I must admit that I've not been totally happy with this episode. It's not the ep's fault it's something I just can't put my finger on. Oh well. Next week's ep looks AMAZING however I'm sorry to say you'll have to wait for it because my first exam is on Thursday so I won't be writing until it's done. Anyway, hopefully this chapter isn't too bad.
'Sashaxh': Glad you'r enjoying it :)
'sonotalady': Yes just a tad bit jealousy from Jack but I think he had every reason to be. Hopefully Winter's reaction doesn't disappoint. To be honest I had a totally different plan for this but something rather strange happened with poor Winter. I never actually got to see 'Blackpool' which I was slightly annoyed about, I just couldn't find it anywhere. I always watch the main Eurovision show but I was pretty busy with revision so I haven't actually watched much TV lately. As for the songs well, ours looks crap, maybe because we tend to stick failing artist up there for some reason. Of course I'll be laughing with you, that's the joy of Eurovision, everyone watches and laughs together. :D
'Rachy Babes': Alright so there's a lot of blackmailing going on there but I can't help it. Some situations CALL for blackmail. Just got the treat! :D you cannot believe how much I'm smiling. I haven't read it yet but I'm so surprised at getting it early. Made my day! I live to make Fawks jealous just so she'll keep trying to come back for more :) As soon as they mentioned a demon I knew there would be plenty of Fawks references, I wish I could have fitted in more in this one. Massive reviews are welcome any time at all. I love them :D
When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you
We were made for each other
Out here forever
I know we were, yeah
All I ever wanted was for you to know
Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah
Avril Lavigne – When you're gone
The Captain's stow-away son sat coughing in the corner. Winter watched him while Jack, the Captain, the Doctor and Amy tried to come up with a plan. Rory's hand was clutched tightly in hers as he continued to prattle on about the woman. '…and her eyes, and her nose, did you see her nose?'
'strangely enough I noticed it while I was looking at her face.' She replied, not really paying much attention to his almost drunk speech. The Woman's power was wearing off but he was still mumbling about her.
'Wasn't it amazing?'
'I thought it was a bit squashed actually.'
'She's wonderful, the most wonderful creature in the universe.' Winter rolled her eyes.
'No, that would be me.'
'And she wants me too, did you hear her calling for me.' Rory's eyes seemed to roll back in ecstasy. Winter pulled a face.
'Get a room.' She grumbled. Jack came over to meet her and attempted not to chuckle at the differences in expression he was witnessing. Rory looking like he'd been hit by cupid's arrow and Winter grudgingly holding his hand in a vice like grip to stop him wandering off, with a face like she'd been slapped and couldn't fight back.
'The Doc, and the Captain are going to fetch the TARDIS, I was going to go with them. Do you think you'll be alright?' She looked over at Rory and nodded.
'Regrettably I think that may be a good plan.' She told him, 'Hurry back though?' he smiled and leaned down to kiss her.
'I'll be back before you know it.' He turned and looked at Rory. 'Ah! Someone's feeling better.' The dazed look on Rory's face was gone. Amy hurried over but didn't speak to her husband. Winter hopped off the side, allowing her to move into the space next to him. She followed Jack to the door and after the Doctor had spoken briefly to Amy she held the door open for them to leave. As soon as he was gone she wished he wasn't. She lay on top of a few boxes and stared up at the ceiling debating her current situation in her head. So was the girl linked to the singing she kept hearing on board the TARDIS? Most likely not but then why was she now so certain that the singing she had been hearing was a warning. Why couldn't she shake the feeling that the TARDIS was somehow trying to let her know about something…something dangerous. It all had to do with that figure, the man in black, the thing that needed her. She was sure of that, something was going on behind her back and she didn't like being kept in the dark.
To be honest she was more worried about this then about the other problem. As much as it panicked her. Did she tell Jack? That would be a good conversation. 'Hey Jack just thought you should know, I'm hardly sleeping again but I feel fine and people can feel my connection to the TARDIS when they touch me. In fact I seem to be radiating energy and therefore could become a danger to myself and others.' Yeah that would go down well. But the Doctor told her she should let him know, may she could mask it by wearing something particularly low cut.
'…I'll use this you blaggard.' Winter glanced over to her side to see the young captain's son holding out a cutlass at a pirate.
'Wow! What did I miss?' Rory was the only one who glanced over at her. He gave a worried but pointed look towards the pirate at the business end of the sword and Winter nodded. She slipped down from the boxes and edged closer but not in time. The boy reached out to cut him and everyone looked down at the trickle of blood that escaped the skin of his hand.
'No!' the pirate whispered as he turned his hand over. Suddenly Winter doubled up and clutched her stomach. Rory jumped over and everyone turned to look at her. She held up a hand to force them to keep back and they yelped at the sight of her palm. Another spike of pain ran through her, her body contorted to the side. Something was wrong with the TARDIS and it was making her ill, and ill meant… She looked down at her hand and noted the round black mark. The second of the two pirates in the room stumbled out deciding to leave his marked friend and escape. She took one look at the open door and ran, Amy screamed for her to come back but she had to get out. If something was wrong with the TARDIS she had to get to it. Somehow she made it back into the room filled with water and she lunged for the top of the boxes.
Out of nowhere the singing caressed her senses. She still wanted to run but she couldn't, her body wouldn't let her. With a sigh she leant across and touched her hand to the floating demon. A peculiar sensation overcame her. Like tearing paper, a part of her was being prised away. She felt empty, tired, half dead.
Winter opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself still in the ship. She looked down at her hand and noted that the spot was gone. The woman seemed as puzzled as she was, in a flash she was glowing bright red. Winter dragged herself away and fell off the box into the water. She waded as fast as she could and tumbled into the connecting galley, following the sound of banging and crashing.
She found the Doctor and Jack in the Captain's quarters destroying everything made of glass. Jack looked up at her and frowned.
'Where have you been?' She couldn't speak, just shook her head, 'We have to destroy every reflective surface that's why that woman's been able to get to us. She doesn't come out of the water she comes out of reflective surfaces.' Winter nodded and sat down in the Captian's chair. Jack noted her mood but though it better to keep her safe before fretting about her emotions. The Doctor, after finishing his argument over treasure with the Captain, began to throw all the shiny gold and silver out into the sea. There was something missing from her. Something gone. She felt different, wrong.
Eventually the Doctor sighed and left. Jack pulled her to her feet and sat down before bring her to a seated position on his lap. She curled up like a child and stared, an empty gaze, at his neck. He was reminded of a younger Winter. The one who had cried in her sleep, the one he had cradled in his arms, the one who had grown up. 'We can't go back to the TARDIS,' he told her, 'We don't know what happened she just couldn't lock on and then she disappeared.' Winter nodded but it was more a set reaction then an understanding. After a few moments of silence and the gentle sound of his breathing, he spoke again, 'The Doctor's going to tell Amy and Rory to bunk down for the night, maybe we should too.'
'You two aren't going anywhere.' Jack looked up at the Doctor's voice but Winter did not. She continued to stare blindly ahead. 'Winter?' She didn't look up, 'Winter?' His face appeared in her line of vision, 'Show me your hand.' Jack froze and watched but Winter stayed completely still as if not hearing anything. The Doctor reached out and took Winter's hand, he turned it over and Jack visibly relaxed when he saw no mark upon it but the Doctor didn't seem so pleased. 'There was a mark here.' Amy and Rory swear to it, the TARDIS hurt so you hurt too and the demon found you.' There was no reply but Jack's grip on her had tightened with every word.
The Doctor pulled her to her feet and bent his knees to look in her eyes. 'What happened Winter? What happened to you?' She didn't reply, couldn't. A sudden thought clicked in his head and he turned to Jack. 'You were talking to her, before.'
'When?'
'When she ran, what were you saying?'
'We just thought that maybe the fact she was connected to the TARDIS affected the way she viewed the woman. Instead of wanting to be near her or being neutral she automatically wanted to run.' The Doctor eyed Winter warily and then turned back to Jack.
'I need to go into her mind.'
'Why?'
'I need to see what's happened.' The look in his eyes scared Jack so much that he nodded without speaking. The Doctor placed his hands on either side of Winter's face, touching his fingers to her temple. 'Oh…Oh Nemo I'm so sorry… what has she done to you?.. you're going to be ok, I promise.' He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.
'What is it? What's wrong?' Jack panicked, rising from his seat.
'The woman, she tried to take Winter but the TARDIS was protecting her. Like you said, its natural defence was to make her run. But with the black spot telling her to go to the creature and the TARDIS screaming run it got a bit much.' The Doctor explained, 'When the woman touched her the TARDIS tried a last bid attempt to save her. It let the woman take the part of it inside Winter's mind without actually taking Winter. In doing that it cured her of the pain from the TARDIS, so the black spot disappeared because she was healthy.'
'So she's not connected to the TARDIS anymore.' Jack smiled slightly, 'She's free.' The Doctor sighed and shook his head.
'Jack,' he pulled back from the girl in his arms, 'ask her a question, something personal.' He frowned but turned to Winter and asked.
'What earth date, is my birthday?' She didn't reply, merely stared blankly in front of her. His frown deepened as he asked another, 'What is my daughter's name?' silence, 'Where did we meet? When did I first tell you I loved you, come on Kitten answer me please.' He took her face in his hands but her gaze was a blank as ever. His eyes stung and a tear slipped past his defences, 'What's wrong with her?' He asked.
'The woman just took away the TARDIS but didn't notice how attached to her psyche it was. She ripped out half of her soul. Winter … she's in a sort of…walking coma.' Jack choked out a quiet cry and pulled her toward him. 'It took a while for her body to really understand the damage. That's how she managed to get away and get to us, but she's deteriorated fast. It won't kill her but…there won't be much of our Nemo left. I'm sorry Jack.' The Captain tightened his arms around her.
'Come on!' he whimpered, 'Come on Nemo! Fight it, you're stubborn as hell, I know you can do it. Come one Kitten. Don't do this to me I love you.' For a moment he just held her but suddenly he pulled back, 'What?' The Doctor crossed the room again to hear. 'Say it again, come on, you can do it.' They strained their ears as a low mumble trickled out of Winter's mouth and in the middle of the mumble, if you ignored the garbled noises they picked out two words.
'love…too.' The Doctor looked on sadly as Jack cried and pulled his girlfriend back into his arms. He backed out of the room and wandered the ship aimlessly, what could he do, he had thought many times of trying to remove the TARDIS from her head but every time he had assured himself that she would be fine. Now it had finally ruined her life, and not just hers, Jack's as well. He looked up into the sky and couldn't help shedding a few tears of anger and grief. Wiping them away quickly when he heard the ship's Captain appear behind him.
TTT
The wind blew and the whole ship shook as the storm raged around them. Jack was darting around with Amy and Rory trying to hoist the sail and tighten the rigging so they could sail away from the creature. To his dismay Winter seemed honour bound to follow him, blindly stumbling behind him like a duckling followed it's mother. It was so… sad. He wished she was swinging up in the rigging, he wished he could yell at her to get down and stop messing about. To get out of the rain and wind but she just followed him, with no care for anything else. He tried to ignore it because he knew if he thought about it he would break down and that would help no one.
A sudden commotion on the other side of the ship gained his attention and he watched the green woman rise and reach out for the Captain's son. The young boy stumbled forwards and touched the woman's hand, disappearing in a cloud of dust. The Captain cried out and rushed forward, the Doctor jumped down from his post at the helm and threw the crown that had cause the woman to rise, into the sea. Immediately the woman disappeared, but it was too late. The young boy was gone, the demon had struck again.
The Doctor stumbled over to the Captain and yelled at him for keeping the crown, for not being able to give up his precious metal, for losing his son for his greed. Jack ducked the large wooden bottom of the sail but his eyes widened as it neared to Rory. The young man had yet to see the object heading his way as it swung around, it knocked him flying into the ocean. Without a second thought he rushed towards the side, pointing at Winter and yelling at the Doctor. 'HOLD HER BACK!' Then he took one deep breath of air and threw himself over the edge. The water was ice cold and so murky he could hardly see his hands in front of his face. Where was Rory? His lungs burned for the effort of swimming through the choppy sea water. His eyes began to slid shut as his energy ran out and he lost all sense of gravity, which way was up? Where was he now? A green flash accosted his tired vision and he saw a vision of beauty hold out its hand to him.
When Jack burst back to life, he was on the floor of a space ship.
TTT
The Doctor threw Amy back away from the side, holding tightly to Winter's hand. The young girl was still trying, effortlessly, to follow Jack over the side of the boat. Amy however was putting up more of a fight. They had released the demon woman to save Rory and Jack from their watery grave but Now they had to get to them, to save them from her. 'But she'll destroy them!' Amy cried.
'That thing isn't just a ravenous hunter,' The Doctor told her, Winter's hand clutched tightly in his, 'It's intelligent, we can reason with it, and maybe, just maybe they're still alive somewhere. We have to follow.'
'Are you mad?' The Captain asked. The Doctor produced a needle from his pocket.
'If we want to see them again, we have to let the siren take us.' He pulled a red scarf from his pocket and tied his wrist to Winter's, before carefully stabbing her palm with the pin. He leant over and stabbed Amy and the Captain before making a small puncture in his own skin. As the blood trickled out, the black mark appeared and the siren's voice called. He was relieved to see that this time Winter responded to the cry. She moved blankly toward the woman and he followed, just as enamoured by the beautiful creature before him.
TTT
Jack looked around the stereotypical spaceship he had found himself in. Why was the colour choice always grey? He shook his head and slipped out into the main corridors walking past several very dead alien carcasses. They were humanoid except the head, to be honest they looked more like myfanwy in that department. He had a sudden stab of sorrow for the loss of the Torchwood pet, she'd been a part of his life almost as long as Ianto and to have her gone in one blast was hard to think of. He'd spent hours mourning the loss of his friends but no one ever thought of the pterodactyl. They had taken her for granted.
He stepped out into what appeared to be the flight deck and examined the large window. However, instead of the wide expanse of space, he could see the deck of the pirate ship. He frowned and lent over a skeleton to check the readouts. 'It's stuck in the same placement as the ship.' He told himself. 'Ship gets stuck in a parallel universe in the same place as the ship in our universe, the occupants look out for help, a virus from the 17th century seeps through the cracks and wipes them out and the ship is left drifting. So if we move the ship, the woman stops.' He glanced over to the energy dials and raised an eyebrow. 'Massive power divert to hospital bay. Why? If everyone's dead?' He got up and followed the readings on his manipulator, finding himself in a massive expanse of space. Tables floated several feet from the floor, each one laden with men. The Captain's men and…Rory. He approached the slab and ran his manipulator over the young man, fine, everything was fine. A noise behind him startled his relaxed state and he dived behind a plastic sheet coming face to face with,
'The TARDIS!' He turned to see the Doctor, Amy and the Captain enter the room. The Doctor's hand was still grasped around Winter's but without looking at him she seemed to know Jack was there and she pulled away from the grip. 'Jack! How are you feeling?' Jack shrugged and grabbed Winter's hand. She didn't look up at him, didn't smile, in fact she hardly acknowledged his presence at all. She was just staring across the room. However this time she had a reason to. The Doctor and Jack raced forwards to see the replica of Winter lying on the table. Her skin looked so pale it was almost translucent and they could see her veins pulsing but not with blood, instead they were filled with a golden light that surged along each tendril with a warm glow.
'What..?' Jack started.
'I haven't a clue.' The Doctor replied. He took out his screwdriver and ran it along the other Winter's pulsing form. It seemed to glow brighter as Winter lay her hand on herself but other than that, no change was made. The Doctor turned to see Amy fawning over Rory's body.
'It's not a curse!' the Doctor realised, holding up the black spot on Rory's hand, 'It's a tissue sample. Why get samples of people you're about to kill?'
'Help me get him up?' Amy asked, he looked up at her and nodded, pulling at the neck-brace around Rory's throat. The beep of an alarm disturbed him and he looked around for the source. 'She's coming.' He told them. They all dived behind the TARDIS, Jack picking Winter up and pulling her away from the other half of herself and they watched the woman appear at Rory's side. Oddly enough, she didn't seem to be hurting the young man, more, caring for him.
'Anaesthetic.' The Doctor murmured. 'The music, the song, so she anesthetises people and put's their body in stasis. The Captain jumped out from his hiding place a fired a single shot at the woman. She turned instantly and the green light switched to a bright, angry red. The Doctor sprung out of the side and tried to sneak around the edge of the room but he sneezed. The woman turned to look at him and pulled her hands up to her chest. A firey beam formed between her hands and the time lord sprung carefully from foot to foot. 'Right, um, that's new, um what does fire do? Um yes destroy…what else…sterilise, I errr, I ,I, I, I, sneezed, I'm all germy.' He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his nose before throwing the object to his right. The woman let go of the fire and it flew towards the discarded object, burning it to cinders. Meanwhile Amy had raced over to Rory and was trying to wake him. The Doctor called over for her to stop but she continued to try and revive her husband. The woman stalked toward her and suddenly the Doctor cried out.
'She's not a killer at all she's a doctor!' Amy's hands retracted from her husband and the woman's aura flashed back to green.
'This is an automated sickbay.' Jack realised pulling Winter out of the shadows to stand with the Doctor.
'Yes, yes, it's teleporting everyone on board. The crew are dead and so the sick bay has had nothing to do, it's been looking after humanity whilst it's been idle. Look at her, a virtual doctor able to sterilise a whole room.'
'Able to burn your face off.' Amy retorted. Jack submitted to Winter's pull and found himself standing once again at the other half of her's side. She lay a hand on her own arm and he heard a screech from behind. The woman stalked towards them, flashing red. He tried to pull Winter away but she did something unexpected. She pushed him off and stood to meet the woman the hand of her other half clutched tightly between her fingers. The woman screeched again but Jack had an idea. He grabbed both the winters' hands and showed them to the siren.
'It's the same person.' He urged, 'You've split her in half. This isn't curing her. It's killing her.' The Siren stopped and examined the hands.
'She's going for it.' The Doctor murmured. Without so much as an apology the woman turned back on herself and returned to her spot next to Amy, still glowing green. The Winter on the table suddenly snapped open her eyes. Golden light seemed to pour out of them and she disintegrated into dust. Jack stood back in shock as the dust settled, like glitter, on Winter's skin, dissolving into her pores. Winter's eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground convulsing on the floor.
'Doc!' Jack yelped, the Doctor threw Jack his key to the TARDIS and he pulled Winter into his arms racing into the blue box with her in his arms. Moments later he heard the door open and shut but he carried her out of the console room and into the medical bay, hooking her up to the heart monitor. After ten minutes of watching her convulsions slow and her chest rise and fall steadily he felt a hand on his back.
'Rory's safe. Amy saved him.' The Doctor sat down at his side and studied the screens carefully. Jack couldn't bring himself to nod. 'Can I?' He looked over at the Doctor and nodded. The time lord stood and gently pressed his fingers to her forehead. 'It's alright, you can wake up now, why won't you wake up, everything's fine and…' he pulled back and looked at the young girl thoughtfully.
'What?' Jack jumped up, worried by the Doctor's silence.
'February 14th, Alice, Cardiff Castle, on the floor of an Edinburgh street.' Croaked the girl in the bed. Jack looked down at her in shock and confusion.
'What?'
'Your birthday, your daughter's name, where you met and where you first told her you loved her.' The Doctor replied with a grin. 'You heard.' She nodded and felt out for Jack's hand. He obliged and sat down on the bed next to her. The Doctor smiled and backed off, out of the room. Jack pulled her up into his arms and she felt him shake around her.
'I'm so sorry.' she replied.
'God you have, NOTHING, to be sorry for.' He assured her.
'You were upset and I just sat there. I did nothing.'
'You couldn't, it's not your fault.' He squeezed her tightly, 'you're going to need some sleep.' She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck allowing him to carry her back to their room.
'I don't remember traveling with the Doctor being this stressful, it always felt a little more laid back before.' She told him. He chuckled and slipped into the bed fully clothed, content with just holding her close to him.
'Well, it makes for an interesting birthday.' She nodded groggily.
'Happy Birthday darling?' He smiled and stroked a tiny piece of hair out of her eyes.
'Maybe next year eh?'
Reviews are always met with a HUGE grin!