"And that's how we got here," Jackie said with a sigh. She had just told Amy and Rory all about Rose's adventures with the Doctor, how the Master had returned, and how they were now stuck here. She also explained about Rose's human Doctor that had grown from his hand. The story had taken quite a while – after all, it was a very long story to tell.
"Wow, that-that's just… incredible," Amy said, shaking her head in astonishment. "And of course, you knew him by a different face, yeah? I think he regenerated or whatever he does after that. When I was small, he came to me. He said that my face was the first that his ever saw." And with that, she launched into her story of how she had met The Doctor, her adventures with him, and how she was now here, on Jackie Tyler's couch.
"So, um, where is your daughter? We couldn't find her in the phone books," Rory interjected awkwardly. He quickly picked up his tea – he was on his fourth cup – and took a sip.
"Oh, Rose lives in Norway now. Remember when I mentioned how the Doctor came back to see her, in Bad Wolf Bay? Well, she's living there now. She couldn't stand it anywhere else. It made her feel closer to the Doctor. She was living with us at first, but she couldn't stand it. Said she was going mad," Jackie said sadly. "So now she lives in a cottage near Bad Wolf Bay. I don't know if she still lives with the human Doctor. I worry about her, you know? She doesn't really call often."
Amy nodded, trying not to cry. She worried about her daughter, too. What was Melody doing now that they were gone? Rory didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her, she thought in horror. She reached over and took his hand.
"Well," Amy said, sniffing a bit, "we wanted to contact her. Since we're stuck in this world, we figured maybe she knew something. Anything, really."
Jackie brightened up slightly. "That would be lovely," she replied. "I've been meaning to go up to Norway to see her, but it's so hard with Tony," she added, glancing at the child on the carpet, who was now playing with a toy. "We're a bit short on money, too."
"We'll go," Amy blurted. Rory looked at her in surprise. "Although, we don't really know how to get there…getting a plane there would be nearly impossible, and I wouldn't know how to even start looking for a boat to take us." She put her head in her hands.
"I know a man who could take you," Pete interjected. It was practically the first thing he had said since they had arrived. "He owns a decently large boat, and he wouldn't question who you are. He does charge a bit, though."
"What's his name? How do we find him?" Rory asked.
Pete wrote down the man's name and address and told them what to say to him when they got there. He and Jackie wished them good luck, and Amy and Rory started to drive away. Amy turned around to see Tony standing at the window, an expression of deep sorrow on his face, too deep for such a young child.
Amy turned around, a strange feeling in her stomach. Rory drove for about an hour until they could smell the salty, rotting stench of seaweed. She wrinkled her nose, but didn't say anything as they pulled up to a small, isolated house. The house was made of dark wood, and was around twenty feet from the ocean's front. There were multiple docks, but only a single boat (it couldn't be longer than forty feet long) was tied to one. Rory was frowning as he got out of the car, going to open Amy's door. He took her hand and shook his head a little.
"I hope this is good," he said, unsure of the place. Together, they walked up to the front door. Amy knocked tentatively, and within ten seconds, a tall man who looked to be about thirty answered the door. He had black hair and the beginning of a beard on his ghostly pale face. He stared at them in shock, his black eyes widened. How peculiar, Amy thought. She had never seen someone with eyes that color. Dark brown, sure, but black? Suddenly, the man spoke.
"What do you want, then?" he asked gruffly in a thick Scottish accent. Rory quickly pulled the piece of paper out from his pocket and held it out to the man.
"Ciaran?" he stammered. The man nodded, and Rory continued. "I'm Rory, and this is my wife, Amy. We were sent here by Jackie and Pete Tyler."
Ciaran's gruff, intimidating face immediately spread into a delighted grin. "Pete! How's he, then? Doin' alright, I hope?" he boomed. Amy nodded. "Where are my manners? Please, come in, sit down. Want some tea?" he continued, not pausing to hear their answer. Instead, he rushed into the kitchen, apparently to put the kettle on. Rory and Amy sat down on the sofa, and a few minutes later Ciaran came out with a giant tray filled with sandwiches, a jug of milk, a pot of sugar, teacups, and a large pot of tea. He set them down on the table in front of them and poured the steaming liquid into the cups. When he had finished, he looked up at them expectantly.
"What do you need, then? I'm sure that if Pete sent you, it's something important," he said.
Amy looked at Rory. "We were looking for a way to get to Norway...undercover," she added.
"Is this something to do with the Doctor?" he asked seriously, surprising the couple. They quickly told them their story, and when they had finished, Ciaran nodded and sighed.
"I can get you there, for sure," he told them. "But I'm just warning you, the seas are rough." He paused, then broke into a grin and laughed. "Although you two have been into space in a flying time box. Can't be rougher than that."
Amy smiled weakly. He was right – the adventures that she, Rory, and The Doctor had been on was nothing compared to a rough sea. Quickly, they finished their tea, and then Ciaran began to provide them with information about the voyage. There were bathrooms in the cabin, he said, but they weren't the most pleasant to use. The cabin wasn't very pleasant, either, but it was probably more so than standing up against the wind and sea spray. With that information, Ciaran helped them on board and started the motor.
"Ready?" he yelled over the roaring noise.
