An Eternity Among The Stars

by seasidewriter1

Waking up in the Doctor Who world after a serious car crash, Selene finds herself being invited to travel with the Doctor and his companions. Together they all protect the earth from the dangers it faces as well as saving other worlds and time periods. But as time goes on, how strong will the relationship between the two become? Will they fall in love? starts with 10 *Doctor/OC*

16. The Shakespeare Code

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who in any way (show, books, comics, planets, universes, aliens etc.) or any of the characters. I only own my OC Selene.

16. The Shakespeare Code

The TARDIS was jerking about as it wobbled through the time vortex; it jostled the Doctor and Selene and the newest time traveler, Martha Jones. Martha, who had only been a simple medical student earlier that morning, was now hurtling through time and space. Time and space! So many questions rattled around in her brain, but she could only think to ask one.

" But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?" she asked the Doctor, who was spinning a crank around. He gave her a look. Well… no one really tended to ask that.

" Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything," he muttered, " Martha, you don't want to know. It just does." Martha looked about ready to protest and ask again, but Selene, who was now on Martha's right, said,

" It's best if you just go along with it—trust me, some things you just have to… accept, some things and people just don't like to be questioned… the Doctor and the TARDIS usually being in that category." She smiled a bit at the Doctor who smirked in response.

" I should just have you explain everything."

" But what's the fun in that?"

" Quite right. Now, hold on tight!" he exclaimed, kicking a foot upwards to rest on the control panel. After another moment or so, the TARDIS shuddered and halted, sending everyone in different directions. Martha flew backwards and landed on her bum, Selene was vaulted sideways into the pilot's seat and the Doctor, who was already expecting the landing, pushed away from the console, spun around, leaned over the railing and grabbed his long tan jacket.

" Blimey! Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?" Martha asked as she stood. Despite the bizarreness of the situation and the fact that it might hurt to sit down for a little while, Martha was smiling. It was real. It had to be.

" Yes, you do," Selene muttered, rubbing her side with a wince. The chair wasn't the most comfy thing to land against. The Doctor, with only one arm in his jacket crossed the console room towards the two women.

" And I failed," the Doctor added on, tossing Selene her grey cotton jacket, " Now, make the most of it." He practically flung Martha's red leather jacket into her arms. " I promised you one trip and one trip only." The Time Lord sprinted down the ramp towards the doors. " Outside this door… brave new world."

" Where are we?" Martha asked with a smile.

" Take a look." The door creaked open. " After you."

With a bigger smile and an intake of breath, Martha headed down the ramp. Her pace was slow at first, but then, with a burst of excitement, she jogged the rest of the way out. The Doctor, coat fully dawned, nodded to the door again, meaning for Selene to step through next.

She made her way down the ramp saying, " Thank you, kind sir," as she passed.

Martha was amazed at what she saw before her. They'd landed on a street lined with old buildings and lit with torches; men, women and children moved about in the orange tinged lighting wearing old fashioned clothes and grime streaking their faces. Now, the smell could have been better—far better—but everything was real. She could see the stars. Actually see the stars! There wasn't much light pollution to masquerade them.

" Oh, you're kidding me. You're so kidding me. Oh, my God, we did it! We traveled in time!" Martha exclaimed as the other two time travelers stepped out beside her, " Where are we? No! Sorry, got to get used to this—whole new language. When are we?"

" Mind out!" the Doctor said suddenly, pulling Martha and Selene backwards.

" Oi! Gardez-loo!" a woman called from up above them, emptying what could only be a bucket that served as a chamber pot right onto the spot Martha had been standing. Backs now pressed against the TARDIS, the Doctor eyed the disgusting splatter on the cobblestones in front of them.

" Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that…" the Doctor muttered. Martha didn't stop smiling though. It may have been disgusting, but it was real, it was different… they were back in time!

" I've seen worse. I've the late-night shift, A and E," Martha dismissed. The Doctor smiled a bit and shoved his hands into his coat pockets; it was a bit chilly in the evening air, but it could be dealt with. " But are we safe?" A look of worry crossed the new time traveler's face, eyes wide, hand extended to him as he began to move. " I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

" Of course—you can move as freely as you do back home," Selene told her, stepping around the puddle of human waste in front of her. She smiled back at Martha while the Doctor, a bit confused, asked,

" Why do you ask?"

" It's like in the films—you step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race!" Martha explained, eyes still wide.

" Most commonly known as the butterfly effect," Selene added in casually. The Doctor blinked once or twice.

" I'll tell you what, then. Don't… step on any butterflies," he told her, beginning to turn away, but immediately turning back, his brow creasing, " What have butterflies ever done to you?"

" What if—" Martha paused, seeing that she'd forgotten to step around that nasty puddle. " I don't know… what if I kill my grandfather?"

" Are you planning to?"

" No."

" Well then."

" And this is London?" Martha asked excitedly, forgetting about her now soiled shoe.

" I think so. 'Round about, um, ooh, fifteen ninety-nine," the Doctor estimated, looking at the clothing of the people passing by. A sudden thought struck Martha and she nudged the Doctor's arm and Selene's arm as well.

" Oh, but hold on. Am I alright? I'm not going to get carted off as a slave, am I?" she questioned seriously, the three coming to a stop. The Doctor's eyes widened and he looked confused again.

" Why would they do that?" he asked, sounding surprised at her question.

" I'm not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed," Martha pointed out with a smirk.

" I'm not even human. Just walk about like you own the place—works for me. Besides, you'd be surprised—Elizabethan England, not so different from your time." He nodded towards two darker skinned women walking about together smiling happily. " Look over there." The Doctor pointed behind them at a man shoveling some hay that was on the ground into a bucket. " They've got recycling. Water cooler moment." Two men stood over a barrel, drinking and talking.

" And the Earth will be consumed by flame!" a man proclaimed loudly as they passed him. The Doctor smiled a bit at this and Selene did as well.

" Global warming," Selene added, making the man's face become surprised. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, the Doctor leapt forward in front of the two, looking as if he were barely able to contain himself as he walked backwards.

" Oh, yes, and entertainment, popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river, by Southwark, right next to…" He excitedly grabbed both of the women by the hand, the three jogging down a vacated street. " Oh, yes!" the Doctor exclaimed, grinning as they came to a stop. In the distance they saw a large white building with a thatched roof that really had no ceiling, and appeared to be round. The windows were lit with orange light and people were making their way towards it. " The Globe Theatre, brand-new, just opened! Though, strictly speaking, it's not a globe. It's a tetradecagon, fourteen sides, containing… the man himself."

" Oh, I remember this… I remember this so much!" Selene said with a bright grin.

" Whoa, you don't mean…" Martha said, looking at the Globe in shock. " Is Shakespeare in there?"

" Oh, yes!"

" Then what are we doing out here? We should be half way there!" Selene announced with a great big grin. The Doctor grinned as well and then offered her his arm.

" Miss Thomas, will you accompany me to the theatre?" the Time Lord asked his companion. She grinned and slipped her arm through his, standing closer to him.

" Why, is there anything else I'd rather do?" she replied, squeezing his arm. Chuckling he turned to Martha and offered his other arm.

" And you, Miss Jones?"

" Mr. Smith, I will!" Martha enthusiastically replied, accepting his arm. The three excited and grinning travelers began their walk towards the Globe.

" When you get home you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare," the Doctor commented. Martha gave a sarcastic smile.

" Then, I could get sectioned!"

A bit later, the Doctor gently nudged Selene.

" You just said that you remembered this; is there anything we should be concerned about?" he inquired, arching a brow. Selene, who definitely had mentioned she remembered it, bit her lower lip for a moment. Everything was getting clearer once she recognized what episode it was. Well, there was something to worry about…

" Nothing in the immediate moment. Why don't we just enjoy a good show and discuss it afterwards?" Selene asked in reply, which earned a thoughtful look from the Time Lord. He supposed she was right. If it was nothing immediate…

" Right, then. We're almost there."

OOOO

The Globe was immensely crowded. People were pushing their way to get inside, those of higher class going up towards the top and those of lower status standing right in front of the stage. There were three balconies and every single inch of the theatre was absolutely packed. The production, from what could be heard through the excited chattering, was Love's Labour's Lost. Martha, Selene and the Doctor stood with those in the pit, towards the back. Once the play started, it quieted down some, but as with most plays at the time, people shouted comments to the actors or talked to the people around them regarding the actions of the characters.

Selene was grinning madly through the entire thing; she stood between the Doctor and Martha, and though she sometimes stood on tip-toe to see the stage more, her good mood never lessened. Who else, besides time travelers, could say they got to see a Shakespeare play while Shakespeare was in the building? No one, that's who. The Doctor looked down at her, a smile spreading across his lips when he saw the pure excitement on her face. It was moments like this, when he was immensely glad she decided to stick with him. While the tension between them had completely let up for what was probably two months, the Doctor always counted himself lucky that despite everything they'd both been through, she'd wanted to stay.

When the performance ended and the actors were taking their bows, everyone was positively roaring with applause and cheering.

" That's amazing! Just amazing! It's worth putting up with the smell," Martha remarked as they applauded, " And… those are men dressed as women, yeah?"

" London never changes," the Doctor said. He looked down at Selene again, whose eyes were still twinkling brightly. " And what did you think?"

" Oh, it was perfect! I never got the chance to get to England and see anything at the Globe—you know, monetary reasons and all that—but this… this was the best I could have asked for!" Selene exclaimed happily, furiously clapping her hands together. The Doctor laughed fondly at her enthusiasm and paused in applauding to give her a one-armed hug. Martha looked at Selene and asked,

" Bit of a fan, are we?"

" If I'd been able to finish college I would have probably been an English teacher—Shakespeare was my favorite subject. You have no idea how much I know about the plays. He's a fantastic writer with amazing words and phrases and everything just fits together gorgeously," she replied, teasing herself. Both women laughed as the applause kept on rolling.

" Where's Shakespeare?" Martha asked after a moment, " I wanna see Shakespeare. Author, author!" She raised her fist in the air and pounded it into the air twice before seeing the look the Doctor was giving her. " Do people shout that? Do they should 'author'?"

One man behind her began to cry just that and it suddenly caught on like wild fire throughout the theatre—the crowd was eagerly chanting 'author.' The Doctor looked around at the many chanting people.

" Well… they do now," he replied.

" You, Martha Jones, have just started a new trend," Selene told her. Martha smiled at the people around her, witnessing the work she'd done.

After a moment a man stepped out of the doorway at the back of the stage he jumped a few steps forward to the front of the stage and swept his hand upwards with a flourish. The crowd whistled and cheered louder, applause sounding out once more. He walked about the front of the stage kissing the side of his hand and then flinging it out to the audience—he was blowing kisses to those in the theatre. Everyone was enthralled at his appearance, including the three time travelers.

" He's a bit different to his portraits," Martha commented.

And that he was. For one thing, in all the famous paintings of him, he was rather… bald. But the man who was before them on the stage, had a head full of thick light brown hair, that was fairly long; he had a skin close beard and grey-blue eyes that twinkled with life as he scanned the crowd in the theatre. He also didn't wear the Elizabethan ruff that was typically in his portraits. Instead, he was wearing a simple white shirt with a black jacket pulled on over it, the lace cuffs of his chosen top peaking out; well fitted dark trousers were tucked into knee high boots and his belt had a small leather pouch resting on his hip. A ring encircled his right pinky, a small hoop earring pierced his left earlobe and the cord of a necklace could just be seen in the open neck line of his shirt. In four words… he was very handsome.

" Genius," the Doctor commented, his voice almost lost in the cheering, " He's a genius—the genius—the most human human there's ever been. Now we're going to hear him speak!" The Time Lord was grinning with pure excitement. " Always, he chooses the best words, new, beautiful, brilliant words!"

" Ah, shut your big fat mouths!" Shakespeare shouted with a grin. The audience laughed and the Doctor looked a bit disappointed.

" Oh well…" he muttered.

" You should never meet your heroes," Martha told him. Selene gave a shrug.

" I don't care, that's still Shakespeare," Selene added in.

" You've got excellent taste, I'll give you that. Oh!" Shakespeare pointed at one man. " That's a wig!" Everyone laughed again. " I know what you're all saying—'Love's Labour's Lost,' that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon." The audience began to cry out 'when?' " Yeah, yeah, all in good time. You don't rush a genius." He bowed to his audience who chuckled. Then, like someone had taken a string, attached it to his head and then yanked, he jerked straight again, eyes a bit wide. The audience, for once, was completely silent. " When? Tomorrow night. The premiere of my brand-new play—a sequel no less—and call I it… Love's Labour's Won!"

As everyone applauded the news, the Doctor and Selene looked very solemn. That was the lost play. Selene took hold of the Doctor's sleeve, drawing his attention.

" And that is the start of our trouble."

The audience began to filter out of the theatre, excitedly chattering about the next play.

" I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of 'Love's Labour's Won,'" Martha commented as they left.

" Exactly. That's because there isn't a 'Love's Labour's Won.' It isn't in his work of plays," Selene pointed out, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

" The lost play… doesn't exist, only in rumors. It's mentioned in his lists of plays, but never ever turns up. And no one knows why…" the Doctor added on as they slowly shuffled through the streets. Martha got an idea.

" Have you got a mini disc or something? We can tape it, we can flog it! Sell it when we get home, make a mint," she said with an excited smile. With the serious looks on the Doctor and Selene's face, she assumed that it wasn't a good idea.

" No."

" That would be bad."

" Yeah, yeah."

" How come it disappeared in the first place?" Martha asked, referring back to the lost play.

" Well… I was just going to give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS… But I suppose we could stay a bit longer." At the news, Martha grinned widely.

" Well, I say we ask around a bit and see where Shakespeare is most known for spending his time; my memory may seem to be returning—thank God—but I don't remember that much," Selene said, tucking some hair behind her ear. She really did hope at least some of her memory would be coming back… it would be helpful… but, then again, maybe it would be best not to remember everything. She didn't exactly want a repeat of the Doomsday situation.

OOOO

The Elephant

William Shakespeare sat at a table with two of his actors, discussing what he'd said that night at the end of the show. He was leaned back in his rickety wooden chair, bathed in the candle light of the upstairs room.

" Here you go, Will. Drink up," Dolly Bailey, the lodgings house keeper, said with a smile, bringing over a tray of filled tankards. " There's enough beer in this lodgings house to sink the Spanish.

" Dolly Bailey, you've saved my life," Shakespeare remarked, leaning forward to take a tankard. The fair haired woman smiled secretively at him.

" I'll do more than that later tonight." She turned to a timid looking young woman who was sweeping up by the window. " And you, girl, hurry up with the tasks. The talk of gentlemen's best not overheard."

" Yes, Ma'am, sorry, Ma'am," the young woman said, casting her eyes down.

" You must be mad, Will, 'Love's Labour's Won'? I mean, we're not ready, it's supposed to be next week. What made you say that?" asked Burbage, a dark haired, lean looking actor.

" You haven't even finished it yet," added on Kempe, a more heavy set actor with a goatee. Shakespeare, who'd leaned back in his seat sighed.

" I've just got the final scene to go. You'll get it by morning," he dismissed.

" Hello!" said a new voice, lunging into the doorway, knocking on the open door. There stood a rather tall man in a long tan coat and rather odd clothing… speaking of odd, his hair was in quite a state as well. " Excuse me, not interrupting, am I? Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

Said man groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, his tankard immediately set down.

" Oh, no. No, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs, no you can't have yourself sketched with me, and please don't ask where I get my ideas from," he rattled off, dismissing the usual requests. He didn't notice the two women who now stood on either side and just behind the strange man, who were both smiling. " Thanks for the interest. Now, be a good boy and shove—" Shakespeare's eyes lighted on the two beautiful women at that moment. He smiled a bit, eyes on Martha. " Hey, nonny, nonny. You two, sit right down here next to me. You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go."

" Come on, lads. I think our William's found his new muse… or muses," Dolly said with a teasing smile, gathering the up her tray, setting down a third chair and escorting the two actors out.

" Sweet ladies," Shakespeare said as both Martha and Selene stepped forward to sit on the chairs, leaving the middle one vacant for the Doctor, " Such unusual clothes. So… fitted."

" Um, verily. Forsooth. Egads!" Martha tried, lacing her voice with what was supposed to be genuine emotion. It, unfortunately, came out forced and it really just sounded wrong. Selene winced and shook her head and whispered,

" No…"

" No, no… don't do that," the Doctor added in softly, letting her know it was okay to speak as she normally would, " Don't." While Shakespeare was absorbed in seeing what both women were wearing, the Time Lord flipped out the Psychic Paper. " I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS, and these are my companions, Miss Martha Jones and Miss Selene Thomas."

" Interesting, that bit of paper—it's blank," Shakespeare said flatly, pointing at the Psychic Paper. The Doctor smiled a bit.

" Oh, that's… very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius," he murmured with admiration while Martha stared at the paper confused.

" Mm."

" No, it says, right there—Sir Doctor, Martha Jones and Selene Thomas. It says so," Martha said with a smile. It did! It was right there! Selene, who also saw what it said, leaned forward a bit on the table with a smile.

" And I say it's blank," Shakespeare retorted simply.

" Eh… Psychic Paper, um, long story," the Doctor said, knocking the subject away, " Oh, I hate starting from scratch." He shoved the little paper back into his pocket.

" 'Psychic'? Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you, exactly? More to the point who is your gorgeous fair-skinned queen and your delicious blackamoor lady?" Shakespeare asked, smiling at the two women.

Martha's eyes widened in shock.

" What did you say?" she asked, her smile fading.

" Whoops, isn't that a word we use nowadays? An ethiop girl, a swarth, a Queen of Afric?"

" Can't believe I'm hearing this…"

" It's… political correctness gone mad," the Doctor quickly interjected, rubbing one of his eyes in response to the way the conversation had turned, " Um, Martha—and Selene—are from a far-off land… Freedonia…"

" Excuse me! Hold hard a moment!" a new voice pierced the air rather annoyingly. The bearded man in the doorway—by the name of Lynley—was richly dressed: a feathered hat, a ruff around his neck, thick velvet looking top with a fur jacket, puffy pants, stockings on his lower legs and well-kept shoes. To top it all off, a rather expensive looking necklace rested around his shoulders and neck. " This is abominable behavior—a new play with no warning. I demand to see a script, Mr. Shakespeare. As… Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed."

" Tomorrow morning, first thin. I'll send it 'round," Shakespeare replied after tiredly rubbing his eyes. He'd heard enough of all the 'are you mad?' sort of conversation for the night—especially when two beautiful women were sitting before him.

" I don't work to your schedule. You work to mine. The script, now!"

" I can't!"

" Then tomorrow's performance is canceled."

" It's all 'go' around here, innit?" Martha muttered softly, not liking the demanding man in the doorway.

" I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'Love's Labor's Won' will never be played!" And with that, he left. Scoffing as he left Selene looked at everyone in the room.

" Well, isn't he a pleasant man…" she murmured.

" I apologize for his disturbance—his name is Lynley. He's from the Lord Chamberlain's office—and he's always in such a state," Shakespeare said with a sigh, lifting up his tankard.

" If I were in his position, I wouldn't be so tough on you," Selene commented with a smile, reaching for the abandoned and untouched tankard on her right. Shakespeare, at her comment, met her gaze and smiled at her over the rim of his drink. The Doctor glanced between the two after the exchange, brows creasing, lips frowning. He didn't quite like all the flirting flying about the room… He then noted Selene lifting the tankard up to her lips.

" Are you sure you want to be doing that?" he asked quietly, remembering what she'd said about the whole tavern incident with Hal. Selene paused and then smiled at him. Aw, was he concerned about her? That was sweet…

" Don't worry, I'm not going to let it be a repeat of the last time," she assured him. Besides, that was fourteen hundreds ale, this is eighteen hundreds ale… maybe it's changed a bit, she thought to herself, braving a long sip. Just like last time, the alcohol burned her tongue and had a biting, strong taste. Okay, just a bit different.

" Well, then, mystery solved," Martha said after taking a tiny sip herself. " That's 'Love's Labour's Won' over and done with. Thought it might be something more… you know… mysterious."

Two screams—one gargled and the other high pitched and female—echoed out from outside, and like a lightning bolt, the Doctor was off down the stairs with Selene and Martha following. Shakespeare was close behind, trailing just after Selene.

" Be careful what you wish for, Martha!" Selene told her as she jumped the last few steps.

" Does this happen often?!" she asked in a surprised voice.

" More often than not—just look at the whole moon fiasco! That's almost every day life!"

By the time they made it into a small courtyard outside The Elephant, the four witnessed Lynley choking and spewing water out of his mouth. Women in the courtyard gaped in horror. The Doctor, on the other hand, immediately began to try and figure out what the hell was going on.

" It's that Lynley bloke," Martha commented.

" What's wrong with him?" The Doctor asked himself. Selene rolled her eyes and smacked his arm.

" Nothing good, obviously," she said, pointing out that the finely dressed man was dying.

" Well, leave it to me, I'm a doctor." He rushed forward as Martha said,

" So am I, near enough!"

The two held Lynley up as Selene just watched on beside the famous playwright. Shakespeare pointed at Martha, looking to the woman beside him, hoping to get an answer.

" She's a doctor?" he asked in surprise. Women weren't usually much more than seamstresses in those days in terms of work. Selene nodded watching in shock. She didn't remember this.

" Yeah, we'll explain Freedonia later," Selene muttered, watching as Martha and the Doctor tried to help in some way. She was really despising not being able to remember anything; how was she supposed to help? How was she supposed to prevent anything?

" Are you a doctor?"

" Me? No… no I am not."

With one final rush of water from between his lips, Lynley collapsed.

Martha immediately went into doctor mode, began muttering that he was going to be alright. When she opened his mouth to start CPR, water gurgled out.

" What the hell is that?" she asked.

" I've never seen a death like it… his lungs are full of water, he drowned," the Doctor muttered as Selene stepped forward. She brushed hair out of her face and stared at the dead man.

" He drowned from the inside out," Selene whispered, " and on land no less."

" And the way he keeled over… it was like a… I don't know… like a…. blow to the heart? An invisible blow…" After a moment, the Doctor stood and turned towards Dolly Bailey. " Good Mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humors. A natural, if unfortunate, demise. Call a constable, have him taken away," he said calmly.

" Yes, sir."

" I'll do it, Ma'am," said the maid from earlier. Her name was Lilith, and she walked away with a smile, pleased at the work that had been done.

When the Doctor crouched back down, Selene was beside him, staring at the water droplets rolling down Lynley's face.

" And why are you telling them that?" Martha asked in confusion. He clearly drowned! Not an… imbalance of the humors, what ever the hell that was.

" This lot have still got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft."

" Okay, what was it then?"

" Witchcraft," the Doctor reiterated and then looked over at Selene for confirmation. She nodded and sighed, scrubbing a hand through her hair.

" Definitely witchcraft."

OOOO

Shakespeare, the Doctor, Martha and Selene all trudged their way back upstairs. It had been an odd evening indeed. Shakespeare sat down in a chair and swiped a hand over his face tiredly.

" I got you a room, Sir Doctor," Dolly said from the door way with a smile, " You, Miss Jones and Miss Thomas are just across the landing."

" Poor Lynley," Shakespeare mused, " So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia, where a woman can be a doctor?"

" Where a woman can do what she likes," Martha explained with a small smile and a soft voice.

" And you, Sir Doctor, how can a man so young have eyes so old?"

The Doctor, solemn faced replied with,

" I do a lot of reading."

" A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I'd do. And you," Shakespeare said looking at Martha, " You look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much of a puzzle to you as he is to me. And of course you, Miss Thomas… there's you. There's something about you that is troubled—but hidden—and then there is this glimmer in your eye… you're like a distant star in a far, far off place…"

A moment's pause ensued while Shakespeare scrutinized the intriguing trio before him. But it was only a moment of silence.

" I think we should say goodnight," Martha interjected, leaving the room quickly.

" I must to work. I have a play to complete… I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, Miss Thomas, and I'll discover more about you both and this constant performance of yours," Shakespeare said as he paced the room to stretch out his legs. The two interesting strangers stood in the doorway. The Doctor smiled a bit.

" All the world's a stage," he quoted. Shakespeare paused and then looked at him.

" Mm. I might use that. Good night, Doctor, Miss Thomas."

" Nighty-night, Shakespeare."

" Actually… I was wondering if I might have a word," Selene suddenly said, " I know you have work to do and I'll be out of your way quickly, but… I'd just like to talk for a quick moment."

Shakespeare paused in shuffling some papers and stared at her before smiling.

" Of course—who would I be to not oblige a beautiful woman's request? Come, sit," he said, gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk. The Doctor, however, didn't look too thrilled. He took a tight grip on her elbow, lips subconsciously pulling into a frown.

" What are you doing?" he asked quietly. Selene put her hand over his in what was meant to be a comforting gesture—a gesture not missed by the second man in the room.

" I just need to ask him something, okay? I'll be in the room in a little bit—nothing will happen, I promise," she told him and then nodded across the landing, " Go."

After sending Shakespeare a warning glance, he turned to head across the hall shoulders and back as stiff as a rod. He didn't like this…

Selene turned and walked back into Shakespeare's room, sitting herself across from the playwright.

" What is it you would like to speak on?" he asked curiously, seating himself and leaning backwards in his chair. Selene reached out and toyed around with a tankard, while trying to form the right words. What he'd said about her, about being troubled… she wanted to know what he exactly meant.

" Well, I, uh… like I said I'll be out in a minute or two—you have an entire last scene to write… but, uh, what you said just a little while ago, about me being a… what did you say? I was… hiding my troubles, that was it… I wanted to know what you meant by that," she explained in a rather long-winded statement. Shakespeare, his eyes resting solely on her, smiled slightly and leaned forward on his desk.

" There's a way you're holding yourself, especially in off moments, when your troubles can be seen behind those wonderful eyes of yours; you carry a burden on your shoulders that no one else does—perhaps more than one burden." He smirked a bit. " Perhaps there's a bit of troubles relating to the ever present topic of love."

Selene stared across the desk at him, not saying a thing. Her eyes were locked with his, and by the smile that spread over his face, he knew he was right. Lifting up the tankard she'd been playing with, she held it to her lips; taking a glance at it, her brows creased momentarily and then she took a sip, letting the liquid slide across her tongue and down her throat.

" Not much of a drinker?" Shakespeare chuckled.

" No, not really. This is also quite strong and I had quite the experience of drinking too much of it…" Selene admitted setting the tankard down again. She thought back to Hal momentarily, smiling slightly at the memory. It may have been crazy and stupid, but it had been fun. " Anyway, thanks for explaining that, I think I'll leave you be—"

" Your feelings, they're directed at Sir Doctor, are they not?"

A pause. Selene smiled sheepishly.

" Oh, you're too much of a genius…" she sighed, leaning back in her seat.

" And many of your troubles base around this, I can tell."

" 'My only love sprung from my only hate,'" Selene quoted with a small smile. And it was true—her feelings for the Doctor really shouldn't be. He wouldn't reciprocate them… But her thought process was broken when Shakespeare grinned.

" That's my work," he pointed out. Selene laughed quietly and nodded. " You know my work."

" Know your work? I'm in love with your work; as a reader and an actress, I find it all absolutely brilliant."

" Actress? I see Freedonia is certainly a place where a woman can be what she pleases. I'm flattered to know you enjoy my work, Miss Thomas," he replied with a grin. She waved a hand.

" Please, call me Selene, I like it far better than 'Miss Thomas.' My full name is such a mouthful… Selene Beatrice Thomas…"

" Named after the moon… you reflect its beauty and grace."

" Thank you…" Selene muttered with a blush, looking back towards the door.

Shakespeare stared at the woman across the desk for a long moment. He reached over and placed a warm, friendly hand atop hers with a kind smile.

" You've just reminded my of dear, lovely Juliet. Quick to fall in love, but rightfully so, if I may say that. My dear Selene, I know we are not saying our goodbyes as of yet, but what I'm about to say to you seems as though one would speak it during farewells; I do hope your story ends less tragically. Whatever guilt you have resting upon your shoulders should be lessened. I can't take you for a woman who'd purposefully do harm to others, so don't believe that you have done harm."

Selene stared at him for a long moment, lips parted slightly in shock. She hadn't mentioned guilt, she hadn't mention harming others and she hadn't outright spoken her feelings for the Doctor. Shakespeare had picked all that up just from looking at her; if there had been doubt before there certainly wasn't any now—he was a pure genius. Point blank, bold, underlined: genius. The sincerity in his eyes, on his face, made Selene smile and turn her hand upside down to hold his.

" Thank you," she said again, only this time her voice was quiet and genuine gratefulness was written across her face. Shakespeare smiled at her and then lifted her hand, kissing the back of it. Laughing a bit, she stood up and nodded to the door. " I really should be off though. Thank you for talking and listening. Do I even have to say good luck on your writing? You're already a genius."
Shakespeare chuckled as she walked towards the door with a flirtatious smile. He returned it and arched a brow.

" You did not ask why I said you were like a distant star, Selene," he replied. Before disappearing through the door, she replied with,

" I think I know why."

OOOO

The Doctor waited in the small room given to them by Dolly while Martha ventured off to find some water to brush her teeth with—she'd been lucky that the Doctor's pockets were bigger on the inside, seeing as he'd produced a toothbrush 'containing Venusian Spearmint' as he'd said… whatever that actually meant. The Time Lord was gently pacing the room, shoes padding against the wooden floor; he'd been doing so since leaving Selene with Shakespeare. He'd considered sitting down, but it was the thought of his long time companion off with the very flirtatious play-write that made him antsy. He didn't like the way Shakespeare flirted towards Selene, the way he cleverly used his beautifully crafted words to make her blush or smile… he didn't like the way that Selene blushed and smiled at those compliments, and especially didn't care for the way she sent ones back his way. It just made him… worried, extra cautious…

The rickety old door creaked open and in stepped the subject of his worries; Selene, a smile still pulling on her lips, entered the room, tugging her jacket off. With a gentle kick, she shut the door with her foot, which was clad in one of her favorite pairs of shoes, which was patterned to look like space. The Doctor eyed the thoughtful look in her eyes, the quiet smile on her lips and stopped pacing.

" That was a bit longer than I expected it," he mentioned, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. Selene draped her jacket on the chair Martha's sat on, and looked over at him; his face was carefully composed but she saw a muscle in his jaw jump, which pretty much gave away the fact he was annoyed. Raising an eyebrow and meeting his gaze, Selene said,

" It went from me asking one question to a full blown conversation."

" What about?"

" Just what he'd said about me earlier; I was a bit curious to know why he'd said it, that's all."

A pause ensued her statement, in which the Doctor crossed his arms and tapped his foot with an air of impatience. Selene noticed the franticness and troubled feeling that swiftly filled the room and the smile that had been on her face fell. The Doctor was clearly troubled about something—and her first guess was that it had to do with Shakespeare.

" What's up with you? You're all… nervous," Selene noted. Huffing a sigh, the Time Lord ruffled his hair with one hand, clearly unable to keep still.

" It's all the… flirting," he quipped, a look of annoyance writing itself on his features, " I don't really care for it; one minute he's talking Martha up and then, in the snap of his fingers, he's turned it to you. And—and it's completely shameless, and… you—you… you seem to be fine with it, I mean, your flirting right back at him! What your doing, Selene, is encouraging him. Why are you flirting with the man anyway, we all know he does, in fact, have a wife."

The Doctor's rant motivated him to start pacing a bit again, using his hands to gesture without meaning, his face scrunching and then loosening and then tightening up again; he clearly was quite troubled about the situation, and that made Selene just stare at him, her mouth hanging open slightly.

" Doctor, I'm flirting back because, well, lets face it… it's Shakespeare-
" Oh, yes I know that, but does that really mean—"

" Sh!" Selene held up a finger. " You interrupted me, stay quiet for a second if you would. As I was saying… it's Shakespeare, my favorite playwright and probably just my all time favorite writer in general. And if this isn't contradictory in any way, it's platonic flirting, I promise—I have no romantic feelings towards the man. It's just sort of… fun to shoot the comments right back at him. So, don't worry your fluffy haired head, okay?" Selene promised, smiling at him.

The Doctor, working his jaw a bit, stared at her for a moment and then let out a long held breath—he supposed he could at least relax now that he knew that she wasn't trying to initiate anything… now he just had to worry about Shakespeare.

" Right, then, I won't. Uh, thank you for that… explanation," he told her, sending a quick smile her way. He turned towards the bed and estimated its size in order to quickly change the subject, which still lingered heavily on his mind. " It's a bit small, don't you think?"

Selene stood beside him and nodded. Width wise, it looked as if it might be twin sized, maybe a tad smaller, maybe a smidge bigger—she couldn't really tell. Length wise, however, it was a bit truncated, so she had a feeling their feet might be handing over the edge. But, seeing as all the chairs were wooden, old and extremely uncomfortable, they were all going to have to figure out a way to squeeze into the bed.

" Well, at least we won't be cold," Selene commented, with a smirk. The Doctor smiled and chuckled at her comment. The room was a bit drafty and the candles certainly didn't provide much heat, so that could be a plus. And if any of them got cold, his jacket was rather warm.

" Right, so who's going where?" Martha asked while walking into the room, toting a candle, " I mean, there's only one bed and three of us."

" We'll manage, come on," the Doctor said, flopping down onto the bed straight in the middle, leaving room on either side of him. He leaned his back up slightly against the headboard, which was draped in an intricate and beautiful tapestry. There was a quiet pause as both women shared a bit on an awkward glance, noting just how close they were all really going to be.

" So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise," Martha noted, changing the subject with a smile, " It's all a bit Harry Potter."

The Doctor, who'd been staring off into space, looked over at her and smiled at the mention of the famous and very popular novels.

" Wait till you read book seven. Oh! I cried," he told them. Selene smiled and went to sit on the Doctor's left side.

" Wait till you see the movies for book seven. Not a dry eye in the theatre—especially me, I was a crying mess," she added on, swinging her legs up to fit on her side of the bed. The Doctor adjusted his position to bit to help give her some more room, but stopped when she seemed to be comfortable; it was going to be very close quarters—they'd all be arm-to-arm, cheek-to-cheek. Selene could lie down fairly comfortably, but she now leaned against the headboard like him.

" But is it real, though—I mean, witches, black magic and all that—is it real?" Martha asked. She was truly, honestly excited about it all; imagine if it was real? How much of a bigger place the world—and the rest of the universe—would become if it were true. Not like it wasn't already bigger than she'd figured. The Doctor had proved that with the flick of a switch and a blue police box.

" Of course it isn't," the Doctor said as if it were one of the most ludicrous questions every spoken. At his tone, Martha scoffed.

" Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel—I'm not as well acclimated to it as Selene is, give me a break."

" It looks like witchcraft, but it isn't. Can't be. Are you going to stand there all night?"

After a pause, Martha quickly set down her toothbrush and candle on a wooden table by the bed and managed to fit herself on the remaining edge of the bed.

" Sorry. There's not much room. Us three here, same bed… tongues will wag," Martha teased with a smile. Though Selene laughed a bit, the Doctor seemed to have missed the comment all together.

" 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 would have spotted that. No…" The Time Lord wiggled down to lie flat against the straw mattress and rest his head between the two pillows. " There's something I'm missing, Martha, Selene… Something really close, staring me right in the face." Martha, who'd just lain down as well, stared over at him. " And I can't see it." Then, in a moment caught in thought, he said, " Rose would know. That friend of mine, Rose. Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing."

Martha, at the mention of his last companion felt her heart drop a bit. She glanced at Selene, who stiffened at the name in a troubled way. Martha was the last one to wiggle to lie down, her feet sticking off the end of the bed slightly.

" Still! Can't be helped. You're still a novice, Martha, never mind. Take you back home tomorrow."

" Great," Martha practically snapped, quickly blowing out the candle with an upset expression. She turned on her side, which seemed rather precarious with the amount of room she had, her back facing the Doctor and Selene. The Time Lord was still caught in thought, staring up at the dark ceiling above the bed. He didn't notice the way Selene stared towards the window, gently twisting Hal's ring on her thumb; it had become a nervous habit of hers to do that when she wore it. The mention of Rose made guilt rise up in her throat like it usually did when she was mentioned. She still felt so horrible about it and maybe that was one of the things Shakespeare saw that troubled her… that was the reason why he said she shouldn't worry that she'd hurt someone because she truly didn't mean it…

But pushing those thoughts aside, Selene clamped her eyes shut and tried to calm her mind so that she could just sleep…

A little while later, the Doctor was the only one awake. His eyes had barely left the spot he'd been staring at; he supposed he might have dozed off once—while thoughts scampered through his head, the paused in between them were lulled and quiet. What broke him out of his entranced state was the sudden realization that something was resting on his shoulder. Looking down quickly, he saw that Selene, who was completely asleep, was using his shoulder as a pillow. At some point while he was utterly distracted, she must have rolled over to his shoulder. Her left hand was gently resting on the middle of his chest, rising and falling with his breathing pattern.

He stared at her for a long moment and involuntarily shifted; the short burst of movement made Selene make a frustrated little sound in her sleep, her eyebrows creasing, but she didn't wake. Instead, she just shifted a bit, snuggling herself closer to the Doctor, her ear right over his left heart. One of her feet managed to hook around his ankle and the hand on his chest moved upward just a bit. Something odd occurred to him in that moment as he stared at her peaceful face; the only time he'd ever seen her technically asleep, was whenever she'd been knocked out by something or someone—or, at least, that's what he thought. She looked so quiet and peaceful, even with her rumpled hair and the fact that she was laying almost half on top of him.

In the quiet of that moment, the Doctor didn't look away from her sleeping form. He watched as her breath tickled strands of her hair and the way that her fingers twitched gently against his pinstriped jacket. And, like moments before with the spot on the ceiling, he didn't look away.

OOOO

Shakespeare, so hard at work, barely noticed the click and creak of the window opening behind him. He didn't notice the breath of cold air that skimmed the back of his neck or caused his candles to flicker. Neither did he notice the figure of Lilith floating outside the newly open window, holding a corked bottle and staring at the back of the writer's head. The woman wore a black dress and cloak, her hair loose around her face. With deceivingly delicate fingers, she uncorked the bottle, and out rose a mist that was green in color. With equally deceivingly delicate lips, Lilith blew the smoke towards Shakespeare, who, once inhaling it, found himself unconscious, head clunking down onto the desk.

Lilith, now standing just behind the poet, lifted up a crudely made marionette doll, that was supposed to look like Shakespeare. A strand of his hair was secured to the top of it, which made sure that she could control him; she'd used the same doll at the Globe earlier that night when he announced Love's Labour's Won.

" Bind the mind and take the man, speed the words to writer's hand," Lilith whispered, crossing to the desk front with deliberate slowness. With a flick of her fingers, the feet of the marionette rested on the desk top and the doll jolted upwards a bit. Like the puppet, Shakespeare immediately sat up, eyes open but completely blank. Jiggling the one string connected to the doll's hand that held a quill, Shakespeare's hand began to move as well, scratching out words onto the parchment in front of him. He didn't look at the words he wrote, but they came effortlessly, unlike they had earlier in the evening. Lilith watched as he continued to write and when he wrote the word finis, she let the doll collapse, Shakespeare's head clunking downward once again—he'd be lucky if ink didn't stick to his forehead.

OOOO

The Doctor, still staring down at Selene for some odd, inexplicable reason, was the only one of the three time travelers awake when a scream echoed through The Elephant. The trio jumped awake at the same time, but the sudden way the Doctor righted himself and the speed at which Selene rolled over, caused said woman to topple off the bed and thud onto the floor. The Doctor was the first one out the door, leaping over Selene; Martha was quick to follow with Selene lagging behind a bit.

The Doctor lunged into the room, spotting Shakespeare asleep on his desk and Dolly Bailey collapsed on the floor. As the trio entered, the playwrite's head jerked upward as he sleepily said,

" What? What was that?"

The Time Lord bent down to check on Dolly Bailey and Martha headed to the window as it clattered around a bit… and spotted a witch flying off over London.

" Her heart gave out. She died of fright," the Doctor announced, looking surprised.

" Doctor…" Martha muttered from the window. In a few short strides, the Doctor was at Martha's side.

" What did you see?"

A pause.

" A witch."

A longer pause ensued as the four in the room stared out the window at the big moon hanging up above them.

" Should I go call the constable again?" Selene asked, nodding to poor Dolly Bailey. The Doctor shook his head.

" I'll do it. Just… everyone stay here and keep safe," he replied, striding towards the door again. He needed time to think… and what better time to think than a walk to go get the constable?

Selene, ruffling her messy hair further, snatched up a blanket from Shakespeare's bed and covered Dolly Bailey's body with it. Well, that had been a horrible wakeup call… Shakespeare stared down at his desk, noticing the finished script before him. For one thing, he barely remembered writing any of it. For another thing, the one word he was most bothered by was finis. When did he finish it? Everything had been so difficult to write but somehow he had a feeling as if the words had flowed easier than a stream gurgling down the riverbank…

OOOO

" Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey… She sat out three bouts of plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit," Shakespeare pondered as the morning sun lit up the roofs of London. It would have been a beautiful morning had the night prior not been filled with death. The Doctor, who'd been holding his face as he thought silently, said

" 'Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'" His chin rested on his clasped hands and he stared at a random point of the wall.

" I might use that," Shakespeare suddenly said, pointing to the man across from him.

" You can't. It's someone else's." The look on the writer's face said that he wasn't going to obey that request.

" But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright… and they were both connected to you," Martha pointed out, nodding to Shakespeare, who looked rather affronted.

" Are you accusing me?"

" No, but I saw a witch, as big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches."

" I have? When was that?"

" No, not yet, Martha," Selene whispered, leaning towards the other woman. Martha's brow creased in confusion.

" Really?"

" Yeah, not till later this year, so…" Selene gave a sheepish shrug. Shakespeare, thinking on Martha's words, had a strange thought occur to him.

" Peter Street spoke of witches," he said, voicing his thoughts.

" Who's Peter Street?" Martha inquired.

" Our builder. He sketched the plans to the Globe."

" The architect. Hold on, the architect. The architect! The Globe! Come on!" the Doctor suddenly cried out, springing from his chair. As he made for the door, everyone else followed, not wanting to be left behind.

OOOO

The four reentered the empty Globe, which was now bathed in sunlight from the open roof. The Doctor immediately stood in the middle of the pit where the standing audience would be. He looked around, counting each of the sides of the theatre. As he did some clever calculations in his head, Selene slowly made her way up the steps, which creaked slightly underfoot. When her foot stepped solidly onto the stage, she smiled broadly and stared at everything around her. She placed a hand on one of the columns, which was cool and smooth, and once again marveled that she was in the original Globe. Shakespeare and Martha soon joined her, both of them waiting for the Doctor to speak again.

" The columns there, right, and fourteen sides… I've always wondered but I never asked. Tell me, Will, why fourteen sides?" the Time Lord questioned the playwrite.

" It was the shape Peter Street though best, that's all," he replied, placing a hand on his hip, " Said it carried the sound well."

" Fourteen. Why does that ring a bell, fourteen?"

" There's fourteen lines in a sonnet," Martha pointed out, her voice making it sound more like a question. The Doctor nodded and began to pace a bit.

" So there is. Good point. Words and shapes following the same design. Fourteen lines, fourteen sides, fourteen facets." His hand flew up to clutch the top of his skull. " Oh my head! Tetradecagon. Think! Think! Think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"

" This is just a theatre!" Shakespeare said raising his arms from his sides and letting them fall back into place. The Doctor turned to face him.

" Oh, yeah, but a theatre's magic, isn't it? You should know, Selene should know," he said, nodding to the two as he came to rest his hands on the stage top.

" Of course it is. On a stage, you can be anything you want to—the greatest lover of all time, an innocent merchant, a murderer or maybe even a ghost. For a time, you can just submerge yourself in a world that isn't yours, enjoy yourself in that state and have some of the best experiences of your life," Selene said as she smiled at her surroundings, letting herself lean against the column. Shakespeare watched the wonder and affection in her eyes, as she looked around his theatre, eyeing each little detail. A tiny little smile played at the corner of his lips. The Doctor grinned at her and then patted the stage.

" Stand on this stage, say the right words, with the right emphasis at the right time—oh, you can make men weep or cry with joy… Change them." His eyes went wide as those two words caused another train of thought to pop up. " You can change people's minds, just with words, in this place… and if you exaggerate that—"

" It's like your Police Box—small wooden box with all that power inside," Martha said, smiling.

" Oh," the Doctor uttered, turning to smile at her, " Oh, Martha Jones, I like you. Tell you what, though, Peter Street would know. Can I talk to him?"

" You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place, lost his mind," Shakespeare told them, discouraging the idea.

" Why what happened?" Martha questioned.

" Started raving about… witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled."

" Where is he now?" the Doctor inquired, brows creasing.

" Bedlam."

" Oh boy…" Selene sighed, running a hand through her hair.

" What's Bedlam?" Martha asked.

" Bethlem Hospital, the madhouse," the playwrite responded. The Doctor headed towards the theatre doors, his coat tails swishing around his ankles.

" We've got to go there right now. Come on."

" Wait! I'm coming with you! I want to witness this at first hand!" Shakespeare called after him, holding up the final scene of his play in one hand. S they left, passing two of his actors, he held out the papers. " Ralph! The last scene as promised. Copy it, hand it round, learn it, speak it. Back before curtain-up, and remember, kid, project, eyes and teeth. You never know—the Queen might turn up." Then, exiting the theatre, he said, in a much more bitter tone, " As if. She never does."

Walking through the streets towards Bethlem Hospital, the Doctor led the way, followed by his three companions. Selene was taking in the streets of London, once again reminded of her time spent there with Hal; the venders were similar to that time, but there seemed to be more now, with new things to sell. She subconsciously ran her finger over Hal's ring, which was encircling her thumb.

" So, tell me about Freedonia where women can be doctors, writers, actors," Shakespeare inquired curiously of Martha, who smiled at him.

" This country's ruled by a woman," Martha pointed out. Shakespeare shook his head slightly as they stepped around a few people.

" Ah, she's royal. That's God's business. Though both of you are royal beauties," he flirted with a large smile, causing both women to stop and stare at him.

" Whoa, Nelly, I know for a fact you've got a wife in the country," Martha laughed with disbelief. Selene smirked and crossed her arms; quirking an eyebrow she asked,

" Her name's Anne, isn't it?" Shakespeare smiled at her and winked.

" But, Selene, Martha, this is town," he said, still flirting with all his will. The Doctor marched up to them and took Selene by the elbow. He wore an annoyed expression that had his eyebrows arched and his nose scrunched up a bit.

" Come on! We can all have a good flirt later!" he said in exasperation. Shakespeare smirked and turned his eyes on the Time Lord, meeting his gaze.

" Is that a promise, Doctor?"

The Doctor stared at him for a long moment, mouth open, eyes widened.

" Oh, fifty-seven academics just punched the air… now, move!" the Doctor called as he started to jog away, his hand slipping down to Selene's.

Needless to say, he was still quite annoyed at all the flirting flying around. It was as if every second word that left Shakespeare's lips was meant to cause either Martha or Selene to swoon. And it still certainly didn't help that Selene still didn't seem to mind it. So, that was why he'd taken her elbow, then her hand, and kept her side-by-side with him as they ran towards the notorious hospital. He'd already partially lost her one time to Prince Hal; he didn't need to loose her completely to Shakespeare.

Bethlem Hospital—better known as Bedlam—was a towering building of stone, with wrought iron gates keeping the sane out of reach of the supposedly insane. The gates were guarded with two angel statues, which were only black silhouettes in front of the setting sun. Black smoke rose from its many chimneys, carrying the smell of wood smoke into the air. Even from outside, as the four made their way in, the cries of men could be heard from the windows. Each one sounded pained or despairing, which made Selene flinch. Once inside and requesting they see Peter Street, they were led to cells that looked basically like a dungeon. The smell was horrendous. It took all of Selene's willpower not to just cover her nose and step out of the room.

The jailer, a large man with a set of keys, led them into another passage of cells, where a man immediately lunged to the bars of his confinement, reaching a dirty and shaking arm through while uttering a constant 'please!'

" Does my Lord Doctor wish some entertainment while he waits?" the jailer asked, " I can whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for you. Bandog in Bedlam."

" No, I don't," the Doctor said sternly, his jaw tight.

" Wait here, my Lords, while I… uh… make him decent for the ladies."

" So, this is what you call a hospital, yeah?" Martha asked in disgust, shying away from one of the cell doors. As the jailer made his way down the passage, he violently smashed a fist against one of the cell doors, scaring the patient away from the bars. " Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry. And you put your friend in here."

" Oh, it's all so different in Freedonia," Shakespeare muttered.

" But you're clever. Do you honestly think this place does any good?"

" Even if a man wasn't insane, they'd definitely go mad in here…" Selene said, looking sadly at a man who cowered in the dirty corner of his cell.

" I've been mad, I've lost my mind. The fear of this place set me right again. Serves its purpose," said Shakespeare with a grim tone in his voice.

" Mad in what way?" Martha asked doubtfully.

" You lost your son," the Doctor interjected.

" My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there."

" I didn't know, I'm sorry," the dark haired woman said.

" Made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence, to be or not to be." A pause. " Oh, that's quite good."

" You should write that down," the Doctor suggested.

" Mm. Maybe not. Bit pretentious?"

" I like it," Selene said, adding her two cents. Shakespeare winked at her again, causing the Doctor to expel a breath heavily through his nose, which was accompanied with a roll of his eyes.

" This way, my Lord!" called the jailer.

They followed the jailer to a cell at the far end of the passage. The jailer man, now holding a cat o' nine tails in his hand, unlocked Peter Street's cell. Said man sat facing the wall on his cot, head hung, back hunched. Stepping inside, the jailer said,

" They can be dangerous, my Lord. Don't know their own strength."

" I think it helps if you don't whip them. Now, get out!" the Doctor snapped with authority, nodding to the open cell door. Doing as such, the jailer stepped from the cell, shutting the door behind him. " Peter. Peter Street?"

" He's the same as he was," said Shakespeare, " You'll get nothing out of him."

The Time Lord crouched down before the supposedly insane man and put a hand on his shoulder.

" Peter."

Peter's head whipped upwards, revealing a gaunt face and wide eyes. His jaw shook and showed his blackened teeth, adding to the total disheveled look about him. Slowly moving his hands to either side of Peter's head, the Doctor, completely relaxed, met the other man's gaze as he set two fingers on each of his temples.

" 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. It was just a story. A Winter's Tale. Let go." Slowly, Peter began to lean backwards onto his cot. " That's it. That's it. Just let go." The Doctor helped ease him down, his fingers still pressed to Peter's temples. He then let go and stood straight again. " Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

" Witches… spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered, they whispered!" Peter waggled his fingers by his ears, frantically making little whispering sounds. " Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! The fourteen walls." He laughed a little. " Always fourteen. When the work was done…" Another laugh. "… they—they snapped poor Peter's wits…"

" But where did Peter see the witches, where in the city?" the Doctor asked calmly. When he didn't answer he crouched down again. " Peter, tell me." Selene was nervously toying with her ring again, twisting it around her thumb as she listened to the conversation she had no recollection of. " You've got to tell me. Where were they?"

" All Hallows Street."

" Too many words!" said a new voice at the Doctor's right shoulder. Shooting upwards and to the other three in the room, the Doctor stared at the cell's new inhabitant. She was old looking, with a hooked nose, a gnarled face, long stringy hair and black robes. A witch.

" What the hell?" Martha exclaimed at the sudden appearance.

" Just one touch of the heart," the witch, Doomfinger, said, holding up a finger. As she began to press it to Peter's chest, Selene lunged forward.

" No!" she screamed, being held back by the playwrite. Doomfinger pressed her finger over Peter's heart. Both witch and man let out a yell, as Peter's heart stopped.

" A witch! I'm seeing a witch!" Shakespeare laughed with disbelief.

" I could think of another word that rhymes wonderfully with witch…" Selene muttered angrily.

" Oh, who would be next, hmm? Just. One. Touch. Oh, oh! I'll stop your frantic hearts! Poor, fragile mortals!"

" Let us out! Let us out!" Martha screamed, shaking the cell doors.

" Well, that's not going to work, the whole building's shouting that," Shakespeare deadpanned.

" Who would die first, hmm?" Doomfinger asked.

" Well, if you're looking for volunteers," the Doctor said, stepping forward.

" What—are you mad?" Selene yelled at him, pulling against Shakespeare's hands, which still held her elbows tight.

" Doctor, can you stop her? I'm having a bit of trouble holding Selene back," Shakespeare said in an undertone, hooking his own arms around said woman's bent elbows.

" No mortal has power over me," spat the witch. The Doctor shook his head.

" No, but there's a power in words. If I can find the right one, if I can just know you…" the Doctor said in a low voice, his teeth clenching together. Doomfinger scoffed at the silly man.

" None on earth has knowledge of us!"

" Then it's a good thing I'm here." The Doctor kept his eyes trained of the witch's finger, which was poised teasingly towards his face. " Now, think, think, think—humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy. Ah! Fourteen! That's it! Fourteen! The fourteen stars of the Rexel Planetary Configuration! Creature I name you… Carrionite!"

With Carrionite spoken, Doomfinger let out a screech, dissipating in a flash of golden light. With a small gasp, the Doctor stepped back, catching his breath. Shakespeare let Selene's arms drop, everyone quiet in shock.

" What did you do?" Martha asked, coming back from the bars.

" I named her. The power of a name. That's old magic."

" But 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. The Carrionites use words instead," the Doctor explained.

" Use them for what?" Shakespeare asked. A solemn look overcame the Doctor's face. There was only one thing that they'd want, and the horrible thing was, they would try and bring it upon everyone that night.

" The end of the world."

OOOO

Selene was steps behind Shakespeare as they jogged back up to his room. No matter what happened, he had to be a Globe for the performance. He had to get ready. Shedding his coat, he began to look for a spot to drop it.

" Here," Selene said, holding out her right hand.

" Thank you," he said, handing it to her. He caught sight of her ring and eyed the crest. " That's a lovely ring. The crest looks familiar."

Selene looked down at it and smiled a bit, running a finger over the face of it.

" Thanks. A friend of mine gave it to me," she replied, twisting it around some more. The playwrite turned to the door as the other two stepped inside.

" So, Doctor. Care to explain these witches to me? You seem to know quite a lot about them," Shakespeare said, beginning to bat water onto his face and neck.

" The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend," he explained, pacing the room. Shakespeare turned to face the Doctor.

" Well, I'm going for real," he said.

" But what do they want?" Martha asked. The Doctor sighed and paced the width of the room one last time before settling into a seat on the edge of a desk.

" A new empire on earth, a world of bones and blood and witchcraft."

" But how?"

" I'm looking at the man with the words," he replied as they all looked to Shakespeare, who was patting water off his face with a towel.

" Me? But I've done nothing."

" Hold on, though. What were you doing last night when that Carrionite was in the room?" Martha asked, thinking she was onto something.

" Finishing the play."

Everyone froze.

" What happens at the end?" Selene asked, stepping closer to him.

" 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," Shakespeare admitted, sounding a bit disturbed. The Doctor's eyes widened.

" Well, there's your answer," Selene said, gesturing to the man who'd just spoken.

" They used you. They gave you the final words, like a spell, like a code. 'Love's Labours Won'—it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken in the right place, with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that," the Doctor told him as an after thought. Shakespeare smiled as Selene handed him his coat back and smiled at him.

" Looking rather handsome this evening," she told him with a smile, following the Doctor to the desk, where he was spreading out a map with his glasses on.

" Again with the flirting," he muttered to her, tracing streets with his finger. She bumped his shoulder with a small laugh.

" Again with the worrying."

" Can't blame me for being too cautious—aha!" Everyone jogged to gather around the desk at his exclamation. " All Hallows Street—there it is. Martha, Selene, we'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play."

" I'll do it!" Shakespeare agreed, reaching out and clasping the Doctor's forearm. " All these years, I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you, I know nothing."

" Well, don't complain," Martha told him with a smile.

" I'm not. It's marvelous. Good luck, Doctor."

" Good luck, Shakespeare. 'Once more unto the breach!'" the Doctor called as he snatched up his coat and made a run for the door, Martha and Selene following.

" I like that! Wait a minute, that's one of mine!" the playwrite said with pride, grinning. The Doctor's head popped back in, beginning to regret having quoted Henry V.

" Oh, just shift!"

OOOO

" All Hallows Street. But which house?" the Doctor asked as they stepped onto aforementioned street. The cool night air was nipping at their cheeks and making Martha and Selene shiver a bit, their coats not as heavy as the Doctor's.

" Thing is, though, am I missing something here? The world didn't end in fifteen ninety-nine. It just didn't. Look at Selene and I, we're living proof!" Martha said, confused about the entirety of the situation. The Doctor sighed and looked down at Selene.

" Oh, how do I explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux?" he asked almost rhetorically. " I know! 'Back to the Future!' It's like 'Back to the Future.'"

" The film?"

" No, the novelization, yes the film!"

" Again with the attitude lately…" Selene muttered, punching his shoulder. Ignoring her comment, the Doctor continued to explain.

" Marty McFly goes back and changes history."

" And he starts fading away," agreed Martha. A pause. " Oh, my God, am I going to fade?"

" You and the entire future of the human race. It ends right now in fifteen ninety-nine if we don't stop it. But which house?"

" Which house is the witch house?" Selene asked, looking up at the buildings. The Doctor snorted at her pun just as a door creaked open, allowing entrance to the house before them.

" Oh. Selene, you were right. 'Witch' house…"

After entering the building and climbing the stairs, the three found themselves in a candle lit room, that was filled with cobwebs and various dried herbs. Standing by the window was Lilith, the maid from the Inn. A witch.

" I take it we're expected," the Doctor said casually.

" Oh, I think death has been waiting for you a very long time," Lilith replied. Martha stepped forward.

" Right, then, it's my turn," she said, leveling a finger at Lilith, " I know how to do this. I name thee… Carrionite!" Lilith gasped and then began laughing, not disappearing as Doomfinger had. " What did I do wrong, was it the finger?"

" The power of a name works only once. Observe." She pointed at Martha. " I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones!"

Martha gasped and fell backwards, caught by the Doctor's quick arms.

" What have you done!?" he shouted as he tried to lower her carefully to the floor. He knelt by her, beginning to fume angrily.

" Hmm. Only sleeping, alas. It's curious. The name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. But I wonder about this lovely woman, hmm?" Lilith asked, pointing to Selene. The Doctor jumped up and stepped in front of her defensively. Selene took a handful of the Doctor's coat shaking her head nervously at the witch.

" No, no, you don't have to do that—besides it's hard to rhyme my name with much of anything," Selene managed to say, shaking her head.

" Don't," the Doctor warned with a deadly calm voice. Lilith smirked and lunged forward a foot, still pointing at them.

" But as for you, Sir Doctor—fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look. There's still one word with a power that aches. Oh! And it aches for the pair of you."

" The naming won't work on me."

" But your heart grows cold," Lilith teased, clutching her heart. " The north wind blows and carries down the distant… Rose?"

Selene stopped breathing a moment as her fist tightened around the Doctor's jacket. She felt him stiffen and felt guilt rise up the way that the red liquid in a thermometer rose. She bowed her head and looked away with her eyes clenched shut. She thought back on what she could have done, what she should have done… The Doctor glanced back at her and saw the immense amount of guilt and felt anger rise inside him, all directed towards the witch.

" Oh, big mistake!" he growled, stepping forward, Selene releasing his coat, " 'cause that name keeps me fighting. The Carrionites vanished. Where did you go?"

" The eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness," Lilith spat, walking away from the two.

" Then how did you escape?" the Doctor inquired.

" New words. New and glittering. From a mind like no other."

" Shakespeare," Selene said from where she stood, eyes still cast off. Her voice trembled with something different than sadness. It trembled with anger. She didn't want to feel guilty every time Rose was brought up. Rose had been like a sister to her, and it wasn't just guilt that came with her name, it was hate towards herself, hate towards what she didn't do. She wanted to go back, wanted to change everything. But she couldn't. What was done was done. And she'd be damned if she'd let this witch bring her down.

" His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure," Lilith said as she and the Doctor stared into a bubbling cauldron of blue liquid, which revealed a crying Shakespeare from when he'd received news of his son. " Madness enough to allow us entrance."

" How many of you?" the Doctor asked.

" Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged, as pestilence. And from this world, we will lead the universe back into the old ways of blood and magic."

" Hmm. Busy schedule," the Doctor said, scratching his cheek, " But first…" He crossed to stand in front of her and stared her directly in the eye. " You have to get through me."

" And just to make things difficult, you'll have to get through me as well," Selene said, finally speaking up. Lilith laughed and watched as Selene pushed in front of the Doctor. A smirk pulled up on the witch's lips as she watched the pathetic human girl attempt to protect both the Doctor-Man and the world.

" You? Why I believe I could finish you off with a simple snap of my fingers!" Lilith laughed, looking directly into Selene's eyes, " Oh! But it appears you have some fight in you, do you not? Unfortunately, being human you are so weak, so easy to manipulate. I wonder how my magic would deal with you?"

" Stop," the Doctor spat, his hand clamping protectively around Selene's upper arm. Lilith merely smirked and stepped back a step, poised fingers pointing to the woman before her.

" Such a threat thou dost not pose, so tormented by the name of Rose. So tortured thou art by and by, but now methinks, its time to fly," Lilith chanted slowly with a grin. Then, aided with a simple flick of her hand, Selene was torn from the Doctor's grip, being sent reeling sideways into the wall and sprawling out on the floor with a pained hiss. Lilith laughed as the Doctor made a move towards his companion with worry; she intercepted his path and brought herself dangerously close to him.

" Oh, this should be a pleasure, considering my enemy has such a… handsome shape," Lilith whispered, dragging one hand down his cheek lightly while running the other one across his hair. Her lips got dangerously close to his as she held his face.

" Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not going to work on me," he told her.

" Oh, we'll see," she teased, stepping back as a pair of scissors snipped. She stepped back and held a lock of his hair, grinning.

" What was that for, what did you do?"

" A souvenir."

" Well, give it back!" Lilith said nothing in response, only flung her arms out sideways, causing the windows to fly open. She levitated and flew backwards through the window, hovering outside. The Time Lord ran to the window, noting Selene finally standing up. " Well, that's just cheating."

" Behold, Doctor—men, to Carrionites, are nothing but puppets," Lilith said, removing a small doll, which she then attached his lock of hair to.

" Now, you might call that magic, but I'd call that a DNA replication module," he told her as she finished making the doll. She gave him a look.

" What use is your science now?" She jabbed a pin into the left half of the Doctor's chest, causing him to shout and pain and fall to the floor, clutching his heart. Selene, in a fit of anger, ran to the window and grabbed a heavy candlestick, tossing it towards the witch outside. Lilith merely cackled and rose upwards, avoiding the projectile. The windows swung shut, leaving Selene and Martha with an unmoving Time Lord.

" Oh, Doctor, don't worry. I've got you," Martha said as she regained consciousness, running towards him. She rolled him onto his back and listened for a breath.

" Martha," Selene said as she regained her sanity. When the medical student looked up at her, she gestured to both halves of her own chest. " Two hearts. C'mon, Doctor, stop playing dead." A slight smile crept up on his face.

" I'm making a habit of this," he muttered as he sat up. Everyone let out a chuckle at his comment; it had somehow managed to relieve the tension that had seeped into the room from the witch's attack.

But, as he began to stand, he let out a pained shout and sank back to his knees, grabbing the shoulders of both women.

" I've only got one heart working…" he said with strain, his face showing clear pain. He gasped in a breath and looked at them both. " How do you people cope? I've got to get the other one started. Hit me, hit me on the chest!" Martha, looking panicked, punched the right half of his chest. He yelled out in pain and gave her a look. " Other side!" His voice squeaked a bit, more pain spreading through his chest. So, Martha hit the left half of his chest as he hissed in pain again! " Ahg! On the back, on the back!" He fell onto all fours, face contorted in pure pain. Selene raised her hands, both clasped together and brought them down on his left shoulder blade. " Left a bit!" She adjusted the positioning of her hands and did a gain, worrying her lip with her teeth. " Ahg!" He sat up on his knees and bent backwards, popping his back a bit. " Lovely! There we go! Bada-boom-ah!" He stood up straight and smiled at them. " Well, what are you standing around for? Come on, to the Globe!"

The trio bounded out of the witch's house, and back into the streets, running as fast as their feet could carry them. Selene felt her legs protesting, both of them having hit the wall and floor fairly hard. But, she supposed that was what she got for messing with a witch…

" We're going the wrong way!" Martha called out, lagging behind the two. The Doctor, not slowing his pace replied with,

" No, we're not!" They ran a couple more feet before the Doctor looked at the landmarks and made a U-turn around a barrel. " We're going the wrong way!"

OOOO

The trio of witches sat on the second tier of the Globe's seating, holding a glowing crystal ball. They watched as the performers recited Shakespeare's play, performing it perfectly.

" Behold, the swinish sight of woman's love. Pish. It's out of season to be heavy disposed," said one of the actors, a man dressed in rich clothing and a crown atop his curly hair.

" It is now, my mothers—the final words to activate the tetradecagon!" Lilith said with excitement, watching the stage eagerly.

" Betwixt Dravidian Shores and linear five-nine-three-oh-one-six-seven point oh-two and strikes the fulsome grove of Rexel Four. Co-Radiating Crystal, activate!" the actor spoke, his rich voice carrying the words loudly through the theatre.

" The portal opens!" Lilith announced as wind began to whip around them wildly, " It begins!"

OOOO

The Doctor's converse clad feet skid to a stop as they rounded the corner towards the glove. A plume of red light rose up from the famous theatre, wind circling through the streets of London. Everyone was panicking at the sight, unable to believe that anything but the end of the world was occurring… because it was. The trio of time travelers froze and watched in horror.

" I told thee so! I told thee!" exclaimed the man they'd seen earlier, who had been predicting the end of the world.

" Stage door!" the Doctor directed, running forward, into the gusts of wind. By the time they made it inside the Globe, the doors locked and trapped everyone inside. They found a groggy looking Shakespeare sitting backstage, rubbing his head slowly.

" Stop the play. I think that was it. Yeah, I said, 'stop the play'!" the Doctor shouted.

" I hit my head…" he replied slowly, blinking blearily up at them.

" Yeah? Don't rub it. You'll go bald." There was crashing from the audience accompanied with more screams. " I think that's my cue!"

As the Doctor bound out of sight, Selene helped Martha pull Shakespeare up and towards the stage. Once there, they spotted all the terrified theatregoers, bathed in eerie purple-red light. Lilith stared at the Time Lord in utter shock.

" The Doctor—he lives! Then watch this world become a blasted heath," she spat, holding up the crystal ball, " They come. They come!" The interior of the crystal ball swirled as if a storm were inside of it; it emitted a blast of red energy, carrying with it dozens of black shapes… dozens of Carrionites. The wind picked up, tossing about hair and tugging at clothes, swallowing up the shrieks and cackles. In mere seconds, the Carrionites began to spread up into the sky, ready to take over the world. The Doctor lunged backwards and grabbed onto Shakespeare's arm, dragging him forward.

" Come on, Will, history needs you!" he called out over all the noise.

" But what can I do?" the playwrite asked.

" Reverse it!"

" How am I supposed to do that?"

" 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!"

" But what words? I have none ready!"

" Then make them up! You are William Shakespeare, playwrite, actor, genius! You could make up any word, any sentence and it would have power!" Selene told him, grabbing his shoulder. He stared at her a moment before gesturing up at the Carrionites.

" But these Carrionite phrases, they need such… precision!" he replied. The Doctor drew his attention as he said,

" Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, they're like magic words, 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!" the Doctor urged, wrapping an arm around Selene's waist and stepping back, the two giving him room.

Shakespeare stared up at the swirling Hell that was before him and sucked in a deep breath. He narrowed his eyes to keep them from watering, he straightened up and began to speak.

" Close up this din of hateful, dire decay. Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy." He gestured to the Time Lord. " My Doting Doctor tells me I am not!"

" No! Words of power!" cried Lilith in horror.

" Foul Carrionite specters, cease your show between the points…" Shakespeare turned to the Doctor for help.

" Seven-six-one-three-nine-oh!" he supplied.

" Seven-six-one-three-nine-oh! Vanish like a tinker's cuss. I say to thee…" the playwrite cried, pointing angrily at his tormentors sitting above him. Again, he drew a blank, unable to think of a word. To the Doctor he looked again, who unable to think, looked to Selene, who turned worriedly to Martha. She chewed on thought a moment before shouting,

" Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!" the Doctor shouted, holding out a hand.

"Expelliarmus!" Selene agreed, nodding emphatically. Shakespeare waved an angry hand at the Carrionites and cried,

"Expelliarmus!"

Lilith, Doomfinger and Bloodtide all screamed, staring up into the sky.

" The deep darkness! They are consumed! No!" Lilith shrieked. The sky above them began to devour the Carrionites, causing a suction within the wind. The stage doors burst open, carrying pages upon pages of Love's Labour's Won into the sky.

" 'Love's Labour's Won.' There it goes," the Doctor remarked. Then, in a flash of red light, the witches were all gone.

The audience gasped as they stared up into the sky. Everyone on the stage was taking large breaths, no longer bothered by the wind. Selene ran her fingers through her hair to straighten out its tangled strands. Then, slowly, applause began to echo throughout the Globe. It turned thunderous and loud, accompanied by excited whistles and cheers. The Doctor disappeared backstage, leaving Selene and Martha to stand with the actors and their playwrite. Martha stared at everyone in shock.

" They think it was all special effects?" she asked and Selene nodded as she let out a long held breath. Shakespeare smiled at the two.

" Both of your effects are special indeed," he told them.

" Not your best line."

" But you certainly have that effect too," laughed Selene as they turned to the audience. Shakespeare seized her and Martha's hands and pulled them down into a bow, all of them grinning at the audience.

OOOO

As morning crept in and the Globe was empty, Selene and the Doctor dug around in one of the prop closets. They were having a pretty good time randomly sorting through the costumes and props, every once and a while donning something that made the other laugh. But as it quieted down again, Selene sighed and suddenly asked,

" How could you forgive me?"

The Doctor stopped looking around and stared at his companion.

" What?" he asked.

" About… Rose. How could you forgive me? In all honesty.. you should have kicked me off the TARDIS. I'm the reason why one of the most—if not the most—important people to you ever is gone," she began to rant, emotion rising in her voice. She sat down on a crate and stared over at the Time Lord. The Doctor stood still, shocked at the top shift. It had to have been what Lilith had said the night before. But… Selene wasn't hiding anything in that moment; all of her defenses were down and pent up emotion was flooding through for the first time.

" Selene—"

" No! Just… how! How could you have forgiven me?"

" Selene!" His sharp tone cut her off, gaining her full attention. " Yes, she was one of the most important people to me. And would you like to know why I forgave you? Because you meant no harm, because you did what I do all the time—you did what you thought was for the best by saying nothing. And… and you are one of the most important people to me, Selene, and I can't lose you too… I just can't," he told her sincerely, no malice hidden in his tone or in his eyes. Silence ensued his little speech and he thought he saw something like relief flood Selene's entire being. He smiled at her. " Besides, you're too fun—everything would be boring without you." She snorted and pulled on a blue velvet tailcoat. She stood up, lifted her chin and arched a brow in a mock-pompus look.

" What ever do you mean, sir?" she joked, before the two laughed and she tossed the coast aside. The Doctor dawned an Elizabethan ruff and grinned before asking,

" I never got the chance to ask if you were hurt last night; are you alright?"

" A bit sore, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

" And your memories?"

" Locked up like a vault in Gringotts." The Doctor giggled at her reference and then wrapped an arm around her waist again in a one-armed hug.

" I guess that each adventure will be just as new to you as it will be for me, then!" he announced as he gathered up some props in his arms. He smiled softly down at her and then added, " I'm glad you're okay."

" I'm glad we're okay."

As they made their way back towards the stage, Shakespeare was speaking to Martha, perched on a box in center stage.

" And I say, 'a heart for a hart and a dear for a deer,'" Shakespeare said, making a joke. Martha stared at him blankly.

" I don't get it," she said. He smiled at her.

" Then give me a joke from Freedonia."

" Okay. Shakespeare walks into a pub and the landlord says 'Oi, mate, you're bard,'" she said. The two began to laugh.

" Oh, that's brilliant!" Shakespeare announced, " Doesn't make sense, mind you, but never mind that, come here." He wrapped an arm around Martha's waist and pulled her closer.

" I've only just met you."

" The Doctor may never kiss you. Why not entertain a man who will?" He inched closer to her and Martha leaned back a bit.

" I don't know how to tell you this, oh great genius, but… your breath doesn't half stink."

The playwrite leaned back as the Doctor and Selene made an appearance.

" Great prop store back there! Not sure about this, though," the Doctor said, staring at some sort of animal skull in his hand. Reminds me of a Sycorax."

" 'Sycorax'? Nice word. I'll have that off you as well," Shakespeare said with a smile. The Doctor gave him a look and said,

" I should be on ten percent. How's your head?"

" Still aching."

" Here, I got you this." The Doctor removed the ruff from his neck after setting the two skulls he'd been carrying down. He fastened it around the famous man's neck. " Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better. Although… you might want to keep it—suits you. Wouldn't you say, Selene?"

" It most certainly does," she agreed with a grin.

" What about the play?" Martha inquired suddenly.

" Gone. I looked all over. Every single copy of 'Love's Labour's Won' went up in the sky," the Doctor said, staring up to the clouds.

" My lost masterpiece," Shakespeare lamented.

" You could write it up again," Martha suggested, but the Doctor shook his head.

" Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten."

" 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," Shakespeare said with sweet remembrance in his eyes.

" Hamnet?" Martha asked in a deadpan.

" That's him."

" Ham-net?"

" What's wrong with that?"

" Anyway, time we were off," the Doctor interrupted, picking up the crystal ball, " I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS, where this lot can screa for all eternity. And… I've got to take Martha back to Freedonia."

" You mean travel on through time and space?" Shakespeare asked smartly, smiling. The Doctor pulled a shocked face, staring at the man seated before him.

" You what?"

" You're from another world, like the Carrionites, and Martha and Selene are from the future. It's not hard to work out."

" That's… incredible, you are incredible."

" We're alike in many ways, Doctor." He turned to Selene and took her hand, smiling broadly up at her. " My dear Selene, it was a pleasure getting to meet you. I do not think I should ever forget you; and this ring, it must make me think… who in the royal family gave it to you?" He tapped the thumb ring and smiled. She smiled back and eyed the piece of jewelry.

" Let's just say that Prince Hal is quite the charmer," she replied with a grin. The Doctor rolled his eyes and muttered something she couldn't hear. Shakespeare laughed heartily and squeezed her hand.

" Oh, how I'll miss you."

" Oh, you'll live."

" Perhaps you'll find a character very much like yourself in my works. I do believe I owe you that much." Selene blushed and looked off a moment. " And again… I hope your story ends with happiness." The Doctor, confused at the man's last words, furrowed his brow and glanced between the two.

" Thank you for being amazing, William Shakespeare. Keep being a genius," Selene replied, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his cheek. He smiled and reciprocated it with a kiss to her hand. He turned to Martha, equally as happy to see her.

" Martha, let me say goodbye to you with a new verse, a sonnet for my Dark Lady," he said, taking her hand, " 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely, more temperate.'" The Doctor stared wide-eyed and then mouthed 'wow' while rubbing one of his eyes. Selene grinned and covered her mouth with her hands.

" Will!"

" Will!"

Two voiced called out his name, interrupting her recitation of the famous sonnet. Two of his actors rushed in and stared at him.

" Will, you'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!"

" We're the talk of the town! She heard about last night, she wants us to perform it again!"

" Who?" Martha asked.

" Her Majesty. She's here!"

A fanfare played and in stepped the Queen. She was dressed in rich fabrics with a powdered face and carefully pinned hair, which was covered in pearls and an elaborate headpiece. The Doctor grinned with pleasure and practically cried,

" Queen Elizabeth the First!"

" Doctor!" she hissed, glaring at the man. The Doctor stared in confusion, still smiling.
" What?"

" My sworn enemy!"

" What?" His smile was gone.

" Off with his head!"

" What!?" the Doctor cried, looking greatly put out by the fact Queen Elizabeth wanted him dead.

" Well, ever mind 'what.' Just run!" Martha urged, jumping to her feet.

" Stop him!" the Queen called out.

" See you, Will. And thanks!" Martha called out.

" Stop that pernicious Doctor!"

Shakespeare merely laughed as the Queen's guards chased after the trio. Oh, how wonderful his friends were!

" Stop in the name of the Queen!" called out a guard as they pursued the three down the streets of London. The Doctor was in the lead, running for his life.

" What have you done to upset her?!" Martha asked.

" How should I know? I haven't even met her yet!" he called back. " That's time travel for you!"

" Well, you sure upset her, whatever you did!" Selene replied. The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS doors and let Selene and Martha rush in. He grinned back at the guards.

" Still can't wait to find out. That's something to look forward to." Two archers drew back arrows. The smile dropping from his face, the Doctor bolted inside and shut the door, just as an arrow impaled where he once stood.

He found Selene and Martha laughing at the console, catching their breath. He stepped between them and then looked down at Selene.

" What did Shakespeare mean by 'I hope your story ends with happiness'?" he asked as he began to fiddle with controls. He watched as her smile lessened a bit and she gave a shrug. He diverted his eyes and she took in each feature of his face; there was one thing she was very sure about-she'd fallen hard.

" Nothing. Nothing at all."

Afterword: I'm so sorry about the late update! I really wanted to make this chapter good, and I also had a few issues like school, family and play rehearsals. So. Yeah. I hope that this chapter was what you were waiting for!

Also, if any of you can guess which Shakespeare character he models after Selene, I'll give you lots of love! There's a hint earlier in the chapter. See if you can figure it out!

And I find it really funny a lot of you want me to write a chapter where they meet Casanova 'cause… I've legit been planning that chapter for MONTHS. I already have some of it written up. IT SHALL HAPPEN!

REVIEW REPLIES!

dark-dreams-of-love: She might get glimpses/visions in dreams—I think that since all the memories are locked up, having them be seen in dreams might work out well. So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for your imput! Thanks again!

grapejuice101: I'm glad you liked the chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading this one; the long awaited Shakespeare episode! WOO! Thanks again!

dream lighting: So… um… yeah, sorry about being late. My life has been a tangle of issues for a month or two, but I FINALLY got it up! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it! Also, thank you for the face claim ideas! I was kind of beginning to think Natalie Dormer when she's a brunette, I'm not sure though… But I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

The Yoshinator: We'll see how she reacts; maybe it's a jealous fit, maybe it just makes it really, REALLY awkward. Ut I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

avalon . clarity: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! And I've finally decided memory slips through dreams will probably how this works; 'cause then she can't hide anything from the Doctor and the slips of memory will be really vague and what not. Thanks for the imput and I hope you enjoyed!

ShadowTeir: I am putting more between Selene/the Doctor soon; 'cause, as we see in this chapter, they're finally getting closer! WOO! Thanks again, hope you enjoyed!

Timey-Wimey-Somn-Like Lass: I'm still debating the memory stuff, though I'm sure I have an idea for it all… but I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I do plan on tyring to do the 11th Doctor episodes! I'm planning on doing as many as I can XD I also might drop in a Torchwood episode in there somewhere… Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

ash: I'm glad you like the story so far! Sorry about the long update, life was being mean… I'm currently in a play that'll be put in a competition, so we're trying to sort through a lot of logistics and lines and what not. But I hope you keep on reading, 'cause I'm not giving up on this story! Thanks again!

Jesse Wales: I LOVE Much Ado About Nothing; it's one of the Shakespeare shows that I would love to be in—I've been in Romeo and Juliet and Midsummer as well, and it's so much fun! I hope you enjoyed the Shakespeare-tastic chapter and maybe you'll figure out the character I chose Shakespeare models after her… I dropped a hint in here somewhere! ;) Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

Guest: Um, they WILL meet Casanova! I already have some of it written down! He's such a flirt and it will be amazing… hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

Guest: They will definitely meet Casanova, and them meeting Da Vinci would be pretty awesome! I already have some of that Casanova chapter written ;) I hope you keep on reading! Thanks again!

ashtynyancey: Finally updating! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

Veryona: FLIRTATION CHAPTER! :D It happened. There was flirtation flying around everywhere. WOO! Or at least I think that there was… I'm not good with flirtation in real life, so… yeah XD I hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

Ashtyn: I'm glad to hear you're looking forward to more chapters! I'm always curious to know which episodes people look forward to… I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

And thank you to those who have added this to favorites/follows. It makes me really happy to know y'all like the story!

So, I asked for face claims for Selene last time… I've been thinking and I'm starting to lean towards Natalie Dormer… what do you think?

Till next time, my friends! I'll try not to let the break between updating be too long! Thanks again!

~Mary