A/N: Yoooo. If you got an alert for two updates, that's a lie. I am editing some earlier chapters, and I've just split one chapter into two. So I had to add that as a new chapter. But it's really just an updated old chapter. But lucky you! There is an actual update. There just aren't two. Sorry beans.
-1926-
-Eddison Manor-
"Maiden!" She heard the Doctor shout as she approached the door. It was open just a crack and she could see they were stooped over a small scrap of paper. The interviews had all been conducted and everyone was taking drinks in the parlor in an effort to calm their nerves. Lady Eddison in particular, was anxious to hear the results, and so she had asked Calypso to see if the Doctor and Agatha had come to any conclusion.
"We're still no further forward." Agatha said, sounding defeated. "Our nemesis remains at large. Unless Miss Noble's found something."
That was all the answer she really needed, but she hated to have come by it from eavesdropping, so she knocked on the door before she opened it further.
"Yes, what is it?" Agatha looked up as Calypso pushed her head through the doorway.
"Sorry to interrupt. The guests are wondering if you've discovered the murderer yet."
"No," the Doctor said absently, and then his head shot up with an idea. "No. In fact, because we've not gathered all the evidence. I haven't finished interviewing the suspects." He locked eyes with Calypso and she realized quite suddenly who he meant.
"Come now, Doctor. You don't really mean to have us interview each other." Agatha scoffed at the idea.
"No, that's not likely. You're not the violent sort, and frankly, I just don't have the time. But," he stuffed his hands into his pockets and nodded toward Calypso. "I'm afraid we've both overlooked your assistant."
Agatha gave a short laugh. "Right you are. I suppose it would look strange to skip her entirely. Very well, Callie, why don't you come have a seat." She gestured for Calypso to come make herself comfortable on the leather chair in the center of the room. The Doctor dropped himself casually onto the couch and Agatha took a seat next to him. "Now, Calypso. This is largely cursory, so please don't worry yourself." Agatha reassured her with a smile. Calypso couldn't explain that it wasn't the implication that she was a murderer that was making her nervous, so much as it was her close proximity to the Doctor.
"But," the Doctor interrupted Agatha as she started to speak. "As she is your assistant. It might be a bit peculiar for you to be here for the interview. Might be best if I conducted this one alone, Mrs. Christie."
Now Calypso was genuinely concerned.
"Well-" Agatha made a skeptical face. "You don't really believe my secretary had anything to with this? She's been by my side all afternoon."
"Was she?" The Doctor scratched the side of his face thoughtfully. It was just a casual gesture, but Calypso recognized it as where she had slapped him. "She's been by your side every single moment?"
"I-" Agatha shook her head to argue, but realized that there had been times when she hadn't known Calypso's whereabouts. "Well I suppose I can't account for her every moment, but I can assure you-"
"Mrs. Christie, don't fret. I don't suspect your secretary of any wrong doing. But there's a houseful of frightened people who might think it deeply suspicious if you had a hand in the interrogation. It could look a bit unbalanced to the rest of them."
"I suppose you make a valid point," Agatha admitted.
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind," Calypso said quickly. "After all, I'm only her secretary. It's not as though Mrs. Christie would unfairly judge me."
"Callie, you have my utmost confidence. But the Doctor is correct, the people out there are skittish and afraid. Give them any excuse and they will turn on each other. I trust his judgment, and I think you should too."
Part of her wanted to argue, part of her knew that she could convince Agatha not to leave her in the room alone with him. But then at the very least she would become suspicious of the Doctor, which would make the job of finding the actual murderer more difficult. She had been the one to start the confrontation, she would have to face the consequences now, as much as she'd like not to. "Of course," she nodded.
"Let me know when you've finished. I'll see if Miss Noble has come up with any results." Agatha said, and with a short nod, she left the room.
The Doctor watched her go, and then he leaned over his knees, his eyes searching Calypso's face unnervingly. "So, am I correct in assuming you did not murder the Professor?" Calypso fixed him with a glare.
The Doctor jumped up to his feet, pacing the room. "So you did kill him? Well, that's a bit of a surprise, I have to admit." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, a silly smile lingering on his lips. He was desperately trying to lighten the mood, and really she wanted nothing more than for him to succeed, but she couldn't quite return the smile.
Calypso shifted uncomfortably in her chair, she knew her anger had been misplaced. But it didn't mean she could immediately forgive him, even if it wasn't the same man. "I'm sorry," she kept her eyes focused on the floor. "I just- I'm not quite ready." She didn't know if that would make any sense, but when she risked a glance up, she saw his smile had faded.
"That's alright. How many has it been?" He asked softly as he looked into the empty fireplace. "Meetings." He clarified.
"This will be fourteen." She didn't recall the Doctor asking last time, which made the possibility of it being his last even more likely. Maybe he had even known.
"Ah," he looked at her again, a hesitant smile on his face. "You're only a bit ahead of me this time." He held up a strand of pearls for her to inspect. "Eleven. You were…quite a bit further the last time we got on." They lapsed into silence again as he stuffed the strand back into his pocket. "I presume I deserved it?"
"Not yet," she finally admitted, suddenly ashamed. "But you will."
"Right you are," he said with a miserable smile. "I am sorry, you know. For whatever it was I did, for what I'm going to do. I promise you, I'd never mean to hurt you-"
"But you did," the words rang sharply. She knew it wasn't him she should be angry with, but that didn't mean he couldn't be held accountable. He was the same man, if not the same age. He was still just as capable of those actions. Even telling him now changed nothing, he was still going to do those things, in the future. He had to see how wrong that was. How it cut her.
"You sent me away." She could feel the lump in her throat forming, but she refused to let it silence her. "I told you that I wanted to help you, and you still sent me away. Even worse, you tricked me into leaving."
The Doctor looked stung, but resolved. "Calypso, I didn't send you away because I wanted to. I did it for your own protection-"
"I don't need your protection. I'm not some doll that you need to put in a case. I'm a person, with my own feelings and choices. And you lied to me. You lied to me and you might be dead-" Her voice caught in her throat, she had stood up at some point, unable to contain herself.
"Calypso…" he stepped closer, anxious to hold her, to stop whatever hurt he had caused her, but she held her arms out, warding him off. If she let him now, she'd break down entirely.
"You thought you were going to die, so you sent me away. But I wanted to stay. If I had a choice, I would always stay." She breathed slowly, fighting against her emotions, but knowing she was losing. She couldn't begin to tell him how desperately she wanted to stay. "But I can't, I only meet you by happenstance, and so rarely. For you to just willingly push me away… If I knew they were my last moments, I'd want to spend them with you. I just can't- I can't understand why-" A sob caught in her throat and she blinked furiously, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. "It might have been my last chance to-" she shook her head, a miserable smile choking off the last of her words. He might be gone, forever. And she'd never told him how she felt. Her face crumpled as another sob overtook her, she covered her face and turned from the Doctor, trying to hide the tears that fell freely.
"No, no, don't do that." The Doctor closed the distance between them, wrapping her in his arms before she could protest. "Calypso, I'm so so sorry." He murmured softly in her ear as he stroked her hair. She knew now she hadn't been really been angry, she was terrified. Terrified that she'd just seen the last of her Doctor. "I'm sorry," he whispered over and over as he rocked her gently. She nodded, her face buried into his shoulder as she felt the hurt wash over her. The words helped sooth the pain, he helped unburden her fears. But it didn't erase what had happened.
"Listen," he said, when her shoulders had finally stopped shaking. "I don't know the circumstances, so I can't be completely certain of my reasoning. But if things were so bad, that I thought they would be my last moments, I'd still send you away."
She pulled back, the anger quickly replacing what was last of her sorrow. She didn't want him to say that. She wanted him to promise her he'd never do it again, even though she knew at some point he would only break that promise.
"Not because I wouldn't want to be with you," he said quickly, noting the change in her demeanor. "But because I wouldn't want them to be your last moments as well. Not ever. And I'd certainly not want them to be your last if I knew I could have done something to change that."
"But that's just it," she shook her head. Her eyes were no doubt red and puffy, but he didn't look aghast so much as wretched that he'd been the one to cause it. "They probably wouldn't have been my last. I always jump when things get bad. It's part of what I am."
"How can I rely on that? Calypso, you're important to me. So so important. I wouldn't take that chance. I don't know what causes you to jump. The Tardis, stimulated nerve endings, a random blip in the universe? I have no idea what it is. So I don't know you'll always be safe. I know I made the right call, because however things ended, and however cross you are with me, and rightly so, you're here. With me. So I wouldn't change what I did. Not for anything."
The way he looked at her made it impossible to doubt him, not for a second. Whatever his reasons, it had nothing to do with who or what she was, or whether he trusted her. He was afraid to lose her, just like she was afraid to lose him. "I didn't get to say goodbye." That still clawed at her, a crushing weight of regret over her heart when she thought she might never see him again.
"Oh," he said with a sad smile. "I'm rubbish at goodbyes. Ask anyone." He squeezed her tighter. "I'm sorry I was a right git. Truly, I am."
"I know, I'm sorry I hit you." She had acted like a cruel and petulant child, lashing out when she might have just told him why she was upset.
He laughed at that, and kissed the top of her head. "Don't be, I look forward to many more stern scoldings from you, Miss Calypso. I have it on good authority that you'll be seeing me for a bit longer. A little bird told me you'll collect at least twenty-one of those beads before you swear off time lords entirely."
"That little bird seems to think I've got more patience for your kind than I actually do," she said, a genuine smile curling her lips. It was a relief to know he'd seen her future self, and that she'd have plenty more visits to go. But not an infinite number, a cold voice reminded her.
"Birds always bring hope. That's why I'm so fond of them." His hand slid to her cheek, gently brushing away the last of her tears with his thumb. "And you."
She melted under that gaze of his, struggling to get her racing heart under control. "Did you just call me a bird?" She asked as he leaned forward, unable to resist teasing him once more.
"Well, I suppose that depends." He said with a grin, his lips just barely touching her own. "What answer is likely to get me in the least amount of trouble-"
They were interrupted by Donna's shrill screams echoing down the hall. They both froze, the mood effectively doused by a sudden fear that Donna was in real trouble.
"Then again, I always seem to have more than my fair share." His arms slid down her shoulders but he clasped her hand and pulled her toward the door, racing down the hall to find Donna. "Come on!"
"Doctor!" Donna continued to shout from upstairs, which meant at the very least, she was still alive. Agatha joined them on the stairs, also desperate to reach Donna in time.
"It's a giant wasp!" Donna had her back pressed against the wall, shaking, but otherwise unharmed.
They were all taken aback, expecting to hear some clue about their murderer. "What d'you mean, a giant wasp?" The Doctor asked.
"I mean," Donna rolled her eyes as she enunciated her words. "A wasp, that's giant."
"It's only a silly little insect." Agatha chided her. Donna had gathered herself, and was not amused by the scorn in Agatha's voice.
"When I say giant," Donna narrowed her eyes in Agatha's direction. "I don't mean big, I mean flippin' enormous!" She threw her hands wide and pointed to the door behind her. "Look at its sting!"
Calypso saw it immediately, an enormous black piece of something indistinguishable had managed to pierce through the solid wood door. It did look like a giant stinger, or fang, which did little to comfort her.
The Doctor was the first to move, "Let me see." He opened the door to investigate the room, but shook his head. "It's gone. Buzzed off."
"But that's fascinating…" Agatha said as she crouched near the door, her hand reaching to inspect the alien thing. Calypso was still frozen in place, having no desire to get any closer to it.
"D-Don't touch it! Don't touch it! Let me…" the Doctor produced a small glass tube from his pocket and gathered up some of the slime that was still oozing from the stinger. "Giant wasp…" he said thoughtfully to himself. "Well, tons of amorphous insectivorous life forms, but none in this galactic vector."
"I think I understood some of those words. Enough to know that you're completely potty." Agatha said, shaking her head. Calypso had only understood some of them herself, but she knew he was completely potty. Though it didn't seem like sharing that with her would help their situation.
"Lost its sting though, that makes it defenseless." Donna said with a shrug, as though that somehow improved their odds of surviving a giant wasp attack.
"Oh, creature this size, got to be able to grow a new one." The Doctor said, tapping the glass tube against his finger. Calypso found that the more they spoke, the less safe she felt.
"Can we return to sanity? There are no such things as giant wasps!" Agatha looked to Calypso for support, but Calypso could only offer a questionable shrug. She had herself, seen stranger things.
"Exactly," said the Doctor as he turned to face them. "So, question is, what's it doing here?"
