A/N: new chappie! enjoy!

Chapter 9: Nine Notes

Olivia held tightly to the Doctor's hand as Holmes and John led them through the opera house, making their way toward the place where they'd seen the phantom near the roof. Her eyes darted everywhere as it seemed to get darker and darker and she swallowed as she gripped his arm a little tighter.

"We're getting close," Holmes reported as the first act ended, making him stop them all. "Intermission is starting. It's about to get busy back here. Stay close."

As if on cue, the lights came on and they were suddenly bombarded by actors, bustling around them to get ready for the next act.

"This could be a good place to start questioning them," Holmes thought aloud. "John, take Mrs. Felton and start asking around about the soprano that's gone missing, and ask about what they've seen around the opera house."

"Where are you going, Holmes?" John wondered as Olivia frowned between the pair and the Doctor.

"The Doctor and I will follow this specter," Holmes replied. "Keep questioning each person backstage, even after act two begins. Meet us at the end of the opera at this very spot. Understood?"

Watson nodded as the Doctor turned to Olivia who was shaking her head.

"You stick with Dr. Watson, Liv," the Doctor murmured but she still shook her head. "Yes, you stick with him and I'll see you at the end of the opera. I promise, I'll make this one up to you."

"I'm not leaving your side, Theta," she whispered.

"Trust me, Liv," he smiled, reassuringly, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. "Kiss for luck?"

Olivia gave a small sigh before lifting herself onto her tiptoes to press her lips to his and he deepened the kiss just for a moment before pulling back with a grin.

"For luck," she whispered before seeing Watson approach and she took a step back. "You be careful, got it?"

"When am I not?" he frowned as she began to follow Watson further backstage.

"All the time," she retorted, making him smirk after her as Watson offered her his arm. She took it as her gaze darted around at the people rushing around them before asking, "Where are we going?"

"I believe we should start our investigation in the dressing room of this young soprano," Watson reasoned. "We may get nowhere with this lot. They're too preoccupied with the opera. We'll start there if that is agreeable to the lady?"

"Very agreeable, doctor," she nodded, and he noticed her unease as they made their way toward the dressing rooms.

"Have you never been in a situation like this before?" he asked, making her look up at him with a frown as they squeezed by a set piece. "You seem a bit jumpy."

"Oh, you wouldn't believe how many situations exactly like this one I've been in," Olivia chuckled. "I'm just…having one of my feelings."

"Feelings?" he frowned in wonder and she nodded.

"Like intuition," she explained. "My sixth sense is twitching."

"Do you feel as if…we are being watched?" he murmured, making her look to him with wide-eyes.

"This time…yes," she nodded.

"I feel the same," he replied. "Perhaps we can hide and discover the culprit? In the dressing room, perhaps? He's bound to follow us in."

Olivia nodded and they hurried through the bustling crowd, before turning a corner and coming to a long hall of doors.

"What do you think?" Watson asked. "Which would be the soprano's door?"

"It'll be around here somewhere," Olivia murmured, starting down the hall, Watson following close behind. She noticed the names on the doors and smiled as she turned to him, asking, "Did you get a program at the door?"

"Ah, yes, of course!" he cheered, seeing her observation and fumbling through the pockets of his waistcoat. He pulled out the program as Olivia hurried up next to him to look at it over his shoulder. "The part of Mimi is played by…Christine Davenport. Yes, this was the girl on stage before the lights were doused."

Olivia ignored the irony of the girl's name as she started down the hall, her eyes going to all the doors, quickly reading them before she stopped in front of the door.

"Here it is!" she called as Watson hurried to catch up with her fast pace. She grabbed the handle on the door but found it locked, making Watson sigh.

"Well, so much for a search," he muttered, tucking the program away for further use later, if needed.

"Oh, ye of little faith, doctor," Olivia smirked as she reached into her bodice and slid her Sonic Screwdriver from it, making Watson stare at her in wide-eyed shock first before frowning at her in wonder.

"What is that device?" he asked as she aimed it at the lock.

"Master key," she smirked, and the door opened easily, letting them step into the dark room.

"I say! That device is fascinating!" he complimented as he turned on the gas lamp next to the door and Olivia shut and locked it again.

"You can have a look at it later," she promised, distractedly as she looked around the room. She stepped toward a poster hanging above a settee with an image of Christine on it, an advertisement for the night's opera, judging by the outfit she was wearing. "Well, she's obviously famous. But I've never heard of her."

"It says in the program tonight is her England debut," Watson reported as Olivia looked around a bit more. "The kidnapper could be anyone. It was all the buzz about town for a month."

"I have a feeling this wasn't done by a person," Olivia explained, making him look to her with a frown as she lifted a red rose sitting on the vanity she was inspecting. The lack of a black ribbon made her pout, but she turned and held onto it, fiddling with it as she spoke. "We may be looking for something extraterrestrial."

"Oh, come now, Mrs. Felton," Watson chuckled as she began to slowly pace in front of the vanity, still investigating it as she placed the bloom of the rose under her nose in thought, enjoying the scent of it. "You can't be serious! Extraterrestrials?! What would they want with an aspiring soprano?"

"What did the Phantom of the Paris opera house want with Miss Daae?" she shrugged, stopping in front of the vanity again, examining her reflection before humming, "Love."

"Love?"

"We all need love, Dr. Watson," she replied, now examining the mirror. "A lady's man like yourself should know that."

"A lady's—?! Preposterous!" Watson sputtered before noticing she wasn't looking away from the mirror, making him frown at her in wonder. "Mrs. Felton?"

She didn't move as he stepped toward her, but when he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, she suddenly stood tall and turned to him.

"Mrs. Felton are you alright?" he asked, then noticed her jade irises fade to white with pinpricks for pupils as she dropped her hands to her sides, the rose falling to the floor. "Mrs. Felton?"

She stepped toward the door, but Watson caught her by the arms, trying to stop her as she only stared ahead.

"Olivia? Are you alright? Answer me!" he pleaded, but instead of answering him she lifted a hand and slammed it into his chest, throwing him across the room. She made her way to the door, unlocked and opened it, stepping out into the hall as Watson sat slumped against the wall, conscious.

Meanwhile...

"This is exciting!" the Doctor grinned as Sherlock led the way up a tall set of stairs, the backstage now dark as the second act began. "Solving a mystery with Sherlock Holmes! I mean, I've solved mysteries before, but it's always nice when you have someone really good helping you out, you know? Like Agatha Christie! I solved a mystery with her once. That was some time ago, back when Donna was traveling with me and I didn't look like this. Not like this though. That one was a murder. Give you a hint, the butler didn't do it."

"Doctor," Holmes sighed as they stopped and he turned to him, looming over the Doctor from a step up as he whispered, "As exciting as this is, I'll admit, could you refrain from prattling on so much? The element of surprise is extremely hard to achieve, when the one doing the surprising is not quiet."

"Right," the Doctor nodded. "Sorry. Won't have another peep from me."

To prove himself, he ran his fingers over his lips as if pulling a zipper, then turned them as if locking them, throwing the invisible key over his shoulder.

"Thank you," Holmes nodded, turning to head up the stairs. "We're nearly there."

The Doctor only nodded as he followed Holmes up the stairs, glancing down at the stage below them, but stopped dead at what he saw.

"Mr. Holmes," he called, staring down at the stage and catching the detective's attention.

"Yes, Doctor, what—? Oh, I see."

They stared at Olivia as she stepped onto the stage, and the Doctor knew, instantly, that something was wrong with her.

"What is she doing?" Holmes frowned, looking to the Doctor, who only watched Olivia step to center stage, the players glancing at her in confusion but still performing.

"That's the question of the hour, isn't it?" the Doctor replied, then frowned in thought as he leaned forward on the railing to watch her closely. "She's not herself."

"Do you hear that?" Holmes asked, looking around the darkness as the Doctor kept his eyes on Olivia. "It sounds like…nine notes, on a loop."

"I hear it," he replied. "It must be what's controlling her. It's a form of hypnosis I've seen before, but…it needs a catalyst."

"Why is John not with her?" Holmes wondered and turned to head around the Doctor, but he caught Holmes' arm.

"Wait," he requested. "She's turning to the audience. She's about to speak."

"Your wife is possessed by unknown forces and you wish to wait?"

"We need to know what we're dealing with."

They both turned to Olivia to see her lift her arms as she stood at the edge of the stage, facing the audience.

"Bring me your artists," she demanded in an altered voice. "Bring me your intelligent men and women. Bring me the best of humanity."

"Well, this is certainly not how the Phantom of the Opera went, I know that," the Doctor muttered, making Holmes look to him with a frown of confusion.

"The what?" Holmes frowned, but instead of answering, the Doctor was racing down the stairs, two at a time.

"Andiamo!" he called, sending Holmes into action, and he followed the Doctor down as fast as he could.

"What are you planning, Doctor?" he questioned as they made their way down.

"You go find Watson!" the Doctor recommended. "I'll tend to my wife."

On the stage, Olivia struggled in her own mind to try to gain control of it again. When she'd looked into the mirror she'd heard a sound, a tune consisting of nine notes playing over and over again. Something in the tune had held her there to stare at the mirror, and that was when she'd felt it. An invasion into her mind that she tried fighting, but her defenses she normally used were rusty, and she was regretting not listening to Jack when he'd told her to practice.

Now she stood on the stage, speaking with someone else's voice, but her thoughts were her own. And that's when she realized, if her thoughts were her own, she could contact the Doctor, she just had to concentrate. Her arms lowered and her feet, under someone else's control, carried her off stage.

"Theta," she called, trying to find the bond without touching her ring, which was harder to do than she'd thought. "Theta, can you hear me? Please tell me you can hear me."

"I'm on my way," he replied, making her heart leap, but her march was sure as she made her way deeper backstage. "I saw you from above the stage. I'm following you. Where are you going?"

"I don't know. I'm trying to fight it but—"

"No, don't fight. We may be able to find out who's behind this if I just follow you."

"Theta…I'm scared."

"I know, Liv. I'm right behind you, just don't look back or whoever is controlling you will know I'm following. Just know I'm here."

"You better rescue me, husband."

"Don't you worry, wife. I will."

Olivia reached a flight of descending stairs, the Doctor weaving in and out of people as they rushed around backstage, the opera now shut down due to the most dramatic interruption Olivia had just made. She was about to head down when a stagehand stepped in front of her, blocking her path, and she turned around to find two more men blocking her retreat.

"You're a pretty little thing," one of them smirking. "But you've caused a lot of trouble for us."

The Doctor tried shoving through the crowd when he lost sight of Olivia, but he soon saw her again when she lifted a hand and swept it through the air…sending the two men through the air as well.

"Well, isn't that…lovely?" the Doctor muttered.

Olivia turned and shoved the man blocking the stairs out of the way as people panicked and screamed around the Doctor, all trying to get away. He rushed toward her as she nearly disappeared down the stairs, but when he went to head down the stairs as well, he was thrown back a step, and a familiar flash of light rippled out through the air in front of the stairs.

"Forcefield," he realized before looking down at the stairs to see Olivia stop and look up at him. Their eyes met just before the stairs disappeared…taking Olivia with them. "No! Olivia!"

He felt at the wall that now stood where the stairs had been, trying to find a way through it. His panic rising, he reached for his Sonic Screwdriver in his inside jacket pocket and ran it over the wall. He growled in anger when it didn't budge, kicking it when the Sonic read that it was deadlocked.

"Sherlock," he recalled and turned to run through the still panicking crowd, grabbing the arm of a passing red head in costume as she stared at him in fear.

"That girl that was just on stage, did you see her before then?" he questioned, hastily. "She might've been with an older man with a mustache. Do you know where they were headed?"

"I saw them heading to the dressing rooms," she replied, pointing toward them.

"Thank you," he nodded before bolting that way and shoving through the crowd. He turned a corner and found a hallway lined with doors on either side, names over the doors and one of them standing open. He ran toward it to find Holmes kneeling over Watson, trying to wake him as the Doctor approached.

"He's only unconscious," Holmes assured him. "But I cannot seem to rouse him."

"Here, let me," the Doctor offered, reaching into one of his pockets and pulling out a small bottle as he knelt next to Holmes. "This'll wake him."

"Smelling salts?" Holmes frowned.

"Extra strength," the Doctor confirmed, running the bottle under Watson's nose and he gasped as he woke, jumping with a start when he looked up at them.

"You're alright, John," Holmes assured him as the Doctor tucked his bottle away.

"Where is Olivia?" Watson asked, holding his head as he sat up from the wall, Holmes moving to help him stand with the Doctor's help.

"She's been put under some sort of hypnosis," Holmes replied before looking to the Doctor. "Were you able to catch her?"

"I caught up, but whatever is controlling her was a step ahead," the Doctor explained. "I was stopped by a forcefield and a wall appeared at the top of a set of stairs she went down. Doctor Watson, what happened?"

"We thought, perhaps there would be some sort of clue here as to Miss Davenport's disappearance," Watson explained. "We felt we were being followed as well and we were examining the room when she stopped near the vanity and stared into the mirror. She was standing there for some time, so I tried to catch her attention and she threw me across the room. I didn't know she possessed such strength!"

"She doesn't," the Doctor replied, looking toward the vanity and heading for it, using his Sonic to scan the mirror. "She's being controlled by something else."

"She didn't seem herself," Watson nodded in recollection. "I hit my head before I could go after her."

"What are you doing, Doctor?" Holmes wondered with a frown.

"This was the catalyst," the Doctor reported, still scanning the mirror. "The nine notes coupled with the technology in this mirror allowed her to be controlled."

"Technology in the mirror?" Watson frowned. "The two of you speak so strangely! Olivia had spoken of extraterrestrials!"

"That's exactly what it is," the Doctor replied, running the Sonic along the edge of the mirror, then sucked his teeth in disappointment. "Deadlocked! If I could just get this mirror detached, I could see what we're dealing with."

"Allow me, Doctor," Holmes replied, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small kit of what the Doctor could only guess was lock-picking tools.

"You just…carry that around with you?" the Doctor frowned with a shrug as Holmes made his way to the mirror.

"One never knows when one will be locked in a room against one's will," Holmes replied, starting on the mirror.

"What happened after she left here?" Watson asked the Doctor about Olivia.

"She went to the stage and demanded the best of humanity," Holmes replied.

"But it wasn't her," the Doctor corrected.

"Her eyes faded to white around the irises when she threw me across the room," Watson recalled, then noticed the Doctor's hands twitching at his sides. He lifted a hand and placed it on his shoulder, drawing the Doctor's gaze to him in a frown as Watson smiled, warmly as he nodded, "We will get your wife back, Doctor. If anyone can, it's Sherlock Holmes."

"Planting false hope now, are we John?" Holmes muttered, still working.

"It's not false hope," the Doctor smirked. "I know your reputation, Mr. Holmes. Besides, even if I didn't, I'm confident enough in my own abilities to rescue my wife. I've done it many times before."

"And yet, your little device cannot detach a mirror from its setting," Sherlock smirked, still focusing on his task.

"Touché," the Doctor muttered.

"Yes, she mentioned you two had been in similar situations to this one," Watson recalled, changing the subject. "I hardly believe the things Holmes and I see, let alone that anyone else would see such fanciful things as extraterrestrials."

"Success!" Holmes cheered, and the Doctor stepped up to the mirror as Holmes backed away again, the mirror slipping out of its frame to let the Doctor pull it forward, revealing the panel behind it. "I'm supposing this is the technology you spoke of."

"It is," the Doctor nodded, shoving the things from the vanity's surface and setting the reflective side down on it to scan the panel with his Sonic. "Oh, that is…brilliant! Beautiful! Oh, that's lovely! It's a signal amplifier. Those nine notes we heard was a signal being amplified by this panel so that it would hypnotize anyone looking into it and control them."

"But the actress was kidnapped," Watson recalled. "Taken from the stage."

"It would seem the device did not work on its intended target," Holmes deduced.

"Or maybe it did," the Doctor theorized, lifting his Sonic to press it to his lips in thought as he turned to the pair. "We've been assuming she was kidnapped, but we never saw that. All we noticed was that she was gone after the lights went down."

"You're suggesting she left the stage under the control of this…phantom," Holmes realized.

"But why would it take control of Olivia?" Watson wondered. "What does it want with her?"

"Maybe it needed a spokesperson," the Doctor murmured in thought before turning back to the panel and scanning it again.

"Olivia had a device similar to that one," Watson observed. "What does it do?"

"Everything," the Doctor replied, focusing on the panel. "Well…nearly everything. Bloody thing still doesn't do wood."

"What are you doing with it now?" Holmes wondered.

"Locking onto the signal," the Doctor replied. "We can use it to find Olivia, and, hopefully, whoever is controlling her."

"Why is this happening?" Watson sighed, rubbing his eyes. "What do these extraterrestrials want with a soprano and your wife?"

"Perhaps we will find out when we locate them," Holmes reported.

"Considering it said it wanted the best of humanity, specifically the artists and the intelligent men and women, I'd say they hit the jackpot with Olivia and the opera house full of all types of artists here…not to mention the three of us."

"Your wife is clever, Doctor Felton," Watson complimented.

"I know," the Doctor murmured before giving a sound of triumph as he stood tall and turned to them, his Sonic in hand. "And it's about time I came clean. My name's the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, and Olivia Felton is my wife, but she's from the Earth's future, human with slightly psychic abilities. You were right, Mr. Holmes. We're an impossible pair, Liv and me."

"Well, now that the lies have been cleared away, shall we find your wife, Doctor?" Holmes smirked only slightly, and the Doctor grinned as he nodded.

"Excuse me?"

The three turned to the door to see the red head that had directed the Doctor to the room standing in the doorway, still in her costume and glancing at them with wide, dark eyes before swallowing hard in nervousness.

"Are…Are you going to find Christine?" she wondered in a small voice.

"We plan to, yes," the Doctor nodded with a warm smile as they all faced her.

"It's just that…" she trailed off for a moment, twiddling her fingers before resuming, "She's my friend."

The Doctor nodded as he approached her and set his hands on her shoulder, smiling as he asked, "What's your name?"

"Meg," she murmured. "Meg Gallagher."

"Well, Meg Gallagher, maybe you can help us find your friend," the Doctor nodded. "Can you get us under the opera house?"

"My mother took me down there a few days ago," she nodded. "I think I remember the way."

A/N: still with me? I really hope you're all still enjoying my story. I know I've been taking longer to post. things have been crazy in my life lately, but i'm writing wenever I can. reviews?