Chapter Thirteen
The Doctor groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
"Note to self," he said. "Next time you try to use your sonic screwdriver on a vampire, throw a bag of garlic in his face first."
He winced at his throbbing head and tried to raise his hand to rub the back of his head. He sighed when he couldn't and looked down to see that he was tied up and sitting on the floor of the basement. He looked down at the rope tied around his legs and ankles.
"Wonderful," he said.
He looked around and noticed Rose was sitting by herself on top of Ian's coffin. She had a flowing white gown on and was staring at the wall impassively.
"Rose. Rose!"
He got no response from her.
"Bollocks!"
He glanced all around hoping to see his sonic screwdriver and let out a curse when he couldn't find it. Gritting his teeth, he tried to pull his legs apart hoping that the ropes were old enough that he could snap them. He let out a frustrated sigh when they held fast.
"Okay, Doctor, time to use the old noggin," he said. "You're tied up in a rotting basement without your sonic screwdriver and Rose is in a trance. What do you do?"
He stared at Rose while he tried to formulate a plot. He had no idea where Ian had gone, but he was sure he wouldn't be absent for long. He took a breath and began to talk to himself.
"Let's see…what are my options right now?" he said. "Rose is under his spell and so far she hasn't been able to break free like she did earlier, so I'm betting the closer in proximity she is to him, the stronger the hold. If I can get her away from him, maybe she would have the strength to fight."
He stared down at the ropes binding his legs.
"Of course, I have to get these buggers off of me first. No sonic screwdriver to burn through them, and Rose isn't any help so what to do?"
He butted his head back against the wall gently.
"Think, think, think. Come on, Doctor. You don't want to end up a vampire, do you?"
He paused, and his eyes widened as he suddenly thought of something.
"Wait a moment," he said. "Why didn't I think of it before? That's exactly what I'll do! I'll become a vampire and beat Ian at his own game."
He looked at Rose.
"Rose! There's hope for us yet!"
She made no response.
"Rose, I know some part of you can still hear and understand me. Just hold on and have faith in your Doctor. I'll get us out of this, I promise."
She said nothing, but deep down inside the Doctor knew she understood him, and he took comfort in that.
He jerked his head up towards the top of the stairs when he heard a woman's shrill scream echoing down to him. He gritted his teeth and stared at Ian, enraged, when he saw him coming down the stairs dragging a screaming woman with him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I needed to feed before we started the ritual, and I brought along a meal for you," he said. "I figure after this is all over, you'll be hungry."
The Doctor fought to restrain himself while he looked into the terrified woman's eyes. It wasn't bad enough that he and Rose were caught up in all this, now he had to pull an innocent woman into it with them.
"Let her go, Ian," he said. "We don't need her!"
"On the contrary, you'll want her after your conversion. You see, Rose is going to go first and after she's converted, I will let her drain you before I convert you and by the time you wake up, you'll be feeling awfully peckish, Doctor, trust me."
He sighed and rolled his eyes, as the woman screamed at him and tried to wiggle out of his grasp.
"I'm not putting up with this in the meantime," he said.
The Doctor's stared at him in horror when he saw Ian picked the woman up and throw her against the basement wall.
"No!"
He yelled when the woman let out a grunt and fell like a stone to the basement floor.
"There, that's better," Ian, said. "Less noise in here now."
The Doctor looked the woman over, as she lay unconscious beside him. Satisfied that she was still alive, he turned his attention back to Ian who was slowly walking towards Rose. He stroked her cheek.
"I see my bride has been behaving herself while I was gone," he said." Good. I would have hated to punish her again. It's a shame to see such a beautiful creature writhing in pain."
He smiled at the Doctor who was staring at him, enraged. Ignoring the look of death he was giving him, Ian turned back to Rose.
"Stand."
Rose stood up. She made no movement while Ian ran his hand through her hair.
"She's such a lovely vision in this frock, don't you think, Doctor?" he said. "I picked it out just for her. I knew she would look gorgeous in it."
He glanced over at the Doctor.
"I didn't pick out anything for you, because I actually like your choice of outfit," he said. "You look handsome in that suit and trench coat."
His eyes filled with lust.
"You'll look far handsomer without it on though, I'm sure."
Ignoring the Doctor's loud snort, he turned his attention back to Rose. He smiled and ran his hand down her cheek.
"Almost two centuries, Doctor," he said. "That's how long I've been alone, and in all that time I've hungered for someone to share my lonely nights with."
He glanced at the Doctor.
"Ah, but you, Doctor, you've been alone for far longer, haven't you?"
He nodded to himself when the Doctor said nothing and turned his attention back to Rose.
"Yes, you know what it's like to be alone. To spend all your life searching for that special someone who will make your life complete."
He smiled and ran his finger down Rose's jugular vein.
"And you finally found someone, didn't you, Doctor? A beautiful, little girl that fell in love with you and brought meaning to your empty existence. Suddenly, there she was shining a bright light into the darkness of your soul and even though you knew it was foolish you fell head over heels in love with her, and she became your everything."
He glanced back at the Doctor.
"Didn't she? She is your sweet, innocent angel. A selfless little saint who took a damaged, beaten, broken-down alien and restored him."
He looked back at Rose.
"Shame that such a lovely creature has a very limited time on this Earth though. It must make you ache inside, Doctor, to know that one day her life will end, and all the color and warmth will fade from this soft, milky white, skin. And then this little goddess, who loves you so completely, will be laid in the cold, hard ground where her beauty will be hidden and slowly rot away."
He glanced back around and saw the anguish in the Doctor's eyes, as he stared at Rose.
"Yes, Doctor, it will be painful when that day finally does come," Ian said. "The day when you hold Rose in your arms and she breathes her last breath will be the day your world ends, won't it? Because that's what she is now. Your whole world."
He looked back at Rose and stroked her side.
"I wonder Doctor, will you be able to keep her with you until the very end, or will you let her go as you did all the others to avoid the pain of seeing your true love wither and die in front of your eyes?"
He stayed silent for a moment and stared at Rose.
"I can help you, Doctor," he said. "I can give your beloved angel immortality. I can stop death in its tracks and keep her forever young."
He looked at him and smiled.
"That is my gift to you, Doctor. Because I sense a kindred spirit. A lonely wanderer who longs for someone to shares his adventures with him for all eternity. That is what I will give to you after tonight. Your beloved will never die. She will never age and you and she can be together forever."
"As your slaves."
Ian sighed.
"No, Doctor, not as my slaves. If I wanted you to be my slaves, I wouldn't convert you. I would simply hypnotize you into mindless zombies. We do not choose just anyone to become immortal, Doctor. Only the best and the beautiful are given that precious gift. That is why you are here along with Rose. Originally, I was going to have her kill you and that would be that. But once I saw you and saw into Rose's memories, I realized how unique you are and how much of a credit you would be to the immortal race."
"What if I don't want your "gift?"" the Doctor said "What if I'm happy with Rose being just the way she is?"
"You want her to grow old and die?"
"Yes! I want her to grow old and die! You're right about everything, Ian. Rose is my life, my angel and my hearts will break into the day she dies. But, I'd rather she did die than live forever as a bloodsucking monster preying off innocent people!"
Ian's face twisted in rage, as he walked over to the Doctor.
"Is that what you see when you look at me, Doctor? A monster? If I am a monster, than what does that make you? You destroyed your own people, your own planet. That's more than I've ever done."
"Damn you for saying that."
"Well? It's the truth, Doctor. You're as much a murderer as I am. More so, since you've killed far more people than me. I and other immortals take what we need to exist, Doctor, no more, no less. We don't kill just for the fun of it."
"I don't either."
Ian stared at him.
"No, you don't. You're right, Doctor. You kill only when you need to, just as I do. I'm sorry for saying what I did, but I get so tired of mortals negative perception of my kind. We are not monsters, Doctor. We are living beings and deserve our place in the universe just as much as you and Rose do."
"Then let Rose and I exist in our place in the universe," the Doctor said. "We don't want to be vampires. We don't want this so called gift of yours. Go find someone who is willing and convert them. Let us go."
Ian ran his finger down his cheek.
"I'm sorry, Doctor, I can't do that. Just like you, I have searched all my undead life for the right person or persons to share my life with and now that I've found them I won't let them go. Believe me, everyone is fearful of the change, but once they become immortal and see what it's truly like, they quickly change their minds. You and Rose will be no different."
"Then, if there is no choice for us. I have one last request," the Doctor said.
"Yes, Doctor."
The Doctor looked into his eyes.
"Let me go first."