A/N Io non proprio DW.
Chapter 32
Donna woke up with a pounding in her head and a raw sort of soreness in her throat. Her eyes were red, her neck was sore, there was an empty tub of ice cream on the floor, and she'd fallen off the couch sometime in her sleep. Rose had left her alone around midnight, so Donna woke up the only living thing in the dusty old library. Although it wasn't really dusty. It was rather clean, actually.
She'd cried herself to sleep the night before.
At least she wasn't still crying when she woke up.
(That was a lie.)
She stood up and immediately sat back down – onto the couch, not the floor – clutching her head. The pounding had evolved into a splitting headache and she was nowhere near prepared to stand up and walk around. She coughed weakly, making a face at the sticky ice cream residue still on her teeth, and pulled the blanket up around her shoulders again, flopping back into the couch cushions. The movie had stopped playing – probably the TARDIS, sweet girl. Rose had stayed with Donna as they watched Finding Nemo, four episodes of EastEnders, and the first Harry Potter. Then Rose had gone to bed, mumbling something about changing out of her jeans. Donna had then watched Romeo and Juliet – a bad idea – and about half of The Vow – also a bad idea. She'd fallen asleep in the middle of The Vow, not even sure if she was crying about Lee or about the movie.
And now she felt rotten, inside and out.
Donna Noble had cried herself sick.
There was a tap on the wall and she mumbled a 'come in' without even bothering to see who it was. The Doctor came into her line of vision, holding a tray with pancakes and a mug of coffee. He smiled at her somewhat warily and placed the tray on the table beside the couch. "How are you?"
She grunted, sitting up just enough to grab the coffee and take a sip. "I feel horrible," she admitted, her voice raspy. "I've got this splittin' headache and my throat's hurtin' like mad."
He frowned in concern, feeling her forehead. "You feel like you've got a bit of a temperature. D'you want medicine for that?"
"I want something for my head. Thanks for breakfast," she added, smiling softly. "It's really nice."
He smiled and walked out to go and get the medicine, kissing the top of her head as he did so. He ran into Rose in the kitchen, slightly surprised she was awake. Her hair was in a knot on top of her head with pieces falling everywhere and she was drowning in an oversized sweatshirt, holding a piece of toast. She was adorable. "Is she alright?"
He shrugged, reaching up to the cabinet where they kept medicines. "Headache, sore throat, bit of a temperature. Looks like she was crying all night," he added in a quieter tone, finally locating the elusive bottle. "Gonna bring her this."
Rose nodded, concern etched into her face. She quietly followed him out, still holding her toast, and sat down on the couch beside Donna when they reached the library. Neither of them said anything, just sat quietly as Donna swallowed the medicine and ate half of a pancake. Rose finished her toast. The Doctor retreated to the console room after a prolonged silence and a wordless suggestion from Rose. Once he was gone, Rose could almost see Donna deflate. She didn't wanna seem weak or pathetic in front of her best mate – especially an alien bloke who didn't do well with human emotions.
"What do you want to do?" Rose asked her quietly.
Donna shrugged. "Right now? Sleep. Maybe watch some more of EastEnders, I dunno. Don't wanna go anywhere, though. Just rest for a bit."
Rose nodded. They were quiet again, Rose not knowing what to say and Donna not really wanting to talk.
"You can leave, if you want," Donna said, breaking the silence. "I'm not gonna keep you two bored on the TARDIS the entire day; you can go out an' leave me here."
Rose tried to protest, "No, we're not just gonna –"
"Yeah. You are," Donna cut her off. "I don't mind. Honestly. Might be better, actually. Peace and quiet for the headache and all that." She laughed a little bit and Rose smiled, happy that she was feeling well enough to do that at least. Donna snorted. "Come to think of it, I might have to kick you two out if you don't leave. It'd really be a sight to see Mr. Hyper cooped up in here all day. That would most definitely not be the thing to help me rest."
"Donna, I can get him to be quiet, we don't have to –"
"Oh, hush. You don't wanna stay still for a day any more than he does, I can tell. Go out adventuring. Go on a date or something, just shoo," she said, flapping her arms at a somewhat flustered Rose, who stood up off the couch.
"Well I mean, if you're sure…." she started, but Donna groaned and pointed to the door.
"I'm going to sleep. Out."
Just as Rose got to the doorway, she heard her name and turned. "Yeah?"
"Thanks."
She smiled. "Feel better." Body and heart, she added mentally, leisurely making her way to the console room. She looked around and, seeing the Doctor's feet poking out from under the console, said, "Donna ordered us to leave so she can get some peace and quiet."
There was a thud, followed by a muffled curse, and the Doctor climbed out from under, holding his forehead. He must've smacked his head on the metal, she though, giggling. "Leave? Leave where?"
Rose shrugged, walking over and moving the Doctor's hand to examine his forehead. "She said to go adventuring or go on a date or something. There's not a bump, you'll be fine." She pressed a kiss to the spot for good measure. "There, a kiss and it's all better. That's what mum used to say."
The Doctor grinned, loosely wrapping his arms around her waist. "Do you miss her?"
"Not enough to wish I had stayed," Rose replied immediately. "Besides, I'm a grown woman now. How old am I – 38? I forget. Might've skipped over a few birthdays while in Leadworth. Time just flies when you're on the slow path," she added, rolling her eyes.
The Doctor smiled at her. "You're practically a baby in Time Lord years. I do wish I knew more about your –"
"So where are we going on our date?" Rose cut in, not wanting to get on the topic of her changed biology at the moment.
"Trying to change the subject on me, you cheeky girl….but I'll let you," he said confidentially, kissing the tip of her nose and making her giggle. "A date then? Funny, don't think I've ever asked you on a date. How about this: Miss Tyler, would you accompany me – on a date –to Venice, circa 1500s?"
She giggled, "Yes, Doctor, I would like that very much." She pulled herself gently from his arms, trying to ignore the crestfallen look he gave her. "I've got to change first."
His gaze travelled from the collar of the sweatshirt to where it ended upper-thigh, showing a good amount of leg. He smiled, letting his eyes linger as he dragged them back up. "I like what you're wearing."
She rolled her eyes and kept walking, muttering, "Yeah you would," on her way out the doorway.
He smiled as he watched her walk away, not really believing that he'd held himself back from her all those years. Venice. Venice was romantic, wasn't it? Human girls liked Venice. Rose would like Venice. He set the coordinates and landed as gently as he could for Donna's sake. He hopped around impatiently for his Rose, who always seemed to take years to get dressed. Maybe he ought to go and help her. No, he stopped himself right there. Bad idea. Very, very bad idea. They needed to get going.
"This alright?" she asked, just coming around the corner now. She stopped in front of him and gave a little spin, making his hearts flutter and his mouth twitch up into a smile. She was wearing a little white sundress with tights and a red cardigan. He smirked when he noticed that on her feet she wore sneakers, probably in case they had to be running.
"I think," he said, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her, "you look perfect. The chucks are a nice touch," he added with a wink.
She grinned and took his hand, heading for the door. "You think Donna will be alright?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine," he promised her, swinging open the doors and stepping outside, pulling his lovely, not-quite-human girl out behind him. "Venice!" he announced with a flourish, looking around. "Venezia. La Serenissima. Impossible city. Preposterous city. Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding, constantly just beautiful." They'd been walking around during his little speech, and Rose was fascinated. They were in a sort of market, and people were bustling all about, buying and selling various goods. There were lots of goats.
"It's gorgeous!" she exclaimed, looking out over the gondolas drifting idly on the canal, the beautiful buildings, the people. "When are we?"
The Doctor licked a finger on his free hand and stuck it into the air as if testing for wind. "1580. Nothing exciting about Venice in 1580, but that's alright because this, Rose Tyler, is a date. And I intend for it to be a good date. No running for our lives this time."
She smirked. "I rather like running for our lives."
"Good, because that was absolutely a lie," he said under his breath as an old man jumped out in front of them with his hands up.
"Whoa! Whoa! Where do you think you're going?" the man asked rudely, nearly smacking Rose with his little notepad thing. She raised an eyebrow. "Papers, if you please. Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection," he demanded, holding out a wrinkled hand.
The Doctor whipped out his psychic paper, hardly pausing, and held it up for the man to see. "I think you'll find everything to your satisfaction, good fellow."
The man's eyes widened and he dropped into a low bow, pulling off his hat as he did so. "I'm sorry, Your Grace. I didn't know."
The Doctor squeezed Rose's hand, telling her to play along – though of course she would have, regardless – and waved at the man to stand up. "Quite alright. You were just doing your job."
"Umm, what is your job, exactly?" Rose asked, hopefully politely.
"Checking for aliens," he said, as if it should be obvious. The Doctor and Rose shared a bewildered look, but the man seemed not to notice. "Visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them."
"I'm not gonna catch the plague now, am I?" Rose muttered to the Doctor, who chuckled and shook his head, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
"You're safe. Funny thing is," he said, addressing the inspector again, "I thought that the plague had died out years ago."
"Oh, no, Your Grace. Not out there. No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said."
Rose raised an eyebrow and the Doctor scrunched up his nose, as if smelling something fishy. And not the canal. "Did she now," he mumbled. "Well, on with it. Go on, go inspect," he said, waving his hand at the man to shoo him. He scurried off, clutching his book to his chest. "Odd," the Doctor remarked to Rose, who shrugged, wrapping her arm around his elbow and leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah. Something doesn't seem right here. So who are we?" she asked, trying to see the psychic paper in his hand.
He lifted it to his face and smirked. "Apparently, the Duke of Kent and his lovely new wife, on their honeymoon in Venice."
Rose smiled, though she was blushing. "We got married? Shame I missed the wedding," she commented and he laughed, wrapping an arm around her and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
"Don't worry, your dress was lovely." He opened his mouth again to say something else, but was cut off by a voice ringing across the square.
"Veils down, girls."
"The Calvierri girls," said an awed voice to their left and Rose turned to see a girl – probably about 16 – looking at something across the way with jealousy.
There was a procession of girls, all in white dresses with heavy purple veils over their heads, walking in a line down the street. Several of them carried parasols. Rose opened her mouth to ask the girl beside her who they were, but a man suddenly ran in front of the procession, madly ripping off the girls' veils. He was shouting something. Isabella. He must've found her, for her grabbed one girl by the shoulders and shook her, shouting things that Rose couldn't make out. One of the other girls pushed him back, trying to free the one he'd grabbed hold of. He stumbled and fell to the ground, the girl ripping herself from his grasp. The procession quickly righted their veils and carried on, almost as if they were unbothered by what had just happened. The man was still shouting after them for Isabella.
Rose, shocked, looked to the Doctor. "What was that all about?"
He didn't answer, only moved his hand from her waist to her hand and tugged her down the alleyway behind them. They started to run, and Rose found herself thankful that she had chosen to wear her Chucks after all, even though the sandals had looked nicer. They ran in a twisty half-circle around the square and through several shops before coming to an abrupt stop in front of a man leaning on a wall, looking rather dejected. It was the same man who had seemingly attacked the girls.
"Who are those girls?" The Doctor asked, not bothering with introductions.
The man didn't even raise his head. "Thought everyone knew about the Calvierri girls."
"First day here," Rose said with a little shrug, and the man finally looked up at them.
The Doctor released Rose's hand and put his arm around the man. "It's alright. Parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools. They move house, they change religion. So why are you trying to get her out?"
The man looked between the two of them, an unrecognizable, primal sort of emotion etched into his features. "Something happens in there," he told them in a low voice, "Something weird and magical. Something evil. My own daughter didn't recognize me. And the girl, the one who pushed me away, her face…." he shuddered, thinking back on it, "like an animal."
The Doctor locked eyes with Rose and then slowly turned and said to the man, "I think it's time we met this Signora Calvierri."
DOCTOR WHO
"No," he tells her, eyes stern, "You're staying here. I don't want you to get hurt."
Angry, but tired of making the same argument over and over, Rose crossed her arms and sat down on a barrel. "Fine. But if you get trapped, don't expect me to come in and rescue you," she snapped.
"Rose, I –"
"Come on, we're running out of time," Guido said, pulling on the Doctor's arm. "Go around and it's that gate there, alright?" The Doctor nodded and took off in the direction Guido pointed to. With a nod and a small smile at Rose, Guido ran off in the other direction, shouting for the guards to let him in. He was the diversion.
The Doctor looked around briefly before pulling out his sonic screwdriver and unlocking the heavy chain on the gate. He slipped inside and stealthily crept around the wall and darted down the first set of stairs he saw, leading to some sort of a cellar underground. Though the light was faint from the burning torches on the walls, he could see that the room was rather bare, only a bronze-framed mirror on one wall.
He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and smirked. Hadn't had much of a chance to admire his new body yet. He turned his head from side to side and ran his fingers through his hair. He could see why Rose liked this body. He adjusted his bowtie with a smug look. Bowties were most definitely cool.
"Who are you?" asked a girl's voice, startling him. He spun around and nearly jumped out of his skin to see not one, but five girls in white nightdresses staring back at him. He spun to face the mirror, but saw only himself. He looked again, but the girls were still behind him. Just not according to the mirror, apparently.
"How are you doing that?" he asked incredulously. "I am loving it! You're like Houdini! Only girls. And there are five of you. And Houdini was shorter. Will be shorter. I'm rambling, sorry!" He grinned sheepishly at them, glancing back at the mirror again. Perhaps it was in denial.
"I'll ask you again, signor. Who are you?" They all spoke in unison. It was rather terrifying, actually.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the psychic paper, holding it out to them. "Why don't you check this out?" They just stare blankly at it, and he pulls his arm back to look. He's met with a picture of his first body and several dates. "Ah! Library card. Sorry about that. It's in here somewhere, if I can just –"
"Leave now, signor," the blonde one ordered.
He ignored her. "Pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight. Ha! Am I thinking what I think I'm thinking? But the city, why shut down the city? Unless…."
A brunette near the back smirked at him. "Leave now, signor or we might have to call the Steward. If you're lucky," she added, walking closer to him with a rather suggestive look. The rest of the girls followed her lead, walking towards him with provocative little smiles.
He took a large step back, holding up his hands. "Ladies, I'm flattered, but I have a girlfr–"
They cut him off with a loud noise, sort of a hiss, and all of a sudden there were five gorgeous girls leering at him with enormous, razor-sharp fangs protruding from their mouths. His eyes widened and he ran backwards, really hoping he wouldn't trip on anything.
"Tell me the whole plan!" the Doctor demanded, but they didn't even react. "One day that's going to work," he mumbled to himself, turning around briefly to see that the stairs were just behind him. "Look, I'd really love to stay and chat, but I've got to be getting back. But this, this whole thing oh this is Christmas!" he shouted back at them as he ran up the steps, giddy with excitement. Vampires. Real, actual vampires! In Venice! "Ha!"
He ran out through the gates and around the little shop to where Rose had been waiting. He grabbed her hands and spun her around, laughing. "I've just met some vampires!"
"What?" she asks, still laughing. "Are you serious?"
"Yes! Yes, Rose, there were real, actual vampires! I was in their house! There was a mirror and I couldn't see them in the mirror and…Rose, they had fangs and everything! Ha!"
She grinned. She'd told herself she was going to be cross with him, to teach him a lesson about leaving her behind, but his joy was infectious. She just couldn't help herself. "Alright, alright. That's great, Doctor! What are we going to do? Stop them? Help them? What?"
"First, we've got to get back in there," he said, finally stopping with the spinning. "Come on!" He took her hand and together they ran across the square again, stopping only when they reached the little house Guido had told them was his. The Doctor pushed open the door without knocking and walked right in, pulling Rose along behind him.
Guido was sitting at a table, looking over a map of the city. He glanced up when they walked in and sat down across from him. "Look here," he pointed to a spot on the map. "As you saw, there's no clear way in. The House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house. I tried to get in once myself, but I hit a trapdoor."
"You need someone on the inside," Rose observed.
"No," the Doctor said immediately. She raised an eyebrow.
"You don't even know what I was going to say!"
"You were about to suggest that we pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside, and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in," he said monotonously. "And I'm not letting you."
"Alright, so maybe you did know what I was going to say," she conceded, "But it's not like we've got any other options!" She met the Doctor's eyes and there was a stare-down between the two of them, stubborn against stubborn, risky against safe. An uncomfortable cough broke the moment.
"Actually," Guido said, standing up, "there is another option." He gestured to a large stack of barrels with letters etched onto the sides behind them and Rose's eyes went wide, as did the Doctor's. "I work at the Arsenale. We build the warships for the navy."
"Gunpowder. Y'know, most people just nick stationary from where they work. Look, I have a thing about guns and large quantities of explosives. That isn't an option either."
Rose smiled triumphantly and stood up, crossing her arms. "Then I'll ave to go."
The Doctor jumped up grabbed her by the shoulders, looking straight into her eyes. "Rose. I can not lose you again. Do you understand me? It would kill me to lose you. That's terrifying, but it's true. I can't lose you."
She raised a hand to cup his cheek. "You won't. I promise. But if I don't go, think of all the other girls that're gonna die. Do you want that to happen, knowing that we had a chance to stop it? I'll go, and I'll be fine," she promised with a small smile, her thumb caressing his face. "Forever, yeah? A little thing like vampires isn't gonna get in the way of that."
"Then I have to go with you," the Doctor insisted, "I'll pretend to be your brother. No, not brother. Eugh, don't want to be your brother. I'll pretend to be your fiancé. Husband. Something, but I don't want you to go alone!"
"I don't think that would be wise," Guido broke in, hesitantly. "The girls have already seen you. What if they should recognize you?"
The Doctor glared at him, the muscles in his jaw going like mad. He finally looked back at Rose and then slumped into the chair, defeated. "I don't like it."
Rose smiled at him and kissed his forehead. "I'll be fine. It's just vampires, after all," she said jokingly. "Already done werewolves, might as well finish it off, yeah?"
"Hope they're vampires," the Doctor muttered moodily, not looking at her. "If they're not…..if they're not, makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire," he finished, finally meeting her eyes. A shiver went down Rose's back, but she ignored it, not wanting to show that she was indeed scared. Frankly, she was terrified.
"I will get you some clothes," Guido said, standing up. "You should fit into Isabella's things." He disappeared down a short hallway, reappearing a moment later with a bundle of fabric in his arms. He handed it to Rose, who smiled and walked back to the other room to change. It was Isabella's room, if the colors were anything to go by. The walls was sort of a dull pink, like the paint had been extremely watered down before it was used. Someone had written all along one wall in shaky script. Rose walked over to take a closer look, realizing that it was poetry. The handwriting, although messy, was definitely female's, probably Isabella. Rose wondered idly if she had wanted to be a poet.
She looked at the clothes Guido had given her. They were rather dull, but just the idea of dressing up for another time period always got Rose excited. She pulled on the white shift and the brown skirt, tying the belt around her waist as the final touch. The skirt fell just below her ankles, and Rose prayed that no one noticed her Chucks poking out from beneath. She gathered up her own clothes into a little pile, walked back into the main room, handed them to the Doctor, and then turned to Guido. "Should I go now?"
He nodded solemnly. "Good luck."
She smiled, her hands worrying the ends of Isabella's belt. "Thanks." She looked at the Doctor. "I'll…see you later then?"
He smiled tightly and stood up, dropping her clothes onto the table. "Not if I see you first," he said, pulling her to him in a desperate hug. "I love you."
"I'll be fine," she responded, pulling back to kiss him. Then she was gone, out the door and on her way to possible doom. The Doctor sighed and dropped back into his chair, exchanging a worried glance with Guido. She was going to be alright. She had to be.
Meanwhile, Rose had gotten herself an audience with Signora Calvierri and now stood in a grand throne room, staring up at the lady and her son rather nervously. "So you see, ma'am, sir, I haven't got anywhere else to go. My parents both died of the plague when I was just a little girl, and my grandfather – who had been taking care of me – just passed as well. I haven't got anyone else," she finished, looking up at them with fake tears in her eyes. She only hoped she wasn't laying it on too thick.
Signora Calvierri didn't so much as blink, her eyes untrusting.
Rose fumbled in her pocket for the psychic paper and pulled it out. "My father," she began, "He was distantly related to the, umm…." she glanced down at the paper, "King of Sweden." Damn. That didn't sound at all believable. "I'm sure that if someone were to explain the situation, he would be willing to pay –"
Signora Calvierri practically jumped up from her throne room, snatching the psychic paper from Rose, who just shut up and stood there, waiting. After a few moments of just staring at the paper, the woman turned to her son. "Francesco, do you like her?"
The boy stood up as well and walked over to Rose, circling her. She tried not to flinch when he got so close that she could feel his breath on her skin, thanking her lucky stars when he finally stopped in front of her and took a step back. He examined her from head to toe, and Rose pretended that she didn't notice when his eyes lingered on certain parts of her anatomy. She clenched her hands into fists at her sides and stood there silently until he finally turned away, saying, "Yes, mother, very much."
His voice sent chills down Rose's spine – and not the kind of chills that the Doctor's voice gave her, more like the kind that Prisoner Zero had given her. Signora Calvierri smiled down at Rose and handed her back the psychic paper. "Then we shall accept her."
All Rose could do was smile back, albeit a bit uncertainly. The Steward stepped forward, took her arm and led her out of the room. She could practically feel Francesco leering at her, but kept her eyes forward, not wanting them to think she suspected anything out of the ordinary. The steward led her down a hallway straight outta one of the Harry Potter Books – candles, stone walls, tapestries, the whole deal. They passed several girls on the way, but none of them even looked at her.
The steward stopped abruptly, Rose only just catching herself from crashing into his back, in front of an open doorway. He gestured for her to go inside. "There are clothes on the bed. Get changed and wait here."
She stepped inside, her eyes widening when she got a look around. She stood underneath a domed ceiling covered in the most beautiful mosaics she'd ever seen, and there were about a dozen canopied beds spread around the room. It was rather dark, as there were no windows and the room was lit only by candlelight, but Rose didn't mind much. She could still see perfectly, which surprised her, but she brushed it off as a side effect of her change in genetic makeup. There was a girl sitting on one of the beds, facing the other way. "Hello. I'm Rose."
The girl turned. She looked exhausted. "Isabella."
Rose grinned and sat down on the other bed, facing Isabella. "You're Guido's daughter, right? He let me borrow one of your dresses, I hope that's alright." Isabella showed no signs of recognition, and Rose's hopes came crashing down. "Alright then. Look, there's something funny going on here, and I'm going to get you out, I promise. But you've gotta help – what happens here?"
The poor girl looked as though she were about to collapse of fatigue, but it was more than just lack of sleep. There was something in her eyes that shook Rose to the core. "They come, in the night," she explained, "They gather around my bed, and they take me to a room with this green light and a chair with straps, as if for a surgeon. And then I….I wake up here."
Rose's eyes widened. "You don't remember what happens?"
Isabella shook her head. "All I know is that the sun burns my skin like candlewax," she said in a whisper as a loud bell sounded. "That's the night bell. It's meant to be for the girls to go to sleep, but I think I'm the only one that does. The rest go down."
"Down?" Rose questioned and Isabella's eyes glazed over.
"I….I don't…..you ought to put on your dress. It's against the rules to be out of uniform."
Rose raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in behavior, but picked up the dress and began to change nonetheless. She had to find out what was going on here. She waited a while as Isabella got in bed and soon fell asleep. Then Rose took the candle from the table between their beds and peered out into the hall. No sign of anybody. She took one last look at Isabella, asleep in her bed, and then crept out into the hallway, candle held aloft.
At night, alone, the hallway seemed much creepier. The stones seemed rougher, the candles seemed dimmer, the tapestries seemed to be hiding things, hiding vampires. Rose shuddered, reminiscent of being a little girl afraid of turning off the lights in her room. She'd thought there was a monster in the closet. What had mum told her? It wasn't real, go back to sleep. And then her mum had stayed with her the whole night when Rose asked. This wasn't at all like that. Rose wasn't a little girl, her mum wasn't here, and the monsters in the closet were real.
She took a deep breath and pressed on, pausing when a light caught her eye. She turned to see a set of stairs to her right, moonlight shining up from them. With only a moment's hesitation, she turned and walked down the stairs, carefully placing her feet so that the rubber soles of her Chucks wouldn't slip on the wet stones. There were only about six steps, so she reached the bottom in no time at all.
The bottom turned out to be a tiny little courtyard with a bunch of different doors and a sort of trapdoor in the center. She walked to the trapdoor and knelt beside it, tugging on the handles. It didn't budge. Rose frowned and looked around for a lock or something, but didn't see anything. With a little sigh, she picked up the candle and stood up again, screaming when she felt arms wrap around her like a cage. A hand smacked down over her mouth and she dropped the lantern, kicking and punching at the person behind her as he dragged her away through some other door.
Her UNIT training kicked in and she twisted, holding the man's arm down behind her, and broke free of his hold. She had no weapon, so she simply ran, hearing his angered footsteps behind her, along with some undecipherable shouts. Without the candle, it was entirely dark, but Rose just kept running until somebody else stopped her, and Rose kicked and screamed with her as well, finally ripping herself from the woman's grasp by pure force, leaving scratch marks down her arm.
The lights came on suddenly, green lights, making Rose stumble back and blink, her eyes not prepared for the harsh and sudden light. It was Signora Calvierri – Rosanna – who stood before her. Her clique of vampire girls stepped out from behind her, blocking off all of the exits. Rose quickly scanned her surroundings but, seeing no escape, decided to play it cool, as if she had a plan and a backup. Which she did. Probably.
"Psychic paper. Did you really think that would work on me?" Rosanna asked with a devilish smile.
Rose cursed under her breath and looked up at her. "I was kind of hoping, yeah," she muttered, still searching for an escape route.
Rosanna seemed to notice this. "You can't free yourself," she told her. As if to emphasize her point, the man who had caught her earlier – the Steward – grabbed her by the waist again. She ignored him this time, not wanting to waste her energy for no reason. "Where are you from?" Rosanna demanded, coming to stand in front of Rose. "Did you come through the chasm?"
"Mother, this is pointless," said Francesco from somewhere behind her. Rose hadn't seen him enter. Then again, it had been pitch dark. "Let's just start the process and –"
"Hold your tongue, Francesco!" his mother screeched at him before turning back to Rose once more. "I need to know what this girl is doing in a world of savages with psychic paper. Who are you with? You see, I have a hard time believing that you've made that type of technology by yourself. Why are you at my school?" she demanded.
Rose nervously licked her lips as she noticed a chair being brought in. A chair covered in straps with a lot of wires and tubes sticking out of the top and the sides. A chair that she was rather certain was intended for her to sit in. "Well you see," she began, tearing her eyes away from the chair, "I, uh, I'm from….I'm a school inspector," she lied, "I was getting complaints, so I had to come and umm…inspect your school. I'm afraid it doesn't meet standards at all." A bag with a deep red liquid was hung from a hook above the chair. Rose told herself that it wasn't blood, but she knew that was a lie.
Rosanna snarled, a laughing little sound bubbling up in the back of her throat as she did so. "Put her in the chair."
"No!" Rose screeched, squirming and hitting and kicking her legs. "Let go of me!" She was shoved back into the chair with the help of three of the vampire girls. The others were still hanging bags above the chair which Rose currently occupied. She cried out in pain as the leather straps were pulled tight and dug into her wrists, drawing blood on the left.
Francesco smiled down at her and sunk to his knees, his tongue flicking out between monstrous fangs to lick the blood from her wrist. Repulsed, she tried to jerk her arm back, only succeeding in nearly ripping her hand off. With a whimper, she stopped moving. Though her body was still, her mind was still whirring, trying to formulate a plan for her escape. She could think of none.
Rosanna pushed her son away with a fierce growl. "Make sport of me, will you?" she hisses through her fangs, "Taunt me as though I were your dog? Well, be warned, all dogs have a bite!"
Rose screamed as Rosanna descended upon her neck, biting her jugular vein just the way movies portrayed vampires to. "Doctor!" Rose cried out, begging for help, before everything went black.
When she came to, it seemed as though no more than a minute had passed. Bit of a pointless blackout then, she thought idly, her head swimming. Not much happened in one minute. Maybe it had been more. Everything was too blurry for her to tell. They ought to get that fixed – it wasn't good when things were blurry. A blurry Rosanna made her way toward Rose – hadn't she already been right beside her? On top of her, even? – and leered down at her. Or that's what it seemed like she did, anyhow.
"This is how it works. First, we drink you until you're dry. Then we fill you with our blood. It rages through you like a fire, changing you, until one morning you awake and your humanity is a dream now faded," she hissed, grinning evilly and exposing all of her fangs.
Rose made a weak little gurgling sound that was supposed to have been a chuckle. "Problem is," she slurred, frowning. Her words weren't coming out like she meant them to. It sounded s though she was dribbling on her shirt as she spoke. Maybe she was. No, back to the problem at hand. Vampires. Right. Blurry vampires. "Problem is," she repeated with a cheeky, half-asleep grin, "I'm not human." She laughed, a real laugh this time. The blurriness was going away as her body made new blood cells. Her strength was returning.
"What?" Rosanna asked, her smug grin slipping away.
Francesco patted her arm consolingly. "Don't fret, mummy. She might just die. That happens," he added, looking down at Rose, who was recovered enough to glare defiantly at him. "But if she survives, my brothers are still waiting, human or not."
"Your brothers?" Rose questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Rosanna still looked a bit shaken, but she smirked (although it was a bit less confidently than before). "My sons. If you survive, there are ten thousand husbands waiting for you in the water."
Rose made a face. "Don't think that's gonna work out. Sorry, but I'm kind of seeing someone," she said, swinging her leg forward on the last word, aiming to kick Rosanna in the stomach and hopefully knock her over. She missed, hit her upper thigh instead, but it seemed to be almost better. Rose barely registered an arm going around her throat and hands holding her back along with the straps, too entranced by the scene before her.
Rosanna flung back the outer layer of her skirt to reveal a glowing little box. The lights on it were flickering. Rose's eyes bulged and she gave a strangled little shriek as the woman before her shimmered momentarily to reveal a horrible creature with hundreds of spindly legs and a slimy dolphin's head with those terrifying fangs jutting out. Then the woman was back, eyes wide. She closed her hands over the box and stared at Rose, as though she couldn't believe that she'd just done that.
A loud clang and a very familiar voice from the hallway drew their atrention away and Rosanna ran out towards the noise, Francesco and the hoarde of girls following behind. Rose was alone. She pulled at the straps binding her arms, ignoring the painful way they chafed and tore at her skin, but it was no use. They wouldn't come free.
All of a sudden there were hands gripping her arms and Rose screamed, but it stopped in her throat when she saw Isabella looking down at her. The girl dropped to her knees and unwound the complicated straps, freeing Rose. "Thank you. Thank you!"
"Come on!" Isabella shouted, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her out of the room and down a short corridor. She shrieked when they came face to face with Rosanna and her girls again and immediately retreated, Rose just stopping for a moment to grab the Doctor by the collar and pull him with them, the girls hot on their heels.
"Great rescue plan!" she shouts and he beams at her.
"Hello! Good to see you alive!" and then, after spotting Isabella, "Hello, Isabella, I'm the Doctor. Nice meeting yo-ooohhh!" his words went off course as he was jerked – by the hand this time, not the collar – to the side abruptly and into a dark tunnel.
"Stairs!" Isabella cried in warning and they all instinctively began to move their feet in sync with the steps as not to trip. The bright light the Doctor held in his hand helped to illuminate their way, but not by much.
Rose tried to fill him in as they were running. "Not vampires!" She shouted, "Aliens! Great big fishy aliens! Never seen them before, I dunno what they are!"
"Classic," the Doctor commented, laughing, "Aliens pretending to be vampires. Ha!"
The stairs finally ended and they were just running down the corridor when the roar of footsteps and shouting behind them got to a point where they could all make out individual words. The Doctor dared to look and immediately wished he hadn't. They were no more than a foot away and gaining ground fast.
"Hurry up! Run! Run! Go!" he shouted, flinging his arm back to shine the light on the not-vampires, who recoiled, hissing in pain.
Rose shouted his name and he ran to catch up. She and Isabella were by the door, but it wouldn't open. He burst through and sonic'ed it, flinging it open and running out, Rose right behind him. Isabella took one step out of the door into the bright midday light and screamed in pain, shirking back. The girls inside reached their arms out and grabbed her, pulling her back in. The poor girl fought back but she was getting a bad deal on either end: burn to death in the light or go back to the school and have the rest of her blood sucked out.
Without a moment's hesitation, Rose ran back to her, grabbed her arms, and tried to pull her free from the girls clinging to her waist and hair and legs. The Doctor, with a shout, ran up as well and grabbed Isabella's waist. They were playing tug-a-war with the girl, who was still screaming, her eyes squinted shut. The Doctor released her for only a second to shrug his arms out of his coat and hold it above her with one arm, blocking the sunlight. No longer in pain, Isabella kicked back at the girls behind her and tried to push herself towards Rose and the Doctor, towards freedom.
With a final hard yank, Rose pulled Isabella's arm free and the girl crashed into the Doctor, who kept his coat above her head and walked them down the three small steps. Rose went to follow them, but her dress had caught on something. She looked back to see one of the girls, the blonde one, gripping her dress with a savage strength, pulling her back inside.
"Doctor!"
The Doctor dropped the coat without hesitation, running to help his precious Rose. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't lose her. He repeated those words like a mantra inside his head, fueling his actions. He leapt up the stairs and grabbed her around the waist, freeing her with the sound of ripping fabric, and slamming the door shut, jumping back as electricity shot through his hand. He shook it to rid himself of the sensation, and then pulled Rose into a tight embrace, running his fingers through her hair and across her back.
"Oh my god," she muttered, somewhere between laughing and crying, "That was…."
"Yeah," he agreed. "I almost lost you."
"I'm here now," she promised, holding him tighter. "We're fine."
He nodded into her shoulder and slowly pulled back. "Yeah. We're fine." He laced his fingers with hers and they turned back to see Guido smiling warily at Isabella, who was still holding the coat above her head.
She looked at him for a moment before hesitantly saying, "Papi?"
He smiled warmly and pulled her into a hug, careful to keep the coat in place. "Isabella," he whispered, "You are safe, my girl."
She smiled and melted into his embrace, the textbook image of a happy father and daughter.