A/N: REALLY IMPORTANT: I NEED YOUR HELP!
I was going to have such a nice day, this being the first Rory chapter. I've been informed by three people and confirmed for myself that YET ANOTHER story of mine had been PLAGIARIZED! The Author LovecookieHatepear's story Together Again (chapter 2) has copied Dalek from my A Treasured Discovery and only replaced the OC and changed a line or two. Overall it is the same exact chapter, word for word, literally copied from me. PLEASE REPORT THIS STORY! I wouldn't ever usually ask this, but this is now the 4TH time it's happened to me. I am NOT giving any second chances anymore.
I'm very sorry to ask this of you, but I need your help.
Thank you.
~8~
The Vampires of Venice: The Shadows
An elegant, dark haired woman sat on a throne, like a queen, in Venice as a young man, also dressed in noble clothes, stood behind her. A black man and a young woman, his daughter, were brought before her for an audience, both dressed in simple commoner's attire. He bowed as his daughter curtseyed, "Signora," be began, "Your school offers a chance for betterment, escape. My daughter..." he nervously removed his cap, "Isabella, is 17 now, but what prospects are there for the daughter of a boat-builder? There's no future for us. No future...but you."
"I am moved by your concern for your daughter," she said, eyeing the man and the woman beside him, "I believe protecting the future of one's own is a sacred duty."
"Signora..." he took Isabella's hand, "She is my world."
"Then we will take your world."
Isabella and her father let out a laugh of relief as they hugged each other, thrilled they were being given this incredible chance, "I knew it!"
Signora stood, smirking, "Say goodbye to your daughter."
"Now, Signora?" the man frowned, looking more than a bit alarmed at the sudden demand.
"Why wait? Time ticks," she nodded to the man who escorted them in and he moved to lead the man away.
"Be brave, my girl," he kissed her hand, knowing he couldn't risk her losing this opportunity, "Make me proud," he looked back once more as he was led away.
"Step into the light, my dear. That's it," Isabella walked forward, glancing at her father as the door slammed shut behind him. She looked up as the Signora and the younger man who had stood with the woman circled her, "What say you, Francesco? Do you like her?"
"Oh, I do, Mother," Francesco said, smiling as he eyed her critically, "I do," and then he opened his mouth to reveal a row of fangs.
Isabella gasped in horror and screamed.
~8~
In a pub, Rory was at his stag night, standing in the back of the room, on his mobile, trying to leave a message for Amy over the din behind him, "Hey! It's me! Hello! How are you? The reason for this call is because I haven't told you for seven hours that I love you, which is a scandal, and even if we weren't getting married tomorrow, I'd ask you to marry me anyway. Yes, I would, because you are smashing," behind him a large cake was wheeled in and 'The Stripper' began to play, his mates poking him till he turned around, "Oh...oh. Oh, blimey. I've...I've...I...I...I...I'll see you tomorrow," he hung up, shifting a bit at the sight of the cake. He'd requested no strippers or anything of the sort, it really would be pointless for him, he'd only ever had eyes for Amy nor would he want to look at another woman. But he knew they'd likely gotten it as a gift for them as well since they knew he wouldn't take advantage of the moment.
Which was fine with him, it was a fun night! And he was getting married in the morning! To the best, most beautiful, most wonderful woman in the world! It couldn't come quickly enough.
"Out!" the men started to cheer, "Out! Out!"
And then...
The Doctor popped his head through the top of the cake.
The chanting stopped but the music continued as Rory shook his head in disbelief, the Doctor looking around, bemused. A moment later he turned around, "Rory! That's a relief. I thought I'd burst out of the wrong cake...again."
"I told you to try this cake first," Angel said as she walked in from a back room where she'd set the TARDIS down. She beamed though the moment she saw Rory, "Rory!" she cheered, rushing over and giving him a big old hug, "Hello Rory!"
He laughed a little bit as he stumbled back, Angel, for being a bit small, was a rather...powerful hugger...well, that and he wasn't expecting quite so enthusiastic a hello. But...it was nice, really nice that she seemed so happy to see him. Not even Amy got that excited to see him at times, "Hi Angel," he smiled.
"I missed you," she squeezed him once more, before pulling back, looking at him with genuine interest, "How are you?"
He blinked, he'd only met the girl for a few minutes at most about two years ago but...he...he'd missed her too, to be honest. She'd been kind to him, interested in what he had to say, and she'd made sure to include him, to listen to him, she'd been very polite and just...genuine in how she treated him. She'd noticed him. The Doctor had been too focused on Zero, on the aliens and the danger and the running about, but Angel had been focused on HIM as well, she'd tried to reassure him and keep him in the know, which he really appreciated since he was basically discovering that Amy's imaginary friends were actually real. It was quite jarring an experience.
"I'm fine," he told her quietly, "I, um, missed you too."
And he really had.
Amy had told him and Mels, their friend, all these tales about the Doctor, all these little made up stories about his adventures, and...to be quite honest...he'd gotten rather sick of them rather quickly, the Doctor this and the Doctor that and the Doctor was so amazing. So he'd always asked about the Angel that travelled with him. He knew what it was like to be a side-note in a story, it was always Amy and Mels, with him tagging along so he supposed, in a way, he'd felt a kindred spirit in Angel, even as a child. He'd pester Amy about stories of the Doctor, bear through them, just so he could slip in questions about the Angel as well, so as not to seem too suspicious. He'd always had a crush on Amy and he didn't want her to think he had a crush on Angel by constantly asking about her. He didn't. Have a crush on Angel that is. He just...felt like she deserved to have stories told about her as well.
He'd gotten to know a little about her from those stories, so he felt like he knew her, and then to actually meet her, to see that she really was as psychic and kind and nice as the stories claimed her to be. Well, that had been rather nice. And then the Doctor had stolen her away for two years now. And he did find that he missed her. There were months after the two had disappeared where Amy obsessed over whether they'd come back 'in five minutes' and he'd found himself wishing they'd come back, not just to help Amy stop sulking, but because...Angel had made him feel like a part of the adventure, included, noticed. It had been...nice...for someone to actually see him. Mels had only exacerbated the situation, asking for details about Zero and other details on the Doctor, the two girls gossiping and making up stories about him, made her a bit more focused on the man. He'd missed Angel because she probably would have talked to him instead of leaving him sitting quietly in the corner as the women gushed.
It seemed he was right to wish she was there. At his stag party, surrounded by other men (most he could admit were probably more impressive than him) AND the Doctor...she still noticed him and wanted to say hello to him first. He'd probably be touched by that if he weren't so confused as to why they were there in the first place. He really hoped that no other aliens were about to attack the night before his wedding.
"That reminds me!" the Doctor shouted suddenly, his gaze on Angel and Rory, well, on Angel really, and how the girl was smiling away at Rory, truly looking happy to see the boy.
He was thrilled about that, that she was happy, she'd seemed so down lately that he was really quite happy that she was happy again...but...at the same time...he felt like marching over there and pulling her away from Rory (she had taken the boy's hands after pulling away from the hug and hadn't seemed to let go) and standing between the two of them so that she would be looking at HIM instead. It...rubbed him the wrong way, badly, that Rory had managed to put that wide smile on Angel's face when all his own efforts had failed to do it. And really, she was standing quite close to Rory. And what was about that hug? She'd hugged him quite a while (well, a normal amount he supposed) and rather tightly (no more tightly than she'd hugged Jack in the past) and she was still touching him (though Angel had always been a hugger and a hand-holder in the past) and he felt something twist painfully inside him at that. He'd just had issues with Amy fawning over him, they didn't need the same thing happening with Rory and Angel, which really, there was a real danger of that happening because Angel was the sort of girl that it was hard not to love completely and entirely just from meeting her.
He would know.
He paused at that, shaking his head, no, no he wouldn't know. How would he know? He didn't love Angel, not like that...he rubbed his chest, wincing as a pain struck his hearts at that thought, what was that about? Angel was a friend, a close friend, a Time Lady, one of the women to spend the longest amount of time travelling with him. She was important to him, yes of course she was. She was the last Time Lady, the TARDIS loved her, she was family to all his companions, and she was his friend, a dear friend. So yes, he supposed, in a way, he did love her.
He winced again and rubbed his chest harder, there was that zing again.
"There's a girl outside in a bikini," he continued when he realized they were all staring at him for his previous shout, "Could someone let her in, give her a jumper? Lucy. Lovely girl. Diabetic. Now, then. Rory," he pointed at the boy, "We need to talk about your fiancé. She tried to kiss me."
Everyone gasped as Rory's mouth dropped open, horrified. So focused were they on the Doctor and what he'd said, no one noticed Angel's expression completely drop as well.
"Tell you what, though. You're a lucky man, she's a great kisser."
Someone dropped their glass and they stared at him.
"I've had better though," he shrugged, pausing a moment to try and think about when that could have been.
He couldn't remember really kissing anyone and enjoying it, sure he'd given his wife a chaste kiss or two, when their children had been born, but...he couldn't really remember kissing anyone after that in an enjoyable way. So why did he feel so warm inside thinking about someone kissing him, like...someone had kissed him and just...made his world light up. Amy's kiss hadn't done that at all. He supposed it was nice by human standards, but he really couldn't help but feel like he really had had better.
...and then he noticed them staring at him with wide eyes and open mouths and realized what he'd just said, "Funny how you can say something in your head and it SOUNDS fine..."
Angel just shook her head and sighed, "Come on Rory," she linked her arm though his, giving him a gentle squeeze, feeling truly bad for the boy to hear about his wife-to-be's exploits in front of all his friends, she could empathize, that was how she'd felt seeing it happen before her, learning that someone had kissed her Mate, "Let's go sort this out," and slowly led him out of the room, the Doctor watching her go with a pout at how she had gone with Rory, before scrambling out of the cake and rushing after them, not even casting a glance back at the other men watching them.
~8~
The Doctor was sitting in a harness seat that was dangling under the TARDIS's glass floor, doing some welding work, while Amy paced nervously above, her gaze flickering to Rory. Rory was staring out at the TARDIS while Angel was leaning against the railing, watching the Doctor, biting her lip at each little spark that the TARDIS made in protest of what he was doing.
"Oh," the Doctor smiled, "The life out there, it dazzles. I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans..." Rory glanced down, nervous, when the TARDIS let off a small explosion courtesy of the Doctor, "Oh! It's meant to do that."
Angel just rubbed her face, "I'm going to have to fix that later," she moaned quietly, earning a small smile from Rory, who was starting to get the feeling she fixed quite a lot of things and not just in the TARDIS, and an agreeing hum from the box herself.
"...because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back…it WILL tear you apart. So...I'm sending you somewhere. Together."
"Whoa!" Amy spun around, "What, like a date?"
"Anywhere you want, any time you want," the Doctor got up from the harness and walked up the steps to join them all at the console, "One condition, it has to be amazing. The Moulin Rouge in 1890! The first Olympic Games! Think of it as a wedding present, because, frankly, it's either this or tokens."
"I'm sorry Rory," Angel walked over to him, linking her arm through his, "Are you alright?" she looked at him in concern, seeing him staring around with a slightly stunned expression, "It's a bit much to take in, I know."
He nodded vaguely at that, patting Angel's hand in thanks for her concern, none of them seeing Amy's gaze narrow a bit at the small interaction between them.
The Doctor nodded as well, moving up the stairs that led to the halls, "Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."
"It's another dimension," Rory cut in.
The Doctor turned around, "It's basically another dimen...what?"
Angel smiled widely at that, well look at that, her future companion (for she was determined NOT to let this opportunity to have him become her companion slip past again) was brilliant, "How do you know that Rory?"
Rory looked at her, blinking as he saw she was genuinely curious and not condescending or even scoffing at him, she...actually seemed intrigued with his knowing that, "After Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories," he shrugged bashfully, "FTL travel, parallel Universes."
"That is amazing," Angel told him, "I'm impressed."
Rory smiled at that.
"I like the bit when someone says, 'It's bigger on the inside!'" the Doctor cut in, striding up to them.
Amy frowned as she saw his demeanor shift. He seemed...irritated...with Rory and Angel's tiny discussion, his entire countenance had drooped, his expression was set in a line, his posture tense...and he'd spoken just a bit more loudly, like...he was trying to pull their attention to him and away from each other, which...she had to admit, she was a tiny bit relieved had happened.
"I always look forward to that."
"Don't worry Rory," Angel just squeezed Rory's arm, seemingly unperturbed by the Doctor's antics, in fact to her, it seemed almost...familiar, like his old selves, "He just doesn't like getting shown up by anyone," she shot him a grin and moved over to the console, starting to put in commands, actually feeling...excited about this. Actually feeling...better than she had in a while. It was like...she'd been waiting for this for so long, to finally have it happening, being so close to getting another companion...she felt...happy. Yes she was hurt and sad and devastated about the Doctor and his amnesia, but, in a way, she hoped this would help, that Rory would help. He was brilliant and a nurse and...someone she could relate to.
She just...she just needed one person to be there with her, to be someone she could confide in and be there for and have them there for her as well. Just...one person, just one. She was stronger than she had been, had been more confident than her past selves, but...she still needed help at times and...the Doctor wasn't going to provide it. She needed someone to rely on at times, someone to support her and...just...be there. If she had just one true friend with her, she felt like...she just might be able to endure this, endure what River had warned might be coming, to...not be alone. And she really and truly did feel happy that Rory was there. The Doctor had Amy, she should have someone too, she should have Rory along as well.
Rory smiled at that, watching her with a soft look in his eyes, one that worried Amy as she saw it. It was similar to how he looked at her at times, but...different. There was always something...more...when he looked at her, she hadn't the faintest idea what that 'more' might be but it was a small comfort to her. Rory...seemed to like Angel a lot. And it...bothered her. He'd spent most of his time around her and Mels growing up, never really around other girls, hadn't ever looked at Mels like that, in fact, Mels almost seemed a bit...distant with him but tolerant of his presence. She'd never seen him take an interest in a girl besides her, and now...he seemed interested in Angel. Oh she knew there was no chance of him loving her in that way, not at all, that wasn't anywhere in his eyes or his actions, but...he did like Angel in a way.
She shifted, watching him a moment longer, she supposed she should feel a bit happy about that. Just a few hours ago she was sure she'd be thinking that, if she could set Angel and Rory together, then the Doctor would be all hers...but...something in her gut at the moment, at seeing them actually interacting together and getting on well with each other, twisted painfully. She didn't like it. Especially where her thoughts had been leading before they'd picked up Rory. Wasn't this what she'd been hoping for? That Angel and Rory would be close and, perhaps, be a distraction so she could 'get to know the Doctor' better? So why did it bother her so much to see it happening?
Rory just shook his head, more cheered by the fact he'd apparently one upped the Doctor than anything. Amy had said that Angel had been there as a child, had travelled with the Doctor for a very long time. He would think she'd know him better than anyone. For HER to think that he'd gotten one over the Doctor and 'shown him up' well, that made him feel rather good about it, made him feel a bit clever. And also…it made him feel a little pleased that he'd seemed to impress Angel. It wasn't often he managed to do that, impress a girl, he rarely ever seemed to impress Amy. It was nice, it felt nice, to be seen as impressive by someone, especially considering he was a human and the Doctor was standing right there.
"So, this date," Amy began, clearing her throat and walking down to Rory, taking his arm as Angel had done, "I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think, Rory?"
"Oh, um," Rory blinked, a bit startled Amy had asked him, she usually just went into things and dragged him along.
"How about somewhere...romantic?" the Doctor suggested, no one seeing him throwing a small, really very tiny, look at Angel, who had her back to him as she worked away at the console.
"I think I know just the place," Angel smiled, pulling a lever and setting the TARDIS in motion.
~8~
The TARDIS materialized in the middle of a busy market, though no one took any notice of it. The Doctor stepped out first, grinning as he saw where Angel had picked to take them all, opening his arms, "Venice! Venezia! La Serenissima! Impossible city. Preposterous city!"
Rory and Amy stepped out, looking on in amazement as Angel joined them, dressed in a light blue dress with golden embellishments, rolled shoulders and gold sleeves, her hair in a bun behind her, allowing her to blend in.
"Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding...constantly...just..." he glanced at Angel, blinking at he saw her attire, he'd been in a bit of a rush to get out of the TARDIS and hadn't even seen her reappear from disappearing into the wardrobe till now, "Beautiful," he swallowed, staring at her a moment, blinking quite a bit, which made Amy frown and Rory smile a bit, both looking between him and Angel.
Angel, though, shifted, uncomfortable with how he was staring at her, it was...weird...he hadn't stared at her this long in...ages, "Is it too much?" she asked, looking at her dress.
"No!" the Doctor shook his head, realizing how rude he was being just...gawking at her, "No, no, not at all, you look...um...very..." he floundered a moment for the words, making Rory smirk at seeing he wasn't the only man out of his depth at times, "Pretty girl...good!" he added quickly, "Pretty good."
~oOo~
"I think you broke a record getting here Doctor," Martha commented, "You barely gave me enough time to get her ready."
"Ready for what?" he frowned, looking at Martha confused.
Martha smiled and just nodded at Angel.
He blinked and looked at her, his mouth dropping open as his eyes widened, staring at her openly for her outfit, making Angel shift a bit under his gaze, tucking a piece of hair behind her ears, something, he'd noticed, she'd done ever since 1913. Her hair usually didn't hang freely enough for her to need to move it behind her ear, but she just...did it, like a little habit, though her hair now had been let free and given just a bit of poof and volume at the top. All it really did was draw his attention to her hair, to her face, her eyes, her ears, her hands, just...her.
And right now, all he could see was her.
She was wearing a tight, emerald green, short-sleeved shirt that was a bit low-cut, the black trim of it drawing his eyes to a spot he admitted he stared at just a mite too long before flushing and pulling his gaze away...though it only ended up travelling down to her very, very short green shorts, down the length of her legs to her black boots that went up to her knees...
He swallowed hard, "You...you look pretty girl...good!" he shouted, his face now redder than Angel's hair, "Pretty good! Beautiful really. Stunning..."
Angel just smiled, a bit pleased with his reaction despite how uncomfortable she felt in the outfit, it really was far too tight for her liking, and took his hand, kissing his scarred knuckles, Martha smirking off to the side.
~oOo~
"For Venice, I mean, the dress, it's right for Venice," he winced, spinning around, now thoroughly embarrassed, he was just making a big old mess of this, wasn't he? What was wrong with him? Yes, Angel looked nice in the dress, but...why was he getting so flustered about it? River had looked lovely in her black dress too.
Angel's small smile that had formed at his flusterings faded, seeing his mind comparing her in her dress to River in hers. She swallowed hard and looked away.
Rory frowned, seeing that, "I think you look lovely," he called to her, making her look at him.
"Thank you Rory," she smiled, "You're very handsome too."
Rory blinked, "But I'm not dressed for Venice," he looked down at his outfit, his jeans and red shirt with a picture of Amy and him in a heart, a black vest on, very much not in the style of Venice.
"So?" Angel shook her head, "Rule 2 of travelling with us Rory," she beamed, "I don't lie."
Rory started to smile at that, actually blushing slightly at the compliment. Most women just made fun of his nose, Amy had a time or two as well, so he'd...he'd never really thought of himself as handsome before. That was nice, that was really nice. Everyone, he believed, deserved a compliment in their life, and he genuinely got the impression that Angel didn't lie often. She thought he was handsome. So...maybe he was. He thought Amy was gorgeous so he'd never really understood why she had said yes to HIM, when he'd asked her to marry him. She could have anyone, truly anyone, probably even the Doctor if she wanted, and she'd said yes to HIM. He never really thought he could compare to other men in her life, some of the more masculine and handsome men she'd dated in the past before they'd gotten together, so to hear some other woman call him handsome...maybe he was.
"Oh, you gotta love Venice," the Doctor cut in once more, though sounding more like he was struggling to find something to say, really making Amy frown now, he was making a habit of that wasn't he, interrupting Angel and Rory talking, though she had to admit she was a bit relieved that he was, Rory always complimented HER so it was a bit offputting to hear him complimenting someone else, "And so many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Oh, that reminds me," he checked his watch.
"I made sure to get us here before that," Angel told him, "It's 1580."
He looked at her a moment and nodded, turning to Rory and Amy, "That's alright then. Casanova doesn't get born for 145 years. Don't want to run into him. I owe him a chicken."
"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory asked as the Doctor walked off, the trio following him.
"Don't ask," Angel groaned, recalling it.
It had been during his last incarnation and had involved Donna attempting to use her 'womanly wiles' to try and out-woo Casanova early in their travels with her.
"Long story," the Doctor waved Rory off, "We had a bet."
Angel shook her head at that, "I'll tell you all about it later Rory," she crossed her hearts, "Let's enjoy this trip first though, yeah?"
Rory nodded, "Yeah."
An official looking man dressed in black stepped out in front of the Doctor, blocking the path to the stairs they had been heading towards, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Papers, if you please. Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection."
"There you go, fella," he flashed the psychic paper for the official to take, "All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."
"I am so sorry, Your Holiness," the official bowed deeply, "I didn't realize."
The Doctor took the paper back, "No worries. You were just doing your job. Sorry, what exactly is your job?"
"Checking for aliens, visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them."
"Oh, that's nice, see where you bring me?" Amy whacked the Doctor's shoulder as Angel frowned at that, she hadn't sensed any sort of disease or suffering around, "The plague!"
"Don't worry, Viscountess," he bowed as Amy nodded primly at him, "No, we're under quarantine here, no one comes in, no one goes out, and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri," he pointed to a crest on the box he was carrying.
"How interesting," the Doctor eyed it, "I heard the plague died out years ago."
"Not out there. No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes! Streets are piled high with bodies, she said."
"Did she, now?" he murmured, Amy looking over at him and starting to smirk at the suspicious tone in his voice, knowing it meant an adventure on the horizon.
Rory reached over and snatched the paper from the Doctor as the official went off to question someone else, "According to this, I am your eunuch!" Rory called as Amy and the Doctor walked off.
"Oh, yeah, I'll explain later," Amy said before running after him, eager to see what was happening.
"What am I?" Angel asked as she looked at the paper over his shoulder.
"Can't you see it?" he frowned at her, not at all nasty, just curious.
"No," she shook her head, "The Doctor told me once that I was just too smart to be fooled by it. Psychic paper shows what the holder wants seen. I just think psychic cancels out psychic."
"You're really psychic then?" Rory looked at her.
"Something like that," she laughed, linking her arm in his.
"Oh, well, it say's you're the Viscoutness's handmaiden."
"Oh," she nodded, both a bit sad that she had been tasked as a 'handmaiden' and a bit ok with it as she really didn't want all the attention of being a noblewoman. She frowned a moment later though, using her other hand to tug at the hem of her bodice.
"You alright?" Rory asked, seeing a flash of discomfort on her face.
"Yeah, just the bodice is a little tight," she waved it off, "It was the only dress like it and I really wanted to wear it," she laughed, "Squeezed myself into it."
Rory nodded, Amy did much the same when she had a favorite piece of clothing, both of them walking at a leisurely pace behind Amy and the Doctor, when a thought struck him and he glanced at her a moment, "Did you want to be a Viscountess or something?" he asked, thinking of her expression when he'd told her she was a servant.
"Of course not," she laughed and he stared at her, startled, who would give up that opportunity? As though reading his mind she squeezed his arm, "Us servants must stick together after all."
He smiled at that, touched that she would rather be a servant with him than someone important with the Doctor and Amy, and nodded, "We do, yeah," he agreed with a little laugh, shaking his head at her a moment later.
Angel was something else.
She grinned widely, "Come on," and took his hand, picking up the edge of her skirt, making him laugh when he saw her cowboy boots peeking out the bottom, pulling him off down the passage as they ran along to catch up to the Doctor and Amy.
~8~
Two lines of young women, all wearing white gowns of varying designs, stood under a building's archway as an older woman walked ahead of them to lead their procession, "Veils down, girls," she called. The girls lowered their veils and followed her out, people watching them from the other side of the canal.
Angel stepped away from the small group of time travellers when she caught sight of them, walking over to the edge of the canal, watching them with a frown as the Doctor eyed her a moment before joining her, Amy and Rory with him, the three of them looking from her to the group, confused. But Angel just frowned, watching them...
'...what do you suggest, then? We wait until they turn her into an animal?...'
...there was a hum of power as a chamber was bathed in a green light...
'...we're nothing alike. I will bend the heavens to save my race...'
...the townsfolk were screaming as they ran through pouring rain in chaos...
"What do you want?" the woman shouted as Isabella's father ran forward.
"Where's my Isabella?" he lifted up the veils, trying to find her.
"What are you doing? Get away from there!"
"Isabella! Isabella!" he finally found her but she backed away from him, "It's me!"
One of the other girls came forward and hissed at him, baring two fangs that the Time Lords could see even across the way, shoving him to the ground.
"Girls, come along!" the woman clapped.
The girls continued on their procession, when a booted foot landed on the man's chest, keeping him down, "She's gone," Francesco told him, leaving with a swirl of his cloak.
"Isabella!" he got to his feet, "It's me!" but two guards just grabbed him and led him away.
"What was that about?" Amy asked out loud, not noticing Angel and the Doctor leave.
"Isabella..."
She looked to her left to see them gone, "I hate it when they do that!" she huffed at Rory who frowned, looking around himself for them.
He got the impression that Angel rarely ever abandoned or forgot anyone, leaving them alone, so...for her to disappear as well, something really bad had to be happening, that or there was something dangerous going on that she was trying to protect them from.
~8~
Isabella's father walked along a passageway, tense and grumbling, as Angel led the Doctor after him. The Doctor crossed behind him and leapt onto the bottom step of a stairway, "Who were those girls?"
The man stopped and turned to them, "I thought everyone knew about the Calvierri school."
"Our first day here," he stepped down, "Parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools. They move house, they change religion," he looked around and whispered, "So, why are you trying to get her out?"
"Something happens to them," Angel murmured, frowning at the man, "Doesn't it?" Something bad?"
The man sighed and nodded, "Something magical, something evil. My own daughter didn't recognize me. And the girl who pushed me away, her face...like an animal."
Angel quickly put an arm around the shoulders of the distraught man, "It'll be alright."
The Doctor nodded a bit, turning to lead them off, "I think it's time I met this Signora Calvierri."
~8~
The Signora was kneeling in the center of the courtyard of her school, drinking from a chalice poured by a servant.
"Mother?" Francesco called, spotting her from a staircase.
"Mummy's hydrating, Francesco," she called as the servant refilled the chalice with water.
Francesco walked down the stairs to the courtyard, "And we never interrupt mummy when she's hydrating. We were accosted again," the Signora leaned back against the well the water had been drawn from as Francesco moved to lay down, his head on her lap, "A man made a grab for one of the girls. The longer we wait, the greater the risk of discovery. I mean, we've already converted more than enough. Surely it is time to introduce them to my brothers?"
"I shall decide when we have enough," she stroked his head.
"If it's more you want, let me take the girls into the city tonight. We could…"
"We follow the plan. Let them hammer on our door...beg to be taken."
A bell tolled and Francesco stood abruptly, the servant helping the Signora stand. With a look at Francesco the Signora and servant left.
~8~
Amy and Rory were walking through a narrow passage, aimlessly looking for the Doctor and Angel, not that they really knew where either were.
"And what have you been doing?" Rory asked, if just for something to say. They'd fallen into a bit of a silence as they walked, Amy seemed...a bit too keen to find the Time Lords. He was too, he hoped Angel was ok, but...they'd come there for a trip, for a date, it had been the Time Lords' intention for them to have fun, perhaps that was another reason why the two had run off, leaving them alone, so that they would be able to have a proper date without worrying too much.
"Well...running," Amy supplied, "And fighting. I've been scared. More scared than I thought was..."
Rory looked at her a moment, "...did you miss me?"
"I..." Amy began, "I knew I'd be coming back."
Rory nodded solemnly to himself, feeling like he should have expected this, expected that she hadn't even noticed he wasn't there. He'd been right beside her during the entire Zero incident, standing right there when Amy had introduced him...as a friend. When he'd been her boyfriend at the time. They'd run through a hospital, and she'd called the Doctor for help instead of him. When that had been the one place he probably knew better than anyone. He'd been right beside her when she'd collapsed, been talking to her along with the Doctor...and she'd dreamed of the Doctor instead of him. He wasn't stupid, he wasn't an idiot, he knew Amy likely felt something for the Time Lord, and the fact that she'd tried to kiss the man, it bothered him deeply.
And now, to hear that he hadn't even really been a thought during the adventures, it hurt.
"He was right," he muttered, "It blots out everything else."
So how did Angel do it? She had spent more time with the Time Lord than probably anyone, been in the middle of all those dangers...and she STILL managed to worry about other people and think of them first. Or at least she had during Zero anyway.
Why was it that the Time Lady seemed to think on him and notice him more than his fiancé?
"Rory...this is our date," Amy turned to take his arm, "Let's not do this, not now."
There was a fluttering of wings and Rory looked up, smiling as he remembered just where they were, "Ha! We are in Venice and it's 1580!"
Amy laughed, "I know!"
They both laughed and walked off, arm-in-arm, passing a stairway where Francesco was lounging at the top.
A young flower-seller walked by and saw him, holding up a small poesy, "Flowers, signor?"
He shook his head and she moved on. A moment later, though, he walked down the steps and under the archway where the flower-seller was resting. She held out a bunch of flowers again, thinking he had changed his mind, and he took them in his gloved hand, smirking at her.
~8~
Amy posed in front of a doorway as Rory knelt to take her photo with his mobile, grinning, she really was so beautiful...
...when there was a scream.
Amy immediately ran forward, following the sound.
"What was that?" Rory called, running after her, worried, thinking she was just a little mad for running towards the screaming and the danger on her own, barely even waiting for him to join her and try to help her.
They stopped short at the passage, seeing Francesco hovering over the girl. He lifted his head, blood on the girl's neck, his mouth open, baring fangs at them. He dropped the girls and walked past them with a hiss, holding his cape in front of his face as though to protect himself from the sun.
Rory ran to the girl's side, checking her vitals, breathing a sigh of relief, "She'll be ok," he looked up at Amy, only to see her running off, "Where are you...Amy! Come back!"
For one brief moment, his mind flashed to what had happened to her. She seemed...different, than she'd been. Here they were, confronted with a terrible crime...he had run to the victim, worrying about the one who'd been attacked...and Amy...had barely even stopped to check on her before chasing after the man who'd harmed her. He was torn between admiring her not wanting the man to get away and feeling a bit...upset...that she didn't seem to care whether the girl was ok or that the man had put her in this condition and she was running after him, alone.
Amy just ignored him as she ran after Francesco, only to stop abruptly at the end of a canal where he was nowhere to be seen, Rory just managing to catch up to her there.
~8~
Isabella's father approached the guards stationed outside the Calvierri school, "You have my daughter. Isabella!"
"You're not coming in, stop there!" a guard called, "We've told you..."
He glanced to the side, seeing the Doctor and Angel sneak alongside the canal as he distracted the guards, "You have my daughter. Isabella! I demand you let me see my daughter!" the Doctor flashed his sonic on the canal gate, "Isabella! It's me! It's your father."
"I'll arrest you..." a guard warned.
"Isabella!" he yelled before seeing the Doctor and Angel inside, behind the guards, and turned to leave.
~8~
The Doctor and Angel made their way down some stone steps, into a chamber below the school. On the wall was a mirror which the Doctor stepped over to, "Hello, handsome," he greeted, straightening his tie and checking his teeth.
"Doctor…" Angel breathed, not looking at him and he tensed, hearing a tremor of worry in her voice.
"Who are you?" a chorus of girls asked.
The Doctor spun around to see a line of girls in white dressing gowns standing there. He looked back at the mirror, where they were invisible, and back to them, "How are you doing that? I...am...loving it," he grinned, though his actions betrayed him as he seemed to take a small step in front of Angel, as though to protect her from the clearly unnatural girls, "You're like Houdini, only five scary girls, only he was shorter."
"Will be shorter," Angel corrected lightly from halfway behind him, tenses were tricky with time travel.
"I'm rambling," he turned to her and then back to the girls, "Do I sound like I'm rambling? I feel like I'm rambling."
"I'll ask you again, signor," the girls spoke, "Who are you?"
"Why don't you check THIS out?" he held out his wallet with an ID card of his first incarnation. He glanced at it, "Library card…" he muttered, putting it away, "Of course, it's with...he's...I need the spare. Pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen in..." he looked back at the mirror and then at Angel, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" and then back at the girls, not giving her a chance to answer, "But the city. Why shut down the city? Unless..."
"Leave now, signor, or we shall call for the steward...if you are lucky."
"Oh!"
The girls hissed and bared their fangs, advancing on them.
Angel grabbed his arm and turned, pulled him towards the doorway, grabbing the bottom of her skirt to keep from tripping on it as she tried to pull him up the stairs.
He spun around, "Tell me the whole plan," and got nothing in reply, "One day that might work."
"That will never work," Angel told him, she didn't even need her abilities to know that it wouldn't ever work.
"Listen," he turned to the women, "We would love to stay here. This whole thing...I'm thrilled. Oh, this is Christmas!"
Angel rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him up the stairs as the girls hissed after them.
They ran out of the school and towards the streets, running straight into Amy on the edge of the canal across from the school, "Doctor!" Amy gasped, "Angel!"
"We just met some vampires!" the Doctor cheered at the same time as Amy said, "We just saw a vampire!" they both started talking at once, their voices overlapping.
"And creepy girls and everything…"
"Vampires!"
The Doctor and Amy jumped up and down excitedly while Angel shook her head at them, when Rory ran up.
"Rory!" Angel cheered, rushing over and hugging him tightly, startling the boy a moment at the sudden move though he automatically hugged back, feeling a bit…relieved that someone had hugged him after that experience, it was…really, it was just what he needed.
Angel pulled back, "Are you ok?" she asked him, looking him over to see if he'd been hurt.
Rory smiled, "I'm fine," he laughed, touched that she was worried about him, the Doctor and Amy had seemed a bit too excited just then to notice him…though, now that he thought about it, they'd gone a bit silent.
He looked over to see the two had, indeed, fallen quiet as they looked at the two of them. Amy had crossed her arms, something he knew she did when she was slightly irritated with something, he was sure it likely had something to do with Angel, though that made no sense to him. But he knew Amy, she would sometimes get like that when other girls spoke to him, which...he never really understood. She was short with so many women, girls from his classes or the hospital or even waitresses who talked to him instead of just taking his order when they went to eat. Yet she could talk to all sorts of men and continue her kiss-o-graming and he wasn't allowed to speak of it without her claiming he was being clingy and ridiculous.
Oddly enough...he found that he almost...didn't care if Amy was irritated with the situation at the moment. She'd run off with the Doctor on the night before their wedding and kissed the man! He could hug Angel in a completely platonic way if he wanted, he could be friendly with her if she was trying to be more than friendly with the Doctor. He would never ever go so far as to lead another girl on and, to be honest, he didn't feel that way about any girl but Amy, so there was no way he'd ever try to 'get back at her' for all she did with the Doctor by doing something similar. But Angel was nice and kind and he did like her as a person, because...she treated him like a person too. She didn't just cast him off or let him get blotted out by the Doctor. If he wanted to hug her, he'd hug her, and if Amy had an issue with it...well...she shouldn't have kissed the Doctor.
The Doctor though...his expression was rather...different than he was expecting. He thought the man would just be grinning away like an idiot, still just rambling about whatever it was that had gotten him excited as well, but...the man actually seemed...angry. Well, not angry, but...cross, a little bit cross, with the hug he'd just given Angel. He was frowning and his eyes were just a little narrow and his hands were...starting to clench into fists...which confused him. Amy had been rather insistent that the Doctor and Angel were NOT together, especially when Mels pestered her with questions about it. There was really no reason for the man to be upset with a little hug. Angel gave the best hugs he'd ever gotten, it was only fair to hug her back with equally as good hugs.
"Good," Angel smiled, not seeming to notice Amy or the Doctor's reactions. It had been nice...to hug someone and have them hug her back though. She was...afraid to hug the Doctor, afraid of how much it would hurt if he didn't hug back or pushed her away and Amy...after learning about the kiss she just...couldn't really bring herself to hug the girl, it still hurt to think on what she'd done and how it affected all of them. But Rory, he gave very nice hugs, she'd thought he might be a hugger and he was. Everyone always underestimated just how much a hug could help.
"We think we just saw a vampire though," he added, eyeing Amy and the Doctor oddly when their expressions changed as Angel turned to them, as though neither of them wanted her to see their looks.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," the Doctor said, a bit of a deeper tone to his voice, "Amy was just telling us."
"Yeah!" Amy grinned, reminded of the adventure, putting her arm on the Doctor's shoulder, "The Doctor and Angel actually went to their house!"
"Oh," Rory nodded, absently resting a hand on the small of Angel's back, not quite around her, but a friendly gesture, not quite as...comfortable as Amy was with the Doctor...though he did notice the Doctor tense a bit at Amy's slightly forward move, but still allowing him to be close to Angel, which, to be honest, he really did need because it was all very new to him, "Right. Well..."
"Was it a girl as well?" Angel asked him, seeing him growing a bit sad and shifting at his own news was being pushed to the side.
"No," he shook his head, turning to her, smiling at her attempt to include him, "A bloke."
"Ok, so..." the Doctor stepped forward, slapping Rory's cheeks a bit, "First we need to get back in there somehow."
"What?!" Rory stared at him.
"How do we do that?" Amy frowned.
"Back in where?!"
"Come and meet our new friend," the Doctor grinned, spinning around and rushing off, Amy after him as Rory gave Angel a look.
She sighed, "He does that a lot," she murmured, linking her arm with Rory's and leading him after them.
A/N: I added almost 5000(!) words to this chapter! ^-^ I just love Rory so much and getting into all their heads with all their crazy feelings and confusion on everything :) Did you like the tiny little jealous moments both for Amy and the Doctor? So much confliction! Lol :) I hope you all liked the start of Rory, I added a bit of back story to Rory. I feel like with Amy telling so many stories about the Doctor as a child, Rory would be the sort to ask about 'the other one' and want to know more about Angel. I can't see him obsessing over her like Amy (to me) did the Doctor, but he'd know of her which adds a little to their closeness :)
Definitely only friendship for them :) And Angel got a few hugs! How many of you wanted Rory to just give her a big old hug? I know I did :) And...on that note, you made it to the next sneak peek! We're getting another Rory one that, I feel, will show just how far their friendship will come in only a few short episodes (since he's really only got 3 adventures (on screen) between here and the end of Cold Blood) :)
~8~
She took a breath and nodded, starting to wipe off her tears when Rory did it for her with his sleeve, making her laugh. She grabbed his hand though when he tried to pull away, "Rory…" he looked at her, "It's been a very long time since I've had a companion. I DID ask but, they said no or changed their mind or just…things happened," she took a breath, "I always felt like it happened for a reason, like I was waiting for this incredible person to be my next companion…and do you know what?" he shook his head, "I was right, because YOU, Rory Williams, are incredible," she pulled him to her and hugged him, "And I'm SO glad it was YOU."
~8~
Awww :') Rory! He's so sweet! Won't say when this happens or what's happening, why she's crying. I think you can guess what might have happened before this scene, though it might not be what you think ;)
And, the challenge is officially up on my tumblr, under the 'Challenges' page :) It's a more detailed and organized description of the last chapter's A/N :)
Some notes on reviews...
If Mickey met Rory...I think he'd say just...trust her and trust yourself because, while you may not see it, she does, and if she sees something special in you, it's definitely there, you just need to believe it yourself :) ...I can say though that Mickey will meet Rory! ^-^ I won't say when, but I did promise I'd be bringing in the prior companions throughout the story ;)
Lol, I semi-ship Rory/Angel, but ONLY as friends :) They're my BrOTP :)
I think those quotes definitely sum up Angel's story :) We just have to wait for the rest of the goods things to happen given all the bad :) I hope you liked the hints of jealous Doctor and the start of Amy realizing she cares about Rory more than she thought in this chapter :) I really can't wait to see Rory grow :) That's perfectly alright with me :) I'm glad you're interested in the challenge :) It's open to anyone and everyone :)
Lol, I can say that Rory, in this series, will only punch the Doctor in Big Bang ;)
Ohh that is harsh, lol, I stepped on a lego once...those things are EVIL! :(
That's awesome that your teacher joined in :) The most I can say for my teachers was a group giving a marketing presentation was talking about honey bees disappearing, and I started laughing and said 'the bees are disappearing!' and my professor goes 'Look out for the Tandocca Trail!' :)
I hope you were grinning :) Tiny little blips of sadness, but overall grins :) Oh the Dream Lord will have SO much to say and there's a twist to it all for Angel as well ;) Lol, that would be funny to see them try to work out the bed situation :) I'm glad you're interested in the challenge :) You can do as many submissions as you'd like :)
Angel will definitely get the Doctor to stay in touch yup :) She loves them all too much to let them fade away. I can guarantee that they will (eventually) make a habit of seeing ALL the companions a couple times a year in each series :) We'll see a little bit in Amy's Choice how/if Jack can communicate with Angel frequently ;) And Amy will definitely stand up to River at one very important point oh yes, Rory too ;) They'll have a very...interesting relationship...because of how he is Angel's companion. There was a tiny, tiny hint of what that might be in this chapter :)
I saw tiny hints of her being a psychopath throughout the show yeah, really small ones. And then, seeing LKH, I felt like it was just way too sudden and not-believable a shift in her personality, to go from being raised as one, to almost perfectly normal didn't make sense to me. Here I'm just remembering her psychopathic roots a bit more than in the show :) I can't wait till the Oncoming Storm moment too :) I can say that, if he doesn't realize what River's been doing, he definitely will in the future but I won't say how :) I hinted a little at Rory becoming less insecure around Amy and the Doctor here, mostly with how he wasn't going to stop hugging Angel just because Amy seemed to not like it, and smirking a bit at how the Doctor got flustered and wasn't 'Mr. Cool' when he first saw Angel in her dress :) Much more of that to come! :)
Awesome! I'm glad you're interested in the challenge :)
That's great! I'm glad you're enjoying all the Time Lady stories so far :) I'm going to try my best to keep knocking them out with Time Lady 4 and 7 (and maybe 1 more) next year ;)
Lol, yeah, a lot of it was A/N wasn't it? :) I always make sure that the chapters are 4,000 (or usually 5,000) before the A/N, like this one was about 8,500 before the A/N :) It's a little different for the mini-sodes, but I think it was about 3,500-4,000 before the A/N which is good :)
I don't think many of the companions have gotten sick on the TARDIS, at least not in this story :) I had the Professor get sick once in Recollections and, of course, Angel in Fading, but as for the companions, not that I know of :)
Lol, I think those animals fit them very well :) They definitely suit their personalities and characteristics to a T :)
Lol, that's a great(!) way for him to remember ^-^ OMG, could you imagine Emma dealing with the Doctor and Angel if he still hasn't remembered by then, I could see her making so many comments about his 'obvious' love for Angel and him being like...what? and getting flustered :) I could see it fitting in any of those episodes too :) I think that would be pretty traumatizing for Piper, I like the animal idea, to make it possibly more traumatizing...what if she was turned into something that they typically hunt? Perhaps like she retains her mind but her appearance to others if that of some creature they hunt. I couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like for her to try and communicate to her brothers and father that it's her and them thinking she was like...the creature that 'killed' her or something. I could see her blaming the witch more than her family, it might even be able to add a divide if the boys work out that it's her and John doesn't believe them till the very end or something. Just a thought :) For the angels...one idea could be that, perhaps, they were always popping up in her life without her noticing and trying to influence her. I sort of interpreted the show that demons did that SO MUCH to Sam, so perhaps the angels did that to Piper, appeared as councilors at schools or teachers or others so that she might trust them in the future? She seems like one of the few people the boys would listen to and do what she says so perhaps they want to use her to sway the brothers? I do like the pure soul idea though, I could imagine it would be unique to have one given Dean's antics and Sam's demon blood thing and their lives as hunters :)