The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday – Chapter 28
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, I only own Rhea and any other characters I create.
A/N: Ooh, I'm really excited about this chapter. This has to be one of my favourite episodes in the whole series. Not just because I love Agatha Christie, but because the Doctor and Donna were amazing in this episode. And I'm sure I'll be vilified for this confession, this was the episode that really had me start shipping the Doctor and Donna together, but that won't be there in these chapters. So, without further ado, here's part one of The Unicorn and The Wasp.
And I've hit 200K words! Wow, this has to be the longest story I've ever written, not to mention this must be the longest chapter I've written. I'm really surprised that I hit this far. So, as a bit of celebration, at the end of the chapter you will find a sneak preview for Dream Weaver:) Hope you like it!
Notes on Reviews:
Grapejuice101: Well, I hope you like my choice of episode, I'm really running out of episodes that don't contribute to the major plot points of the seasons :( I'm definitely going to do The Day of the Doctor. Three Doctors is like heaven for Rhea, don't ya think? ;) I do plan on doing The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith and Death of the Doctor, the Sarah Jane Adventures episodes that have the Doctor in them, but only after I introduce Sarah Jane in this story, which should be coming up in a little over 10 episodes, so like 20 chapters :( I'm even considering doing some of the episodes from Torchwood, especially the ones with Martha in them, maybe also Children of Earth and Miracle Day. I also plan on doing all of the specials in Doctor Who, like Space/Time, Time Crash, Pond Life, The Great Detective, Night and the Doctor, Rain Gods etc.
Virginia I: I'm glad you like the story. I do have some ideas for original chapters but so a lot of them happen after Rhea and the Doctor get into a relationship. Maybe if you gave me some ideas of what you would like to read, I could see if I could write them and put them in a chapter?
Rhian. Morgan .1806: Oh, thank you, I'm so glad you like it :)
Kristina'sMyName: I wasn't going to, but I'm a little concerned if I start getting to like 100 chapters, the story would be massive... Rhea and Rory will be very close. I feel like Rhea needs a male presence in her life that is just completely platonic, hardly any flirting. Of course, I say hardly. I don't think there's much that could stop Rhea from flirting ;) Plus, forming that bond with Rory would be good for her, because she doesn't have the male members of her family with her, who she is quite close to. I think Rhea would be very supportive of Mickey, but they probably won't have the extent of the relationship that Rhea and Rory or Rhea and Jack would have. I love Jack so much. Rhea and Jack... the next episode is The Empty Child, so we'll have to see how they interact. There will be lots and lots of flirty things going on between them, maybe even something more... ;) The Doctor will definitely get jealous... which seems kind of stupid because he's known her for so long. Rhea will definitely adore Jack. She, Jack and Martha will definitely develop this really close friendship after they encounter the Master and the Year That Never Was. I do plan on doing some episodes from Torchwood because I love the interaction between Jack and Rhea, and I think that the Doctor would just get really pissed off knowing that Rhea spends so much time with him, especially if they're having a fight :)
LilGreenearth97: Wow, awe inspiring...that's a lovely thing to say. Thank you so much! Rhea will be very supportive of Mickey and quite rude to Rose in regard to him, plus sticking up for him with the Doctor. Jack and Rhea will flirt up a storm. And Rory and Rhea will be very close, mostly because he's such an important figure in the Eleventh Doctor's life. I was initially going to make new stories every time I reached a season finale, but I'm doing loads more episodes before the first finale I do, so future stories might be shorter. I don't know, really, I'll probably look at it later on.
Snicks: I'm so glad you like the story :)
crystal-roses13: I'm so glad you liked the story and I'm sure I will be updating for the forseeable future, although this story will probably take me the rest of my degree to get through ;)
Warnings: Language, sexual innuendos…
The Unicorn and The Wasp: Queen of Crime
Amy, still in her nightgown and robe, and Rhea, clad in the same grey dress, were floating outside the open door of the TARDIS in the middle of space, staring at the bright, beautiful stars with wonder, as the Doctor held them steady and safe by an ankle each.
"Come on, Pond." Rhea tapped Amy on the shoulder and gestured for the Doctor to pulled them both back inside.
"Now do you believe us?" Rhea asked, tucking herself into the Doctor's side, staring at Amy who was on the Doctor's other side.
"Okay," Amy nodded. "Your box is a spaceship. It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space!" Amy cheered. "Whoo!" She paused, frowning. "What are we breathing?"
"I've extended the air shell, we're fine." The Doctor told her.
Rhea opened her mouth to say something when she let out a stunned sound of pain, staggering out of the Doctor's arms and back a few steps. The Doctor reached out for her, gripping her arms tightly, as he looked her over, worriedly.
"What's happening to her?" Amy asked, suddenly afraid, as she looked at the woman in agony.
"Fuck." Rhea cursed as she clutched her head with both hands, doubling over.
"Time to go?" The Doctor whispered in her ear, pulling her into his arms and wrapping them securely around her curvy frame.
Rhea buried her face in the Doctor's chest as another wave of sharp pain assaulted her senses, forcing her to gasp. She opened her eyes and squinted at her hands, the dread rising in her when a familiar white glow seemed to emanate from her skin. She pulled back from the Doctor just a bit, still in his embrace, and the Doctor stared at her hands with a similar expression on her face. He rubbed her back, soothingly, and pressed soft kisses to her hair and slivers of skin he could see.
"Everything's going to be okay, Rhea." The Doctor said.
"Oh, god, you can't possibly know that." Rhea moaned out, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt.
"We-ell…" The Doctor drawled, trailing off.
"Oh, you're kidding me." Rhea said, through gritted teeth. "This has happened to you already?" She looked down. "Great." She closed her eyes, not actually willing to see what happened next, resolving to open them only when she had jumped and not a moment sooner.
"Rhea." She heard her name being called by a very smooth, familiar male voice. She opened her eyes, slowly, and saw a shock of brown, very fuckable hair, all spiky and messy and practically beginning her to run her hands through the locks. Oh, Rhea, only you would go through agonising pain and come out of it turned on.
"Doctor." She whispered, her voice very much hoarse. Her hands reached out, unwillingly, and wrapped themselves around the Doctor's skinny frame. She rested her head on his chest, humming with contentment, as a memorable smell lulled her into relief. At least she was with her matchstick man and not some random guy who would take advantage of her in her weary state.
"Okay, then?" The Doctor asked, softly, running his hand through her hair, twisting them between his fingers. Okay, so maybe he did have an unnatural obsession with her hair. It was so wonderfully intimate, touching and stroking the soft, dark curls that tumbled down her shoulders and framed her face so beautifully, breathing in the smell of rose and jasmine and lavender. I can never tell her that. She'd never let me live it down.
"Mmm, much better." Rhea murmured, pulling back from the Doctor as the ache in her head subsided. She smiled, tightly, at him, twisting in his embrace and smiling when saw Donna enter the console room. "Hi, Donna." Rhea said, bounding over to the red-haired woman and wrapping her arms around her in a quick, but sincere, hug. She turned back to the Doctor. "Where are we?"
The Doctor smiled at her holding his hand out for her to take. She let out a mock-exasperated sigh and entwined their fingers together as the Doctor used the momentum to pull her into his side. Rhea's other hand reached out for Donna, who took it gratefully, and the three stepped out onto the garden of an English manor house.
"Oh, smell that air. Grass and lemonade and a little bit of mint. Just a hint of mint, must be the 1920s." The Doctor said, grinning.
"You can tell what year it is just by smelling?" Donna asked, frowning.
"At this point, I wouldn't put it past him." Rhea muttered to Donna, making her laugh.
"Oh, yeah." The Doctor nodded, smugly.
Rhea spotted something in the distance and smirked at him. "Or maybe that vintage car coming up the drive gave it away."
The Doctor, Rhea, and Donna peered from around the side of the house.
"You go on up. I need to check something in the library." A man said.
"Oh?" His butler asked.
"Alone." The man said, firmly.
"It's supposed to be a party. All this work will be the death of you." The butler warned before entering the house alone.
"Never mind Planet Zog. A party in the 1920s…that's more like it." Donna said, appreciatively, a beaming smile on her face.
Rhea nodded. "It's like an episode of Downton Abbey or maybe Boardwalk Empire." Donna's face was blank. She looked over at the Doctor to see him shaking his head. "Oh, that hasn't come out yet, sorry." She said, sheepishly. "Spoilers." She smacked the Doctor on the arm. "See, this is what I mean, of course I'm going to spill everything."
"Well, start writing your record on something you can carry with you at all times." The Doctor said, rolling his eyes.
Rhea glared at him and then calmed herself down. "Have we done Pompeii yet?" Rhea asked, carefully.
"Yep, it was a while ago, though." Donna mused.
"What about the Sontarans?" Rhea asked.
The Doctor nodded. "Again, a little while ago."
Rhea shrugged. "Well, those are the only times I've seen Donna with you, except for when she met us the first time. Or the two of you met for the first time. The first time I met her was when we did the Sontarans." Rhea started rambling.
The Doctor covered her mouth with his hand, silencing her. After a second or two, he yelped and drew his hand back, as a stinging sensation rose in the middle of his palm. "You bit me!" He said, incredulously.
"Don't try to shut me up." She warned. Donna smiled in amusement as she watched their interaction.
He grumbled for a few minutes, wiping his hand on his pants. "The trouble is, we haven't been invited." Suddenly, a smile formed on his face He reached into his pockets. "Oh, wait, I forgot," He pulled out the psychic paper. "Yes, we have."
The Doctor stood outside the TARDIS and knocked on the door, impatiently.
"We'll be late for cocktails!" He shouted to Donna and Rhea, who were still getting changed into period-appropriate clothing.
The door swung open and Donna stepped out, clad in a brown sleeveless, sequined dress and black gloves that came to her elbows, a long necklace and a small purse that hung off her wrist. She struck a pose against the door frame, a smirk forming on her face. "What do you think? Flapper or slapper?"
The Doctor paused for a second and then a smile formed on his face. "Flapper. You look lovely." He turned his attention back to the TARDIS. "Rhea, I'm sure you look beautiful, will you please just come out now?" The Doctor asked in a semi-irritated voice, making Donna laugh.
"Oh, hold your horses, time boy. Perfection takes time." Rhea said, laughing and walking out of the doors, stretching out her arms as if to say voila! A smile spread across her lips as she took in the Doctor's dumbfounded look as he gazed upon her frame, dressed in a spaghetti-strap black and beige beaded, lacy dress that was tight up til her hips where it flowed straight down to her ankles, leaving much of her collarbone and her arms exposed. She had twisted her curls into some intricate updo and had coated her lips with dark red. "Well?" She asked, smirking at the Doctor.
"Um…um… Oh, wow, wow!" The Doctor stammered, unable to find the words necessary to say what he was thinking. His gaping mouth shut with a snap and he closed his eyes, his fingers going to the bridge of his noise. He opened his eyes and smiled at her, widely, taking every inch of her in. "You're perfect." He said, softly and earnestly, holding out his hand for her to take.
She swallowed hard, despite the sudden lump in her throat, and smiled, gently and shyly, definitely a new feeling for her, back at him, incredibly touched by the sincere compliment. No one's ever said anything like that to me before… and actually meant it. Her hand slid into his, clutching onto it, tightly, and she pressed herself into his side, pressing her lips quickly to his shoulder in a show of gratitude and pleasure for the compliment, closing the door to the TARDIS behind her. The Doctor tightened his grip around her waist, his lips moving to the corner of her head and pressing a kiss against her skin, taking great care not to disturb the style, in case Rhea got angry and decided to punch him.
Donna stared at their interaction with a soft smile on her face. It was nice to see Rhea and the Doctor like this, so sweet and romantic and shy. It must be hard on the Doctor, knowing her so well and experiencing so much with Rhea, but not being able to do anything about it, because Rhea hadn't lived through it yet. And Rhea, who was closed off and secure and protected inside her walls half the time and the other half, smiling and flirting and being all coy and brazen and not leaving the Doctor's side for a moment, lest he get himself into trouble or just scared (not that she would admit it) that she might lose him, if she turned her back on him for a second. Not that that would happen, Donna didn't think the whole universe ripping itself apart could tear the Doctor away from Rhea's side. They were the beginning and the end, as far as she was concerned. The one of the only things that were constant in her eyes. They were written in every corner of the universe and just like this. The Doctor and Rhea. She thought the universe imploding was a much more likely event than for those two to turn their backs on each other. It doesn't work that way with them. Rhea might be a broken, hard, vicious... bitch... half the time and the Doctor might get angry with her when she gets all trigger-happy, but Rhea would never even dream of leaving the Doctor, unless he did something utterly horrible, and the Doctor would rather tie her to him literally than allow her to take one step from his side.
The Doctor held out his arm for Donna to take and she hooked her own through it before going to join the party.
The Doctor, Rhea and Donna strolled up the path on t-he grass, arm-in-arm.
"Good afternoon!" The Doctor called out, approaching a tan-skinned woman in black.
A footman arrived to take their drink orders.
"Drink, sir? Madams?" He asked, looking at each of them in turn.
"Sidecar, please." Donna said.
"I'll have a French 76, thanks." Rhea said, sweetly.
"And a lime and soda, thank you." The Doctor said, happily. He lowered his voice. "Should you really be drinking vodka? Remember what happened last time?"
Rhea rolled her eyes and smiled, not facing the Doctor, who was behind her. "Oh, please, there's like ¾ ounces of vodka in that drink, that won't even get me tipsy, let alone drunk."
"May I introduce Lady Clemency Eddison." The butler said, lowly.
A petite, older woman strode up to the them, fashionably dressed.
"Lady Eddison!" The Doctor said, holding out his hand and greeting her like he would an old friend.
Lady Eddison looked confused but a small smile still remained on her face. "Excuse me, but who exactly might you be…and what are you doing here?" She asked, politely.
"I'm the Doctor and this is my wife, Mrs Sunehri Smith," The Doctor pushed Rhea slightly forward. "And our ward, Miss Donna Noble…" The Doctor hesitated, thinking of what to say next. "Of the Chiswick Nobles."
Rhea tensed a bit after she heard the word "wife". It wasn't a word she associated with herself any more, and coming from the Doctor, it exhilarated and terrified her in a way that made her so confused. Sunehri Smith does have a ring to it. She pasted a bright, fake smile on her face and reached behind her, taking the Doctor's hand with her own.
"Good afternoon, Lady Eddison." Rhea said, politely.
"An American bride?" Lady Eddison gave a baffled smile to the Doctor.
Rhea's smile turned even tighter. "What can I say? I'm so drawn to England."
"Good afternoon, my lady." Donna said, in a higher, lilting voice than usual, in an attempt to sound posh. She curtsied. "Topping day, what? Spiffing! Top hole!"
Rhea barely held back a groan and the Doctor shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no. Don't do that. Don't." He whispered to Donna. He held up the psychic paper and showed it to Lady Eddison. "We were thrilled to receive your invitation, my lady. We met at the ambassador's reception."
Lady Eddison paused, as if thinking it over. She knew that couldn't be true, but she didn't want to seem ungracious in front of guests she had apparently invited. "Doctor, how could I forget you? But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose." She said, nodding.
"A unicorn. Brilliant. Where?" The Doctor said, dumbly.
"Uh, the Unicorn." Lady Eddison corrected. "The jewel thief? And nobody knows who he is. He's just struck again. Snatched Lady Babbington's pearls right from under her nose." She said, picking up a drink from the table.
"Funny place to wear pearls." Donna remarked, softly, making Rhea snicker. Just then, a servant brought around a tray with three drinks, which the three took.
"May I announce the Colonel Hugh Curbishley, the Hon Roger Curbishley." The butler said.
A younger man in a sharp suit pushed a wheelchair, in which sat an older, greying man.
"My husband," Lady Eddison gestured to the man in the wheelchair. "And my son." She said, meaning the man pushing the wheelchair.
"Forgive me for no rising. Never been the same since the flu epidemic back in '18." The colonel said.
"My word! You are a super lady!" Roger said to Donna.
Donna flushed in embarrassment, flattered by the compliment. Rhea nudged her in the side, beaming. "Oh! I like the cut of your jib. Chin-chin." Donna flirted back.
"I'm this Doctor, and this is my wife, Sunehri." The Doctor said, shaking Roger's hand. Rhea simply smiled and offered one of her hands, surprised when Roger raised it to his lips and placed a kiss on the knuckles.
"And you are absolutely lovely." Roger said to Rhea. "How do you do?" Roger asked.
"Very well, thanks." The Doctor said, his grip tightening, possessively, around the other man's hand as his hackles rose once he saw the pleased expression on Rhea's face. Donna smirked into her drink as she caught sight of the Doctor's jealous expression.
A servant approached Roger with his drink on a tray. "Your usual, sir." The servant said, flatly.
"Ah, thank you, Davenport. Just how I like it."
"How come she's an Eddison but her husband and son are Curbishleys?" Donna asked Rhea, sipping at her Sidecar.
"The Eddison title descends through her. When she dies, Roger becomes a lord." Rhea explained, taking a slow nip of the chilly, champagne-coloured drink she was holding. "It's very normal for a woman to keep her maiden name if she has a title or an inheritance to give her children."
"Miss Robina Redmond." The butler introduced, as a young, brunette girl strolled up the grass, wearing a fashionable flowery dress that swished around her knees.
"She's the absolute hit of the social season. A must." Lady Eddison whispered as she went up to meet the new arrival. "Miss Redmond." She greeted, holding out her hand.
"Spiffing to meet you at last, my lady." Robina gushed, shaking Lady Eddison's hand.
"Reverend Arnold Golightly." The butler said, and a middle-aged man in church attire walked slowly up to them.
"Ah, Reverend! How are you? I heard about the church last Thursday night, those ruffians breaking in." Lady Eddison said, worriedly.
"You apprehended them, I hear?" The colonel asked.
"As the Christian fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses. Quite literally." The reverend said, with a benign smile.
"Some of these young boys deserve a decent thrashing." Roger said.
"Couldn't agree more, sir." Davenport said, turning intense eyes onto Roger.
Roger cleared his throat after a few moments, breaking their eye contact.
"Typical. All the decent men are on the other bus." Donna muttered to Rhea, who nodded in agreement.
"Or Time Lords." Rhea mused. Her eyes widened as she realised what she had just said and cleared her throat, refusing to look the Doctor in the eye. She crossed her arms over her chest, the skin of her wrist digging into the black beading on her ribs.
The Doctor smiled when he heard that, his hand moving to the small of her back, and he took a sip of his lime and soda. Or taken.
"Now my lady, what about this special guest you promised us?" The revered asked Lady Eddison.
Lady Eddison smiled, smugly. "Here she is. A lady who needs no introduction."
Everyone started clapping furiously as a blonde woman walked across the lawn towards them. Rhea could see by the woman's uneasy and uncomfortable expression that she was not one who liked the attention focused on her.
"Oh, no. Please don't." The woman said, flushing a little. "Thank you, Lady Eddison. Honestly, there's no need." She reached out and shook Rhea's hand. "Agatha Christie."
"What about her?" Donna asked, smiling at the woman.
"That's me." Agatha answered.
Rhea's and Donna's eyes widened, comically. "No!" Rhea breathed.
"You're kidding!" Donna laughed.
The Doctor's eyes lit up. "Agatha Christie!" He shook her hand, furiously. "I was just talking about you the other day. I said, "I bet she's brilliant"." The Doctor gushed. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rhea and Donna. Oh, I love your stuff! What a mind! You fool me every time. Well…almost every time. Well…once or twice. Well…once. But it was a good once." The Doctor said, with a beaming smile.
Rhea shook her head and gave Agatha an apologetic smile. "Don't mind him, he's bit of an idiot sometimes." Rhea said, giving the overwhelmed woman a comforting smile.
"You both are married, correct?" Agatha asked, eyeing them both.
The Doctor wrapped an arm around Rhea's waist, pulling her close. "Yes." The Doctor said, fondly, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"But, there's no wedding ring?" Agatha wondered, confused, looking at Rhea's fingers for an engagement ring at least.
The Doctor blinked a few times, thrown by the question and having no answer to it. He looked to Rhea for something and was dazed the moment she opened her mouth.
"It was a whirlwind marriage. We were only married a week ago." Rhea twisted herself so that she was standing perpendicular to the Doctor, pressing her torso against his side. She curled her fingers in his suit. "My parents didn't approve, but he stole me away from my home anyway." She breathed, dramatically, smiling coyly and fluttering her eyelashes at him. "My hero." She murmured, raising herself up and pressing a soft kiss to the curve of her jaw. She turned her attention back to Agatha. "We're still trying to find the best way to break it to them. You see, they're old; I don't want to upset them too much. So, I'm trying not to draw attention to myself by wearing a ring."
"Mrs Christie, I'm so glad you could come." Lady Eddison said, taking Agatha by the arm and leading her away. "I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books." She looked around. "Uh, is, uh, Mr Christie not joining us?" She asked.
The smile stayed on Agatha's lips, but her eyes turned hard. "Is he needed? Can't a woman make her own way in the world?" She said, breezily.
Rhea smirked and raised her glass in a toast, nodding when Agatha smiled at her.
"Don't give my wife ideas." The colonel joked.
"Mrs Christie, I have a question. Why a Belgian detective?" Roger asked.
"Excuse me, colonel." The Doctor said, picking up the newspaper that was currently sitting on the colonel's lap.
"Belgians make such lovely buns." Agatha said, lightly.
Everyone laughed.
"Where on Earth's Professor Peach? He'd love to meet Mrs Christie." Roger said, looking around for the man.
"He said he was going to the library." The butler informed him.
The Doctor motioned for Rhea and Donna to join him.
"Miss Chandrakala, would you go and collect the professor?" Lady Eddison asked the dark-skinned woman who had greeted them when they had first arrived.
"At once, my lady." Miss Chandrakala said and headed for the house.
"The date on this newspaper." The Doctor murmured.
Donna frowned. "What about it?"
"It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared." The Doctor said, darkly.
Realisation dawned in Rhea's eyes. "Of course," She nodded. "She finds out that her husband, Archie, is having an affair and he asks her for a divorce."
Donna's eyes softened as she looked at Agatha. "You'd never think to look at her smiling away."
"Well, she's British and moneyed. That's what they do, they carry on." The Doctor said.
"It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Rhea said, darkly, her nails digging into her palm.
"Except for this one time. No one knows exactly what happened, she just vanished. Her car will be found tomorrow morning by the side of a lake. Ten days later she turns up at a hotel in Harrogate." The Doctor said.
"She said she lost her memory." Rhea told Donna. "She never spoke about the disappearance till the day she died. But whatever it was…"
"It's about to happen." Donna finished with dread.
"Right here, right now." The Doctor said, grimly.
Suddenly, Miss Chandrakala came running towards the gathered crowd. "The professor! The library! Murder! Murder!" She screamed.
The Doctor and Rhea were the first to enter the library, followed by Donna and Agatha. They ran over to the body as the butler entered the room.
"Oh, my goodness." He said.
The Doctor and Rhea knelt on either side of the body.
"Bashed on the back of the head. Blunt instrument." The Doctor said. He tapped the professor's watch. "Watch broke as he fell, time of death was quarter past four." He got up and examined the papers that were sitting on the desk, trying to din a possible motive for why the professor had been murdered.
"Bit of pipe. Call me Hercule Poirot but I reckon that's blunt enough." Donna commented.
Rhea and the Doctor narrowed her eyes, but didn't say a word, when they saw Agatha pick up a scrap of singed paper from in front of the fireplace.
"Nothing worth killing for in that lot, dry as dust." The Doctor said.
"Hold on, the body in the library?" Donna said, softly, to Rhea. "I mean, Professor Peach, in the library, with a lead piping?"
"I know," Rhea said, dryly. "It's like Clue come to life."
"Let me see!" Lady Eddison yelled from the hall.
"Out of my way!" They heard the colonel shout.
Lady Eddison entered and saw the body, recoiling with shock. "Gerald!"
The others arrived.
"Saints preserve us." The reverend gasped.
"Oh, how awful." Robina whispered.
"Someone should call the police." Agatha said.
"You don't have to." The Doctor said, not taking his eyes off the body. He took out the psychic paper and brandished it at the guests. "Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor. Mrs Smith and Miss Noble are the plucky young girls who help me out."
"I say." Lady Eddison said, with shock.
"Mrs Christie was right." The Doctor said, looking at the guests. "Go into the sitting room. I will question each of you in turn."
"Come along. Do as the Doctor says. Keep the room undisturbed." Agatha said, leading all of the guests out of the library, leaving the Doctor, Rhea and Donna alone in the room with the body.
"'The plucky young girls who help me out?'" Rhea quoted, crossing her arms over her chest, fixing him with a glare. "Do I look like the goddamn Sundance Kid?"
The Doctor was stretched out on the floor, examining it for clues. "There were no policewomen in 1926." He explained.
"I'll pluck you in a minute." Donna said.
"I'll hold him down." Rhea agreed. "Why don't we call the actual police?"
"The last think we want is PC Plod sticking his nose in. Especially…" He pulled something from a crack in the floor with a sharp instrument. "Now I've found this." He stood, holding up something gooey and sticky and yellow. "Morphic residue."
"Morphic? Doesn't sound very 1926." Donna commented, coming up to them.
"Gets left behind when certain species genetically re-encode."
Rhea threw her hands up in the air. "You've got to be kidding me. The murderer's an alien?"
"Which means that one of that lot," The Doctor tilted his head towards the open door. "Is an alien in human form."
"Yeah, but think about it." Donna leaned forwards. "There's a murder, a mystery and Agatha Christie."
"Good point." Rhea said. "It is a bit surreal."
"So?" The Doctor sniffed the residue. "Happens to me all the time." He held the residue out to Rhea and Donna.
"It looks like honey." Rhea murmured.
"No, but isn't that a bit weird?" Donna asked. "Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. That's like meeting Charles Dickens and he's surrounded by ghosts. At Christmas."
"Well…" The Doctor shrugged.
Rhea raised an eyebrow. She bet there was a story in that one.
"Oh come on." Donna laughed. "It's not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy."
"Oh, Noddy," Rhea said, fondly. "I used to watch that all the time when I was a little girl."
The Doctor touched the tips of his fingers to the residue and pressed it against his tongue, tasting it. Rhea smacked his arm away from his face.
"Don't lick that." Rhea said, sternly. "You don't know where it's been."
"You're so pushy." The Doctor grumbled, but listened to her, thinking about what he had just tasted.
"Could we, though?" Donna asked, looking at the two. "Noddy's not real, is he? Tell me there's no Noddy."
"There's no Noddy." The Doctor said, placing his hands on Donna's shoulders, before heading out the door.
"Next thing you'll be telling me it's like Murder on the Orient Express and they all did it." Donna said once they were in the hallway.
"Murder on the Orient Express?" Agatha asked, coming out of an adjacent alcove.
"Oh, yeah. One of your best." Donna said.
Rhea grimaced. "But not yet." She whispered to Donna.
"Marvellous idea, though." Agatha mused.
"Yeah, tell you what, copyright: Donna Noble, yeah?" Donna said, a calculating smile falling on her face.
"Anyway," The Doctor drawled, interrupting them and changing the subject. "Agatha and I will question suspects. Rhea, Donna, you both search the bedrooms, look for clues." He lowered his voice and leaned into to Rhea. "Any more residue." He said, meaningfully. He pulled a large magnifying glass out of his suit pocket, a cheeky grin on his face. "You'll need this."
"Is that for real?" Donna asked.
"It looks like something out of Looney Tunes." Rhea muttered, making the Doctor laugh, and snatched the magnifying glass out of the Doctor's hand.
"Go on. You're ever so plucky." The Doctor teased her, grinning.
Rhea rolled her eyes and grabbed Donna's hand, pulling her up the stairs.
"Right then. Solving a murder mystery with Agatha Christie. Brilliant!" The Doctor said, with a bright grin.
"How like a man to have fun while there's disaster all around him." Agatha said, sternly.
The Doctor's smile fell and he looked at his feet. "Sorry, yeah."
"I'll work with you, gladly, but for the sake of justice, not your own amusement." Agatha said, firmly.
"Oh." The Doctor said, faltering slightly.
The reverend was sitting in a chair in the sitting room, facing the Doctor and Agatha Christie.
"Now then, Reverend… Where were you at quarter past four?" The Doctor asked him.
"Let me think. Why yes, I remember… I was unpacking in my room."
"No alibi then?" The Doctor clarified.
"You were alone?" Agatha asked.
"With the Lord, one is never truly along, Doctor." The reverend said.
"And where were you?" The Doctor asked when Roger Corbishley now sat in the chair.
"Let me think. I was, uh… Oh yes, I was taking a constitutional in the fields behind the house. Just taking a stroll, that's all."
"Alone?" The Doctor frowned.
"Oh, yes." Roger said, hurriedly. "All alone. Totally alone. Absolutely alone. Completely. All of the time. I wandered, lonely, as the proverbial cloud. There was no one else with me. Not at all. Not ever." Roger said, his eyes darting around, suspiciously.
"And where were you?" The Doctor asked Robina Redmond.
"At a quarter past four…well, I went to the toilet when I arrived, and then, um…" She paused. "Oh yes, I remember. I was preparing myself. Positively buzzing with excitement about the party… and the super fun of meeting Lady Eddy."
"We've only got your word for it." The Doctor explained.
"That's your problem, not mine." Robina sighed, leaning back in the chair.
"And where were you, sir?" The Doctor asked Hugh Curbishley.
"Quarter past four? Let me think… Oh yes, I remember…I was sitting in me study reading through some military memoirs. Fascinating stuff. Took me back to me days in the army. Started reminiscing. Mafeking, you know. Terrible war."
"Colonel, snap out of it." The Doctor said, sharply.
"I was in me study—" He started to repeat.
"No, no, no," The Doctor waved him off. "Right out of it."
"Oh, sorry. Got a bit…carried away there."
"And where were you at a quarter past four, my lady?" The Doctor asked Lady Eddison.
"Now let me see…" She started. "Yes, I remember… I was sitting in the blue room taking my afternoon tea. It's a ritual of mine. I needed to gather strength for the duty of hostess. I then proceeded to the lawn where I met…you, Doctor…and I said "And who might you be and what are you doing here?" and you said, "I'm the Doctor and this is my wife, Mrs Sunehri Smith…"
"Yes, yes." The Doctor halted her. "You can stop now. I was there for that bit."
"Of course." She belched. "Excuse me." She said, sheepishly, looking away and covering her mouth with her handkerchief.
After they had finished questioning the guests, the Doctor and Agatha began to discuss what they've learned as they paced in front of the fireplace.
"No alibis for any of them. The secret adversary remains hidden. We must look for a motive." Her accent changed. "Use the little grey cells."
"Oh yes, little grey cells. Good old Poirot." The Doctor said, moving over and taking a seat in the chair. "Y''know, I've been to Belgium. Yeah, I remember…" He thought about how he and Rhea had stomped through the woods, Rhea with a bow and a quiver on her back and him holding a sword, as he slashed through the vines and the leafage in the forest. "Mrs Smith and I were deep in the Ardennes trying to find Charlemagne…he'd been kidnapped by an insane computer."
"Doctor! Doctor!" Agatha called out, drawing his attention.
"Sorry." The Doctor said, shaking his head free of the memories.
"Charlemagne lived centuries ago." Agatha said, confused.
"I've got a good memory." The Doctor said.
"For such an experienced detective, you missed a big clue." Agatha said, smiling to herself.
"What, that bit of paper you nicked out of the fireplace?" The Doctor said. "My wife and I saw you take it."
"But you were looking the other way!" Agatha said, shocked.
"Yeah, but I saw you reflected in the glass of the bookcase."
"You crafty man." Agatha teased. The Doctor leaned back and smirked, arrogantly. "This is all that was left."
The Doctor walked over to take a look at the scrap of paper. "What's that first letter? N or M?"
"It's an M. The word is 'maiden'." Agatha explained.
"Maiden!" The Doctor shouted suddenly, scaring Agatha into a shock. He quietened. "What does that mean?" He whispered.
Agatha sighed. "We're still no further forward. Our nemesis remains at large. Unless Mrs Smith and Miss Noble have found something."
Donna and Rhea wandered through the corridor, searching the bedrooms for anything suspicious, and came upon a locked door.
"All I'm saying is that I might kill him if he keeps introducing me as his wife." Rhea told Donna.
Donna snorted. You just wait, sweetheart.
The butler came behind them.
"You won't find anything in there." The butler said, startling the two women.
"Oh! How come it's locked?" Donna asked, curiously.
"Lady Eddison commands it so." The butler simply said.
"Well, we command it otherwise." Rhea said, drawing herself to her full height, which wasn't much, but still appeared dangerous.
"Scotland Yard, pip-pip." Donna ordered. The butler moved forward to unlock the door. "Why is it locked in the first place?"
"Many years ago, when my father was butler to the family, Lady Eddison returned from India with malaria. She locked herself in this room for six months until she recovered. Since then, this room has remained… undisturbed." The butler explained.
Rhea stiffened. Six months and malaria? Malaria includes vomiting. And by three months, it would start to become obvious… but why would she lock herself in a room… unless, of course, she was single and she didn't want anyone to know that she had lost it before she got married.
Donna opened the door and it creaked from disuse.
"There's nothing in here." The butler said.
"How long's it been empty?" Donna asked.
The room held a bureau, some shelves, a fireplace and a bed with a teddy bear lying on it. Everything was covered in dust and cob webs.
Rhea choked on the aged smell of the furniture and grimaced. The teddy bear's a dead giveaway for a pregnancy.
"Forty years." The butler said.
"Why would she seal it off?" Donna muttered to Rhea. "All right, we need to investigate. You just…buttle off." Donna ordered, closing the door behind the two women.
"Well, what do you think?" Donna asked Rhea, as the woman walked over to the bed and picked up the teddy bear, observing it.
"Well, I've got a theory. But I'm not sure it's related to the murders." Rhea said.
Donna started to hear a buzzing noise coming from the window. "1926, they've still got bees." She mused.
"What, did you think that bees were restricted to the twenty-first century?" Rhea said, sarcastically.
Donna glared at her before walking over to the drape-covered window. "Oh, what a noise! All right, busy bee, I'll let you out. Hold on."
Rhea sighed and dropped the teddy bear on the bed, joining Donna at the windowsill.
Donna put on a decent French accent. "I shall find you with my amazing powers of detection." She pulled out the large magnifying glass. She opened the drapes and Rhea paled when they saw a huge wasp outside the window. It broke through the window, glass flooding everywhere, and Rhea pulled Donna away from the window as the red-haired woman screamed.
"Fuck!" Rhea cursed, eyeing the giant insect with fright and alarm.
"That's impossible!" Donna shouted.
They moved in front of the door.
"Doctor!" Rhea screamed, banging on the door with her fist but not taking her eyes off the bee. The bee came towards them and they shuffled around, taking their place back at the window. She looked around frantically, before her eyes fell on the magnifying glass in Donna's hand. "Give it here." She whispered, furiously. Donna handed her the magnifying glass, confused. Rhea held it up to the sunlight and the beam passed through the glass and hit the wasp.
While it screeched in pain, Rhea grabbed Donna's hand and they ran for the door, slamming it behind her. "Doctor!" Rhea shouted again, just as the stinger stabbed straight through the closed door, sticking out. Donna screamed and they pushed themselves away from the door, just as the Doctor and Agatha came running up to them.
"There is a giant… wasp." Donna and Rhea whispered, furiously, trying not to attract the wasp's attention.
It could break through the window, it could probably do a hell of a lot more damage to the door. Rhea closed her eyes.
The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, giant wasp?"
Rhea and Donna glared at him. "We mean a wasp that's giant!" They said, sarcastically.
"It's only a silly little insect." Agatha said, rolling her eyes and wondering why the two women were getting so scared by an insect, especially if they worked for the Scotland Yard.
Rhea's shoulders dropped and she sighed, angrily. "When I say 'giant', I don't mean big, I mean fucking enormous!" She shrieked, making Agatha gasp in shock at her use of the expletive. "Look at its sting!" Rhea said, pointing down at the sting in question.
The Doctor's eyes widened as he took in the size of the stinger. "Let me see!" The Doctor shouted, slamming the door open. He entered the door and found it to be empty. He sighed. "It's gone. Buzzed off." He went over to the window and looked out.
"But that's fascinating." Agatha breathed, reaching out to touch the stinger.
The Doctor came over, halting her. "Don't touch it." He warned. "Don't touch it. Let me." He took out a vial with a stopper and gathered a sample.
"Don't you think it's amazing how he seems to have all of this just sitting in his pockets?" Rhea murmured to Donna, making her snigger. Rhea knelt beside the Doctor.
"Giant wasp… Well, there are tons of amorphous insectivorous lifeforms but…none in this galactic vector." The Doctor explained.
"So, how did it get here then?" Rhea asked and the Doctor shrugged.
"I think I understood some of those words. Enough to know that you're completely potty." Agatha said, bemused, looking at the Doctor.
"Lost its sting, though. That makes it defenceless." Donna remarked, the hope clinging to her voice.
Rhea snorted. "It's the size of the freaking Chrysler Building, something tells me it won't be defenceless."
The Doctor nodded. "It's gotta be able to grow a new one."
"Uh, can we return to sanity? There are no such things as giant wasps." Agatha said, shaking her head in the negative.
"Exactly!" The Doctor exclaimed, standing up, abruptly. "So… the question is, what's it doing here?"
The Doctor, Rhea, Donna and Agatha were coming down the stairs when they heard a scream, the four breaking into a run for the rest of the way. They rushed out of the manor house and came across Miss Chandrakala lying the driveway, a stone gargoyle resting on her stomach. Rhea increased her sprint and fell to her knees beside the broken woman, pressing two fingers at the side of her neck, tensing as she felt the beat slow.
"The poor, little…child." Miss Chandrakala whispered and her eyes shut and her body went limp and lifeless.
They all looked up when the sound of buzzing filled the air.
"There!" The Doctor shouted, pointing at the wasp. "Come on!" He grabbed Rhea's hand and they ran back inside, Donna and Agatha following them.
They ran back upstairs.
"Well, this makes a change. There's a monster and we're chasing it." Donna remarked to Rhea.
"Good point." Rhea shrugging. "It's quite ironic. Then, again, a lot of things are." Rhea said, nodding her head, inconspicuously, at Agatha. She lowered her voice, so that Agatha couldn't hear her, and turned to the Doctor. "Agatha Christie is here and there's a murder mystery and no one knows who the killer is. This is very 'Divine Comedy', don't you think, except for the added Candyman element?" She said, worriedly.
"Can't be a monster. It's a trick. They do it with mirrors." Agatha said, referring to Donna's comment, as they reached the top of the stairs.
They stopped when they saw the wasp.
"By all that's holy…" Agatha whispered.
"Oh, but you are wonderful!" The Doctor said, excitedly.
"Are you kidding me?" Rhea rounded on the Doctor, glaring at him. She was about to open her mouth to say something else, when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, that the wasp had turned to face them.
"Now, just stop there." The Doctor warned.
"Yeah, I don't think that's going to work." Rhea remarked.
And straight after she had said those words, the wasp rushed at them, stinger first, and they ducked just as it passed them.
"Oi! Flyboy!" Donna shouted, holding up the magnifying glass.
The wasp stopped and flew away.
"Don't let it get away! Quick, before it reverts to human form!" The Doctor shouted, chasing after it.
They ran to a hallway that contained the bedrooms.
"Where are you? Come on! There's nowhere to run. Show yourself!" The Doctor called out.
All the bedroom doors snapped open at exactly the same time and every single guest poked their head out the door to see what was happening.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Rhea groaned.
"Oh…that's just cheating." The Doctor said, lamely.
Rhea leaned over and rubbed his back, comfortingly.
"My faithful companion! This is terrible!" Lady Eddison wailed through her tears.
"Excuse me, my lady. She was on her way to tell you something." Davenport said, softly.
Lady Eddison shook her head. "She never found me. She had an appointment with death instead."
"She mentioned a "poor little child". Does that mean anything to anyone?" Rhea asked, looking around at all of the guests.
"No children in this house for years." The colonel said, looking displeased at Roger. "Highly unlikely there will be."
"Mrs Christie," Lady Eddison looked up at the author. "You must have twigged something. You've written simply the best detective stories."
"Tell us…" The reverend leaned forward. "What would Poirot do?"
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "You are aware that he is just a character, right?" She asked, slowly. "And that she's only a writer?"
"Heaven's sake!" The colonel burst out. "Cards on the table, woman! You should be helping us!"
"Watch your mouth." Rhea said, sharply, to the colonel. "Treat her with respect."
"But… I'm merely a writer." Agatha stammered.
Rhea wrapped an arm around Agatha's shoulder, trying to offer her some comfort.
"But surely you can crack it. These events, they're exactly like one of your plots." Robina said.
"That's what we've been saying." Donna said, pointing to herself and Rhea. "Agatha, that's got to mean something."
"But what?" Agatha exclaimed, frustrated. "I've no answers. None. I'm sorry, all of you, I'm truly sorry, but I've failed. If anyone can help us, it's the Doctor, not me."
Everyone turned to look at the Doctor.
Donna and Rhea found Agatha sitting outside, alone, in a small gazebo by the house.
"May we join you?" Rhea asked her.
Agatha nodded and motioned for the two women to take a seat beside her. Rhea sat next to Agatha and Donna was seated on her other side.
"Do you know what I think? Those books of yours, one day they could turn them into films. They could be talking pictures." Donna said, trying to cheer Agatha up.
"Talking pictures? Pictures that…talk?" Agatha frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Oh blimey, I've done it again, haven't I?" Donna muttered to Rhea, who simply gave a nod, her lips pressing together.
"I appreciate you trying to be kind, but you're right, these murders are like my own creations. It's as though someone's mocking me. I've had enough scorn for one lifetime." Agatha finished off with a wry smile.
"Yeah. Thing is, I had this bloke once, I was engaged, and I loved him, I really did." Donna said, with a sad smile. "Turns out he was lying through his teeth. But you know what? I moved on." Donna said, leaning over and covering Agatha's hand with one of her own. "I was lucky, I found the Doctor and Rhea. It changed my life. There's always someone else."
"I see." Agatha nodded, stiffly. "Is my marriage the stuff of gossip now?"
"No, I just… sorry." Donna murmured.
Agatha sighed. "No matter. The stories are true. I found my husband with another woman. A younger, prettier woman. Isn't that always the way?"
"Well, mine was with a giant spider but same difference." Donna said, making Rhea laugh. "What about you, Rhea? Got any horror stories to share."
Rhea's eyes widened and swallowed hard. Her eyes closed and she thought for a moment. "Oh, um, there were hundreds, it was never really a secret," She laughed, harshly, then quietened, lost in thought. "I don't think he even knew their names half the time." She mused.
Agatha looked confused. "I'm sorry, but are you talking about the Doctor?"
"What!" Rhea's eyes widened and she shook her head, frantically. "I was talking about my… first… husband." She laughed. "God, the Doctor, no, he'd never do anything like that…" She hesitated. "At least I hope he wouldn't." Men have always treated you like shit, Rhea, there's no reason to start believing that the Doctor won't do the same. It's just a depressingly trustworthy fact of your existence.
"He wouldn't." Donna agreed, nudging Rhea's shoulder with her own. She paused. "I didn't know you had been married before."
"Oh," Rhea clicked her tongue. "It's a story for another day, I'm afraid." She smiled, tightly, at Donna.
"Agatha, people love your books, they really do. They're gonna be reading them for years to come." Donna said, turning her attention back to the author.
Agatha laughed. "If only! Try as I might it's hardly great literature, now that's beyond me. I'm afraid my books will be forgotten, like ephemera." She caught sight of something in the bushes. "Hello. What's that?" She wondered and got up. "Those flowerbeds were perfectly neat earlier." She walked over to the bushes. "Now some of the stalks are bent over." She bent down and picked up a small leather box.
"There you go." Rhea said, nudging Agatha. "Hardly anyone would notice that in a million years. You're amazing."
The Doctor, Rhea, Donna and Agatha had gathered in the sitting room. The Doctor sat in one of the armchairs and Rhea took her seat on the arm of the chair, while Donna and Agatha were seated opposite them. The Doctor opened the case to find an array of tools.
"Oh, those are wonderful." Rhea breathed, her eyes lighting up. "A bit old school, but very good ones." She looked up at the Doctor, grinning widely. "Can I keep them, please?" Rhea begged, pouting.
"Rhea." The Doctor said, sternly. "I very much doubt you need any of those tools. I've seen you break handcuffs with a bobby pin." The Doctor reached out and cupped her face with his hand, stroking her cheekbone in an attempt to soothe her. He turned his attention back to the tool box. "It's the sort of stuff a thief would use."
"The Unicorn," Agatha gasped. "He's here!"
"The Unicorn and the wasp." The Doctor commented.
The butler entered with a tray of drinks. "Your drinks, ladies, Doctor."
"Very good, Greeves." The Doctor said, taking his lime and soda, and handing Rhea's French 76 over to her.
"What about the science stuff? What did you find?" Donna asked the Doctor.
"Hm, Vespiform sting. Vespiforms have got hives in the Silifax Galaxy." The Doctor explained.
"Again you talk like Edward Lear." Agatha said.
"For some reason, this one's behaving like a character in one of your books." The Doctor remarked, taking a sip of his drink.
"Come on, Agatha. What would Miss Marple do? She'd have overheard something vital by now because the murderer thinks she's just a harmless old lady." Donna murmured.
"Clever idea." Agatha frowned. "Miss Marple, who writes those?"
"Um, copyright: Donna Noble. Add it to the list."
"Donna." Rhea warned.
"OK, we could split the copyright."
"Rhea." The Doctor said.
"I already told her off, what else do you want me to do?" Rhea asked, not looking at the Doctor and gulping down some of her drink.
"No, something's inhibiting my enzymes." The Doctor suddenly jerked forwards. Rhea dropped her drink in the worry and shock and knelt beside him, placing a shaky hand on his shoulder as her eyes searched him. "Aaahh!" He shouted and Donna rushed over, joining Rhea. "I've been poisoned." The Doctor said, through gritted teeth. Then he convulsed.
A/N: And we have a break! How'd you like this chapter? I really loved this episode, it was so much more lighter than the others in Season 4, and so much funnier. I think Rhea's having a good chance to banter with the Doctor. And she gets to pretend to be his wife again. Okay, so a few things to explain, the title, 'Queen of Crime', was a title given to Agatha Christie, so I thought it would be appropriate for this chapter. And we got Donna's view on Rhea and the Doctor's relationship. They have a very sweet and romantic relationship in her eyes, don't they? And it was a funny story that Rhea came up with to explain her and the Doctor's 'marriage', wasn't it? That story might reappear in some of the future chapters.
I hope you all don't feel like Rhea's taking the shine away from the Doctor and Donna. I know she says some of their lines, but I try to make sure that she has very original reactions to what's going on here. And there was a revelation in this chapter…Rhea has been married before! There was a little hint about that in The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky, but she outright admitted it in this chapter, and it was a hard thing for her to do. Will we see her husband in a chapter? Maybe. Who knows? There is a lot of bad blood between Rhea and her husband and infidelity is just the beginning and the least of it. But we'll get to see more in the later chapters.
Oh, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who alerted and favourited (is that the correct spelling?). I just turned those on and it really does make me all warm inside when I see those emails, so thank you so much. I'm so happy that so many people like my story :)
By the way, I'm sorry if my next update comes later rather than sooner. I have three assignments due this week, but I have a two-week break starting next week, so I should be able to get quite a bit of writing done, hopefully :)
Anyway, without further ado, here's a sneak preview of Dream Weaver, which will be the first story in my Time Lady story ;)
Her heart ached, silently, as she reached a hand and touched his jaw line, biting her lip. Disbelief rose in her and she resisted the urge to sob out loud, thinking that this was just her mind playing a trick on her. He couldn't be here. Not now. Not ever. He was gone. And she was alone.
Then she was free, she was gasping and his hands were on her, pulling her into his embrace, one large, rough hand cupping the back of his neck and the other twisting into her hair, as he whispered soothing nonsensical words in their lyrical mother tongue. And finally, she did sob, burying her face in his jumper, her nose rubbing against the soft wool.
His mind reached out for hers, the familiar presence sinking into her, making her whimper in his hold. And she sobbed anew. Had it really been that long since she had his hands on her skin?
His mind thrummed against hers as she curled into him, in his arms and mind, her strong, reassuring presence acting as balm to his wounds, soothing every possible hurt it could find. He ran one long finger down the length of her face, stopping at the base of her chin, tipping it up so that he could look her in the eye and breathed, brokenly, in relief, pressing his forehead against hers. She was here. Oh, Rassilon, she was here. She was alive.
I hope you liked it. Just to clarify because I know some people got confused the last time I put up a sneak preview. The above extract is from Dream Weaver, which is the first story in my upcoming Time Lady series. Dream Weaver will start in Season 1, from Dalek, and will go to the end of the season 1. The last preview I posted, in chapter 22, I think, was from Bad Moon Rising, which is the second story in the series and covers Season 2.
I had so much trouble writing this story, because whenever I tried to refer to my Time Lady, I kept writing Khaleesi as her title. I think I've been watching too much Game of Thrones :)
Anyways, Read and Review!