London, England, October 18th 2011, Saint Mary's Chapel
Gwyneth's POV
I look at myself in the mirror. I am all dressed up, ready for my wedding day. My light brown hair is curled in ringlets and piled on top of my head. The veil drapes behind my head in two layers, ready for the first layer to be laid over my face when it comes time to walk down the aisle. My wedding dress is simple. A halter top holds up my dress as my relationships with sleeveless dresses leaves a lot to be desired and, knowing my family history, something is bound to go wrong today. The rest of my knee-length dress flows out at the hips, with golden roses embroidered at the waist. My shoes are knee-high white Doc Martins, very easy to run in. Being able to run is important.
I touch the key around my neck.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. It's all of those. Mom gave it to me. Her Tardis key. The Doctor had it made Tardis blue with red Rose imprinted on it.
I turn, hearing a knock on the door.
"Come in," I say. Uncle Jack is at the door, a sad smile on his face.
"My little Gwyn is all grown up," he says, walking towards me. I turn back to the mirror.
"I wish she was here, Uncle Jack." I sigh softly and grasp the key.
"I know, sweetie. I know." Then he stands straighter. I let go of my key and pull the veil in front of my face.
"Let's do this," I say. Uncle Jack gives me a hug and pulls me from my room and into the recession hall.
I smile as Coldplay's "Fix You" begins to play. It's one of my favorite songs and it's the one I want to walk down the aisle to. Everyone stands as my entrance begins. I hold onto Uncle Jack's arm as he leads me down the aisle.
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
I look at Aunt Donna and her husband Shaun Temple. I look at Aunt Martha and Uncle Mickey and their little 4 year old son Josh, who is my ring bearer. There is Sarah Jane Smith and her children Luke and Sky Smith. There is Uncle Jack's boyfriend Ianto. All of the Torchwood team. Gwyn, Owen and Tosh. Then there's my maid of honor, Clara. Finally I set my eyes on my fiancé Tom. Thomas William Hidingston. His blue eyes are full of happiness and I can't help but smile back.
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
I feel my body begin to break up. People begin shouting in horror as my body dissolves and disappears. I knew my wedding couldn't have gone without something going wrong, but this —
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
The Doctor's POV
"Okay, this is bad. At the moment, I don't know how bad, but certainly we're three buses, a long walk, and eight quid in a taxi from good. Are there any more of you?" I ask, my worry and curiosity growing by the minute. I turn to the Indian woman dressed in 21st century blue doctor scrubs. Rita, I believe her name is.
"Well, there's Dragon; she's with Joe, who's tied up right now," Rita answers.
"Tied up with what?" I ask and realization flashes across her face.
"Oh, no! I mean he's literally tied up," Rita says. Rory scrunches up his face.
"What kind of name is Dragon, anyway?" he asks, and I let out a sigh of exasperation. At him, honestly.
"That's just her nick name. She refuses to tell us her real name. She's also the only one of us with a working phone," Howie, the young American, comments. He pushes some stray curly blacks locks from his glasses-framed face. Confusion mars Amy's face and mine.
"Well then let's go meet them!" I say, moving to follow them down the maze of corridors. As we enter the restaurant we see a middle-aged man in a business suit, his eyes glazed and unfocused. His once gelled hair is messy. He clearly isn't as together as he usually is, given the states and style of his clothes.
"Hello, I'm the Doctor." I walk closer to him while the others stay back.
"We're going to die here," Joe says. I spare a glance at Amy and Rory.
"Well, they certainly didn't mention that in the brochure. Is Joe there? Can I have a quick word?" I ask, crouching down to his eye level.
"Well, you've been here two days. What's he waiting for?" I ask, confused, trying desperately to fit the pieces together.
"We weren't ready. We were still raw," Joe answers, his voice crazed and out of tune. I'm about to respond but I hear heavy footsteps behind me.
"I wouldn't bother with him. His mind is long gone," a female English-accented voice says. I turn around and came face to face with whom I can only presume is Dragon. I find myself at a loss for words.
Standing in front of me is a bride who looks so much like my dear Rose. Her nose and jaw look thinner but those lips, and those cedar brown eyes are so much like Rose's. Her hair is a light brown and was curled and piled on top of her head in ringlets. Her posture is stiff and closed off. I force myself out of my daze with difficulty.
"So you're Dragon, I presume!" I say joyfully. Hiding the pain of seeing someone so similar to Rose. No. Bad Doctor. Bad thoughts. Rose is safe. She is alive and well in the parallel universe. She's gone and she's never coming back.
"You presume correctly," she says and my smile falters slightly at her cold voice.
"So, we know where everybody else came from but not you. Care to tell us?" I ask. Amy gives me a look. Oh, I know that look, I've said something stupid.
"Don't be stupid, Doctor! She obviously came from her wedding!" Amy scolds me. I watch as Dragon stiffens when Amy says my name and her eyes harden and become even colder. Does she know about me? What have I done this time?
"Yes, but everyone else was taken from private locations. They were alone. If she was at her wedding then the chances of her disappearing when she was in the crowd are high. Also, as Howie informed us, she's the only one with a working cell phone so there is something different. So what is it, you? What makes you special?" I ask, focusing on her, invading her personal space and begin scanning her with my sonic screwdriver. Her eyes narrow and she grabs my arm and twists it behind my back. Okay, no invading her personal space. Got that.
Gwyn's POV
I pull the Doctor's arm farther up his back. Not far enough to break it but enough for it to be extremely uncomfortable.
"Let me put this straight, Doctor. Stay out of my business. I have heard about you and I will not play your games. Even think of scanning me with the sonic screwdriver again and I will break your arm," I say coldly, releasing his arm and letting him fall to the ground. His current companions rush to his side to make sure he's okay. The female redhead gets up and faces me. Amy, I believe her name is.
"What is your problem?" she shouts. I give her a stony stare.
"I'm not the one going around scanning people and invading their personal space," I reply. I glance back at the Doctor who is stretching out his twisted arm. He looks different than Mom described. He must have regenerated; he doesn't look like any of his past incarnations so far. But the question remains: how long has it been for him since he abandoned my mom?
"You should go. He'll be here soon," Joe announces in a shaky voice. I look at his crazed face. Whatever happened to him, it certainly messed with his head.
"Then I think you should come with me!" The Doctor is once again in his giddy mood. He pulls up a luggage trolley and wheels Joe out of the room, the others following him. I stay in the restaurant a little longer and remove my iPhone from my right garter holder.
"Doctor has arrived. I will be home soon." Sending the text to Uncle Jack, I put my phone back in its hiding place before hurrying out to find the others.
I follow the voices of the others to the first corridor, where I see Howie about to open the door to a room.
"HEY! DON'T!" The Doctor lunges forward. I push past him and jerk Howie away from the door, shoving him away. I quickly slam the door but not before a bunch of fake girly giggles are let out of the room. Howie is frozen, his face shocked.
"Didn't you see what happened to Joe when he went in a room? He's changed! Have you really forgotten already? If you are attracted to a room, DON'T GO INTO IT!" I shout at him. He snaps out of his trance and stares back at me.
"This is just some m-m-messed up CIA stuff, I'm t-telling you!" he stutters. I cross my arms over my chest and scoff at him.
"Americans. There's only one American I really like but the rest of you are all nuts. Especially in the 21st century," I state. The other stare at me, put off by my tactless words.
"Er, guys?" Rory says but the rest ignore him as something roars nearby.
"Okay, whatever that is, it's not real, right?" Amy asks. I scan our surroundings, but see nothing approaching us. Whatever it is, it's not here yet.
"No. No, I'm sure it isn't, but just in case, let's run away and hide anyway. In here," the Doctor replies. Rita pulls Joe into a room, while Amy, the Doctor and Gibbis open a different door down the hall. The Doctor turns around and notices Rory and myself still standing in the hall.
"Well, come on!" the Doctor shouts at us.
"There was…" Rory starts but I grab his hand and pull him towards the room, pushing him inside and closing the door — leaving myself outside. There's movement in the corner of my eye and I glance to the cross roads in the hallway and see my mother standing there.
"I'll find another room!" I shout to the four through the closed door, then I'm running towards Mom. She's surrounded by a golden glow, just like when she disappeared. Except instead of her normal Torchwood work cloths, she's wearing a Tardis blue sundress that flows down to her ankles.
"MOM!" I shout, racing towards her. Just as I touch her outstretched hand she disappears. I glance around frantically and see that she's moved down the right hallway and is pointing at the door beside her. I hurry to her and just as before, she disappears. Taking the hint, I open the door she was pointing at — #64 — and quickly close it behind me. In the room there's a single man dressed in a purple suit and clown face make up. If it isn't the Batman's Joker. Well, I guess someone has to be afraid of him.
I see the shadow of the beast move past the door and continue on. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Once I know the danger is passed , I come out. I weave my way thought the corridors trying to find the restaurant. That's where the others will reunite. On the way, I brush against one of the walls by accident.
"Praise him" Joe whispered. A shadow was cast over him. It went dark before the image became clear again. Joe was slumped against a wall, lifeless.
I snap out of the vision, breathing heavily. So that's it. It takes life force, or something among those lines. I see the restaurant up ahead; I was correct in my assumption that people would reconvene here. Everyone is there, but Joe's lying on the table, being scanned by the Doctor.
"Oh, there you are." Rory says. He is the first one to notice me and everyone looks up.
"Help yourself to tea. It's over here." Rita indicates a steaming pot. I nod my head in acknowledgment and make my way towards her, quickly putting together my cuppa. I slowly inhale its scent and take a gentle sip.
Amy is talking to Gibbis. Wonder what happened in my absence. Wonder what a Tivolian and a 21st century human could have in common. Oh well, not my problem.
"Listen. The Doctor's been part of my life for so long now, and he's never let me down. Even when I thought he had, when I was a kid and he left me, he came back. He saved me. And now he's going to save you. But don't tell him I said that, because the smugness would be terrifying." I overhear Amy trying to comfort Gibbis.
I feel so angry. So the Doctor came back for her, but not for mum? Though I'm not surprised. The Doctor was a cold person. The Doctor is a cold person. Eventually, he will abandon her just like he had the rest whom he 'cared for most'. I tune out the rest of the others' conversations and focus on my tea.
Suddenly I feel my phone vibrate against my leg. Not wanting to bring attention to myself, I leave it alone for the moment.
Everything's going well until Howie starts saying the same things Joe had. Everyone freaks out. Howie must have gotten a peak at his door before I pulled him away. I set my tea down and make my way towards him.
"Look, whatever it is out there, it's obviously chosen Howard as its next course," Gibbis says, glancing around as if gauging our reactions. "Now, tragic though that is, this is no time for sentiment. I'm saying if it were to find him, it may be satisfied and let the rest of us go. All I want to do is go home and be conquered and oppressed. Is that too much to ask?!"
"Just shut up!" I snap. They all stop and turn their attention to me. I place my hands on my hips and begin my speech.
"Let's all calm down and focus on the facts for a second. First of all, we had 2 hours between the time Joe saw his room and when he went completely delirious. Add to that another 30 minutes from the time his mind finally snapped to when we first heard the monster roar and it came after us. Now seeing as it's been 15 minutes since Howie first saw his door, and with the beast having 'fed' 10 minutes ago, how much time do we have before we all panic?"
Everyone's mouths are hanging open. I shrug and continue, "Fine then, we have 1 hour and 45 minutes before Howie loses his mind, and 2 hours 20 minutes until the creature actively starts looking for us again. We were here for two days before it sought us out. So let's work on the assumption it just finished on Lucy Hayward." I pause for breath and any reactions. The Doctor is the first one to snap out of it.
"OH, I LIKE YOU!" he yells, jumping up and moving towards me; I give him a warning glare and he stops his approach.
"Oh, thank God! Because I was looking for your approval since the minute you showed up!" I state sarcastically. Rory snickers behind his hand but stops when Amy hits him on the arm. The Doctor, not put off in the least, turns to the rest of the group.
"Okay, so Rita has seen her room, and so has Gibbis. Rita has the same amount of time as Howie, since they are both humans. Unfortunately we don't know how much time Gibbis has, because we don't know the processing time for him. Alrighty then!" The Doctor claps his hands together and turns his attention back to Howie. "No one else dies today. Right? Brilliant. Howie, any second, it's going to possess you again. When it does, I'm going to ask you some questions. Please try to answer them."
"I hope my mum's all right, she's going to be w-worried." Howie stutters. I sympathize with him.
"Look, after your next possession I will lend you my cell phone and you can give her a final ring just in case," I offer. The Doctor gives me a soft smile, but I ignore it, maintaining my stern expression.
"Howie? Howie. Howie, you're next. We're all dead jealous. So, tell us. How do we get a piece of the action? Why isn't he possessing all of us?" the Doctor asks as Howie's eyes became unfocused again.
"You guys have got all these distractions, all these obstacles. It'd be so much easier if you just let it go, you know? Clear the path," Howie responds.
"You want it to find you even though you know what it's going to do?" Amy asks, moving closer to Howie. Howie gives her a manic grin.
"Are you kidding? He's going to kill us all. How cool is that?"
"It's as I thought. It feeds on fear. Everything, the rooms, Lucy's note, even the pictures in reception, has been put here to frighten us. So we have to resist it. Do whatever you have to. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, think of a basket of kittens, but do not give in to the fear," the Doctor explains to those of the group that aren't gripped with insanity.
"Okay, but what are we actually going to do?" Amy asks the Doctor. Rory keeps giving me sideways glances — why? I give him a pointed stare and he looks away.
"We're going to catch ourselves a monster," the Doctor announces with a happy grin. I roll my eyes. At least that hasn't changed about him.
~The Doctor's Daughter~
The Doctor had told me to stay with Gibbis and Howie in the reception room but I tell Gibbis to stay put and go exploring the fake hotel. I have a hunch about the rooms and I'm going on my gut feeling. I feel someone calling to me. Besides, it's not like I'm vital to the plan like the others were, I was just on babysitting duty. I twist my way through the maze and come upon the Tardis, suddenly but not unexpectedly.
"My wolf cub," a voice whispers in my head. I slowly approach the police box. I lift the necklace from around my neck and inserted the key into the keyhole. I open the door and enter the Tardis.
"Welcome home, wolf cub," the Tardis whispers in my head. I can't keep the small smile from my face as the Tardis lets off comforting waves in my head.
"Hello, old girl," I say softly.