CHAPTER 9:

"I don't understand." Jack said. He was pacing around the TARDIS. "Last time this happened, she calmed down when she remembered the good things."

"It's happened before?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah, once. She hasn't cried since. At least, not like that. Well, when Ashley died, maybe, but only a little and diffidently not in front of people. She hides her emotions a lot."

"When you said, 'he can't hurt you. He's dead,' what did you mean?"

Jack sighed. "Jezabell has had a tough past. Traumatizing, really. But the person I was really talking about was…well, her father."

"Her father? Why?"

"He never actually liked her. He only kept her around because he knew his wife would disapprove. She died when Jezabell was young. She saw it happen too. She saw them all die." A sad look glazed over his eyes. "He kept her in the basement because it was the only room he wouldn't go into. It used to be used as Mrs. Adams office. Too many memories for him to bear. He treated Jezabell like crap. She wasn't allowed to go to school. She had to stay home and clean the house and make dinner for him. If she was lucky, he'd let her go outside for a ten minute walk. If she came home even three seconds too late, her punishment was severe. It always changed too, so she couldn't prepare much except to expect the worst.

"He- he also abused her. He would it her, throw things at her, and push her down stairs. It was awful really. Almost every time I want over she had fresh bruises somewhere. Even when she tried to take online classes, he found out and threw the computer at her. He also destroyed the computer. It hurt her more that she couldn't be as smart as her younger brother."

The Doctor stayed quiet. He looked at the knocked out Jezabell. He never would have guessed that suck an easy going girl would have such a terrifying history. He could tell there was more to her story, but wasn't sure if he wanted to know the rest from Jack. He didn't like the silence though, and there were a few things he could still ask.

"How would you know what her first kiss was like?" He asked Jack, who had stopped pacing and was also looking at his friend.

"Because it was me." He said simply.

"You were Jezabell's first kiss? I knew you guys were friends for a while, but I thought that was it."

"It is. We were both fourteen and hadn't been kissed before. It was right after Michael was murdered. A few weeks before her fifteenth birthday. I couldn't let her be fifteen without being kissed."

"Whoa, back up. You still hadn't been kissed at the age of fourteen?"

"I was fifteen, actually."

"Are you sure you're the Captain Jack Harkness I know? The one who flirts with everyone insight?"

"Oh Doctor, you flatter me." Jack said, pretending to blush. "But yes, I wasn't kissed until I was fifteen. And to be honest, it was worth the wait. It didn't affect our friendship at all. I was really her only friend though. It wasn't until her father died and she was able to have a life that she made other friends."

"When did her father die?"

"When she was fifteen, he had a heart attack."

"Should I be sorry, or not?"

"Not with this one. The others, yes," Jack crouched on the floor. "What do you think is wrong with her?"

The Doctor looked back to Jezabell. She was still sleeping. Her leg was wrapped up in the gauze, and the swelling seemed to have stopped.

"I have no idea." He admitted.

Jezabell stirred slightly in her sleep, moaning softly. She said a word, but it was too faint to hear properly. The Doctor looked at her, and so did Jack. There were so many tragedies buried behind her smile, it's a wonder she didn't crack earlier.

But why now? The Doctor thought. Nothing had happened to cause all these memories that were for so long pressed to the bottom of her thoughts, sudden rise. Jack was thinking the same thing, but he was more worried. He knew Jezabell better than anyone, and he knew that she might do something bad when she woke up. The last time this happened, she hurt herself. It was really bad, and Jack worried she'd try again. She would have gone further than just bleeding if he didn't help her. This time, he wasn't sure he'd have the same luck.

Jezabell spoke again, he word was a little louder, but still unclear. It sounded like she was calling to someone, trying to reach out for help. Her eyes moved in her head, and her face and feet fidgeted slightly. She was dreaming, but no one knew what of, no matter how much they wanted to know.

The Doctor stood and started pacing around the TARDIS. As hard as he tried, he couldn't think of a logical explanation for this. Even the impossible didn't fit.

After a few silent moments, Jezabell woke up.

"Doctor," She said, sitting up. She looked straight at him, expressionless.

"Jezabell, you're awake!" Jack exclaimed. The Doctor would be glad too, if he didn't sense something was wrong.

"Doctor," She said again, looking straight into his eyes, ignoring Jacks presence.

"Yes?" He answered, slowly. Jezabell's voice was monotone, and the Doctor wasn't sure of what was happening, but Jezabell seemed to have been taken over.

"Doctor of Galifrey; a Time Lord." Jezabell said.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Jack said, standing up. He slowly backed up towards the Doctor.

"Her body has been taken over." The Doctor replied quietly.

"By who?"

"I think it's by what."

"Doctor of Galifrey, we are the Valu-Sapes." Jezabell said. He eyes remain unblinking and unmoving. She seemed to be staring into the Doctors soul.

"Where of?"

"We come from many places. We have moved around so much, no one remembers for sure where we originated. However, for the past thirty years, my Kingdom and I have lived in the planet Harmoria. We quite liked it there, very hospitable; even if they didn't know we were there."

"How are you controlling my friend?"

"Your friend? You mean this girl, Jezabell Caroline Adams? Is she really your friend yet? I've looked through her memories; she only just met you, Time Lord."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Fine, I'll give you answers. But that will tire me, and when I'm tired, I'm hungry."

"Fine, you can eat; just tell me what you're doing in there, and how!"

"Oh, trust me, we will feast more. And as for your answers, my group was transferred from our home. I believe we were in a laboratory there, for safe keeping. The people of Harmoria were fascinated by us. One day, they decided that the lab wasn't the place for us anymore, and we were brought to a new home. It took me a while to figure out where we were moved to, but once I did it was clear that we were being used." The creature inside Jezabell made her tone less flat as they spoke. They seemed to have been gaining more control over her.

"Where were you moved to?" Jack asked.

"The blade of a sword. They were going to use us weapons."

"What good would you be as a weapon?" The Doctor asked. The Valu-Sapes didn't answer right away.

"We make good weapons," they said, slowly. "Because we can make a person go insane." The Doctor stayed silent for a minute. Clearly, these creatures were miniscule, able to transport through peoples bodies. They aren't just controlling Jezabell, they are taking over her completely. They are inside her. If they can be used as great weapons because they make people go insane, that's what they are going to do to Jezabell. But how do we get them out? The question seemed to float from the Doctors mind to Jacks.

"How do you make people go insane?" Jack asked, cautiously.

"Well, you saw that king, Rikario his name was. He was mad beyond mad." The creatures inside Jezabell made her laugh coolly. A glint of evil green flashed in her eyes.

"He was driven mad from depression…" The Doctor was staring to put two and two together. "You make them go mad by making them sad."

"You're clever, Doctor of Galifrey, but not quite correct. Yes, they go mad because we make them sad, but it's so much more than that. We feed on their happiness. Every happy memory or feeling they have becomes our food; our main source of energy. Because we feed off the happiness, they are forced to remember their anger and sadness. Rikario supplied that well, but after a while, he really had none left. All his happiness was devoured and non-existent. Every time his daughter came to visit him, small memories flickered back into his mind, but of course my people consumed them before long."

"Why not let him have a single memory?" Jack said.

"Everyone has to survive somehow, Jack Harkness. We were starving. That flicker of hope was the most we've eaten in a long time. We were trapped there inside him for months. Supplies don't last forever, you know." Jezabell, or the creatures, sighed. Then, they smiled. "But this girl here, Jezabell," She said her name slowly as if listening to every sound and syllable. "She is full of all sorts of memories. No disappointments here. She has just as many happy memories as she has sad ones. Too bad though, such a pretty girl to go to waste; but her past makes it clear she won't be strong enough without her happiness. She's had a horrid past, and for that I'm sorry. But my people must survive." A wicked smile spread across Jezabell's face. Her eyes glinted that evil green again, and a cold laugh slipped from her lips. The Doctors face must have shown either the horrifying realization that this creature was about to destroy his friend, or the anger he felt. "You should have asked what we like to eat, Time Lord, before you said we could."

Suddenly, the smile faded and instead of a laugh, a scream poured form Jezabell's mouth. Her eyes returned to their shade of blue, but instead of evil, they were scared and hurt. Jezabell screamed again, long and loud, and she fell back agenst her seat. There was a moment of silence before she shot back up.

"Doctor!" She exclaimed, breathing heavily.

"Jezabell?" The Doctor could tell that now that the Valu-Sapes knew how to control her, they would be able to fool him or Jack at any time.

"What happened?" The fear and sadness from her eyes faded quickly, forcefully. Any trace that she was crying left her appearance, and she looked more confused than anything. She was strong, strong enough to pretend to forget everything that happened to her, even though she just remembered it all at once.

"A lot," Jack said. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, my head hurts, but fine." Suddenly, she remembered that she had a wound on her leg. "Oh, yeah, my leg seems better. Well, actually I can't feel it at all…" She rattled on in her Jezabell way, acting as if everything is completely normal. Maybe to her, everything was.