Vincent and the Time Lords (Part 2)
Amy was walking alongside Van Gogh, her arm tucked in his as she carried a canvas and he the easel and palette. The Doctor and Evy were walking, hand-in-hand, behind them.
"I'm sorry you're so sad," Amy said softly.
"But I'm not," he laughed happily, "Sometimes these moods torture me for weeks, for months. But I'm good now. If Amy Pond can soldier on, then so can Vincent Van Gogh."
"I'm not soldiering on. I'm fine."
"Oh, Amy, I hear the song of your sadness," he looked at her sadly, "You've lost someone I think."
"I'm not sad," she said, for some reason unable to bring herself to say she hadn't lost someone.
"Then why are you crying?" he asked. Amy put a hand to her cheek and wiped away a tear, surprised that she hadn't even realized she was crying and confused as she didn't know why she was, "It's alright. I understand."
"I'm not sure I do."
The Doctor squeezed Evy's hand as they walked behind the pair, both of them knowing her tears were for Rory, even though she didn't remember him, "Ok," the Doctor cut in, "Ok! So, now, we must have a plan. When the creature returns..."
"Then we shall fight him again," Van Gogh stopped and faced them.
"Well, yes, tick. But last night we were lucky. Amy could have been killed," he closed his eyes a moment, not even wanting to entertain the thought of Evy having been in danger too, "So this time, for a start, we have to make sure I can see him, too."
"And how are we meant to do that suddenly?" Amy asked.
"Short of me lending him my eyes…" Evy replied, she'd suggested the Doctor use her vision to fight the creature but it took a lot of concentration and there was no guarantee either of them would be able to fight while doing so, "We've got a dev…"
"The answer's in this box," the Doctor cut in, holding up the case in his other hand, not wanting to give up the secret, "I had an excellent, if smelly, godmother."
They came to the end of a path where it connected to the main road, a funeral procession walking past, sunflowers resting on the coffin, "Oh, no," Van Gogh breathed, "It's that poor girl from the village."
They stood there, respectfully, at the side of the road as the procession passed. The mother looked at them but said nothing.
"You do have a plan, don't you?" Amy looked at them.
"Oh Amy," Evy shook her head, "He never has a plan, it's always a thing," she grinned as they continued walking.
"It's like a plan, but with more...greatness," the Doctor explained.
Evy rolled her eyes and walked over to Amy, the two girls taking the lead as she explained what the Doctor's semi-plan was.
"She's very colorful," Van Gogh remarked as he and the Doctor followed.
"Orange hair," the Doctor nodded, "Very colorful."
"No, Evy," Van Gogh corrected, "You and her…I've never seen colors like that before."
"What do you mean?" he frowned, confused.
"Everyone has a color about them. But the two of you…they swirl around you, a rainbow of brilliance, like…when I look at the stars. But when you are together, the colors bleed into each other, they blend. You both…fit. It's like you're tied together, tethered to one another."
The Doctor smiled softly, thinking of the Link, "Yeah…that's about right."
"It's really rather…I can't even describe it."
"Maybe you could paint it one day," the Doctor suggested jokingly.
"No, I could never," he shook his head, "It would be impossible to depict or copy…it just is."
~8~
Van Gogh stabbed the earth with the ends of his easel, setting it and the canvas up, sitting down, getting ready to paint, while Amy stood to his right and the Doctor and Evy on his left.
"And you'll both be sure to tell us if you see any, you know, monsters," the Doctor asked, leaning over Van Gogh, looking between him and Evy.
"For the hundredth time," Evy sighed, "Yes!"
"Yes," Van Gogh rolled his eyes, "While I may be mad, I'm not stupid."
"No, quite," the Doctor agreed, "And, to be honest..." he squatted beside Van Gogh, "Not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is a very complex..."
"Shh…I'm working."
"Well, yes," he stood, "Paint. Do painting!"
Evy rolled her eyes and gave the Doctor a quick peck, "Hush."
~8~
Van Gogh had the top of the church outlined and was painting the sky as the Doctor spoke, "I remember when we got to watch Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel," he glanced at Evy, before turning back to the church, "Wow! What a whiner. I said to him, 'If you're scared of heights, you shouldn't have taken the job…'"
"Shh!" Amy hissed.
Evy laughed and walked over to the Doctor, giving him a kiss to shut him up just a bit.
~8~
There was a bit more detail on the church but Van Gogh was still working on the sky, "And Picasso," the Doctor grimaced, "What a ghastly old goat. I kept telling him, 'Concentrate, Pablo, it's one eye, either side of the face.'"
"Quiet," Amy glared at him.
Evy smiled, tugging the Doctor to her, another kiss to shut him up.
~8~
The sky was finished.
"Don't get me started on Da Vinci!" the Doctor threw his hands in the air, "I told him, 'You know that John looks a bit like a girl,' I told him that…didn't I tell him that? I did, and what did he do? Made the hair longer."
Amy just looked at Evy who sighed and grabbed the Doctor's coat, pulling him to her and kissing him once again.
~8~
Van Gogh seemed halfway done with the painting, Amy standing beside him as the Doctor lay on the ground, his head in Evy's lap as he looked at the church, utterly and completely bored out of his mind, "Is this how time normally passes?" he asked, looking at Evy, who was sitting up and looking at the sky, "Really slowly? In the right order?"
"If I did it for five years Doctor, you can do it for this one night," she replied.
He sighed, stretching out, "Well…at least I get free kisses out of it."
"I always give you fre…" her eyes widened as she stared down at him, smirking up at her, "You…you prat!" she smacked him on the arm. He'd been annoying the hell out of all of them because he knew she'd kiss him to shut him up.
He rolled off her lap and got up, pulling her to her feet, and gave her a quick peck, "Better?"
She mock glared at him, "You owe me quite a few more," she grumbled.
He clapped his hands together, brushing them, "I've got to admit though, this is getting a bit old. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack," he walked off behind Van Gogh, stretching as he went.
"Are you ok?" Amy turned to him, "You seem a bit, if I didn't know better, I'd say nervous."
"More like anxious to be done with this," he replied, frowning, "There's something not right and I can't quite put my finger on it."
"There!" Van Gogh suddenly called. The Doctor and Amy turned, the Doctor running over to Evy's side, "He's at the window."
"Where?" he looked around.
"Just there, on the right," Evy pointed.
"Still can't see…"
"Doctor," she eyed him meaningfully, "Look."
He nodded, closing his eyes, seeing through Evy's…his own snapping open a moment later, "Oh…right…big."
"Yeah," Evy nodded.
"As I thought," he took her hand, "Come on. We're going in."
"Well, I'm coming, too," Van Gogh stepped forward.
"No!" the Doctor held up a hand to stop him, "You're Vincent Van Gogh. No."
"But you're not armed!"
"Oh I am," he smirked.
"What with?"
"Overconfidence, this…" he tapped his case, "My lovely Link who can see it, and two small screwdrivers," Evy held up her sonic, "We're absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right crosactic setting, and stun him with it. Sonic never fails."
Evy snorted, putting hers away, "Except against wood."
"Anyway," he ignored her, "Amy, only one thought, one simple instruction, don't follow us under any circumstances," he turned to Van Gogh signaling for him to keep an eye on her.
"I won't," Amy said, earning a thumbs up from the Doctor before he and Evy headed for the church.
"She's so going to follow us," Evy remarked as they stepped in.
"I know," he sighed, stopping and setting down the case. He pulled out the mirror device, Evy helping him strap it on and set the controls. He smiled at her, giving her a quick peck for luck before entering the church, slowly and cautiously.
There was a low growling. They pulled out their sonics, 'Just follow my lead,' Evy replied, stepping in. They walked slowly over to the window where the creature had been before, 'It's not here.'
'What?' he asked, 'What do you mean it's not there?' he shifted his mirror to check as well when…
'Doctor!' Evy called and he was shoved forward. He looked up to see Evy flying to the side, struck by the Krafayis.
"Evy!" he shouted, scrambling to her side as she picked herself up, flashing the sonic as he did.
"Evy!" Amy yelled, running into the room, "Doctor!"
"I thought we told you..." he began but Evy winced, "Never mind. We'll talk about it later. Quick, in here…" he pulled her into a confessional while Amy ran into the other side.
They could hear the Krafayis moving around outside, growling.
"Absolutely quiet," he whispered.
'Are you alright?' he looked at Evy.
'Fine," she said, 'Just a bit bruised I'd wager.'
'No doing that again,' he scolded lightly.
'We'll see,' she smiled at him, mentally tallying her dangerous situations to his, still a ways to go.
"Can you breathe a little quieter, please?" the Doctor hissed to Amy.
"No!" she whispered back, lifting the curtain, "He's gone past."
"Shh…" Evy whispered, turning to look out and double check when…
The Krafayis growled and slammed into the wood around Amy's confessional, she screamed.
"I think he heard us," the Doctor commented.
"Really?" Evy asked sarcastically, "I hadn't noticed."
The Krafayis then struck their confessional.
"That is impressive hearing he's got," he muttered.
"Less impressive is our likelihood of survival," Evy added as another part of the confessional was torn.
Amy screamed again.
"Hey, are you looking for me sonny?" they heard Van Gogh call. They peered out of the stalls to see him brandishing a chair like a lion tamer, "Come on. Over here. Because I'm right here waiting for you," he quickly motioned for Amy, Evy, and the Doctor to get out, "Come on. Quickly! Get behind me."
They ran out of the stalls, the Doctor flashing the creature with his sonic, "Doing anything?"
"No!" Evy shouted as they backed out of the room, Van Gogh holding the chair defensively.
"Where is he?" the Doctor looked around.
"Where do you think he is, you idiot?" Vincent shouted, staring in one direction as did Evy, "Use your head."
The Krafayis walked towards them, the Doctor trying the sonic again, "Anything?"
"Nothing," Evy replied.
"In fact, he seemed to rather enjoy it," Van Gogh added.
"Right," he put the sonic back in his pocket as they moved apart.
"Duck!" Evy shouted as the creature swung at him.
"Left!" Van Gogh shouted. The Doctor moved left and the creature slammed him into a wall, Evy winced and ran to his side, "Right, sorry…" Van Gogh moved to stand in front of them defensively as Amy ran over to help Evy get him up, "Your right, my left."
"This is no good at all," he muttered, "Run like crazy and regroup?"
"Oh, come on, in here!" Amy shouted, running into another church room. They shut the door, struggling to close it as the creature tried to get through. Van Gogh spotted its leg sticking into the room and stamped his foot on it, the creature yanked its foot back and they slammed the door shut, leaning their backs against it.
"Right," the Doctor breathed heavily, "Ok. Here's the plan. Evy, Amy, Rory..."
"Who?" Amy frowned.
"Vincent," Evy cut in, elbowing the Doctor, "He meant Vincent."
"What is the plan?"
"I don't know, actually," he replied, "But in future, I'm just using this screwdriver for screwing in screws."
"Like that will ever happen," Evy laughed.
"Give me a second," Van Gogh shouted, rushing off, "I'll be back."
"I suppose we could try talking to him," the Doctor suggested.
"Talking to him?" Amy asked incredulously.
"Well, yes. Might be interesting to know his side of the story."
The creature growled.
"I doubt he really wants to talk right now..." Evy argued as the creature banged on the door.
"Well, no harm trying," he grinned at her before spinning to face the door, "Listen. Listen!" the growling stopped, "I know you can understand me. Even though I know you won't understand why you can understand me. I also know that no one's talked to you for a pretty long stretch, but please...listen..." he took Evy's hand, "We also don't belong on this planet. We also are alone. If you trust us, I'm sure we can come to some kind of, you know, understanding. And then...and then who knows?"
"Doctor…" Evy began, pressing her ear to the door, it was too silent for her liking, "I don't think he's there anymore."
The window behind them smashed open suddenly and the creature jumped inside, roaring and knocking things over as it moved about. Evy pushed in front of Amy and the Doctor, standing in front of them as she maneuvered them to know where the creature was.
Van Gogh ran in, brandishing his easel, tips up, as a weapon, "Over here, mate!"
"Come on," Evy called, pulling them forward to move behind him, her eyes on the creature.
"What's it up to now?" the Doctor asked.
"It's moving round the room," Van Gogh replied, "Feeling its way around."
Amy and Van Gogh hid behind a sarcophagus while the Doctor pulled Evy to hide behind a column.
"What?" he looked at Evy.
Evy peered around the column, frowning as she watched it walk along the wall, "It's acting like it's trapped, only moving around the lines of the wall. It's almost like it's...oh..." she breathed.
"Oh I am really stupid…"
"We both are. At least you can't see it!"
"Oh, get a grip!" Amy called over at them, "This is not a moment to reevaluate your self-esteem."
"No, we are really stupid," the Doctor turned to them, pushing Evy behind the sarcophagus as he dropped there as well, "Why does it attack, but never eat its victims? And why was it abandoned by its pack and left here to die? Why is it feeling its way helplessly around the walls of the room?"
"Because it can't see the room," Evy told them, "It's blind. That's why it has such impressive hearing."
"Which, unfortunately, also explains why it is now turning around and heading straight for us," Van Gogh called, he dashed forward, the easel held out before him.
"What's happening?" the Doctor asked, holding Evy's hand, keeping her from running out there as well.
"It's charging," Evy breathed.
"Get back!" Van Gogh jerked the easel at it, "Get back!" the creature charged and Van Gogh struck, impaling the beast on the ends of the easel. The creature bellowed in pain and anger, the easel still stuck in it with Van Gogh holding onto it, suspended above the floor.
"Let go Vincent!" she shouted.
He did, and fell to the floor, the creature collapsing a few feet away. Evy rushed forward, looking down at the creature, impaled through its chest, the only one besides Van Gogh able to see the creature's expression, the wound...
"He wasn't without mercy at all," Van Gogh breathed as Amy helped him up, "He was without sight. I didn't mean that to happen. I only meant to wound it, I never meant to..."
"He's trying to speak…" Evy frowned, kneeling down beside the creature's head, petting it lightly.
"What is it?"
"I'm having trouble making it out," the Doctor swallowed, kneeling down beside it as well, "But I think he's saying, 'I'm afraid. I'm afraid.'"
"Shh…" Evy stroked its head, "There, there. It's ok. You're alright. Shh," she bowed her head a moment later, "It's gone."
"He was frightened…and he lashed out," Van Gogh frowned, "Like humans who lash out when they're frightened. Like the villagers who scream at me. Like the children who throw stones at me."
"Sometimes winning…winning is no fun at all," the Doctor muttered, walking over to Evy, sitting beside her, hugging her to his side as they mourned the terrified creature.
~8~
They lay out in the field that night, the Doctor, Evy, Amy, and Van Gogh, just staring at the stars, their heads barely touching. Van Gogh reached out for the Doctor and Amy's hands, the two of them taking Evy's as well, creating a circle.
"Try to see what I see," he said, staring up at the stars, "We are so lucky we are still alive to see this beautiful world. Look at the sky. It's not dark and black and without character. The black is in fact deep blue," he pointed with his hand in the Doctor's at a piece of sky, "And over there, lighter blue…" he let go of Amy's hands, making a sweeping motion, "And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air and then, shining, burning, bursting through, the stars!" slowly the stars began to blur, becoming almost like his painting 'Starry Night,' "Can you see how they roar, their light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes."
"We've seen many things, my friend," the Doctor began as Evy squeezed his hand, agreeing with his thoughts, "But you're right. Nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see."
Van Gogh tightened his grip on the Doctor's hand, pulling it to his chest as he looked over at Amy, looking at her hand as he played with it absently, "I will miss you terribly."
~8~
The next morning they were set to be off, "I only wish I had something of real value to give you," Van Gogh was saying as the Doctor and Evy held one of his paintings, laughing with mirth, as Amy looked on beside them.
"Oh, no, no," the Doctor shook his head, handing the self portrait back, "We could never accept such an extraordinary gift."
"Very well," Van Gogh tried to wave off his hurt, "You are not the first to decline the offer," he held out his arms to Amy, "Amy, the blessed, the wonderful."
Amy stepped up, giving him a hug and a kiss on each cheek, "Be good to yourself and be kind to yourself."
"I'll try my best."
"And maybe give the beard a little trim before you next kiss someone," Amy added, rubbing her cheek, laughing.
"I will. I will. And if you tire of this Doctor of yours, return, and we will have children by the dozen!"
Amy grimaced a bit.
"Doctor, Evy, my friends…" he gave Evy a hug and then the Doctor, "We have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear I may not do as well."
The Doctor hugged him tightly, knowing what was coming for the brilliant painter. Evy reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. The Doctor pulled back, taking Evy's hand as they all left the cottage, only to pause as they reached the alley leading from his house, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I was thinking I may need some food before we leave," Amy said.
"Well, no, you're not thinking exactly what I'm thinking," he glanced at Evy who grinned.
"I'm always thinking what you're thinking," she replied.
"And?"
She smiled, "It's a stretch, it's a huge stretch…but it should work."
"Brilliant!" he cried, turning to face the house, "Vincent!"
Shirtless and with a brush in his hand, Van Gogh stuck his head out the window.
"There's something we want to show you," Evy called.
"Maybe just tidy yourself up a bit first," the Doctor added.
Moments later Van Gogh came ambling out of his house, dressed, his straw hat in hand. The Doctor and Evy grinned, leading him through the alleys, back towards the TARDIS, "Now, you know we've had quite a few chats about the possibility there might be more to life than normal people imagine?" the Doctor asked, stopping short when he saw the TARDIS covered in posters and bills. He sighed.
"Yes," Van Gogh frowned, not sure what this was about.
"Well, brace yourself, Vinny," he grinned, using his key to slice a crack between the doors and open them. He stepped back, over to Evy and Amy, as Van Gogh stepped into the TARDIS, staring around in shock at the size. He poked his head out, before walking around the exterior, examining it.
He shook his head, stepping in again, "How come I'm the crazy one and you three have stayed sane?" he asked as they followed him in, grinning. The Doctor took off Van Gogh's hat, tossing it to the side as they led him to the console, "What do these things all do?" he asked, looking at the controls.
"Oh, quite a lot of things," Evy told him, glancing at the Doctor.
"This one here," the Doctor turned a knob, "For instance, plays soothing music," they all started dancing, the Doctor pulling Evy into a pseudo-waltz before she pulled away with a laugh.
"Yet this one just makes a racket," she pushed a button down, causing a wheezing noise to start up.
"And this one…" he smirked at Evy and Amy, "Makes everything go tonto!"
The room started to shake.
"And this one?" Van Gogh pointed to one.
"The friction contrafibulator," Evy told him, holding on as the TARDIS powered up.
"And this?" he looked at a red and yellow thing.
"That's ketchup," the Doctor nodded, "And that one's mustard."
"Nice!" he grabbed the Doctor's shoulders for support, "Come on. Back to the café and you can tell me about all the wonders of the Universe."
"Good idea," the Doctor grinned, looking over at Evy, "Although, actually, there's a little something we'd like to show you first."
Evy pulled a lever and the TARDIS was off.
~8~
The blue phone box reappeared in Paris 2010, the last of the posted bills burning off as the doors opened, the Doctor, Amy, and Evy leading Van Gogh out.
"Where are we?" he looked around in wonder.
"Paris," Evy smiled, "2010 AD."
"And this is the mighty Musee D'Orsay, home to many of the greatest paintings in history," the Doctor motioned to the museum across the street.
"Oh, that's wonderful," he breathed.
Two boys walked by with portable electronics as Van Gogh stared at them, "Ignore that," the Doctor called, drawing his attention again, "We've got something more important to show you."
Amy linked arms with Van Gogh, pulling him along, into the museum, as Evy and the Doctor followed. Van Gogh gaped at the grandness of it all. Amy strode past the Monets and Rodins, the Doctor and Evy having to pull him away from a painting of water lilies, until they reached the Van Gogh exhibit.
Van Gogh's eyes widened as he saw all the paintings that had just hung in his home displayed as famous pieces of art.
"Dr. Black," Evy whispered to the Doctor, spotting the man.
He quickly ran over to Dr. Black, "Dr. Black, we met a few days ago. I asked you about the church at Auvers…"
Evy nodded over at Amy who brought Van Gogh closer.
"Oh, yes," Dr. Black nodded, "Glad to be of help. You were nice about my tie."
"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "And today is another cracker if I may say so. But I just wondered, between you and me, in 100 words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?"
"Well, big question," Dr. Black breathed, thinking only a moment before saying, with very heartfelt emotion, "But, to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all," Evy smiled as Van Gogh's eyes began to tear, "Certainly, the most popular, great painter of all time, the most beloved. His command of color, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world, no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived."
Van Gogh began to cry openly now.
Evy walked over to his side, the Doctor noticing and joining them, "Vincent," Evy put a hand on his shoulder, "We're so sorry. Was this too much for you?" she gave him a comforting side hug.
"No," he smiled, "They are tears of joy," he walked right over to Dr. Black, giving him a Gallic kiss, "Thank you, sir. Thank you," and then proceeded to hug him.
Dr. Black looked startled for a moment but patted Van Gogh on the back, "You're welcome. You're welcome."
"Sorry about the beard," he mumbled before heading back to the Doctor, Evy, and Amy.
~8~
The TARDIS materialized in an olive grove, Van Gogh stepping out first, looking around, happier than he'd ever been, "This changes everything," he called as they stepped out of the TARDIS, "I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back a different man. I still can't believe that one of the haystacks was in the museum. How embarrassing."
"It's been a great adventure and a great honor," the Doctor told him, shaking his hand before hugging him.
"You've turned out to be the first doctor ever to actually to make a difference to my life."
"I'm delighted," he smiled, "I won't ever forget you," he stepped back over to the TARDIS, waiting as Amy and Evy said their goodbyes as well.
"And you are sure marriage is out of the question?" Van Gogh tried once more with Amy.
"This time," she told him, hugging him as she whispered, "I'm not really the marrying kind," she kissed his cheek and stepped back over to the TARDIS as well.
"And you…" he smiled at Evy, "You said before that I wasn't the only mad one here," she nodded, "What did you mean?"
"I was in a madhouse once," she said, explaining it in the terms of the time.
"Not you," he looked at her in shock.
"Yes me. Lots of doctors trying to help me, each having a different idea about what would help, about what would make me normal, each having different ideas about what normal was, different methods of achieving it. But it never worked and it often just made it worse. Sound familiar?"
He nodded slowly, "What…what did you do? To be normal again?"
She gave him a hug, "I'm not normal," she pulled away, "Being normal is vastly overrated," she looked at him, "But if you want to know what helped?" he nodded, "I found a Doctor as mad as me."
He laughed heartily at that, "That you most certainly have."
"Vincent," she began, handing him a bit of paper and squeezing his hand, "I want you to have this…it's not very good, but it seems you've inspired me. I hope this gives you comfort in knowing that, while we may not be here in person, we will always be with you. The Doctor was right, there is always hope," she nodded at him, before turning and heading back to the TARDIS. The three of them waving before stepping inside.
"Come on!" he heard Amy shout, "Let's go back to the gallery right now."
And then it disappeared.
Van Gogh looked down at the paper before unfolding it. A smiled grew on his face as he looked down at the sketch of the TARDIS with the Doctor, Evy, and Amy standing there, the only color being the blue of the box and the orange of Amy's hair.
~8~
Amy rushed out of the TARDIS with a big smile on her face as she ran ahead towards the museum, "Time can be rewritten!" she yelled back to them, "I know it can. Come on!" she kept ahead of them as they made their way back to the exhibit, both of them a bit more reserved, "Oh, the long life of Vincent Van Gogh," she grinned, running up the steps, "There'll be hundreds of new paintings."
"I'm not sure there will," the Doctor muttered as they followed her through the Monets, Evy squeezed his hand.
"Come on!" Amy rushed back into the Van Gogh exhibit, looking around at the same paintings that were there before.
"We have here the last work of Vincent Van Gogh, who committed suicide at only 37," Dr. Black was lecturing to a tour group. Amy closed her eyes in grief, her hope shattered, "He is now acknowledged to be one of the foremost artists of all time. If you follow me now..."
"So, you were right," she swallowed hard, "No new paintings. We didn't make a difference at all."
"Don't say that," Evy said, walking over.
"The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things," the Doctor added as Evy hugged Amy, "The good things don't always soften the bad things. But, vice versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant."
"And had to have added to his pile of good things," Evy told her, pulling back, "Or should I say, a certain orange-haired Scots-girl?"
Amy laughed a bit.
"And if you look carefully..." the Doctor continued, leading them over to 'Church at Auvers,' "Maybe we did indeed make a couple of little changes."
"No Krafayis," Amy noticed.
"No Krafayis," Evy agreed.
The Doctor took Evy's hand as they stared at the church, Amy walking back to the center of the room, looking at the paintings, when something caught her eye and she strode over to it with purpose. Evy nudged the Doctor, seeing Amy standing across the room, staring at a painting. They walked over to join her, looking at 'Still Life Vase with Twelve Sunflowers.'
Right above his signature was a small note, 'For Amy.'
"If we had got married, our kids would have had very, very red hair," Amy commented.
"The ultimate ginger," Evy smiled.
"The ultimate ginge," Amy agreed. The Doctor laughed as Amy smiled, "Brighter than sunflowers."
~8~
Amy had taken an early night on the TARDIS, the emotional turmoil getting to her. The Doctor fiddled around the console for a few hours before he decided to look for his wayward Link whom he hadn't seen since they got to the Vortex.
He found her in their room, sitting on the floor, her back against the side of their bed with a small white pad in one hand and a pencil in the other.
"What are you doing?" he asked, walking over to her and sitting against the wall, across from her.
"Sketching."
"Sketching?" he raised an eyebrow.
"I know," she rolled her eyes, "I was surprised as well…none of my previous incarnations could even draw a stick figure properly."
"What are you drawing?" he asked, seeing the concentration in her eyes. Whatever it was was very important to her.
"Whatever's on my mind."
"Can I see?" he asked, curious now. She was being vague.
"One second…" she trailed, making a tiny adjustment, "And…done…" she handed him the pad.
He looked down at it, his eyes widening when he saw himself staring back, "It's me…" he commented, before realizing this wasn't the first page and going back to the beginning, flipping through, seeing sketches of all his previous incarnations smiling back as well, "They're all of me."
"Of course they are. I told you it's whatever's on my mind."
He looked up at her to see her smiling at him and he couldn't help but smile as well, "And that's me?"
"Always."
He leaned forward and gave her a deep kiss, of thanks, gratitude, and love…she was always on his mind as well.
He pulled back just a bit, "Do you think you could sketch what's on my mind?" he asked her, his thoughts drifting to all her previous incarnations. He'd only seen them in her memories when he'd Linked to her, it would be nice to have a tangible representation to look at as well.
She smiled, seeing his thoughts, and nodded, turning to a blank page and beginning her sketch of her past selves.
A/N: So...I put a little line in The Time of Angels that comes about here. Anyone guess what it is? A hint, it involves Evy's new talent and River. On that note, I really wanted Vincent to have something to comfort him since none of our trio could stay. I thought it would be cute to give the artist a little drawing to remember them by. And speaking of art, I added in the bit about Da Vinci, I got the feeling the Doctor just kept rambling during this episode and I figured, why not add more artists :)
Also, it is SO weird looking at my Doc Manager now. I had every chapter for Linked Through Time up, waiting for one final editing, way back when I was still posting Together At Last, so I had around 30 documents up, and now it's in the single digits. Guess that means I should upload my chapters for Series 6 lol.
Sorry to come back to this again, but I'm just really excited about the Academic Series 'A Town Called Mercy' chapter. So far when a new episode comes out, there's always a scene or two that I HAVE to write out with the Professor in full, just because (in my mind) she's holding her blaster to my head threatening me till I write it out because it just can't wait lol. I have to say, if I thought I teared up writing a particular scene in Asylum of the Daleks, I was crying during a few scenes in that chapter. It will definitely be an emotional chapter for her. I seriously feel like the Gunslinger is a reflection of her in another universe or something and to come face-to-face with that...it is causing so much emotion and truths about just how dark/soldier-like the Professor was during the war to come out...I've got chills.
Some notes on reviews, welcome to those of you who just found this series and the Academic Series, I'm glad you're liking it so far :) As for the name Cassiopeia, I think it's a lovely name. I think, as long as you love the name, it can be anything, as short and simple as what I've named the Professor (Kata) to as long and odd as actual names from the show like Romanadvoratrelundar :)
Next chapter...we've got newlywed lodgers, Evy's cooking skills, and quite the distracted Doctor...