Shakespeare insisted on walking the Doctor, Martha, and Kayla back to the room. But the reason why became quickly apparent when he started to flirt with Martha. Though for her part, the black woman seemed less than interested with the man's flirting. So by the time they got to the stairs, Shakespeare actually tried to start a conversation with the Doctor.
"Poor Lynley. So many strange events," the wise man started, and then turned back to Martha. "Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where a woman can be a doctor?"
Martha rolled her eyes as evidently this name for where she was from was starting to grate on her nerves. "Where a woman can do what she likes," she replied a little shortly.
Nodding sagely, Shakespeare turned to the Doctor. "And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?"
The Doctor shrugged. "I do a lot of reading," he responded.
Kayla chuckled softly, making Shakespeare turn to her. "And Dame Kayla, your stomach is large as many a woman get, yet you act as if you are unused to it," he remarked.
Raising an eyebrow, Kayla just gave Shakespeare a smile. "It's a weight I will learn to bare."
Not looking surprised at how Kayla had answered, Shakespeare turned to Martha and eyed her for a few moments. "And you, you look at him, and her, like you're surprised they exists. They are as much of a puzzle to you as they are to me."
Swallowing a bit, it seemed to bother her to have this pointed out, Martha pushed open the door to their room. "I think we should say good night." Leaving, she gave a pointed look to the Doctor and Kayla before closing the door.
Shakespeare just grinned, as if he was used to having women closing doors nearly literally in his face. Shaking his head, he turned to the Doctor and Kayla. "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 your lady and why this constant performance of yours."
Starting to push open the door to the room, the Doctor paused which made Kayla do the same. She watched as the Time Lord turned to Shakespeare and say, "All the world's a stage."
Shakespeare paused and looked back at the couple. "Hm, I might use that. Good night, Doctor and Kayla."
The Doctor grinned. "Nighty-night, Shakespeare," he replied and then closed the door. Giving Kayla a smile, the Time Lord couldn't help but nudge her.
"I just said goodnight to Shakespeare," he said softly, sounding very excited about this.
Kayla laughed. "Yes you did," she agreed, and then closed the door. For a brief moment, the couple had eyes for only each other, but then Martha cleared her throat and the two looked over at the black woman.
"It's not exactly five-star, is it?" Martha pointed out, and then shrugged, "Still, not every night I get to sleep in an actual inn in Shakespearean London."
The Doctor beamed widely, "Glad you enjoy it."
Martha nodded and then frowned, obviously running her tongue over her teeth. "Wish I had a toothbrush," she remarked.
Kayla grinned and reached into the Doctor's pocket nearest to her. Digging around for a few seconds, she pulled out a toothbrush and handed it to the black woman. "It contains Venusian spearmint," she informed, "Most doctors recommend it."
Sniffing the toothbrush, Martha shrugged. Going off to the bathroom, she started to scrub her teeth. Pausing, she called out, "So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's a little bit 'Harry Potter.'"
Kayla sat down on the bed and leaned back with a sigh. "The sequel series was pretty bleh but book seven…even Jack had a tear."
The Doctor laughed at the thought while Martha spluttered in the bathroom. "Sequel series?" she asked, even poking her head out of the room to give the two a questioning stare.
The brunette just waved her hand. "You'll find out later," she promised.
Sighing and shaking her head, Martha spat outside the window and then walked out of the room. "But is it real, though? I mean, witches, black magic and all that, it's real?"
The Doctor rolled his eyes at the very thought. "'Course it isn't!" he replied lightly.
"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel. Give me a break," Martha huffed while flopping down on her bed.
The Doctor shrugged. "Looks like witchcraft, but it isn't. Can't be," he muttered. Standing up, he started to pace the room as he was prone to do when he needed to think hard. "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."
"There's something we're missing," Kayla remarked from the bed. She looked over at Martha. "Any ideas?"
Martha blinked and then chewed on her lip. "So it's something that isn't witchcraft or…psychic energy?"
The Doctor sighed. "Not your fault. You're still a novice." Shaking his head, he got next to Kayla on the bed. "Night Martha."
Martha just rolled her eyes and blew out the candle. "Night."
About an hour after Martha had gone to sleep and Kayla had dozed off, the Doctor remained wide awake. This was the reason why he was able to not only jump up, but make sure Kayla was not the one screaming through their mental link. Helping her wake up, the Doctor started to hurry off, leaving Kayla to wake Martha up. Once the black woman woke, the two ran off to join the Time Lord.
Together, the trio ran into Shakespeare room where the Doctor figured the scream had come from. Bursting into the room, they saw a sleepy Shakespeare jerking his head upright, the scream barely rousing him. "Wha'? What was that?"
As he got up to examine the body along with the Doctor and Kayla, Martha ran to the window and looked out with a cry of, "I'll see if I can find the person!"
"Her heart gave out. She died of fright," the Doctor muttered, putting away his stethoscope.
Martha suddenly gave a strangled gasp that had Kayla, the Doctor, and Shakespeare look up. "Doctor? Kayla?" the black woman said, sounding horrified.
The two instantly got to their feet and went to the woman. "What did you see?" the Doctor asked.
"A witch," Martha answered immediately.
At a dawn, a rooster crowed, briefly waking Kayla up. But upon her eyelids nearly snapping back down, she instead relaxed in the bed with a sigh and snuggled into the Doctor who had finally dozed off after quite a few promises Kayla didn't know how she was going to keep due to her current condition.
However, her rest was short lived as an hour later, the brunette found herself sitting at a desk with the Doctor on one side, his arm around her which allowed the tired woman to lean into him, and Martha on the other side.
"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit," Shakespeare was saying as he remembered his dead friend.
The Doctor nodded. "'Rage, rage against the dying of the light,'" he quoted, which made Kayla grin.
"But 'the woods are promising, lovely, dark and deep,'" she replied. The Doctor just nudged her with a his shoulder.
"I might use those," Shakespeare spoke up, making the couple both go right back to just sitting and listening.
"Sorry, but they're someone else's," Kayla informed him with a small smirk that made Martha roll her eyes.
Having already come to terms with being the one to usually get the conversations on track, Martha quickly put in, "There's something I've noticed. Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you," she finished with a nod to Shakespeare.
Putting the drink down that he had only just picked up, Shakespeare frowned at Martha. "You're accusing me?" He asked, sounding rather shocked.
Martha quickly shook her head. "No, but I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches."
"I have? When was that?" Shakespeare quickly replied. Glancing over at the drink, he started to think twice about picking it up.
Only noticing this small problem now, the Doctor nudged Martha and hissed, "Not, not quite yet."
Seeing this interaction but shrugging it off, Shakespeare continued on with the topic of witches. "Peter Streete spoke of witches."
"Pete Streete?" Kayla asked suddenly, her eyes widening, "The builder of the Globe?"
Shakespeare nodded. "He sketched the plans for the Globe," He agreed.
Suddenly, the Doctor shot to his feet. "The architect. Hold on. The architect! The architect!" Grabbing Kayla, he helped her get to her feet quickly. "Come on!" He called to the others as he ran to the Globe.
The Doctor and Kayla stood on the stage of one of the most famous theaters in the world: The Globe. Kayla had already promised the Doctor that she would answer the reason why she was so interested in Pete Streete. The Doctor was okay with this, but, as usual, he didn't explain his sudden wonder with the theater.
Instead, he called over to Shakespeare, who was with Martha in the pit, "The columns there, right? 14 sides. I've always wondered but I never asked...tell me, Will, why 14 sides?"
Shakespeare shrugged, already looking very confused with why the Doctor was so interested in the Globe. "It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well."
"Why does that ring a bell? 14…" the Doctor mused to himself while running a hand through his hair.
Kayla shrugged. "There's a planet that goes around 14 stars," she pointed out with a shrug.
"There are 14 lines in a sonnet," Martha added from the pit.
The Doctor nodded at that. "So there is. Good point. Words and shapes following the same design," he agreed before he started to pace. "14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets…Oh, my head. Tetradecagon...think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"
"This is just a theater," Shakespeare started with a shake of his head as he watched the Doctor's antics increase.
Kayla shook her head. "A theater is magic," she informed Shakespeare, though by the way he nodded at that it seemed to be more of a reminder. "When you stand on that stage and say the right words-"
"With the right emphasis," the Doctor added in with a nod.
Shooting him a subtle glare that he at least had the curtsey to look sheepish about, Kayla went on, "The right words with the right emphasis at the right time on that stage can make men weep or cry with joy."
"Or change them," the Doctor continued, as he sensed Kayla finishing with her speech, "You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that..."
"It's like you're police box. Small wooden box with all that POWER inside," Martha cut in with a wink.
Kayla give her a grin and said, "I like you, Martha Jones."
Nodding in agreement, the Doctor turned towards Shakespeare suddenly. "Tell you what, though. Peter Streete would know. Can I talk to him?"
Shakespeare suddenly looked downcast and shook his head. "You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place...lost his mind."
Horrified by this, Martha gasped, "Why? What happened?"
Shakespeare shrugged. "Started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled."
"Where is he now?" the Doctor asked, though Kayla could see through their link that he already knew, and so did Kayla.
"Bedlam," Shakespeare answered darkly.
Kayla just shook her head and placed a hand on her stomach, which was still sort flat enough to allow her wear her normal clothes. "I can't go," she informed the Doctor.
Nodding in complete agreement, the Doctor kissed her temple and then called down to Martha. "Martha, you gotta stay with Kayla. You two try to figure out why anyone would want to kill those two people."
Looking slightly upset at this but nodding all the same, Martha waited for Kayla to get off the stage and then the two hurried off.
For a moment, the Doctor paused, just watching Kayla leave. But once she was gone, the Time Lord clapped his hands and formed a fake grin. "Well Shakespeare, how about a trip to Bedlam?" the Doctor asked him.
Shaking his head, Shakespeare shrugged. "Alright, but hold on." Turning away, he focused on two actors who had just arrived. "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."
With a nod to the Doctor, the two men headed off with Shakespeare muttering, "As if. She never does."
When it was just the Doctor and her, staying behind was very boring, plus the Doctor always came back with some tale that she could have been in had she not been pregnant. But with Martha, Kayla found that it was a bit interesting. At the very least, Martha offered a person to talk to that didn't double as a time machine with orders to make sure she didn't leave.
Having gone through multiple files about the two dead people, Kayla sat back with a huff in Shakespeare chair. "There's nothing here!"
"I know!" Martha nodded, going through a pile of letters Shakespeare had received and never sent a reply to, "Only letters from his wife asking when he's going to come home, a mistress asking when he's going to come home…and some guy named Hamnet asking for him back?"
Kayla looked over at Martha, a sudden worried expression on her face. "Martha…" she said warningly as the black woman started to read it out loud.
"Father, we are well here in the countryside but I miss the city. Mother says that you do not want me there because you are too busy. I don't mind sitting with Dolly! Please let me come with you next time you come home, Hamnet." Shaking her head, Martha set down the letter. "Who's Hamnet?"
The brunette sighed softly, "Hamnet was one of his sons but he passed away, likely to the Black Death. Shakespeare wasn't even there but the news…it drove him crazy with grief. He was put in Bedlam."
Martha nodded slowly and then looked down at the letter. Briefly, her finger traced the curve in the name. "Hamnet," she muttered, "Bit like Hamlet."
"That was his inspiration," Kayla informed her, "The only way a writer thought he could immortalize his son, name him in a play."
"To be or not to be," Martha agreed. Carefully, she put the letter back in the stack and ignored the rest of the letters. After the story of poor Hamnet and his plea that never got answered, Martha didn't want to dig up more of the past.
The Doctor having gone in Bedlam with Shakespeare, placed his temples on Peter Streete's head. "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. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go." As he felt the man's body go limp, he helped him onto lay down on the cot he was sitting on. "Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."
Very slowly in a raspy voice, the broken man spoke, "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-" laughing loudly, the man finished with, "they sapped poor Peter's wits."
While Shakespeare made a noise at the story, the Doctor just nodded and crouched down in front of Peter, his hands still on the man's face. "Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city?" At now answer, he sighed and tried again, "Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?"
"All Hallows Street," Peter answered, which, upon thinking about it, the Doctor figured he should have realized that anything defined as a witch would live at All Hallows Street.
Before he could thank the man and leave, however, a crackle came from behind him, making him stand up and whirl around. Shakespeare quickly backed up next to him and together the two exchanged a glance as a croon woman, a stereotypical witch really, was in the cell with them.
And of course, like all witches, she had to crackle once more before she began her speech, "Too many words. Just one touch of the heart."
Without warning, the witch moved to the room, making Shakespeare and the Doctor press against the wall near to the door automatically, and laid her hand on Peter's chest. Realizing too late what she was doing, the Doctor yelled, "Noooo!"
But this did no good and Peter's back arched and he cried out with pain before he died.
"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!" Shakespeare cried out, his eyes widening as he seemed to realize that this was happening; that this was real.
The witch just crackled once more, "Who would be next, hmm? Just one touch," she threatened while rising one crooked finger.
Still in Shakespeare office, Kayla was rubbing her temple, getting a headache. As of late, the Doctor had been trying to keep his emotions more in check. Not bare them from her, per say, but keep them lower. However, now they were raging in her head, making her worried and very annoyed.
"Martha, stop making that noise," she commanded as Martha was opening different drawers at random.
Frowning, Martha came over to her. "You alright, Kayla?" she asked, looking concerned. "Is it the baby?"
Kayla shook her head. "It's the Doctor. I have this horrible feeling that he's in trouble."
Martha just nodded. "From what I've seen," she started out, "the Doctor seems to be able to handle himself. I'm sure he'll come out of this fine. Plus, he's with Shakespeare and I know he hasn't died yet."
Still in the cell of Bedlam, the Doctor and Shakespeare looked at each other nervously, their backs against the wall nearest to the door.
"Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals," the witch said, wiggling her finger.
Shakespeare glanced nervously over at the door. "Never thought I'd be trapped in here again," he muttered.
"Who will die first, hmm?" the witch continued on.
Giving the famous writer a careful look, the Doctor placed a hand on the man's shoulder and said, "Live a little." Turning to the witch, he spoke up. "Well, if you're looking for volunteers," he said with a shrug.
"Doctor, can you stop her?" Shakespeare asked, his eyes wide as he watched the man walk towards the witch.
"No mortal has power over me," the witch answered for him with a smirk.
The Doctor ignored her, already starting to think. "Oh, but there's a power in words. If I can find the right one — if I can just know you..."
For a moment, the witch looked worried, but then she shook her head. "None on Earth has knowledge of us."
"Then it's a good thing I'm here," the Doctor informed her, and then went on with his rambling, "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!" Turning towards the witch he pointed his finger and cried out, "Creature, I name you Carrionite!"
The witch, Carrionite, wailed and shook for a moment and then she disappeared.
For a moment, nothing happened. But then, Shakespeare slowly moved into the cell near the Doctor and the dead Peter. "What did you do?" the writer asked.
"I named her. The power of a name. That's old magic."
Shakespeare frowned and then shook his head. "There's no such thing as magic."
"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," the Doctor explained.
Frowning at the word, 'atom,' Shakespeare seemed to decide to brush it off and ask, "Use them for what?"
"The end of the world."
"Shakespeare? Shakespeare?!" At the cries, Kayla and the Martha exchanged worried looks. Judging by the sound of feet, the person who was yelling was too close for the two women to sneak out and go to their room without questions. This left them with one option.
"Hide," Kayla hissed, and ducked under the desk she was sitting at. Nodding, Martha ducked behind a different area. Together, the two watched as a rushed man, already very frazzled, charged into the room.
"Damn it man," he sighed as he found it empty. Kicking over a can of trash he shook his head. "Guess we're going to go on without you." Slamming the door shut, Martha and Kayla exchanged worried looks.
"Bedroom, now," Kayla hissed. Martha quickly nodded and the two snuck out.
"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend," the Doctor explained to a puzzled Shakespeare.
Shakespeare crossed his arms and then nodded to Peter's dead body. "Well, I'm going for real."
The Doctor smiled tightly. "But what do they want?" he mused to himself, and then shook his head, figuring out his own question. "A new empire on Earth…using you," he finished, turning to Shakespeare.
"Me? But I'd never work for that foul creature," Shakespeare protested.
The Doctor just shook his head. "Think back to last night. Martha said she saw a witch through a window, that might have been a Carrionite. What were you doing before Dolly died?"
Shakespeare shrugged. "Finishing the play."
Thinking hard, the Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "What happens on the last page?" he prompted.
"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," frowning at the end, Shakespeare then shrugged, brushing it off.
At this, the Doctor clapped his hands with a grin on his face that seemed out of place in the cell. "That's it. They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. 'Love's Labors 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! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that," he added as he saw Shakespeare's eyebrows raise.
Martha looked out the window, seeing the Globe alight and hearing the cheering audience. "The play's started."
Kayla walked over to her. "'Love's Labors Won.' A play history doesn't remember is preforming now." Pulling out a pad of psychic paper, Kayla showed it to the black woman. "Something's going down there. Now let's go and watch that play."
Martha grinned and looked at the psychic paper. "Kayla, you are amazing."
However, as they opened the door to step out, they ran into a wild looking Doctor with Shakespeare behind him. At the sight of Martha, Shakespeare gave her a flirty grin. The Doctor, though, he gave Kayla swift kiss and then yelled, "Come on!" And brought her with him to Shakespeare room.
"Shakespeare, do you have a map?" the Time Lord asked, looking around the room.
Nodding, the man pulled open a drawer and grabbed his map. Once it was laid out on the desk, the Doctor leaned over it with Kayla leaning over his shoulder. "All Hallows Street. There it is. Martha, the three of us will track them down," Straightening up, he turned to Shakespeare, "Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!"
Looking very proud to be requested of this, the famous writer nodded. "I'll do it." Holding out his hand, he waited for the Doctor to shake it, which the man gladly did. "All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you, I know nothing."
Martha shook her head. "Oh, don't complain."
"I'm not. It's marvelous. Good luck, Doctor," Shakespeare said, giving the man a grin."
The Doctor grinned. "Good luck, Shakespeare," he returned. Taking Kayla's hand, the two walked off with Martha trotting behind them.
"Once more unto the breach!" Kayla quoted with a knowing wink to the Doctor.
Shakespeare's eyebrows rose. "I like that. Wait a minute...that's one of mine."
The Doctor laughed. "Oh, just shift!"
The trio walked down to All Hallows Street which was just as creepy as the name implied. All the houses gave off a witchy sort of vibe which made it harder to figure out which house was which.
"All Hallows Street, but which house?" The Doctor mused.
Martha's brow suddenly furrowed. "The thing is, though...am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me — I'm living proof," she wondered.
Kayla gave Martha a pitying look. "History is in constant flux. If we fail then the world ends."
"But…I was born after this. What will happen to me? To my family?" Martha asked, her eyes widening.
"Your souls might one day meet, but you'll never have existed as Martha Jones," Kayla answered.
It was at this point that Martha realized why the Doctor and Kayla had offered her a chance to leave. Time traveling was amazing and an absolute dream, but was it worth it to have the fate of the world in her hands? The potential risk of dying because she did something wrong terrified her.
Still musing on this, Martha was quieter as the trio walked down the street.
"Which house?" Kayla grumbled to herself, and then paused. Together, the three turned to see the house's they were just passing door to open slowly and creakily.
"Ah, make that WITCH house," the Doctor sighed. Giving Kayla's hand a gentle squeeze the two walked into the house, Martha following. The bottom level had nothing but a flight of stairs. Seeing no choice, the three walked up to only see a waiting witch, Carrionite, for them.
Acting all casual, the Doctor offered a slight grin. "I take it we're expected."
The woman smirked. "Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time," she informed the man. Suddenly, she pointed her finger at Martha. "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones."
Kayla quickly stepped to the side and then back as the Doctor caught the now limp Martha Jones and gently lowered her to the floor. The brunette crouched behind her and sighed as she felt Martha's still beating pulse.
"What have you done?" the Doctor asked, getting the information through his link.
No longer smirking as much, the woman glanced with curiosity over at Kayla and Martha, which made the Doctor subtly shift to his side. "Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor!" pointing, the woman frowned as the Doctor didn't even flinch. "Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look. There's still one word with the power that burns."
The Doctor shrugged, though his mind instantly went to Kayla. "The naming won't work on me," he tried to say.
"But yet you burn and ache for the Kayla in your wake." At her name being spoken, Kayla cried out, her hands instantly going to her stomach.
Whirling around, the Doctor knelt next to the brunette and held her, his hand over hers. "You," the Time Lord started, his voice shaking with fury. "You, just made a very big mistake. Because if there's one thing you should know about me…" Standing up slowly, the Doctor stalked towards the witch, every bit as dangerous as any of the monsters he has faced.
"I am the Doctor. I am a Time Lord. And you just hurt my Bonded Lilith of the Carrionites." Though he said the last part in Gallifreyian, it still worked. With a scream, the Carrionite literally burst into flames and died. For a moment, the Doctor seemed pleased about this, but hearing a weak call of his name, he ran to Kayla.
"Kayla, are you okay?" he asked, his eyes widening.
The brunette nodded shakily. "Glad I choose this name off the list of the dead." She tried to joke, but then winced and placed a hand on her stomach.
Knowing what she wanted to explain, the Doctor just nodded and helped her up before turning his attention to a groggy Martha. Thankfully, she shot up like a bullet.
"Globe?" She asked.
"Globe," the Doctor agreed, and then looked over at Kayla.
"Globe," she repeated.
Together, the three ran out of the house only for Kayla to grab Martha's arm, stopping the black woman from going further. Looking at her, the brunette shrugged and explained. "When he gets like this, he doesn't notice anything,"
This statement was proven by the Doctor running past them and further down All Hallows Street instead of pausing for Kayla and Martha. Shaking her head, Kayla called to him, "You're going the wrong way!"
The Doctor yelled back, "No I'm not! Come on!" Less than two minutes later, however, he ran back the opposite way. "I was going the wrong way!"
"Told you so," Kayla said to Martha. Smiling, she walked down the steps lightly.
Running in the streets of London was fairly stressful on Kayla, but they thankfully made it to the Globe quickly. "I hate you," Kayla snapped, but then paused at the sight of red energy pouring out of the theater and the sound of screams from the audience.
The preacher from earlier that had glared at them turned to them with a smirk. "I told thee so! I told thee!"
Ignoring him, the Doctor pointed at one of the sides of the door. "Stage door!" he yelled.
Thankfully, as the door was made of wood, the stage door was unlocked and allowed Kayla, the Doctor, and Martha to burst into the backstage of the theater. Instantly, they were treated with the sight of Shakespeare rubbing his head.
"Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said, 'Stop the play!'" the Doctor snapped in annoyance.
Shakespeare frowned. "I hit my head," he groaned while continuing to rub.
"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." Before Shakespeare could reply to this, a particularly loud scream came from outside and the Doctor grabbed Kayla's hand. "That's our cue!" he cried out, and the couple ran out.
Shrugging, Martha grabbed Shakespeare's forearm and dragged him out to the stage along with the Time Lords.
"Now begins the millennium of blood!" the Carrionites who were swooping around the stage called out with a cackle.
Watching this for a moment, the Doctor grabbed Shakespeare's arm. "Come on, Will! History needs you!"
Shakespeare stared at him, his eyes wide. "But what can I do?"
"You gotta reverse it!" Kayla yelled back.
The writer looked in between the two. "How am I supposed to do that?"
The Doctor shook his head. "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!"
Shakespeare shrugged helplessly. "But what words? I have none ready!"
"You're William Shakespeare!" Kayla and the Doctor yelled together.
"But these Carrionite phrases, the need such precision!" Shakespeare protested.
The Doctor gave the famous writer a steady look. "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!"
Not looking like he believed the two, Shakespeare turned to the hoard of Carrionites and took a deep breath. "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!" Kayla informed Shakespeare quickly at the questioning look he was giving them.
Shakespeare nodded. "7-6-1-3-9-0! And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..."
Pausing once more, the man looked to the couple for advice only for the Doctor and Kayla at a loss. Suddenly, Martha cried out, "Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus?" Kayla repeated, her brow furrowing.
"Expelliarmus!" the Doctor yelled in agreement.
Blinking briefly, Shakespeare roared, "Expelliarmus!"
"Good old JK!" the Doctor yelled out with a laugh.
At this finishing cry, the Carrionites screamed in horror as they got sucked up into a cloud like a tornado along with all the copies of Love's Labors Won.'
"And there it goes," Kayla muttered with a shake of her head. "I wanted to read it."
The audience, however, seemed to pause. For a moment, they were all silent but then they started to applause and cheer. The trio of time travelers exchanged a look and then ducked out as the actors took their bows. "They think it was all special effects," Martha hissed to the Time Lords.
"Your effect is special indeed," Shakespeare flirted with a smirk.
Martha rolled her eyes. "It's not your best line."
Meanwhile, the Doctor and Kayla went into the boxes that they figured the source probably came from. Upon the third one, they found an orb with two Carrionites in it. Shrugging, the Doctor put it in his pocket and took Kayla's hand.
"We did it," the Doctor said proudly.
Kayla laughed and hugged him. "We did."
The next morning, the Doctor and Kayla came back from the TARDIS to find Martha and Shakespeare sitting rather close to each other. On their way back the Doctor had grabbed an animal skull that drew his attention and a ruff collar.
"Good props store back there! I'm not sure about this though," he remarked while studying the skull once more, "Reminds me of a Sycorax."
"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well," Shakespeare replied, his brow furrowing.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I should be on 10%. How's your head?"
At this reminder, Shakespeare rubbed his head. "Still aching."
Kayla grabbed the collar from the Time Lord. "Here, a present." Throwing him the collar, she grinned as he put it around his neck. "It's kinda like a neck brace. Keep it on until your head gets better, though I think it looks good on you."
Martha rolled her eyes as Shakespeare straightened up, the brace on his neck. "What about the play?" she wondered.
The Doctor shook his head. "Gone. I looked all over — every single copy of 'Love's Labors Won' went up in the sky."
"My lost masterpiece," Shakespeare sighed with a shake of his head.
Martha frowned. "You could write it up again," she pointed out.
"Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten," the Doctor warned.
Shakespeare shrugged. "Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy — my precious Hamnet," he swallowed hard while looking out at the pit.
Martha glanced over at Kayla, who was smiling sadly, and then looked back to Shakespeare. "I'm sure that will be amazing."
While Shakespeare stared off into the distance, the Doctor cleared his throat pointedly. "Anyway, time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot," pausing he took out the crystal that held the Carrionites in it, "can scream for all eternity and I've gotta take Martha back to Freedonia."
Shakespeare got to his feet along with Martha. "You mean travel on through time and space," the famous writer.
Everyone pause, especially the Doctor. "You what?" he asked, his eyes widening.
"You and Kayla are from another world like the Carrionites and Martha is from the future. It's not hard to work out," Shakespeare said with a shrug.
Kayla's mouth dropped open and Martha gasped. "That's...incredible. You are incredible," the Doctor stammered.
"We're alike in many ways, Doctor," while the Doctor just gaped and Kayla shook her head, Shakespeare turned to Martha, "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—-"
Before Shakespeare could finish, two men ran into the Globe Theater, their eyes wide. "Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!" one cried out.
"We're the talk of the town. She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again," the other one yelled.
Martha frowned. "Who?" she asked.
The man who had spoken up second literally jumped into the air. "Her Majesty! She's here!"
A fanfare started up from outside and Queen Elizabeth I came into the theater.
"Queen Elizabeth I!" the Doctor gasped, nudging Kayla.
At his sight, the woman glared at the Time Lord. "Doctor!" she hissed, and then looked over at Kayla and Martha. "And your companions."
"What?" the Doctor asked, looking at the two women who shrugged.
"My sworn enemies," the Queen continued.
"What?" the Doctor repeated.
"Off with their heads!" The Queen finished.
"What?" the Doctor cried out.
Martha rolled her eyes and grabbed the Doctor's and Kayla's arms. "Never mind 'what,'" she snapped, "just run! See you, Will! And thanks!"
As Shakespeare started to laugh loudly, the trio ran off with the echoing cry of, "Stop that pernicious Doctor and his companions!"
Speeding up their run, the trio went through the streets of London, a solider yelling behind them, "Stop in the name of the Queen!"
"What have we done to upset her?!" Martha asked the Doctor.
The Doctor shook his head. "How should we know? We haven't even met her yet!"
"Time travel for you," Kayla added in, "but we'll meet her eventually."
Unlocking the door to the TARDIS, Martha and the Kayla rushed in and the Doctor went in as well and slammed the door shut with the sound of an arrow hitting in the door. Running around the console, Kayla and the Doctor made the TARDIS take off with Martha holding on for dear life.
I am so, so sorry this is late. School prep and I do not get along. Never fear, everything is alright and Kayla is here!
As for this monster chapter, I enjoyed writing Martha and Kayla together. And I really like changing the story with Martha having the option to leave at any time and considering it. I mean, traveling with the Doctor is pretty dangerous and I would think twice before walking into the TARDIS.
And now...review time:
NicoleR85: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed.