A/N: new chappie! sorry I've been away for a while. Life and work and other projects got in the way, lol! Enjoy!
Chapter 24: Twenty-four Hours
The TARDIS materialized on a foggy street in London, its sound echoing through the darkened streets. The door slowly opened to reveal the Doctor, peeking out before stepping out completely, wearing a black button down shirt under a dark blue waistcoat, a dark purple suit…and his usual blue suede shoes. Once he stepped out, he turned to hold his hand toward the open door where a hand reached out to take his. Olivia stepped out, letting the Doctor help her out, pulling the full skirt of the dark violet Victorian dress she was wearing, her raven hair curled and pinned up on her head in the same style.
"Where are we meeting them?" Olivia wondered as he pulled her with him down the street, making her stumble behind his long stride.
"The corner here. And we're only meeting Strax. The mansion isn't too far from here," he replied, stopping at the corner and they both glanced around the street before he glanced down at her, taking in her appearance before he looked back to the street. "You look nice, Liv."
She looked up at him with wide eyes filled with surprise at his compliment. He hadn't really spoken to her since they left the dream meeting with Vastra, Strax and Jenny, and she was convinced he was still angry with her about pushing to help them and revealing the names of the next victims of Jack the Ripper. She leaned her head on his arm as he still looked around the street, glancing down at her only once.
"Thanks," she murmured, then confessed, "I thought you were still mad at me."
"I was," he admitted through a sigh, pulling his hand from hers to wrap it around her shoulders. "I'm just…thinking now."
"Wondering what Talik's next move will be?" Olivia guessed, snuggling against him with a small smile.
"We know what his next move will be," the Doctor replied. "He'll go after Stride and Eddowes next. I'm trying to figure out his motive. If we can find out why he's doing this, we can stop him before he hurts anyone else after Mary Kelly."
"I don't think there's much to his motive," she voiced, making him look down at her with a frown and she met his gaze. "He was under the opera house for ten years and went insane because of it. I feel like this is just a repeat of history…a terrible repeat."
"This has gone beyond loneliness, Olivia," he argued, gently as he looked into the fog again as she kept her gaze on him. "No doubt he's mad…but now he's killing innocent women. What's making him do this?"
Their attentions were turned to the clattering of a carriage heading their way. The Doctor hugged Olivia a little closer as they spotted Strax driving Vastra's carriage through the fog, and it came to a stop in front of them.
"Good evening, Strax," Olivia smiled as the Doctor lowered his arm from around her shoulders to take her hand and pull her toward the carriage. "Been a while since I've seen you. You don't call, you don't write."
"I do not answer to you, boy," Strax retorted gruffly, making Olivia laugh as the Doctor pulled the door open and helped her climb in. "Why should I call or write to you?"
"I was joking, Strax," she replied before she disappeared into the carriage, the Doctor climbing in after her and shutting the door.
The carriage began rolling once more as Olivia and the Doctor adjusted in their seats, the Doctor wrapping an arm around Olivia to pull her closer, making her grin an snuggle into him.
"We'll be staying here until this is resolved," he explained, lifting his hand on the other side of her to play with her curls on top of her head. "We might take a few trips to the TARDIS, but we can't risk Talik finding it."
"Understood," Olivia nodded before shifting her head to look up at him, asking, "What's today, anyway?"
The Doctor frowned in thought before digging into his waistcoat for the pocket watch attached to it and tucked into his pocket. He popped it open to look at it before shutting it again and replying, "Twenty-ninth of September, 1888. Six in the morning."
"I'm gonna call mom to check on Amelia," she announced, opening her clutch to pull out her mobile. "You wanna talk to her?"
"Your mum or Amelia?" he frowned in wonder as she dialed.
"Don't be ridiculous, Amelia of course," she shot back, pressing the phone to her ear as the carriage jostled over the cobblestone street, making her growl in agitation. "How did people deal with carriages? I can barely handle the TARDIS rattling around like this. At least there's a way to stop the TARDIS from jostling so much."
"Hello?"
"Hi, mom," Olivia smiled when Joyce answered the phone.
"I thought you were going to be busy once you got there," Joyce recalled.
"We're not there yet. The Doctor and I wanted to talk to Amelia before we can't for a while."
"Alright, you're on speaker. Amelia, it's mommy and daddy on the phone."
Olivia held the phone between her ear and the Doctor's so he could hear Amelia as she began making her baby noises in excitement, causing the couple to giggle at the adorable sounds.
"Be good for Granny Joyce, my little nebula," the Doctor smiled.
"Eat all your peas and don't spit them in her face too much, ok?" Olivia added.
Amelia responded with a raspberry, making her parents chuckle before Joyce came back onto the line.
"She likes pears the best," Joyce explained, making the Doctor sneer as Olivia gave another giggle. "And the bananas."
"Oh, good," the Doctor nodded in approval.
"Alright," Olivia nodded as well. "Just keep the camera on her. We don't wanna miss anything."
"Liv, we'll be back in a half hour," the Doctor assured her. "Time traveler."
"Forgive me if I have a plan B, just in case the TARDIS goes wrong."
"She won't go wrong. You need to stop being so negative."
"We're not doing this in front of the baby."
"Why don't I let you guys go," Joyce interjected. "I'll see you both when I see you."
"Ok," Olivia replied. "Bye mom."
"Goodbye, Mrs. Felton," the Doctor called before she hung up and looked up at the Doctor to smile sweetly before snuggling up against him. "You didn't tell your mum what case we were taking on, did you?"
"Are you kidding?" Olivia scoffed. "She would've had a fit."
The carriage came to a stop with a hard jerk before the door swung open and a figure in a black veil and black dress climbed in to sit in the seats in front of them, leaving the door open for a young woman to climb in after her.
"Welcome, Doctor," Vastra nodded, pulling her veil back with a smile. "And Miss Felton. Lovely to see you again."
"Vastra," the Doctor nodded as Jenny closed the door and settled next to the Silurian.
"Hello, Jenny," Olivia smiled, leaning forward to grasp her hand.
"Ma'am," Jenny nodded in return.
"I told you, just Olivia will do," she smiled as the carriage started rolling again. "I'm not old enough to be called 'ma'am' yet. So, where are we headed?"
"Whitechapel," Vastra replied, rummaging through the papers she had brought into the carriage with her. "Scotland Yard received this letter early this morning and sent it to me for examination."
Vastra handed two pieces of paper to the Doctor who took them and looked them over, Olivia leaning in to look at them as well.
"Oh, my God," she breathed with a wide-eyed stare at the red ink scrawled over the paper. "It's the 'Dear Boss' letter."
"Liv, I'm a bit disturbed about how much you know of this case," the Doctor admitted as all eyes turned to her.
"Blame Torchwood," Olivia muttered. "I had to do research on every aspect of the case when some nut job came through the rift claiming he was Jack the Ripper."
"I take it he was not," Vastra guessed.
"Nope," Olivia sighed. "Just a guy from the future with multiple personalities. He escaped a 51st century insane asylum…in space."
"That explains quite a lot about why you knew the case right away," Jenny nodded.
"And plucked the names from the top of your head," the Doctor added, looking back to the letter. "I doubt this letter has anything to do with our case. Talik wouldn't want to be found."
"No, wait, think about it," Olivia urged, and all eyes turned to her. "Talik claimed to be the Opera Ghost last time we saw him, and he was sending letters to the owners of the opera house."
"Liv, that was part of the story, not what actually happened," the Doctor argued.
"We weren't there for the whole thing," she reminded him. "We came in at the end. Watson would've done research on the entire thing, spoken to anyone that had anything to do with it. He wouldn't have put a detail like that in if it didn't happen."
"Creative license," he argued, making her roll her eyes before he sighed, adding, "But you have a point. Red ink was the Opera Ghost's trademark as well."
"He's rather confident no one will catch him," Jenny noticed.
"Well, he doesn't know that we are on the case now," Vastra replied, looking to Olivia and the Doctor as the couple examined the letter. "Or that we have two of his old friends with us."
"There's something I don't understand, though," Olivia voiced, still looking at the letter and drawing everyone's attention. "Talik was well read, even while he was living under the opera house. He would never write a letter as poorly as this. The grammar and spelling isn't like him at all."
"Maybe he's regressing?" Jenny guessed.
"Or feigning ignorance to fit in and become unnoticed?" Vastra theorized.
"He's talking about his knife," the Doctor noted, looking to Vastra to ask, "I thought we had that."
"We do," Vastra nodded. "I would think this is a scare tactic."
"Unless he's got an arsenal of weapons," Olivia guessed. "He fell down that hole with his ship, remember?"
"Would you mind explaining when, exactly, you met this man and what happened?" Vastra questioned.
"It's a long story," the Doctor replied, handing the letter back to Vastra, who put it away. "One that I'd rather not discuss at the moment."
"I don't suppose you two have heard of the Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux?" Olivia guessed, snuggling under the Doctor's arm again.
"No," Jenny frowned in wonder. "Should we have?"
"Not just yet," the Doctor replied. "Maybe in a few years."
"Where are we staying in Whitechapel?" Olivia asked.
"I own a small home there," Vastra explained. "We'll stay there. It may be small but there are more than enough rooms for us."
"You might say it's bigger on the inside," Jenny smirked, making Olivia laugh before she looked to the Doctor who was staring outside the carriage at the fog. She glanced at Vastra and Jenny as they began speaking amongst themselves, then ran her thumb over her wedding ring…her Psychic Band, finding the telepathic bond she shared with the Doctor.
What are you thinking, Theta? she asked.
You're in my head, Liv, you should know, he retorted, making her smirk at his sarcasm.
Very funny.
Thought you might think so.
Seriously, what are you thinking?
The Doctor gave a sigh, pulling her closer under his arm and kissing her hair.
I'm wondering if he's watching us.
Olivia looked up at him in wide-eyed surprise, but before they could finish their conversation, the silence was broken once more.
"How long do we have until we find the next two bodies?" Vastra asked, making the couple look to her and the Doctor took in a breath before looking out the window again.
"Within the next twenty-four hours, Stride and Eddowes will be found," he replied.
"What do you need?" Vastra asked him, their gazes meeting evenly.
"I'll need maps of the entire surrounding area of Whitechapel, above and below ground," he explained. "Oh! And some cherry scones, English Breakfast tea and sweeties."
"I'll see what I can do," Jenny smiled with a nod.
That Afternoon...
Olivia set one of the teacups to the Doctor's right, next to the map he was studying. She leaned next to him, looking over the map as well as he concentrated, then moved the map he had been looking at aside to look at the map beneath it.
"What's that?" Olivia asked, not looking away from the map.
"Map of the underground," he replied, reaching for the teacup and saucer to take lift it and take a sip, his eyes still on the map as well. "If Talik felt comfortable underground back then, I doubt he would want to stay anywhere above ground this time, either. With his appearance and all."
"But if he's clever enough, which he is, I doubt he'd pull the same trick twice," Olivia replied, finally looking to him as he lowered his cup of tea. "Maybe he's above ground this time?"
"Alright, but where?" he wondered, pulling the map of the surrounding area back to examine it again. "He could be anywhere."
"Why don't we take a break?" she suggested, smoothing a hand over his back from shoulder to shoulder, making him sigh in exhaustion before giving a nod. "You've been at this all morning."
"Where are Vastra and Jenny?" he asked, taking his tea cup and stepping away from the table to sit in one of the huge, plush chairs in the room.
"They're seeing what leads they can dig up around town," the Doctor explained, watching her approach him and sit on the arm of his chair. "I doubt they'll find anything we don't already know."
Olivia nodded, taking a sip of her tea before reporting, "I've been thinking—"
"Oh, Rassilon help me, I'm in trouble now, if you're thinking," he smirked, making her give him a comical glare and he chuckled, "Go on, darling. What were you thinking?"
"Well," she drawled, looking into her teacup, then continued, "I was thinking…we had some help with him last time, remember?"
"Liv, no," he objected, knowing what she was suggesting.
"But maybe they can help this time—?"
"I won't involve them in this, Olivia. Not again."
"It's not as if they haven't faced life and death before, Theta."
"I said no."
"Alright," Olivia shrugged, taking a sip of her tea before adding, "What if they just show up? I mean, they're still around at this time, aren't they?"
"We'll deal with that if it happens," the Doctor acknowledged.
Olivia watched him for a moment before standing again, setting her tea on the table then taking his cup and setting it next to hers. He frowned up at her as she only shifted her skirts to sit across his lap, making him smirk as he instantly wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her in place as she set her head on his shoulder.
"Are you regretting taking this case on?" she whispered and he sighed as he lifted a hand to play with the curls still pulled up on top of her head.
"I don't regret it," he replied, concentrating on her hair. "I just didn't think Talik would come back to haunt us."
"What do you think happened?" she wondered.
"Oh, a number of things, I'd imagine," he sighed. "He had enough technology on his ship to set up an emergency teleport, just in case anything happened to him. Maybe something broke his fall? Maybe that was his actual escape route? Maybe I was completely wrong about everything."
Olivia frowned in wonder before shifting to look him in the eyes as he looked back at her with a stoic expression.
"You're not talking about Talik now, Theta," she murmured, making him frown slightly in wonder. "You're still upset about the Master."
"Now, Liv, you promised not to use our telepathic bond to read my mind," he gently scolded.
"I'm not," she objected, lifting a hand to run her fingers over his face, soothingly. "Did you forget how well I know you?"
The Doctor gave a small, sorrowful smile, making her heart clench so tightly she almost couldn't breathe. She was right, and she knew it…but it hurt her to see him so unsure of himself. He gave a sigh and nuzzled his cheek into her hand as Olivia still ran it over his face, closing his eyes to savor the touch.
"You're right, Liv," he confessed, looking into her eyes. "Every thought I have, I second guess. I'm uncertain about everything…I've never been uncertain about anything."
"I know," she nodded, her hand still pressed to his cheek, their gazes still locked before she bit her lip and lowered her gaze to their hands in her lap. "And I know I haven't been exactly cooperative and supportive—"
"Not true, Liv," he argued, gently as he released her hand to lift it and rest it on her cheek and keep her gaze. "You were right about him, but I was too blinded by sentiment to see it. He was my friend and I thought he could be saved but now…I see that he couldn't be saved. You were right."
Olivia swallowed then sighed as she lifted her hand to fiddle with his collar, her gaze falling to it as she did before she murmured, "I wish I wasn't."
The Doctor looked over her face before tilting his head to catch her gaze and when their eyes met he used the hand on her cheek to pull her close and press his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.
"I've brought you some of those biscuits you two eat, Doctor," Strax called, carrying a tray into the room as the couple pulled away from each other as if burned. Olivia jumped to her feet as the Doctor cleared his throat and straightened out his jacket and hair that Olivia had mussed during their lip lock.
"Thank you, Strax," the Doctor nodded as the Sontaran set the tray down on the table of maps, not noticing their embarrassment. The Doctor stood and approached the tray with Olivia, lifting one of the biscuits from the plate to hold it toward Strax. "They're called Hobnobs. Would you like one?"
"Ah, no thank you, Doctor," Strax nodded and seemed to pout as he added, "Madame Vastra has ordered me to keep to a strict diet ever since she found me eating too many jelly sherbet fancies. They seem to be made from some addictive substance that keeps me going back for more!"
"It's called sugar," Olivia smiled, taking a Hobnob as the Doctor ate the one in his hand. She suddenly had a thought and asked, "Strax? You're of a soldier's mind. Where, in Whitechapel, would you say is the best place to set up a headquarters?"
She moved one of the maps closer toward him as he and the Doctor looked to her in wonder.
"Headquarters?" the Doctor echoed with a frown at her, making her look up at him with wide eyes.
"Talik was a soldier," Olivia explained, glancing between the two. "At least, he was going to be. He was waiting to be sent into action when he was banished."
"Ah, that's right," the Doctor nodded as Strax looked to the map. "All that training would have been engrained in him. He wouldn't forget it. Not easily, anyway."
"Exactly," Olivia smirked, looking to Strax as he still examined the map. "And who better to ask about the mind of a soldier than another soldier?"
"God, you're clever, Liv," the Doctor grinned, throwing an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Makes you gorgeous."
"Here," Strax suddenly announced, making the couple jump and look to his hand as he pointed to a spot on the map. "This place would make a suitable base of operations. I've been there before. The foliage is quite spectacular and dense enough to hide from the enemy in."
"Altab Ali park?" the Doctor frowned in wonder, examining the map.
"We should go have a look, don't you think?" Olivia wondered, looking to the Doctor who only shook his head. "Why not?"
"I will go and have a look," he explained, meeting her gaze, evenly. "You will stay here and Strax will take care of you."
"Have we met?" she retorted. "I'm going with you."
"If I may add something," Strax piped up, making them look to him in wonder. "Having taken her readings, I believe Miss Olivia would be more than capable in the battlefield."
"Thank you, Strax—Wait…" she grinned before the realization hit her that she didn't remember him taking any readings.
"When did you take her readings?" the Doctor questioned.
"As soon as we reached the house," Strax admitted. "The boy is fit for duty, Doctor."
"I'm a girl, but thank you for siding with me, Strax," Olivia nodded, turning to the Doctor and smirking, "It's settled then. I'm going with you."
"Liv—"
"Doctor," a familiar voice called from the doorway of the room, making the three inside turn and see Madame Vastra stepping into the room, followed by Jenny. "It seems Scotland Yard has called in a consultant of their own."
"Really?" the Doctor frowned in wonder. "Who could they have possibly asked?"
Vastra and Jenny stepped aside to allow a tall figure in a cape-like coat, puffing on a pipe, followed by a portly man in a bowler hat with a cane. Olivia's face lit up with a grin as she instantly recognized the two men, and the Doctor gave a small sigh of exasperation as he did too.
"Good afternoon, Doctor," Sherlock Holmes smiled with a nod as he pulled his pipe from his lips. "Miss Felton. Lovely to see you again."
A/N: ok, so I know Vastra and Jenny are supposed to be Sherlock and Watson, but since we've gone in a different direction from the actual show, I thought I could just go ahead and blend these two together. I couldn't resist bringing them back anyway! reviews?