A/N: This is to my e-bestie Sarbrook! Get better sicky! :D


-1852-

- The Clementine -


The ship shook underneath them again, violently. Calypso and Donna both were pressed tightly against the crates they had sought refuge behind. Splinters showered down on them from the badly battered mast, it groaned one more time before it came sailing down through the air, crashing into the deck. Several people screamed and shouted from where they had fortified themselves in the Captain's quarters. Most of the passengers had sought refuge there under direction by the Captain, while others, like the Doctor, had taken to barricading themselves on the deck. Calypso was starting to think that might not have been their most sound plan.

"Well," The Doctor drawled as he ducked back behind them, dusting debris from his dark brown hair. "As far as first negotiations go, I thought that went rather well." He shrugged.

"You would." Donna scowled at him, plucking a rather long sliver of wood from her jacket. "Just what the hell is a Silurian anyway? And what are they doing in the middle of the flipping ocean?"

"Oh, they're not just in the middle." He explained. "And they've been here loads longer than you lot." The Doctor said indignantly. They also looked to be excellent carpenters, because every time Calypso caught a glimpse of them, they were making more and more progress on the ramp that they had started to build.

"Yeah?" Donna shot a glare over their wall, glowering at those Silurian's she could see from their mild protection. "Well they look like newts." Another shot fired over their heads, smashing against one of the cabin walls. They didn't seem to be aiming directly at any of them, and it took several shots to destroy anything. The Doctor suspected they were just trying to frighten them so they wouldn't be able to stop them from building their ramp. Calypso had to admit that it seemed to be working.

"They don't look like newts!" He said, incensed. "They look like homo amphibious."

"Oh, I didn't know there was a bleeding difference." They all ducked again when they heard the familiar hissing of the weapon being fired, the cabin shook once more, this time resulting in a shattered window.

"There is most definitely a difference, Donna." He chided her sternly.

"Well, sorry." Donna said while making a face. She didn't sound like she was terribly sorry.

"They don't seem to like you." Calypso looked to the Doctor with a frown. He had told them, rather smugly, that it was probably just a misunderstanding, and he'd get it sorted out straight away. Things hadn't exactly gone according to plan, which was why they were now huddled together like hunted rabbits.

"What?" He said, looking indignant again. "What's not to like about me?"

"I've got a few suggestions." Donna muttered but the Doctor ignored her.

"I suppose we haven't always gotten off on the best foot. But that was ages ago. Wait. Was it? Well, it was for me. Hang on, what year is it?" The Doctor was lost in his own thoughts when the Silurian's finally interrupted him.

"Release the prisoner!" They announced again. Calypso breathed a sigh of relief, at least that meant they were going to stop shooting for a while.

"Oi," Donna grumbled, relaxing against the crates. "All this shooting is giving me a migraine." Calypso noticed her hand reaching for her throat instead of her forehead.

"It is a bit excessive." The Doctor agreed, already peeking out over their barrier, knowing the coast was clear.

"Donna," Calypso pressed her hand against her cheek, she was burning up. Most of the others hadn't gotten worse quite so quickly, but then, they hadn't had to deal with running around the ship, or crashing, or being shot at. None of those things were doing Donna any favors right now. "Maybe you should lay back for a bit."

"I'm fine. Don't be silly." Donna brushed her away, fanning herself with her shirt. The wound on her neck caught Calypso's eye again, it was starting to spread, green tendrils reaching down her collarbone. She thought she could see the two marks where the Doctor had said the infection had started. Fangs, he had mentioned fangs.

"Doctor…" She said hesitantly, her eyes still glued to Donna's neck.

"Hm?" He asked absently, he looked like he was busy counting the numbers of Silurian's below.

"Do the Silurian's have…fangs?" It sounded silly, but she asked anyway.

"Fangs?" He turned his attention back toward her with a frown. "No, not at all. They've got regular teeth, like us. Well, a bit different. Still, basically similar. Omnivores and all that." He snapped his own teeth shut to demonstrate. "They do have an extendable pronged tongue that can…oooh." He said softly, his eyes lighting up. "That's interesting." He shuffled over to Donna's side, who looked irritated that he was inspecting her once more.

"Oi!" She slapped at his hands. "Stop fussing."

"They've got barbs in their tongue." He said excitedly, looking to Calypso and ignoring Donna's generally disgruntled mood. "It secretes a poison." He released Donna and started to tap his chin thoughtfully.

"Poison?" Donna said, properly alarmed now. "What do you mean poison?"

"Doesn't make sense that they'd be green though." He shrugged. "No matter, I'd say you're right. We've got a Silurian on board." He said with a grin. "Maybe a perception filter? But why haven't they revealed themselves?" He was talking to himself again, lost in focus.

"Maybe they were injured in the crash?" Calypso suggested. But it didn't make sense why they would have been attacking people during the journey.

"Could be." The Doctor nodded, a thoughtful frown still on his face.

"Maybe they're afraid…" Calypso said slowly, thinking of what might make her lash out at strangers. Scared or hurt would be her guess.

"Maybe they've been hiding." The Doctor added.

"Playing hide and seek and poisoning people? Isn't that a bit mad?" Donna seemed extra displeased that she was being ignored. Where could the creature have hidden for all those weeks? If that was what they were doing. They would need to eat, she assumed, and drink. But only the sick had come across the creature, and that wasn't many compared to all the people on the ship, so it had to be somewhere less commonly accessed. The ship lurched as though it had been struck by something, this time with no familiar sound of the guns.

"Oh," The Doctor stuck his head over the side quickly and sunk back down. "Think we're in for it now." His face grew serious as he pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and started twisting it carefully. "There, this should fry most of the weapons. After that," He shrugged. "I suppose we'll just have to talk fast."

"Is that your brilliant plan?" Donna asked, but her cynicism fell a bit flat. A sheen of sweat had broken out across her forehead, and her skin was sickly pale.

"Donna," He said, finally realizing that she was much worse off than she had been letting on. "You've got to lay down for a bit. If things get a bit…excited, well. I don't need you accidently getting…shot." He finished bluntly. Calypso took a moment to look at the deck herself, she could see where the hooks of the ramp had sunk into the side of the ship, now it was bouncing as if there were bodies moving across it. They were being boarded. A few cries went up from around the deck, others also having recognized what was going on. A few of the crewmen had their pistols on hand, ready to start firing.

"I know where the hostage is!" She said suddenly, well, she didn't know, but she had a fairly good guess. She might be able to make it there and back before anything went wrong, "I'll be right back." She told the Doctor who had a startled look on his face.

"No, Calypso, wait-!" But she was already beyond the Doctor's grasp, hunching down to avoid notice from those Silurian's down below. But she realized a moment too late that they had already reached the top of the ramp. They looked just as surprised to see her. She felt frozen in place, only her hands were able to rise defenselessly, the creatures didn't have the same trouble as they raised their weapons to fire at her.

"Don't!" She scrunched her eyes shut, knowing it was too late to duck to the ground. She heard the hiss of the gun and readied herself for the blast.

"No shooting!" The Doctor shouted, his sonic whistling loudly. He collided with her and they both dropped to the ground in a heap. The wind was knocked from her lungs as her back hit the deck and she struggled to catch her breath with the Doctor's weight crushing her.

"Doctor!" Donna shouted, up and running toward them both. Three more of the Silurian's had crested the railing of the ship, weapons aimed at those hiding in the cabins. Calypso was pushing against the Doctor's shoulder, fighting to roll over, she was so desperate for air. Donna finally came to her rescue, lifting his still body up and rolling him to his back. Calypso gratefully gasped in mouthfuls of air before she realized something was wrong. Donna was sitting next to the Doctor, shaking her head.

"Donna, what's…" But she stopped herself, seeing the dark burned mark just below his arm. The cloth was still smoldering from where he had been struck. He wasn't moving.

"Doctor?" She asked in a frail voice. He didn't stir. "No," She shook her head, looking to Donna for reassurance, but she looked just as stricken. "He can't." She insisted. Why had he done that? How could he have been so stupid? She grasped his shoulders, afraid to shake him too abruptly, but more afraid that he wouldn't open his eyes if she didn't. "You have to wake up." She whispered harshly. "Please."

"Blimey," The Doctor groaned, his eyes blinking rapidly. "That hurt." Calypso and Donna both jumped back, Calypso choked back a relieved sob. He was alright. "Oh no," He pouted. "I loved this suit."

"Well you've got five hundred others." Donna said exasperated, trying to help the Doctor sit up. He sucked in a sharp breath, suggesting maybe he wasn't alright.

"What were you thinking?" Calypso realized she was scolding him, loudly even. She had just been so afraid for that brief moment, and all that fear was suddenly channeled into anger. He could have died, and for what? To spare her the inconvenience of appearing someplace else?

"Oh, knew I'd be alright." He said with a groan as Donna helped lift him up and sit him on the crates, he seemed unaware of the daggers she was glaring at him. "Silurian's are very firm believers in the whole 'eye for an eye' business. And actually, they're the ones your lot adopted that bit from. Anyway," He shot her a strained grin, for the first time noticing how upset she was.

"Don't-" She shook her head warningly, struggling to control her voice. "Don't do that."

"It's alright," He said reassuringly, though his breathing was ragged. "Just a bit rough around the edges. Couldn't just let you get shot, could I?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed. "That's exactly what you should have done!" She refused to cry, despite wanting to so badly. He wouldn't understand anyway, and she couldn't let him know. Of course, thinking about that just made her want to cry more. "It was my fault! You could have-" Her throat closed up, refusing to admit what might have happened. She was only too aware of what could have happened if he had been wrong. It would have been another death on her hands, another careless mistake of hers that others would pay for, and she would have to live with that. Possibly, forever.

"Calypso, what's wrong?" He was frowning now, perplexed by her outpouring. Donna was looking a bit startled herself.

"You just…" She trailed off, taking a calming breath. "You shouldn't have done that." She whispered, all the anger in her deflating, giving way to the dark secrets that plagued her. "Not for me." Not for a thing. But she didn't say that, she couldn't say that.

"Of course for you." He was looking at her like she was mad, trying to stand up again. "Who else have I got?" She had to look away from his eyes, which were so filled with pain. When he started to stumble, Donna rushed forward to catch him. Calypso could do nothing but stare at the deck. Surely, it would be better for him, better for them both if she could convince him not to care. If nothing else than to spare him the pain further down the road.

"I guess I'm chopped liver." Donna said mildly as she helped the Doctor sit again. She was doing her best to ease the tension that was growing between them, it was so thick in the air Calypso found it hard to breathe at all.

"Yes, well. You weren't getting shot at." The Doctor said absently, trying to force a smile for Donna, but Calypso could feel his gaze lingering on her, searching for answers.

"Where is the hostage?" Two of the Silurian's had approached them, carefully corralling them against the crates. More were streaming onto the ship, rounding up the scattered passengers and forcing them to gather near the Captain's quarters.

"I know where." Calypso spoke up. "I can find the hostage." She would just have to hope her guess was right, because it seemed like their time for making mistakes had run out.

"Show us." The taller of the two spoke again, the apparent leader of the landing party. It jabbed the weapon at her threateningly and she could feel her heart thundering in her chest. Even though the Doctor had told her they didn't intend to kill them, it did nothing to calm her nerves. And judging from the state of the Doctor, getting stunned wasn't something to take lightly either.

"Hold on!" The Doctor shot up from the crate, a threatening look on his face. "You're not going anywhere without me-Gah!" He clenched his teeth as pain ripped through him and clutched Donna's shoulder to keep himself steady. Donna looked on the verge of toppling herself so Calypso went to help keep them both stable.

"It's alright." She reassured him. "You stay put, neither of you are in any condition to go wandering about. I'll find it." She promised.

"Are you serious?" He gaped at her. "They're dangerous right now. Hostile even. You can't just go running off alone-" He hissed again and his legs sagged beneath him. They helped lower him onto the crate. "Stings a bit worse than I remember." He groaned through gritted teeth.

The leader was prodding her with the gun again, implying it was time for her to move.

"Can you promise my safety?" She asked, turning to face the Silurian. Knowing the Doctor was just going to argue until he was blue in the face. Donna and the Doctor needed rest, and they needed medical attention. The sooner they sorted this out, the sooner they could get both. It regarded her carefully for a moment, considering her request.

"If you bring us the hostage, we can promise no harm will come to you. Or the crew." It added with a short nod. That, at least, was something. More than she had hoped for, actually.

"See?" She turned back to the Doctor, he was hunched over on the crate, holding his side. Donna had slid down to the ground once more and was peeling off her jacket, she was starting to look a bit queasy. "It's going to be fine."

"What happens if you don't find them?" He asked with a grim look.

"I think we'll all be in trouble then." She knew it was true, just as well as he did. She started to turn back to the Silurian, but the Doctor caught her hand.

"Calypso," He winced as the sudden movement sent more pain rippling through him, but he didn't look away. "I'm so sorry." His dark eyes pleaded with her as he held her hand tightly. "Whatever I've done. Truly, I apologize."

She was so startled, that for a moment, she could say nothing. "It's not-" She started, a frown on her face. There was no way to tell him, no way she could explain. But she didn't want him thinking he had wronged her somehow. "You haven't done anything," She said in a softer tone, shaking her head.

"Then what's wrong?" He asked her carefully. "I can help. Please, just tell me." His kindness just seemed to make it worse. She hated herself even more as she looked at him, seeing the plea in his eyes.

"I can't." She said hollowly. She couldn't face him anymore, couldn't bear to see the hurt that she had caused. "It's not you." She insisted, pulling her hand from his grip. And then she was being urged along by the leader again, ready to move.

"Alright," He said, nodding. "Be careful."

"I will." Calypso turned before she could change her mind, before she could tell him why he was better off not knowing.

"Good luck!" Donna shouted with false cheer as Calypso was swallowed up into the belly of the ship.