintings I've ever seen," she fumbled, taking a drink from her glass before she could fill it with her foot again.

Vincent glanced down at his own work. "Then you can't have seen many paintings. It's terrible, I know. But it's the best I can do."

And then he started flirting with Amy again. Talking about their hair, and how red it was. I was ready to wait for them to finish, letting them have their moment. Unfortunately, patience wasn't the Time Lord's strong suit, and after a roll of his eyes, he was leaning forward to grab the pair's attention.

"So. Er, Vincent, painted any churches recently? Any churchy plans? Are churches, chapels, religious stuff like that, something you'd like to get into? You know, fairly soon?"

Vincent looked down at the table. "Well, there is this one church I'm thinking of painting, when the weathers right."

"That's excellent news," The Doctor drawled, just as a woman began crying out for help at the entrance of the cafe. "That on the other hand, isn't such good news."

We all took off, the Doctor at the front. We made our way out into the streets and followed a few stragglers to where a crowd of people that was beginning to form. The four of us stopped in horror as we came across the body of a young woman, her skin torn as if attacked by an animal.

"She's been ripped to shreds!"

My body began to feel heavy as I looked down at the now dead girl. There wasn't anything any of us could have done, not with how pale her face was and the amount of blood that coated the ground.

"Who is it?"

"Oh no, no, no."

I stepped back, my back hitting the brick walls as I blinked away the image of another body, shaking my head.

"Away, all of you vultures. This is my daughter. Giselle. What monster could have done this? Get away from her!"

Everything suddenly sounded like it was happening very far away. I took one last look at the puddle of blood and then turned away. I began to walk back in the direction we had come from, making my way into another alleyway.

There was a commotion and raised voices, and footsteps made their way towards me. Amy skidded to a stop when she saw me, turning back in bewilderment as both the Doctor and Vincent leaned over to catch their breath.

"Are you all right?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes, I'm used to it," Vincent replied bitterly.

"Has anything like this murder happened here before?"

"Only a week ago. It's a terrible time."

Amy grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the light. "Chloe, you're crying."

I brought my hand up to my cheeks and confirmed that I was in fact crying. The Doctor turned around and ducked his head to see my face better, his own hands pushing mine away so he could wipe the tears with his thumb.

"I'm fine," I insisted, blinking back a sudden onslaught of emotion.

He shook his head. "No, you're not. I'm sorry Chloe, perhaps it was too soon for you."

I wanted to protest but my throat closed up and my eyes burned. All I could do was bury my face into the Doctor's jacket in hopes of hiding my pain away from the world. He whispered something softly to me and another hand began to rub circles onto my back.

"Is she okay?" Vincent asked.

"She lost someone recently as well," The Doctor explained, and the hand on my back paused. "She just needs a moment."

There was a heavy silence as the echoing cries of a grieving mother was heard in the distance. Amy pulled away from me to whisper in the Doctor's ear, but she was still close enough for me to hear.

"Who did she lose?"

"Not now, Amy."

I lifted my head, giving the Doctor a reassuring smile now that I had calmed down somewhat, but he grabbed my wrists to keep me from pulling away completely.

"Maybe you should go back to the TARDIS," he offered, and I shook my head. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. We have a mystery to solve, and I have a feeling you're going to need my help," I joked.

He kissed my forehead and spun around so fast I was surprised he managed to stay standing. "Right! It's time to get you home, eh Vincent?"

The red headed man nodded slowly. "Where are you three staying tonight?"

"Oh, you're very kind," The Doctor told him with a pat to the shoulder.

-0-0-

I sat down on the couch as soon as we arrived at Vincent's place, while he began to light candles around the room. Both Amy and the Doctor were starstruck at the paintings that filled the place.

"Coffee, anyone?" Vincent called as he walked into what I assumed was the kitchen.

The Doctor followed him into the other room, and I placed my head into my hands as they talked. I wasn't sure exactly when I began to doze, but I startled awake in the middle of Vincent talking about art to the Doctor.

"I can hear the colors," He told the Doctor. "Listen to them. Every time I step outside, I feel nature is shouting at me. Come on. Come and get me. Come on. Come on! Capture my mystery!"

The Doctor stared up at Vincent like he was insane. "Maybe you've had enough coffee now. How about some nice calming tea? Let's get you a cup of chamomile or something, shall we?"

A scream interrupted him, and it took me a moment to follow the men as they ran out of the house, the Doctor calling out for Amy. We found her outside on the ground, all alone except for a clucking chicken somewhere in the yard.

"What happened?" The Doctor said, looking around for the danger.

"I don't know. I didn't see it. I was having a look at the paintings out here when something hit me from behind."

"It's okay, it's gone now."

Vincent began to yell, his eyes stuck on something that nobody else could see as he slowly backed away from us. I helped Amy up from the ground, and she grabbed my arm tight.

"What's happening? What's he doing?" she asked.

"I don't know," The Doctor breathed.

When Vincent picked up a pitchfork, yelling at us to run. The Doctor looked back at me and then to the painter, who was starting to swing the pitchfork around wildly.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea. Chloe, take Amy and go, I think he's having a fit of some kind."

"It's not a fit," I corrected, pulling the Doctor away from Vincent. "It's a creature."

As if to confirm my words, a barrel suddenly toppled over and something slashed the painting Amy was hiding behind. She let out a shout of surprise.

"What was that? I can't see anything!"

"That's a great question," The Doctor breathed, eyes wide.

Vincent let out a yell, slashing his pitchfork in a violent stroke, and I flinched. He turned, presumably following the creature with his eyes, despite the fact that nobody else could see anything. I raised my hands out to him.

"Wait, Vincent. Stop. Don't hurt it."

He paused. "You can see it too?"

"No," I explained, slowly walking in his direction. "I can't, but I know it doesn't mean any harm. It's just scared."

There was a sudden whoosh of air, and something slammed into my chest hard enough to throw me back. Thankfully the Doctor broke my fall when I landed on him. We both let out a groan.

"It's dangerous," Vincent yelled back, just as he stabbed the air.

As I rolled off the Doctor and reassured him I'm okay, Vincent made his way over to us. Amy stepped out from where she had been hiding, staring at the empty air in shock.

"Is it gone?"

"Yes," Vincent exhaled, dropping the pitchfork. "It's gone."

The Doctor stood up, holding out his hand to help me to my feet. "Right, okay. So it's an invisible creature."

"It's blind," I added in, following him as he made his way back inside.

"A blind creature, presumably the one that attacked that young girl?" He asked, giving me a hard look.

I swallowed. "Yeah."

"A blind creature, who's scared and capable of killing people, and you walked towards it willingly," He explained, shaking my shoulders. "Are you insane?"

"We have to help it," I urged.

"Yes, I agree. But helping is not the same as doing something dangerous and- and stupid!"

"Right, because you've never done anything dangerous and stupid before!"

Both Vincent and Amy, who had followed behind, were now staring at us with varying looks of worry and confusion. The Doctor took a deep breath before slowly sitting back down in his chair.

"Right, one thing at a time." The Doctor shook his head. "The creature, what did it look like?"

Vincent pushed past me to grab one of his canvases. "I can show you."

Vincent covered one of his paintings in white, and when the Doctor noticed he let out a yell and Amy covered her mouth in shock. The painter looked up in confusion.

"Sorry. That was … just a good panting," The Doctor explained.

While waiting, the Doctor paced back and forth and Amy sat in front of Vincent, watching him carefully. I sat on the couch once again, however this time I had too much adrenaline running through my veins to think about sleeping. When he was finished, Vincent held a canvas of a creature with large claws and a beak that the Doctor took out of his hands.

"Right, Amy and Chloe. You two stay here and make Mister Van Gogh comfortable. Don't let any invisible monsters in through the front door," He told us.

Amy grabbed his arm. "But it could be outside, waiting."

"Well, don't worry. I'll risk it. What's the worst that can happen?"

"You could get torn into pieces by a monster you can't see," she exclaimed.

"Dangerous and stupid," I spoke up, giving him a look.

"Oh right, yes, that," He pointed a finger at Amy, and then at me. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you can say where's he got to now?"

And with that he left.

Two seconds later, he jumped back into the room. "Not that fast! But pretty fast. See you around."

-0-0-

Amy sat down next to me, only minutes after Vincent had gone off to bed. His snores now drifted down from his bedroom, and the redhead was starting to get antsy.

"Do you think we should go looking for him?" She wondered, eyes lit up by the candlelight. I leaned my head on her shoulder.

"He'll be fine," I assured her.

"You sure?"

I turned my head so I could see her better and smiled. "Sure you're not just looking for an excuse to leave?"

"No, of course not." Amy claimed, a little too quickly. She paused. "Well okay, maybe. Can you blame me? I'm bored."

I let out a small laugh. A gust of wind blew in from an open window and the candle flame flickered, the shadows on the wall making distorted shapes before settling. Amy moved so she could face me better.

"What about you? Don't you ever feel like you need some excitement?" She urged.

"I think I could use a little less excitement in my life."

"Really?" When all I could do was bite my lip, the red head's mouth began to turn down at my discomfort. "You don't have to tell me. It's just I couldn't imagine not being here."

She paused, like she expected me to speak up. I sighed. "It's not that I don't love traveling with the Doctor, I do! But … you chose to come along. I've never been given the choice, and it's not like I can just stop jumping around his time stream."

Amy nodded slowly. "Right. Can't imagine."

"It's not all bad," I reassured her. "I got to meet some amazing people. I get to be here with you."

I patted her leg and flashed her a smile. Amy gave me a hesitant smile of her own, but it began to pull down at the edges the longer she stared at me. When she raised her hand, my vision began to blur with tears, and I immediately pulled away to wipe them with my sleeve.

"You're crying again," she pointed out, hand dropping down to her lap. "The Doctor said you lost someone. I don't know if you want to talk about it…"

I shook my head. "I don't know if I can."

Amy nodded in understanding, tongue poking out to wet her lips as she looked around the room. One of the candles had gone out, and the room was bathed in a beautiful orange glow from one side, while the other side was dark and empty. I stared hard at one of the canvases.

"I couldn't save her," I whispered. "I knew it was coming, knew there was nothing I could do, but it still hurts. And because of the way my life is, someday I'm going to see her again. I'll have to look in her eyes and think about how one day she'll die, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Amy blinked away her own tears, raising her head to look up to the ceiling. Vincent's snores could still be heard, just slightly, and she let out a sigh. Her eyes closed.

"I suppose it's just like Vincent. I mean, we know how his story ends, don't we?" I mused.

Amy's eyes shot back open. "Don't say that. Time can be rewritten, the Doctor told me that. We could help him, couldn't we? Maybe we can save him."

I gave her a sad smile, knowing that it wasn't likely, but also knowing that Vincent could use a little happiness in his life. "Yeah, I suppose."

The sound of Vincent's snoring suddenly increased, and he let out a large exhale that sounded like a monster growling. We shared a look before bursting into giggles. I wiped away the lingering tears, and Amy patted my thigh.

"Alright, I'm going to go make sure the Doctor hasn't gotten in trouble." She claimed, standing back up.

I waved her off. "You go ahead. I'll stay here and keep watch."

Amy nodded, let out a small sniff, and then she left.

It was shortly after the sun had risen in the sky that I heard shuffling outside and, thinking it might have been the creature, I peeked out from the door. The Doctor paused from where he was carrying a large pot of sunflowers.

I shook my head. "I don't want to know."

"It was Amy's idea," he told me.

From where she had been turning the corner with her own pot, Amy paused.

"You think Vincent will paint them?" She put down the flowers and bounced over to my side. "I'm hoping it might cheer him up."

I reached out to caress one of the petals. "I think they're beautiful. Don't get your hopes up though."

After Vincent was awake, and Amy had shown him the surprise she cooked up for him, we all gathered inside, where the Doctor handed the red headed male a photo of the creature. Vincent sat down at the table.

"That's him. And the eyes, without mercy."

"This is a creature called the Krafayis," the Doctor explained, "They travel in space. They travel as a pack, scavenging across the universe. And sometimes one of them gets left behind. And because they are a brutal race, the others never come back."

"Brutal race?" I asked softly.

The Doctor gave me a sympathetic look. "Merciless, usually. And what they do is, well, kill, until they're killed. Which they usually aren't. Because other creatures can't see them."

"But I can," Vincent said.

"Yes. And that's why we are in a unique position today, my friend, to end this reign of terror. So, feel like painting any churches?"

I watched as Vincent thought it through. There was a hesitation there, when he raised his eyes to look at me.

"What about the monster?" He asked.

I turned to the last man in the room. "Doctor?"

The Doctor scratched the back of his head slowly. "Well, perhaps we could find a place for it, somewhere else, where it can't hurt anybody."

"And if we can't?"

The look he gave me was more than enough of an explanation. I nodded in understanding, biting the nail of my thumb as the two continued to plan. Vincent stood up once everything was decided.

"Okay, I'll go get my things."

The Doctor leaned back in his chair. "In your own time. And I promise you, we'll be out of your hair by this time tomorrow."

Neither the Doctor nor Amy seemed to notice the lingering look Vincent gave us as he left. The Doctor rubbed his mouth.

"This is risky," he murmured, mostly to himself.

"Riskier than normal?" Amy asked.

"Well, think about it. This is the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's greatest year of painting. If we're not careful, the net result of our pleasant little trip will be the brutal murder of the greatest artist who ever lived." He frowned. "Half the pictures on the wall of the Muse D'Orsay will disappear. And it will be our fault."

Amy didn't have anything to say to that. After a few minutes with no sounds from upstairs, the Doctor left to see what was taking Vincent so long. At the sound of yelling, Amy and I went out to see the Doctor leaning against the railing, the sound of sobbing coming from Vincent's room.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"We're leaving," the Doctor said dejectedly, shaking his head. "Everyone knows he's a delicate man. Just months from now he'll, he'll take his own life."

"Don't say that. Please."

Amy reached out to grab my hand at his silence. Even as the Doctor led us downstairs, she refused to let go. The Doctor took one last look at the paintings around the room, and tried to give us both a reassuring smile.

"Come on. We have to do this on our own. We'll go to the church, and hope that the monster still shows up."

Like someone had called for him, Vincent emerged in the hallway fully dressed. He rolled his shoulders and stood up straight like a soldier preparing for battle. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Amy let out a sigh of relief, and the Doctor nodded encouragingly. The four of us began our trek out to the church, with Amy walking in front with Vincent. I had originally been lagging behind and, just like with the weeping angels, The Doctor hung back with me instead of taking the lead like he usually would.

It gave the two red heads a chance to chat.

"I'm sorry you're so sad," Amy told Vincent.

"But I'm not," He replied, reaching out to grab her hand. "Sometimes these moods torture me for weeks, for months. But I'm good now. If you two ladies can soldier on, then so can Vincent Van Gogh."

Amy looked at him in confusion. "Oh, I'm not soldiering on. I'm fine."

"Oh, Amy. I hear the song of your sadness. You've lost someone too, I think."

"No, not me. Just Chloe," Amy tried to explain, looking back at us in confusion.

"Then why are you crying?" Vincent questioned, and Amy reached up to wipe her cheeks in confusion. "It's alright. I understand."

"I'm not sure I do."

"Okay. Okay," The Doctor quickly interrupted the pair, "So, now, we must have a plan. When the creature returns-"

"Then we shall fight him again," Vincent stopped walking. Amy paused behind him.

"Well, yes, tick," The Doctor confirmed. "But last night we were lucky. One of us could have been killed. So this time, for a start, we have to make sure I can see him too."

"And how are we going to do that?" Amy wondered.

The Doctor wiggled the suitcase he had been holding and began to walk again. "The answer's in this box. I had an excellent, if smelly, godmother."

He stopped in his tracks when he noticed a group of people heading our way, villagers dressed in black with a coffin being carried.

Vincent stepped back. "Oh no, it's that poor girl from the village."

I couldn't bring myself to raise my head and look at the mother of the girl as she passed, and from next to me Vincent kept his own gaze firmly to the ground. Amy spotted the yellow sunflowers on top of the coffin, and she glanced at the Doctor with hopeful eyes.

"You do have a plan, don't you?"

"Yes, of course. Well … it's a thing. It's like a plan, but with more greatness."

"Respect the thing," I whispered to myself.

We continued to the church in silence.

-0-0-

Unsurprisingly, as the Doctor wasn't a very patient person, the painting process seemed to drag on. It was around noon when Vincent first started painting the church. Nearly 5 hours later, the Doctor looked like he was having an existential crisis.

"Is this how time normally passes? Really slowly. In the right order," He groaned.

"Don't worry, just a little longer," I assured him.

Like clockwork, Vincent pointed out towards the church with his brush. "There. He's at the window."

"Where?"

"There, on the right."

The Doctor nodded. "As I thought. Alright, I'm going in."

"Well I'm coming too," Vincent began, starting to put away his things.

"No!" The Doctor shot down the idea in a panic, his hand raised in a stop motion. "You're Vincent Van Gogh. No."

"But you're not armed," He pointed out.

"I am."

"What with?"

The Doctor patted his suitcase. "Overconfidence, this, and a small screwdriver. I'm absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right setting and stun him with it. Sonic never fails."

Amy and Vincent shared a look, and I moved past them towards the church. The Doctor stepped in front of me to stop me.

"No, you stay too."

"Dangerous and stupid," I reminded him.

He let out a groan, pointed his finger at me, and then dropped it in defeat. "Right. Anyway, Amy, only one thought, one simple instruction. Don't follow us under any circumstances."

"I won't," She assured him.

The Doctor didn't seem convinced, and Amy gave me a knowing look as we left. Once we made it down to the church doors, he put down the suitcase and opened it up, revealing a strange object that would help him see the creature.

"So, this plan of yours," I began, watching the Doctor set up the machine he had brought. "What exactly does it involve?"

"Find the monster, use a tranquilizer to knock it out, and somehow manage to bring it back to the TARDIS before it wakes up. Solid plan." The Doctor finished putting on his gizmo, and he turned to me. "We know it's blind, so it will most likely have good hearing. We'll have to be quiet."

I nodded. "Right, sure that'll be easy for you."

The Doctor shot me a look. We made our way into the church, both of us walking slowly so as to not make noise. We got to the window where Vincent had spotted the creature, but as the Doctor shifted the device's mirror around, nothing appeared.

He gave me a look, "I think it's moved."

The mirror suddenly shattered as it was hit, and the Doctor was thrown forward. The Krafayis let out a cry that I could hear, but without being able to see it there was no way to tell where it was. The Doctor jumped up and grabbed my hand, running away from the windows. He pointed the sonic screwdriver behind him as he ran, but the readings came up empty.

"Don't bother," I warned him, "It won't do anything."

"Doctor! Chloe!"

We both jumped in surprise as Amy suddenly appeared, and the Doctor quickly looked back in panic.

"I thought I told you- Oh, never mind. We'll talk about it later. Quick, in here."

He urged her into one of the confessionals, pulling me into the other side. The box wasn't very big, and the Doctor ended up pressed against me. I couldn't move, my arms stuck at my sides, the Doctor's face only inches from my own. His eyes darted around in panic.

"Be absolutely quiet," He whispered to us, and he slowly raised a hand to peek out of the curtains.

I was tempted to remind him that the Krafayis was invisible, but I didn't want to risk it. The Doctor turned his head to the side with a frown. In the dead silence, we could both hear the soft exhales Amy made as she breathed out.

"Can you breathe a little quieter?" The Doctor whispered.

I shot him a look. Amy was thankfully smart enough not to answer, but it didn't make a difference anyways. There was a scratching noise, and Amy let out a scream as the confessional shook.

"I think he heard us," The Doctor exclaimed, just as part of the wood from our side was ripped off.

"You just had to speak up," I hissed at him, and Amy let out another scream.

Suddenly, somebody began to shout from outside the confessionals. "Hey! Are you looking for me, sonny? Come on, over here. Because I'm right here waiting for you."

Realizing that the Krafayis was no longer attacking, the Doctor opened the doors and slowly slid out, Amy peeking her head out from her own side. Vincent stood in front of the entrance, fending on the invisible threat with a wooden chair.

When he spotted us, he waved his hand. "Come on. Quickly. Get behind me."

Amy and I ran out, the other two following right behind us. Amy stopped in the courtyard, but I urged her back. Vincent kept his chair raised in the direction of the church doors.

"Where is it?" The Doctor asked, looking around.

"Where do you think he is, you idiot? Use your head," Vincent shot back.

I grabbed the Doctor's arm. "Forget that. Where's the tranquilizer?"

"Tranquilizer, right!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small gun. It held a vial filled with a bright green liquid. "Here it is."

"Doctor, duck!"

The Doctor suddenly dropped, and Vincent yelled out for him to go to the left. Something slammed into the TIme Lord and he went flying, the gun falling out of his hand as the Doctor hit a stone wall. The green vial broke in two as it hit the floor.

"Right, sorry. Your right, my left," Vincent pointed out.

I helped the Doctor up, and he spotted the broken tranquilizer gun. "Oh, that's not good."

Amy ushered us back towards another part of the church, and it took the combined efforts of the four of us to get the door closed before the Krafayis could force its way in. The moment the door locked, the Doctor leaned back against it.

"Right. Okay. Here's the plan. Amy, Rory-" I slapped my hand over his mouth the same moment Amy questioned who Rory was. The Doctor shot me a panicked look, then pulled my hand away. "Sorry, never mind."

"Doctor, the tranquilizer isn't an option anymore," I pointed out. "How are we supposed to stop it?"

"I don't know," he said, sounding just as frustrated as I felt.

Vincent glanced back at the door. "Give me a second, I'll be right back." He took off in the opposite direction.

The Doctor gave me a wide eyed look. "I suppose we could always try talking to it?"

"Talking to him?" Amy exclaimed.

"Well, yes. Might be interesting to know his side of the story. Yes, though maybe he's not really in the mood for conversation right at this precise moment." The door rattled, but thankfully the lock held.

"It can't hurt to try," I pointed out.

The Doctor nodded. "Right, yes. Listen. Listen! I know you can understand me, even though I know you won't understand why you can understand me. I also know that no one's talked to you for a pretty long time, but please, listen. I also don't belong on this planet. I also am alone. If you trust me, I'm sure we can come to some kind of, you know, understanding. And then, and then, who knows?"

One of the windows exploded, and Amy screamed out again. The wind blew into the room, and something fell over, but Vincent came back from wherever he had run off too at that very moment. He held his easel in his hands.

"Over here," He called out to us, ducking behind what looked like a stone monument.

We joined him as Vincent whispered about the Krafayis and what it was doing. There was a shuffling noise as the Krafayis moved about. Amy reached out to squeeze my hand in worry.

"Maybe you could try talking to it again," I whispered softly, giving the Doctor a pleading look. "It's just scared."

"Scared, and alone, but dangerous," The Doctor breathed.

"We have to do something."

"You better decide quickly, because it's heading straight for us!" Vincent called out.

The three of us scrambled to our feet, and while Amy began to retreat, I moved forward towards Vincent.

"Wait, hold on-"

The Doctor grabbed me around my waist, pulling me back as Vincent was lifted into the air, the Krafayis letting out a horrifying cry. I sagged against the Doctor's hold as Vincent was dropped down, the easel sticking out of the creature we still couldn't see.

Blood began to pool on the ground.

There was a moment of silence as the situation sank in, and the Doctor let me go. I barely managed to keep my feet under me.

Vincent took off his hat and pressed it to his chest. "I didn't mean for that to happen. I only meant to wound it, I never meant … I'm sorry."

The Doctor kneeled on the ground, reaching out to touch the air. "He's trying to say something."

"What is it?"

I turned around.

"I'm having trouble making it out, but I think he's saying, I'm afraid. I'm afraid."

Just like in the alleyway, I left. I couldn't stand to be there in the Krafayis's last moments. I made my way out into the courtyard from before, the cold air suddenly processing now that I wasn't running for my life. On the ground remained the broken vial, green liquid pooled in much the same way the Krafayis's blood had.

I closed my eyes as the wind blew across my face. Someone joined me outside, arms wrapping around my shoulders to pull me against their chest. The Doctor, because it couldn't have been anyone else, placed a chaste kiss on my forehead.

"I'm sorry," He told me.

I shook my head. "It was a long shot to begin with."

Amy and Vincent joined us outside, neither one of them looking much better. The four of us walked in silence back out to where Vincent had left his painting supplies (the canvas of the painted church now laying on the grass), but Vincent walked right past them. He sat down on a patch of grass with a heavy sigh.

As he leaned back to stare up at the sky, the rest of us joined him, our heads pointed to each other in a circle.

"Hold my hand," Vincent said softly, reaching out his hands. Amy grabbed my left, the Doctor to my right. "And try to see what I see. We are so lucky to be alive, to see this beautiful world. Look at the sky, at the colors and how they come alive."

He pointed up to the sky with Amy's hand. "Look, the black is a deep blue, and over there, a lighter blue." He let go completely to wave his hand across the air. "The wind blows blue through the blackness, and then, shining, burning, bursting through - the stars!"

The wind brushed against our cheeks, cold and burning my already dry eyes, but I refused to close them. I stared up at the night sky and tried to see what he did, the way he allowed us to see through his eyes, and the magic of it all.

"Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes."

The Doctor squeezed my hand. "We've seen many, many things, my friend. But I don't think it will ever be as wonderful as the things you see."

"I … will miss you terribly."

-0-0-

Saying goodbye the next day wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Amy was ever optimistic as the Doctor told her his plans, watching with wide eyes as Vincent took in the TARDIS, and the future, but I knew how this ended.

Unlike with the Krafayis, I didn't allow myself to assume that showing Vincent the future would change his fate. I watched everything unfold from the sidelines. It wasn't until we returned the painter to his own time that Vincent finally turned to address me.

"Chloe, I wish you the best. You're stronger than I could ever hope to be, having lost so much and still marching on."

I raised up onto the tip of my toes to wrap my arms around his shoulders. "You're strong too Vincent. You always have been, and you always will be, no matter what happens."

We shared a look as I pulled back, acknowledgement in his eyes, and I gave him one last look before I joined the Doctor in the TARDIS. Amy ran in with a large smile on her face.

"Let's go back to the gallery right now!"

"Amy-"

"I told you we could make a difference," She told me confidently, "Did you see how happy he was? Oh, I can't wait."

The Doctor and I followed Amy back into the museum. I didn't have it in me to tell her the truth, and the Doctor seemed to pick up on my still solemn mood, for he urged Amy not to get too excited.

Just as expected, the gallery had no new paintings. Amy looked around in disappointment, the reality of the situation hitting her. She turned in a circle and then stopped to face us.

"So, you were right. No new paintings. We didn't make a difference at all," She said.

"We made a difference to him," I corrected. "How little small it might have been ... just because we can't change the future doesnt mean we didn't change anything at all."

At the sight of tears welling up in her eyes, the Doctor quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Every life has a pile of good things and bad things. The good doesn't always soften the bad things, but the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things, or make them unimportant," He explained, "And we definitely added to his pile of good things. And if you look closely-"

He led her over to the painting of the church that had started this whole thing, and Amy leaned in to observe the window the creature had originally appeared in. The Doctor placed his arm over my shoulder, pulling me in for a side hug.

"Maybe we did change a couple of things."

Amy smiled. "No Krafayis."

"No Krafayis," he confirmed.

A particular painting caught her eye, a vase of sunflowers that looked very familiar. They were vibrant, loud, and on the corner of the vase read 'For Amy, Vincent', proof of the change she made. Amy smiled sadly.

"If we had got married, our kids would have had very, very red hair," She pointed out.

"The ultimate ginger," The Doctor joked, pressing a kiss to the side of my hair.

Amy glanced over, and gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah, the ultimate ginge. Brighter than sunflowers."

-0-0-

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—

Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,

It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."

Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

- Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

It feels fitting for an episode that deals with grief to happen right after Chloe loses someone she cares about, but I would like it to be known that I randomly generated all the adventures before writing this story, so it was completley unplanned. I guess it worked in my favor.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to the lovely users 'It's-a-secret8' and 'Saiyanprincess1511' for being 90% of my comments at the moment. I want to let you two know that everytime I get a notification that someone comments I feel so happy. Thank you so much.

If anybody reads this, I'm going to be writing an original adventure soon. I was curious if anyone wanted to read it directly in this story, or if I should make another seperate one for original adventures and extra scenes. I know some people don't like to read them and others do, so feel free to leave your opinion.

Anyways, I hope you have an amazing day/night. Thank you for reading! :)