"Out! Out! Out!"
The men at Rory's stag party shouted, howling and cheering as the cake with the stripper was being pushed in. Rory was pushed towards the front of the crowd, anxiously waiting for the 'grand surprise'.
But nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to see.
The Doctor popped out of the top of the cake, looking around a moment, before spotting Rory at the front. The men fell quiet, just knowing this was not the stripper, for one, he was far too clothed and obviously, a man.
"Rory!" he smiled, seeing him.
"Doctor!" A woman - Evy, Rory guessed - shouted as she ran into the room from a side door, moving in front of the Doctor as he stared at her in surprise.
"How- How did you get in here?"
"There was a door," she stated, putting her hands on her hips. "I thought it might be better than being the stripper at my brother-in-law's stag."
"That reminds me," the Doctor nodded, "There's a girl outside in a bikini. Could someone let her in, give her a jumper? Lucy. Lovely girl. Diabetic," he whispered before turning to Rory specifically.
"Now, then, Rory, we need to talk about your fiancé."
Rory's face lit up upon hearing about Amy. He smiled and briefly pointed to Amy's picture on his shirt. Fiancé. He liked that.
"She tried to kiss me."
Everyone gasped.
"Tell you what, though, you're a lucky man. She's a great kisser."
There was a loud crash as someone in the crowd dropped their glass. Evy brought a hand up to her face, sighing loudly.
She took the time to recall the events of the previous night. That's right. Amy snogged the Doctor. He just had to kiss someone, didn't he? And...it wasn't me... No, wait what?! When did I... She drifted off, deciding not to dwell on the thought as she continued to look at the scene before her.
The Doctor frowned nervously. "Funny how you can say something in your head and it soundsfine..."
"I-I don't... I don't understand." Rory said, and Evy placed a hand on his shoulder, making him turn to her with wide eyes as she grinned sickeningly sweet.
"It's okay, Rory. I'm sure the Doctor will explain why he went off gallivanting with your fiancée the night before your wedding, and then snog her when she's getting married in the morning," she turned her smile into a scowl as she glared at the Doctor; who was now shrinking back in fear.
"Isn't that right, Doctor?"
"R-Right! Yes- No! Of course I can explain why that happened and why she—she kissed me," he said, emphasizing who exactly kissed who.
But it seemed that Evy hardly cared though, and she stalked forward. "Oh, and one more thing."
"Yes?" He questioned, voice pitched a little high as he eyed her cautiously.
"I don't appreciate it," she snapped, before swiftly punching him in the face and knocking him back into the cake before she let out a huff and smiled at Rory.
"Nice to see you again, Rory. Come along. Your fiancée has a lot of explaining to do."
"B-But the Doctor—"
" – Will join us, as soon as he knows where his loyalties stand," Evy said in a calm but direct tone. She wasn't too upset, just trying to teach him a lesson like the mom she was.
She grabbed Rory's wrist and pulled him along, not even sparing the Doctor a glance. She entered into the TARDIS parked around the corner with Rory, closing the doors behind them.
~x~
Ten minutes later, Amy had finally coerced Evy into a blue and green striped polo, ripped skinny jeans that clung onto her model-like physique, and a pair of brown riding boots with a bit of heel.
"Are you sure this is all you've got?" Evy sighed, feeling practically naked without her leather jacket.
Amy rolled her eyes. "You're the one asking for clothes. What wrong with mine? I think you look amazing."
Looking over herself in the mirror, Evy could say she looked pretty good, but...it just wasn't her style. Her eyes were sparkling, looking more honey brown than chocolate brown and her legs seemed never-ending.
She originally wanted to wear her usual outfit, but she opened her closet realizing the TARDIS only had 4 pairs of her everyday clothes, which she had already used up for the previous adventures.
Now, her sister shoves her in a pair of skinny jeans, saying that Evy's legs were an absolute godsend. And, of course, she was right.
Amy had also changed and went to stand beside Evy in front of the mirror. She had to say, Amy looked beautiful. Rory was a very lucky man.
"They won't know what hit them!" Amy joked.
Although, Evy wasn't to find of the idea. "After Venice, I'm going home to get a new pair of clothes. And... a leather jacket."
But Amy simply rolled her eyes, hoping her sister would someday wear different colors and variety of clothes other than... well... black and leather. She would die happily once she'd see Evy in a pair of shorts.
"Come on!" she cried, dragging Evy out of the room. "Let's see our boys."
~x~
The Doctor had already joined Rory by the time they got to the console room. Glancing over, Evy noticed that Doctor held an ice pack onto his cheek due to the blow earlier, though it was unnecessary due to his Time Lord healing abilities.
She then turned to her sister, who seemed slightly nervous. Seeing Amy hesitate, Evy pushed her into the room. This made the men look up. Rory's face brightened when he saw her but quickly dimmed, remembering what the Doctor had told him about Amy kissing him.
The Doctor, meanwhile, was still looking up at the door, as though expecting something or someone else. Amy watched him the whole time, purposely not looking at Rory since she still felt a little weird about having him here, taking in the slightly disappointed expression on the Doctor's face when Evy didn't immediately show up.
This only confirmed her suspicions about the Doctor being attracted to Evy in ways that others couldn't imagine. But whether Evy felt the same way, she had no clue. That woman was always as dense as a stone.
As soon as the Doctor turned and went down the steps leading under the console, Evy came in. She really did look good, almost radiant, as she descended the steps. Her legs seemed never-ending in those skinny jeans and knee-high boots.
And no one, not even Evy, could miss the way the Doctor's head banged against the glass in shock when he caught sight of her through the glass floor.
Once she spotted Rory, Evy came up to him and cocked an eyebrow.
"So? What did everyone think about the little surprise at the stag?"
Rory shifted. "Not much," he said evasively. "Mostly everyone was a little disappointed with the cake though."
Evy nodded and cast a look down at the Doctor. "Those idiots were probably half-expecting me to pop out," she snidely remarked.
From underneath them, there was another bang against the glass. The Doctor, no doubt.
"Probably," Rory admitted. It was no secret that all the single males of Leadworth thought that Evy was the hottest girl next to Amy to ever grace the town. Except, well... no one dared to go near a female police officer. Most especially if it was Evy.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, everyone feeling that awkwardness that comes when couples have a disagreement or a falling out. It was hard to classify Amy and Rory's current debacle, but it was awkward nevertheless.
Therefore, Evy was almost grateful when the Doctor suddenly started up, blabbering on about love and whatnot, even though she suspected most of it was nonsense.
"…the life out there, it dazzles!" he was saying as he welded something. "I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans."
At that moment, there was a slight explosion from where he was working, causing Rory to jump.
"Oh!" the Doctor exclaimed before glowering at the origin of the spark. "It's meant to do that!"
Is not, Evy thought, rolling her eyes, but the Doctor was talking again so she tuned back in immediately.
"Because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back… it will tear you apart."
He looked up at them triumphantly through the glass. "So, I'm sending you somewhere, together."
"Whoa!" Amy stepped forward, clearly nervous. "What, like a date?"
"Anywhere you want. Any time you want," the Doctor assured him as he leapt out of his harness and came up to the console. "One condition. It has to be amazing."
"The Moulin Rouge in 1890," Evy suggested, pressing a few buttons on the console.
"The first Olympic Games!" the Doctor jumped in, "Think of it as a wedding present, because it's either this or game tokens."
However, neither Amy nor Rory would comment. Of course, this was probably because Rory was still looking around the TARDIS in disbelief, something that was bound to be expected when encountering such a thing as a bigger on the inside ship.
The Doctor noticed Rory's stunned expression and as he walked up the stairs. He smirked and called over his shoulder,
"It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."
"It's another dimension," Rory revealed.
"It's basically another dimen-," The Doctor's voice cut off and he turned to stare at Rory in shock. "What?"
Rory sighed. "Oh, believe me, once you become Evy Pond's friend, you'll get used to it. That woman reads us books on the latest scientific theories, FTL travel, parallel universes as a bedtime story."
"Oi! At least it was more logical than stupid magic beans," Evy protested and Amy stifled a laugh.
The Doctor descended the stairs and stepped closer to Rory, his expression expressing both disappointment and slight anger.
"I like the bit when someone says 'It's bigger on the inside!' I always look forward to that bit."
"So…this date," Amy cut in, sensing the tension. "I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think Rory?"
Evy looked over at the Doctor mischievously. "How about somewhere…romantic?" she suggested and set some coordinates that Amy couldn't make out.
A beat later, the Doctor pulled a lever down on the console and they were off. Rory, a little surprised by the bumpy ride, gripped onto a railing as though his life depended on it.
The second the TARDIS landed, the Doctor raced to the doors. Evy was right behind him, followed by Amy and Rory.
The Doctor threw them open to reveal a bustling market place sometime in the 1500s, everyone dressed in proper attire.
"Venice!" the Doctor cheered, throwing his arms out wide.
"Venezia! La Serenissima! Impossible city! Preposterous city! Founded by-,"
"Founded by refugees from Attila the Hun," Evy recited, grabbing a fresh, green apple from one of the Venetian vendors and tossing it to Amy with a grin.
"It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding…"
She paused, trying to see if there was anything else but the Doctor took control again.
"Constantly beautiful!" he finished. He twirled around the marketplace, either ignoring or just not noticing the people who were staring at him and the TARDIS.
"Oh, you gotta love Venice," he remarked as he eyed a young woman nearby. The girl blushed, lowered her head, and walked away, clearly be smitten.
Evy just rolled her eyes at this. No matter the look or regeneration, the Doctor will never stop flirting with humans. Or any race, to say the least.
Meanwhile, the Doctor was still talking. "…many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova, oh!" He frantically glanced down at his watch.
"That reminds me! 1580," He breathed a sigh of relief. "That's all right," he said to himself. "Casanova doesn't get born for a hundred and forty five years. Don't want to run into him! I owe him a chicken."
Rory and Evy stared at him. "You owe Casanova a chicken?" they questioned in unison.
The Doctor waved the question off. "Long story…we had a bet," he dismissed.
"Well, mind you," Evy crossed her arms, "No bets today, mister."
The Doctor sighed but grinned as quickly. "Don't worry, it's Venice," he reassured her, "What could possibly go wrong?"
But before Evy could object to this question - something was always going wrong with the Doctor around - they were suddenly stopped by an official in black robes.
"Papers if you please!" he barked, standing in front of them to keep them from going any further into the city. "Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection!"
The Doctor calmly reached into his pocket and removed his psychic paper. As he held it open before the official's eyes, he calmly said,
"There you go, fella. All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."
The official snatched the paper from his hands and examined it. Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes wide as he stared at the group before returning to the Doctor and Evy.
He hastily bowed, making all 3 Ponds frown in confusion while the Doctor simply watched him, as if this was an everyday occurrence.
"I am so sorry, Your Holiness," the official begged. Evy was about to burst into laughter when the official turned, took her hand, and kissed it.
"Your Royal Highness," he continued, making Evy's eyes go wide. Stunned, she did a flimsy curtsey as the official went on. "I didn't realize."
The Doctor patted him on the shoulder and retrieved the psychic paper. "No worries, you were just doing your job."
Evy quickly stepped in. "I'm sorry, but what is your job exactly?"
"Checking for aliens," the official calmly replied. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Amy giggling, eyeing the two as they both were -in fact, aliens.
"Visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them."
"Oh, that's nice," Amy groaned before fixing a deep glare on the Doctor. "See where you bring me? The plague!" She wacked his arm for emphasis.
"Don't worry, Viscountess," the official assured her, bowing as Amy rolled her eyes, sighed, and gave a regal-looking nod.
"We're under quarantine here. No one comes in, no one goes out and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri!"
The official presented a thick book, the cover embossed with an Italian family seal.
"How interesting," the Doctor murmured, staring at the seal. "I heard the plague died out years ago."
"Not out there!" the official protested, nodding towards the horizon. "No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes; streets are piled high with bodies, she says!"
The Doctor frowned in thought. "Did she now?"
Without another word, the Doctor pulled Evy down the street as the official hurried off to accost some other poor tourist.
Rory grabbed the psychic paper from the Doctor and examined it. A funny look crossed his face.
"Um, according to this, I'm your eunuch!" he called out to Amy.
Amy whirled around and a funny look crossed her face as well, trying to process this.
"Uh, yeah, I'll explain later," she said vaguely before hurrying off after the Time Lords.
Ahead of them, Evy nudged the Doctor on the chest.
"Eunuch?" she repeated. "Really?"
"It was the first thing that came to mind!" the Doctor protested.
Evy rolled her eyes and called out, "Rory, what does that thing say about me?"
Rory examined it again. "Uh, Her Royal Highness Evelia of Paris," he recited.
Evy turned and cocked an eyebrow at the Doctor. "Evelia?" she whistled. "Of Paris? Can't say I didn't see that coming."
The Doctor smirked at her. "Well, it is your name. And I think royalty suited you best."
He honestly didn't know why that came out of his mouth. Somewhere along the way, their bantering had turned into flirting without Evy even realizing it.
During this conversation, the group found themselves wandering onto a large covered walkway overlooking the canal.
Boats bobbed up and down in the marble blue water, a light breeze rippling their sails every few seconds. Across from the walkway was a large plaza, right in front of a stone fortress.
Evy and the Doctor leaned up against the stone railing, eyeing the fortress while Amy and Rory laughed and commented on the scenery.
The two watched as several girls in full-length dresses and shawls came to the doorway of the fortress. Evy squinted at them, trying to get a good look at them.
At first glance, they all appeared about her age but suddenly, her vision shifted and she was alarmed to see green lizard creatures standing in the girls' places. She sucked in a breath and blinked rapidly.
But by the time she had done this, an older regal looking woman had stepped in front of the girls and ordered them to put down their veils. Down went the veils and up came several white parasols.
"Geez, they're really concerned about getting sunburn here," Evy joked, trying to take her mind off what she had just seen.
Had that been a perception filter? If it had been, it must've been a pretty strong one due to the fact that it took a minute for me to see past it.
The corners of the Doctor's mouth turned upwards a little at her words but they quickly went back down again as they watched what happened next.
A Venetian man in simple peasant clothing came running up to the girls. He flung up a few of their veils before finally reaching the one he was looking for.
He seemed to be pleading with her, trying to get her to come with him when one of the other girls approached him and pushed him to the ground.
The other girls quickly swept the one girl off as the man attempted to get up, but was stopped by another man for a moment. The latter spoke to him for a moment before flouncing off with a kind of walk that screamed upper-class and elegance.
"Doctor, something's- " Evy said before turning around to find out that the Time Lord was nowhere to be seen. He had probably already dashed to scene of the crime, as usual. God, he had to stop doing that.
~x~
The Doctor bobbed and weaved through the crowd before reaching an exposed stone alleyway. Ivy crept up a few of the walls and some laundry had been hung above them but instead of taking in the details, he focused his attention on the man they had been watching, who was now at the end of the alleyway.
The Doctor leapt onto the bottom step of a series of stairs on the building the man had just passed.
"Who were those girls?" he swiftly demanded, not bothering to waste time.
The man turned to stare at him oddly. "I thought everyone knew about the Calvierri School."
"My first day here," the Doctor explained before jumping down from his perch and stepping towards the man.
"Okay, parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools," he theorized. "They move house, they change religion."
He paused for a moment, allowing someone to walk past without hearing them. He leaned towards the man in a conspiring manner.
"So why are you trying to get her out?
"Something happens in there," the man explained worriedly. "Something magical, something…evil. My own daughter didn't recognize me. And the girl who pushed me away, her face…"
He trailed off and the Doctor could see the fear and worry in his eyes. "Like an animal."
"I think it's time I met this Signora Calvierri," the Doctor decided, "And what's your name?"
"I am Guido."
"Nice to meet you," the Doctor greeted. "I'm the Doctor - and it's just the Doctor before you ask. And your daughter, what was her name?"
"Isabella," he answered affirmatively. The Doctor could see the love and determination to save his daughter on his face, as though it had been etched there in stone. He looked at him carefully, the face of a concerned father confirming his words.
"I need to save my daughter."
The Doctor grinned and patted Guido on the shoulder. "Exactly what I wanted to hear!" he crowed, "Now, wait here. I'm just going to get a friend. It won't be long."
Before Guido could protest, he immediately ran through the alleyway and back to the plaza, where he saw a confused Evy wandering around alone, probably looking around for him as well.
Once she caught sight of him, her expression lightened. She dashed towards him and gave him a playful whack on the arm.
"You should really tell us when you're gonna dash away like that," she complained, "Don't wanna get lost in Venice."
The Doctor just rolled his eyes. "Is that what you're going to focus on? Or solving the mystery of the slightly scary pale girls?"
With that, Evy's eyes widened and her mouth snapped shut. He looked over at her, a slight smile on his face.
"Willing to plan a break-in?" he asked, already knowing her answer.
"Count me in," Evy crossing her arms with a raised brow. "But what about Amy and Rory? Shouldn't we at least inform them?"
The Doctor glanced back in the direction they had come from before replying. "I think we'll let those two sit this one out. They need to work some things out."
Evy nodded. "Right. Don't want to risk any of 'that' again."
"Exactly. Now, I want you to meet a new friend if mine. He's going to help us break in," he said, pulling Evy away from the plaza and to the ally way to meet Guido.
~x~
"Hello. I'm Evelyn," Evy greeted and held out her hand. "But please, call me Evy."
Much to their surprise, Guido didn't shake her hand, but rather, brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. That's right, Evy remembered, 18th century. Venice. Although, the Doctor's smile quickly faded seeing Guido's loving action towards Evy.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady. So... quite an interesting couple you two are," he commented.
The Doctor and Evy's eyes widened and they hastily shook their heads.
"N-no, no, w-we're not…" the Doctor stuttered, blinking nervously.
"We're, uh… we're not a couple," Evy said adamantly. She stepped a little ways away from the Doctor to emphasize her point but the man still didn't look convinced.
"Really?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow, "Well then, you'd certainly make a good one."
The Doctor rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Oh humans," he groaned, casting an agitated look towards the sky. "Always asking personal questions!"
Evy rolled her eyes. "Ignore him," she advised. "Anyway... what's the plan?"
~x~
It didn't take them long to formulate a full functioning plan and before she knew it, Evy was racing across the plaza after the Doctor, her boots clicking slightly on the stone, as Guido loudly distracted the guards, demanding they let him see Isabella.
The two stopped and carefully inched their way along a narrow ledge to the side gate. Next to her, the Doctor 'sonicked' the lock, the gate swinging open.
The fortress was dark and gloomy due to the fact that there were no windows. Outside, she heard Guido's yelling cease and she knew that all was currently going to plan.
The two made their way down a set of stairs before entering a small room. Three doors lined one wall with a mirror on the wall directly opposite. Evy immediately went over to examine the doors while the Doctor turned to the mirror, grinning as he studied himself.
"Where do these lead?" Evy muttered to herself, trying to open one. To her dismay, it was locked.
She was just about to reach into her jacket to grab her sonic, but then it clicked. She had to leather jacket on. No jacket, no sonic. She grumbled in annoyance and dismissed the thought of opening any locked doors for today.
The Doctor didn't hear nor pay her any attention, though. He was too busy admiring his reflection.
"Hello, handsome," he smirked into the mirror as he fixed his bowtie. "How could anyone resist you?"
His gaze fell on Evy's reflection from the back of the room as she continued to look around.
"Well... Maybe except her..." He whispered to himself.
"Are you always so vain?" Evy questioned as she came over next to him, raking her hands over her hair and twirling her red locks with her fingers.
The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at her. "Really? You call me vain when you're busy with your hair?"
Evy stuck her tongue out at him and flipped her hair to the side.
"Ginger hair is harder to manage. It gets all... sensitive," she said defensively.
"Besides, I didn't choose to have red hair," she added, turning back to the mirror, "Regeneration. It's a lottery."
The Doctor was about to question her but was interrupted by a bunch of voices ringing out.
"Who are you?" they demanded.
The two froze and whirled around to find themselves facing five of the girls from earlier. They were all dressed in white nightdresses, their skin pale.
Evy and the Doctor swirled back to the mirror and were stunned to see that the girls had no reflection. As Evy simply stared in shock at the girls, the Doctor was busy glancing between them and the mirror while also doing what he did best; rambling.
"How... are you doing that?!" he cried. He took a few more back-and-forth glances between them and the mirror.
"I…am…loving it! You're like Houdini, only five, slightly scary girls. And he was shorter…will be shorter!"
"I'll ask you again Signor," the girls chorused, "Who are you?"
The Doctor looked at them, a smug expression on his face.
"Why don't you check this out?" he answered, pulling out a wallet and showing it off to them.
The girls frowned in confusion at it and Evy leaned around him to take a look. Noticing this, the Doctor looked at it and groaned slightly.
"Library card," he realized. "Of course, it's with…he's…" He trailed off, muttering a curse under his breath.
He tucked it back in his pocket and focused back on the girls.
"Pale creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen…" he mused. He stopped and a look of realization crossed his features.
He turned to Evy, who had already caught up with him.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked quickly.
"I think so," the Doctor affirmed. He turned back to the girls. "But the city - why shut down the city? Unless-,"
"Leave now Signor, or we shall call for the steward…" They trailed off and smiled at the Doctor, revealing a set of sharp pointy teeth in each one of their mouths.
It was at this same moment that Evy's mind finally bypassed the perception filter covering the girls. She silently gasped and jerked back as she watched the creepy lizard figures in white nightgowns inch towards them while also saying,
"If you're lucky."
"Ooh," the Doctor breathed. Evy sent him a flabbergasted look. Does he seriously think they're hitting on him right now?
The girls began advancing on them, their mouths wide open, hissing. The Doctor maneuvered Evy behind him and started backing them up the stairs.
"Evy... run," he commanded. The red-head didn't want to obey but she knew she had to listen to the Doctor. Compromising, she ran to the top of the steps, allowing herself to listen to the rest of the exchange.
"Tell me the whole plan!" the Doctor demanded once she was far away from him.
Evy raised an eyebrow. Really? He actually thought that would work? She was proven right a second later when she heard the Doctor mutter to himself,
"One day that'll work."
Yeah, right. She listened as he began backing up the steps.
"Listen, I would love to stay here. This whole thing…I'm thrilled. Oh, this is Christmas!"
Evy had had about enough of this by now. "Doctor, we've got to-," she began but there was a sudden hurrying of stomping and she found herself being dragged out of the fortress.
"I thought I told you to run!" the Doctor snapped at her as they ran out onto the plaza.
Evy frowned at him. "One, I don't follow rules. Two, no one gets left behind. Ever," she objected.
They slowed down, passing the guards as casually as possible. Once they were out of sight of the fortress, they immediately began sprinting back towards the walkway.
When they reached the walkway, they were surprised to see Amy and Rory rushing towards them. Amy sprang into the Doctor's arms and immediately began talking excitedly.
"Doctor! Evy!" she cried.
"We just met some vampires!" the Doctor told her as Amy quickly added,
"We just saw a vampire!"
"You did?" Evy cried, jumping into the conversation.
All three of them started talking over each-other, the energy and adrenaline inside each of them boiling to nearly impossible levels.
"…and creepy girls and everything!" the Doctor revealed.
"Vampires!" The sisters squealed. The three of them started jumping and down in excitement, as Rory skidded to a stop beside them.
"We think we just saw a vampire!" He announced a little too late.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," the Doctor replied, calming down a little. "Amy was just telling us."
"The Doctor and Evy actually went to their house." Amy laughed and hugged the the Doctor, then her sister.
"Okay." The Doctor patted Rory's face before beginning to pace. "So, first we need to get back in there somehow."
"What?!" Rory cried.
Evy stared at him. "You've seen how guarded that place is," she reminded him, "It'll be really hard to sneak in undetected."
Amy stared at him a little skeptically as well. "How do we do that?" she wondered.
"Back in where?" Rory asked, still ignorant of the vampires residing in a school.
The Doctor threw his arm around Evy's shoulders, pulling her close to him. Evy blushed a little at the contact but brushed it off anyway.
"Come and meet our new friend," he said vaguely as he led the Ponds off.
~x~
On the way to Guido's house, Evy nibbled on her lip for a moment before admitting, "I saw something."
"Saw what?"
Evy racked her brain, trying to figure out how to describe the odd creature she had seen the girls turn into.
"It's like…the girls; they all turned into some reptilian alien."
She thought for a moment, thinking that there was something she had missed. "And, now that I think about it, I spotted gills and flippers. Amphibian maybe?"
The Doctor frowned, thinking it over. "Amphibious aliens who hate sunlight? Hm... What've you got?"
"I'm thinking... Saturnynes. But they've been extinct for hundreds of years."
"Possibly," he admitted. "How long did you see them for?"
"Less than a minute," Evy replied. "There's a perception filter on them but it's a very effective."
"If what you're saying is true, then we're dealing with really powerful aliens."
Evy sighed and closed her eyes. "Why can't anything be easy?"
The Doctor smirked and plucked small daisies off a nearby bush. Pausing, he carefully tucked some of Evy's hair behind her ear and slipped the flowers in.
Evy blushed but quickly composed herself, raising a brow. "Daisies? I'm a soldier, I don't do... daisies. Or flowers."
"Oh, come on," the Doctor sighed, "Don't you like daisies? Everyone's at least gotta have a favorite flower."
She looked up at him and saw a grin tugging at his lips. She looked back down and eyed the white and yellow flowers entangled in her long, red hair.
"...Lavenders..." She mused after a moment, "My favorite are lavenders."
She caught sight of the purple flower and gently plucked one as they passed by. She took a quick whiff and sighed.
"My mum... I remember... We used to pluck lavenders every morning by the field next to the house. And every night, she sung my little sister and I a lullaby..."
She trailed off and the Doctor smiled at her dreamy expression. He didn't even notice the townspeople around them, whispering about the beautiful couple and the extraordinary love that was radiating off them.
"A lullaby?" He asked curiously and Evy nodded.
"I-I think it went something like..." she trailed off before humming,
Lavenders green, dilly dilly,
Lavenders blue...
Who told you so,
Dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
T'was my own heart,
Dilly dilly,
That told me so….
"...Or something like that… Sorry, i-it's a bit dull, I know."
The Doctor grinned widely. He loved it when she sings. Her voice was always so soothing. Because of her serious personality, it was rare to see her like this, which is why he'd always savor every moment of it.
"No, no, that was beautiful," he said, taking the lavender and placing it in her hair, next to the daisies. "I'll remember that."
~x~
Several minutes later, the group found themselves in Guido's cottage. The cottage was small, but cozy. They were currently in the kitchen, grouped around a large rectangular wooden table, staring at a map of Venice that Guido had brought out.
Across from them was a fireplace where a pot cooking something sat. In one corner of the room were a bunch of barrels where Rory was currently sitting. Evy was sitting on the table, her legs propped on a chair. Amy was leaning against one end of the table while the Doctor and Guido were up on the other end by Evy.
"As you saw, there's no clear way in. The House of Calvierri is like a fortress," Guido explained.
He ran one of his fingers across the crinkled, aged map. "But, there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house. I tried to get in once myself but I hit a trapdoor."
"You need someone on the inside," Amy realized.
"No," the Doctor said quickly, not even looking up from the map.
Amy frowned at him. "You don't even know what I was gonna say!"
"Oh, that we pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in," the Doctor answered, his tone of voice oh-so casual.
"Oh," Amy said, seemingly defeated. "So you do know what I was gonna say."
"Are you insane?" Rory snapped.
"We don't have another option," Amy reminded him, her voice nearly singing this.
"He said no, Amy," Rory argued sternly. "Listen to him."
"There is another option," Guido jumped in, catching everyone's attention. "I work at the arsenal," he explained, pointing to the pile of barrels Rory was sitting on. The Doctor frowned and stepped towards them. "We make warships for the Navy."
Amy's eyes widened. "Is that seriously-,"
"Gunpowder," Evy confirmed, eyeing the barrels before shaking her head.
"Look, that's not how we work. We don't want to kill them. We have to give them a chance."
"Well, what do you suggest then?" Guido snapped at her, turning to the fire. As he messed with the pot cooking over the flames, he rhetorically asked, "Wait until they turn her into an animal?"
"There is definitely another option," Evy assured him. She turned to stare at the Doctor critically. Already, she could tell that he knew what she was about to suggest and that he didn't like it one bit. "But the Doctor will refuse to consider it."
"She's right," the Doctor said darkly. He crossed his arms and stared Evy down, who didn't appear fazed by his stance.
"What option?" Amy asked hesitantly, hoping to break some of this tension. She still vividly remembered the duo's argument in the War cabinets.
"That I go in and open the door for you all," Evy answered, her stare not wavering from the Doctor. She crossed her arms and legs and cocked her head to the side. "But the Doctor would never let me."
"Do you have any idea how insanely idiotic and-" the Doctor started but Evy quickly cut him off.
"Trust me, I've done this before. May I also remind you that I'm the only one here who can actually see these creatures?" Evy pointed out.
"I'll be in there three… four hours tops," she assured him. She watched as the scowl on his face passed and changed to thoughtful pondering. He seemed to be seriously considering it.
She wouldn't be in there too long, the Doctor mused. And if Amy is really serious, I could always have her go in with her…oh God, what am I thinking?!
"No, no, no, no!" the Doctor objected before beginning to pace. "It can't keep happening like this. This is how they go." He flopped down into a chair and rubbed his face, exasperated and worried.
Evy walked over and leaned against the wall next to him. The Doctor sighed and looked up at her.
"But I have to know," he admitted. "We go together, say you're my daughter."
"Your... daughter?" Evy repeated, giving him an incredulous look. Across the room, Amy burst into a fit of giggles. I see how the Doctor acted around Evy and it was definitely not in a fatherly way!
She listened as Evy added, "I once told you that you looked twenty-five and I look twenty-three! That's only a two year difference."
"Brother, then," the Doctor shrugged, not at all bothered by Evy's protests of how old he looked.
"Too weird," Amy chimed in. A mischievous look crossed her face. "Fiancé?" she suggested innocently.
Rory leapt up, fueled with a sudden burst of protectiveness. "Evy, I'm not having him run around telling people he's your fiancé!"
"And anyway, we are not a couple," the Doctor reminded Amy, giving her a pointed look, though the tips of his ears were scarlet.
Amy sighed and backed down. "No, no, you're right," she admitted.
"Thank you," Rory and the Doctor muttered.
"Besides, they've already seen the Doctor," Evy pointed out. She turned to give Rory a cat that ate the canary smile.
"You should do it. You're technically my brother-in-law in four hundred and thirty years. It'd be easy."
"But didn't they see you as well?" Guido asked.
Evy shook her head. "They only noticed the Doctor, not me," she assured them. She gave the Doctor a little smirk. "He is pretty hard to miss after all."
"This whole thing is mental!" Rory protested, "They're vampires for God's sake!"
"We hope," the Doctor said cryptically, causing everyone to turn and look at him.
"So, if they're not vampires…" Amy breathed, trailing off as the possibility occurred to her.
"Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire," the Doctor replied, baring his teeth at the end of this remark.
"So, who's going in there?" Amy asked. She stepped over to Alex's side and crossed her arms. As she stared the Doctor down, she asked "Me or Evy?"
The Doctor groaned. "Well, your sister is the only one who can see past the perception filter. But I'm not having her going in there alone."
"I'll go with her," Amy volunteered. "One of us will keep an eye on the other and vice-versa."
Rory sighed. "I can't say anything to change your mind, can I?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
He had known and dated Amy long enough to know that once Amy got something into her head, it was hard to sway her in a different direction.
"Nope," Amy affirmed, popping the 'p'.
"Then it's settled," Evy declared. She spun on her heels and waltzed back over to Guido.
"Now, Signor Guido, we need proper clothing. Got anything in?"
~~~~~CHAPTER 1 END~~~~~