The town was dimly lit as the steeped out of the TARDIS. Rose quickly dodged the people that made their way towards her.
"When are we?" Martha asked timidly. Amazed at the sights around her. The Doctor suddenly grabbed Jack's collar and pulled him back quickly. Jack looked down at the contents of a bucket that he had nearly worn.
"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that."
"I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift at A&E." Martha told him suddenly.
"So when are we?" Rose whispered. "I've only just managed to get her back to sleep." Theta gently touched his daughter's head and found a small lump there. "She'll be okay." She warned him. "I banged my head lots of time when I was little."
"But I don't know anything about raising children." He admitted. "Everything that happens to her makes me worry."
"Don't worry. She'll be fine." She squeezed his hand tighter. "So when are we?"
"London, about 1599." He told them.
"You sure it's not Cardiff?" Rose joked. He glared at her.
"Is the Globe Theatre in Cardiff?" He asked. "It's right there! Besides Since when have I taken you to the wrong point in time?" He regretted his question as Rose smiled wickedly.
"1879, Alternate London, my home, 'the fourth great and bountiful human empire'…"
"That one wasn't quite my fault…" He began enjoying their banter. Jack decided to take the initiative.
"Miss Jones, would you like to accompany me to the theatre?"
"Of course, Captain Harkness." He smiled.
"Do you think Shakespeare will be there?" She asked excitedly.
"Shall we find out Miss Jones?" Jack and Martha began to walk off towards the globe. Rose laughed once the others were out of earshot.
"I think we've found a new way to get them to leave us alone." He told her. He held out his hand for her, she gratefully took it.
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"I've never heard of Love's Labour's Won." Martha told them as they walked away from the globe.
"Isn't that the lost play?" Rose asked. They all looked at her stunned. "I may never have done my A-Levels but I did my GCSE's." She told them. "Besides travelling with him you're bound to pick up things…usually weird things but occasionally something useful." The Doctor pulled an offended look.
"Anyway…" He said averting his eyes from his wife. "It's just a rumour, it's in lists of his plays but it never turns up."
"We could tape it." Martha told him.
"The TARDIS would wipe it before it was even copied." Jack told her regretfully.
"Good plan though." Rose told Martha, the Doctor looked at her. "Why didn't we ever think of that?"
"Not you too!"
"It was supposed to be a quick trip in the TARDIS, I didn't want to be here for too long with Tala…but I suppose we could stay here for a little longer."
"We should find somewhere to stay. It's getting late." Jack told him.
"Any ideas." Martha asked.
"There might be a pub somewhere." Jack looked down at his tracker/teleporter.
"You fixed it?" The Doctor accused. Jack turned beetroot red.
"Theta…" Rose warned.
"I broke it for a reason." He began. "That technology isn't safe, besides I don't want people being exposed to it." He sighed. "When we get back I am breaking it again and hiding it!" He told him.
"I found a pub, if it helps." Martha tried. Rose shook her head as the two men tried to stare each other out.
"Give them a minute." Rose mentally counted down. "Martha's found a pub." The men whirled round to face them they looked up and saw the pub in question. "The Elephant Inn – charming name." Rose muttered.
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The group walked into the pub. Almost the instant they walked in the Doctor darted off.
"Here he goes!" Jack warned. Rose simply sighed the sigh of the long suffering.
"Hello! Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I? Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"
"Oh no, no, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove…" Shakespeare trailed off seeing the women behind the Doctor. "Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me."
"Come on, lads. I think our William's found some new muses." The other occupants in the room quickly left.
"Sweet ladies." Rose and Martha cautiously sat at the table. Shakespeare hadn't noticed the bundle in Rose's arms yet. "Such unusual clothes. So…fitted."
"He's worse than me." Jack admitted. The Doctor quickly held up his physic paper.
"I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS, my wife," He stressed. "Dame Rose of the Powell Estate, Captain Jack Harkness and Miss Martha Jones."
"Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank."
"Oh, that's…very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius."
"No, it says so right there. It says so." Martha assured them.
"And I say it's blank."
"Psychic paper. Um, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch."
"Psychic. Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady?"
"What did you say?" Martha asked clearly offended, Rose didn't blame her.
"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric…"
"I can't believe I'm hearing this."
"It's political correctness gone mad. Um, Martha's from a far-off land. Freedonia. My wife is from the same place as well."
"Excuse me! Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed."
"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it 'round."
"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!"
"I can't."
"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled."
"It's all go, 'round here, isn't it?"
"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, Love's Labours Won will never be played."
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A scream made them all turn to face Rose who showed them a still sleeping Tala, the group then ran outside as quick as they could.
"It's that Lynley bloke."
"What's wrong with him? Leave it to me—I'm a doctor."
"So am I – near enough. Gotta get the heart going. Mr Lynley, c'mon, can you hear me? You're gonna be all right. What the hell is that?" She asked as water gushed from the man's throat.
"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water—he drowned and then…"
"It's like something stabbed him in the heart." Rose whispered.
"Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away."
"Yes, sir." A maid answered.
"Please tell me you're not going to get us captured?" Jack partly begged, giving him a pleading look.
"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft." He told them. Rose nodded seeing his point; she'd been travelling enough to know that some races worshipped them as Gods because of the TARDIS and the power of the Oncoming Storm and Bad Wolf.
"OK, what was it then?" Martha asked him.
"Witchcraft."
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"I got you a room, Sir Doctor and Dame Rose." The maid told them. "The Captain and Miss Jones are just across the landing."
"Poor Lynley. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where a woman can be a doctor?" Shakespeare told them.
"Where a woman can do anything they want." Rose told him sharply.
"And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?" The Doctor didn't think his eyes looked as old as they once did, especially around Rose.
"I do a lot of reading."
"I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, and I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours."
"All the world's a stage." Rose hit him on the arm.
"Hm, I might use that. Good night, Doctor."
"Nighty-night, Shakespeare."
"Come on Romeo!" Rose whispered as they entered the room. Rose gently lay Tala on the bed, before looking in the mirror and brushed her hair quickly. The Doctor pulled her onto his lap.
"Theta what's going on?"
"In this time there's a lot of superstition surrounding witchcraft and anything that appears magic in general." He told her.
"Witchcraft, you mean Merlin? Morgan Le Fay? Harry Potter stuff?" Rose asked.
"Correctamundo…" He grimaced. "I swore I'd never say that word again." At that moment the door opened and he did the only thing he could think of – kissed his wife. The maid at the door blushed red.
"Please excuse me for the interruption my Lord…I'll come back later." Rose laughed and slapped his shoulder, once the maid had left the room. "I've always wanted to do that." He laughed. A knock came at the door.
"That's Jack's knock." Rose muttered. "A maid doesn't knock but Jack does, talk about seeing some strange things. Come in Jack!" He entered quickly.
"Have you got a toothbrush Martha asked about one." The Doctor dug through his pockets before producing a toothbrush.
"Contains Venusian spearmint." Jack nodded and quickly left.
"This bed's only small."
"We'll manage. C'mon." He moved Tala gently before lying back. Rose lay down next to him and curled up into his side. Placing one hand on Tala. "There's such a thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that. No. There's something I'm missing." He sighed. "It'll come. Any ideas?"
"It's vaguely familiar. It's as if there's some technology that imitates witchcraft closely." She told him. "Sorry that's what you said isn't it."
"What forms of witchcraft are there on Earth?" He mumbled mostly to himself.
"Wicca, Black Magic, Voodoo, many cultures have magic in their past." Rose told him. "Egyptians used charms and name magic, but that was mainly in temples and places designed to harness magic. I saw it once on the history channel." She explained.
"Name magic." He whispered. "You might have something there, but why is it so important? Charms and locations were designed to enhance spells or to perform a function in general…" He trailed off as he noticed Rose's breathing even out. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Night love." He whispered, before joining her in a peaceful sleep that would soon be shattered by a scream piercing the air.
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The two halves of the group met in the hallway, crashing into each other suddenly. They struggled down the narrow corridor trying their best not to bump into each other as they ran. Soon they entered the room from where the scream originated. On the floor lay the sprawled body of the maid. Martha leaned over her and checked for a pulse, finding none she shook her head. Rose handed Jack Tala as she leaned closer to her husband.
"Her heart gave out, she died of fright." Theta told them. An awake Tala started to squirm in Jack's arms seemingly gesturing at something behind him, at first Jack ignored her, but when she started kicking more and more he finally turned round.
"Doc?" Jack called mesmerised by the night. The three walked towards him.
"What did you see?" He slowly turned round.
"I think…I think I just saw a witch."
"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Theta mumbled, quietly.
"What?" Rose asked as he stood like a deer caught in headlights.
"I might use that." Shakespeare said.
"You can't. It's someone else's." The Doctor whispered.
"But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, the maid died of fright and they were both connected to you." Martha told Shakespeare sternly.
"You're accusing me?"
"Of course not," Jack told him. "But I saw a witch, one that resembled the pictures that Rose decorated the TARDIS with last Hallowe'en."
"Peter Streete spoke of witches." Shakespeare told them, eyeing up Martha again. "Our builder. He sketched the plans to the Globe."
"The architect. Hold on. The architect! The architect! The Globe! Come on!"
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"The columns there, right? 14 sides. I've always wondered but I never asked…tell me, Will, why 14 sides?"
"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well."
"Why does that ring a bell? 14…"
"There are 14 lines in a sonnet." Martha told the Doctor.
"So there is. Good point. Words and shapes following the same design. 14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets…Oh, my head. Tetradecagon…think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!" He stopped pacing and turned to face Rose. "You said it earlier!" He pressed a grateful kiss to Rose's lips.
"I did?"
"Magic needs to be performed in certain places, with the right charms and words."
"This is just a theatre. " Shakespeare tried to explain.
"Oh, but a theatre's magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis a the right time…Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that…"
"You have power inside." Rose finished. "Just like the vortex, if you can control it you have power to do anything. Just like I could." The Doctor nodded.
"Peter Streete would know. Can I talk to him?"
"You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place…lost his mind. Started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled."
"Where is he now?"
"Bedlam."
"What's Bedlam?" Jack asked confused.
"Bedlam Hospital. The madhouse."
"We're gonna go there. Right now. Come on." The group began to follow.
"Wait! I'm coming with you. I want to witness this at first hand! Ralph, the last scene as promised. Copy it, hand it round. Learn it. Speak it. Back before curtain up. Remember, kid, project. Eyes and teeth. You never know—the Queen might turn up. As if. She never does."
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"So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?"
"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia."
"But you're clever! Do you honestly think this place is any good?"
"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose."
"Mad in what way?" Rose watched as she recognised a veil pass over the Doctor.
"You lost your son."
"My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there."
"I didn't know. I'm sorry."
"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be…Oh, that's quite good."
"Peter? Peter Streete?" The Doctor asked as he approached the man the guards had just brought in. "Peter, I'm the Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go. Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."
"Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! The 14 walls—always 14. When the work was done they sapped poor Peter's wits." Peter spoke.
"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city? Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?"
"All Hallows Street." Rose jumped as something materialised next to Jack, she could only describe it as a stereotypical witch.
"Too many words. Just one touch of the heart." The thing touched Peter's chest.
"Noooo!!" Rose, Jack and the Doctor screamed at the same time, as Peter screamed his last.
"Please tell me everyone else can see that witch?" Jack pleaded.
"Who would be next, hmm? Just one touch. Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals. Who will die first, hmm?"
"Well, if you're looking for volunteers." The Doctor began.
"You dare…" Rose began.
'Rose I have so much to live for, I know what I'm doing.' He whispered gently into her mind.
'Be careful.'
"No mortal has power over me."
"Well there's your mistake then, I'm not exactly mortal. But there's a power in words as my wife says. If I can find the right one—if I can just know you…"
"None on Earth has knowledge of us."
"Then it's a good thing I'm here. Now think, think, think… Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy…ah, 14! That's it! 14! The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration! Creature, I name you Carrionite!" The creature screamed and disappeared.
"Doctor, what did you do?" Jack asked, completely puzzled.
"I named her. The power of a name. That's old magic, as Rose said earlier when we were talking about Earth magic."
"You always say there's no such thing as magic." Jack accused.
"Well, it's just a different sort of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead."
"Use them for what?"
"The end of the world."
"How come everything we meet means 'the end of the world'? Daleks, Bad Wolf, Oncoming Storm, Cybermen?" Rose asked. "It's a bit of a cliché isn't it? Can't it be the end of the universe of something else for once?"
"Getting bored?" Jack muttered.
"Never!" Rose smiled.
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"The Carrionites are things of legend. No one knew much about them." Jack told the Doctor.
"You also thought the Daleks and Time Lords were things of legend." The Doctor pointed out. "You lot, if you can't remember something you just pass it off as a load of made up nonsense, no wonder you keep getting attacked – you don't know anything about your attackers of what to do! Just because you dismiss something it doesn't mean its not there."
"What do they want?" Rose asked. "Same as usual? A New Empire?"
"I knew there was a reason I married you."
"You mean besides the fact I own fruity shampoo?" She asked cheekily.
"Yeah, besides that." He replied. "You Rose Sigma are fantastic." He leaned in closer; Rose lifted her head a little higher.
"Sorry to break the moment Doc, but how are they going to create a new empire?"
"Will was working on the play last night wasn't he, when we barged into the room?" The Doctor turned to face Rose, who had an innocent smile on her face.
"Rose I don't barge, I just enter unannounced! Anyway…what happens on the last page?"
"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought provoking as usual—except those last few lines. Funny thing is…I don't actually remember writing them."
"That's it. They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. Love's Labours Won—it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter!" He grabbed Jack's arm and looked at the device on his wrist. "All Hallows Street. There it is. Rose, we'll track them down. Will, Jack, Martha, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!"
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"Which house do we want? They all look alike!" Rose cried. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He shook it.
"There's nothing to detect!" He started spinning trying to work out which house to enter. "Which one?" He started to pull at his hair.
"That one!" Rose cried.
"Why?"
"Well, the door opened by itself for one…" She trailed off as he strode towards the house, sighing she followed.
"I take it we were expected." He mumbled as they entered the house.
"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time." The Carrionite in the room cooed. Rose pointed a finger at the woman, before she said anything the Doctor shook his head. "The power of a name works only once. Observe." She pointed at Rose, pausing as if at a loss for words. Rose looked at the woman as if daring her to continue.
"You shouldn't have tried that." The Doctor's tone grew dangerous. "It won't work."
"There is no name for you, Sir Doctor. But your wife has a name but it is hid so well, I can only make out universal names."
"The naming won't work on us." He told her sternly. "The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?"
"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness."
"And how did you escape?"
"New words. New and glittering from a mind like no other."
"Shakespeare."
"His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."
"How many of you are there?" Rose asked.
"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic."
"Hmm…busy schedule…but first you gotta get past us."
"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape." Rose looked as Theta didn't bristle, just stood his ground, but she could feel his disgust in her head.
"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me." Rose cautiously walked up to him.
"Oh, we'll see." The Carrionite yanked out a lock of hair
"What did you do?"
"Souvenir."
"Well, give it back!" The Carrionite lifted her arms, behind her the window flew open and she began to fly out. "Well, that's just cheating." Suddenly the window closed and she hit it hard. He turned to look at Rose who balanced Tala and a broom in her arms.
"Grab the hair! That's something I never thought I'd say." He dove towards the woman and grabbed the hair from her hand and tucked it safely in his pocket. He grinned manically at her as the woman fled the room quickly.
"What would I do without you Rose?" He asked. "The Globe! Come on!"
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"I see your navigation hasn't improved." Rose gasped as they reached the Globe meeting Martha and Jack outside.
"What took so long?" Jack asked. "It's not like we have anything pressing to deal with!"
"He went the wrong way!" Rose moaned. A loud bang made them look into the air; energy seemed to pour from the Globe.
"Stage door!" The Doctor cried as storm clouds began to appear above the Globe. "Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said, 'Stop the play'!" He yelled at Martha and Jack accusingly.
"Is now really the best time to start that?" Jack yelled back. The group broke through onto the stage. The Doctor grabbed Shakespeare.
"Come on, Will! History needs you!"
"But what can I do?"
"Reverse it!" Rose cried.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!"
"But what words? I have none ready!"
"You're William Shakespeare!"
"But these Carrionite phrases, the need such precision!"
"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm—words that last forever! That's what you do, Will! You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!"
"Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not! Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show! Between the points…"
"7-6-1-3-9-0!" The Doctor told him quickly.
"7-6-1-3-9-0! And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee…" Shakespeare thought, Rose looked at him as did Jack and the Doctor trying to think of something to say.
"Expelliarmus!" Martha cried suddenly.
The three shrugged and chanted. "Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Good old JK!" The Doctor yelled as the Carrionite were sucked into the air along with the play. "Love's Labours Won. There it goes." Jack ran to the box that the Carrionite had occupied, finding the globe they were trapped in he tossed it to the Doctor.
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The group gathered around the stage to say goodbye, the Doctor was getting fidgety remaining in Elizabethan England.
"It's time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot can scream for all eternity and I've gotta take Martha back to Freedonia."
"You mean travel on through time and space." They didn't register what Shakespeare had said immediately but when it did a pin could've dropped.
"You what?"
"You're from another world like the Carrionites, as is your wife and the Captain, and Martha is from the future. It's not hard to work out."
"That's…incredible. You are incredible." The Doctor stammered.
"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate…"
"Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up! We're the talk of the town. She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again."
"Who?" Jack asked cautiously, worried about the answer.
"Her Majesty! She's here!"
"Queen Elizabeth I!" The Doctor cried excited. Rose smiled and prepared to curtsy.
"Captain Harkness!!" The Queen cried.
"What?" Doctor asked turning to Jack.
"My sworn enemy!"
"What did you do Jack?" Rose asked this time.
"Off with his head!"
"What?" The married couple asked again.
"Never mind "what", just run! See you, Will! And thanks!" Martha yelled, as they all began to run.
"Stop that pernicious Captain!"
"Stop in the name of the Queen!" The guards yelled hot on their heels.
"What have you done to upset her?!" Martha asked Jack as they halted suddenly, the Doctor fiddling with his key trying in vain to open the TARDIS door.
"A business venture went wrong."
"You tried to con her?!" The Doctor yelled.
"I wouldn't say con exactly…" The rest of his explanation disappeared as the TARDIS door closed and the ship began to dematerialise.
TBC