Chapter 6: Two Heads and an Angel Infestation

Disclaimer: I have as much chance to own Doctor Who as Rory Williams does at staying alive. He is one of my absolute favorite companions, by the way.

A/N: Still looking for a Beta! So I'm trying to post Wednesdays but I don't know what my readers would like! Maybe Mondays and Fridays once I amass more chapters? Please leave a message so I know what you're expecting, thanks :) And for anyone wondering why Nine seemed too unaffected, stay tuned! Muahahaha!

The Doctor set he coordinates for Hyperion 3, then another idea occurred to him. Perhaps another planet was due a visit. The TARDIS denied and fought him at first, but she was too exhausted to keep it up for long. She spun out of the Vortex, rolling and causing a general air of mania between the two occupants. Laughing and completely oblivious, Violet pulled herself off the grating and stood as tall as she could to look him in the eye.

"So what am I going to find out there?" Her brown eyes sparked with excitement.

"Well, I've landed us in the year 4698, five years before the indigenous species makes it's first contact with another species." He had switched into lecture mode and would have gone on for quite a while, describing the short blue people with four arms and the upper class that were too lazy to do anything but float around on hovercraft like they were oh so important, but Violet had already run to the doors, flung them open, and was about to go outside. "Violet! Wait!" Rassilion, she really didn't listen,

"So this is Hyperion 3? I was expecting mountains and gold and stuff." He walked up behind her and leaned out.

"Oh! Nope, got it wrong," he said, although this was perfectly right. "This is Alfava Metraxis. Seventh planet of the Dundra system, home to some wonderful people called the Aplans. They've got two heads Violet! Nice, oxygen rich atmosphere, all toxins in the soft band so we don't need to worry about that, eleven hour day, and…" Here he stopped, sniffed the air, then looked back at her. "Chances of rain later."

"You think you're so impressive when you do that." She smirked at the pleased look on her face.

"Oi! I am impressive!" Damn her. "Anyway," he continued, wanting to move on, "We should see what today's got for us!" leading the way out of the TARDIS, they immediately came out onto the edge of an incredibly tall, sheer cliff. Far below them, a flat rocky beach stretched out for miles. Turning around, he saw a pretty little temple, with two male heads, two female, and some with both. "Say, Violet?" he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"what's up Doc?" He knew she had been trying to sound cheeky, but the look of wonder and anticipation for a prospective adventure took all fight out of her and he couldn't help but see her as incredibly vulnerable. He shivered and looked her in the eye.

"Would you like to see an Aplan festival?" She grinned at him and reached for his hand, almost unconsciously it seemed, but he reused to cross that barrier he had set up between them. She dropped her hand, but still smiled. It seemed a little uncertain, more wary, now.

"Absolutely."

~:~:~

The Doctor soon found the Ceremony of Alidimia, the first Aplan descendant of their favored goddess, Alpine.

Standing by her as they watched the entertainment the festival offered, the Doctor began to tell Violet about the goddess.

"See, the entire civilization is centered around logic and math and reason, which is why they are such great builders. Also, Alpine wasn't actually a goddess, and the Aplans don't really have deities, but those wo have become heroes, or great scientists, or builders have been raised up and given titles which translate close to gods and goddesses. What we're celebrating today is Alpine's scientific proof of a soul that ascends seven levels before reaching he unknown lands, a sort of heaven or Elysium."

He paused as a train of Rube Goldberg-like contraptions rolled past. Each one had a continuous and repeating puzzle of levers and scales and weights moving to propel it forward even as the same movement kept the clockwork moving, purely self-sufficient. He looked down at Violet, if only to see that same expression of wonder he loved so much on his companion's faces. He was disappointed.

Violet looked on at the festivities, lips parted and eyes wide. The expression wasn't any different, but it looked wrong, somehow. He stamped down the urge to do something wholly irrational. She had taken a breath to say something when a man stood up on a tall podium in front of the crowd. He used his words like someone important, asserting her achievements as if the work of a long since dead woman was his own. The Doctor rolled his eyes, regretting his decision to come here. What soon caught his attention though, was when the even more pompous other head began to talk about the temple he had built last week. He didn't say "finished last week" or "began building last week" but built, which suggested he had both started and finished in an extraordinary amount of time.

"Doctor, did you hear that?" Oh, perceptive Violet noticed as well. She was quick; he would certainly have to watch himself around her lest he let anything slip and fall into her wide line of vision.

"What do you take me for, an idiot?" was his brash response coupled with a sneer. Without waiting to see her reaction, he forged ahead to speak with a double male-headed citizen. Forcing his newest companion out of his head so he could focus on his own questions was harder than he anticipated. Fed up, he started to query the gentlemen on who this loud-mouthed self-proclaimed genius was.

"Oh, that's Almaxis. He took over as head architect a few years back." Both heads stopped and studied him for a moment. "Where you from that you don't know?"

"Just a ways away," he dismissed the curious glances. He clasped his hands behind him in a typical non-threatening innocent-curious-bystander pose. "What was that new temple he built, then?"

"Oh that was to honor Alpath's birthday. He introduced us to the Angel," The left head the left head continued.

"What's this Angel, then?" The Doctor had to stop himself from lashing out as Violet appeared behind him without warning. The right head smiled at her.

"Violet! How are you? Almae told you that you can come over any time right?"

"How do you know my name?" Violet looked alarmed since she obviously had never met this person before. The faces in front of them raised four eyebrows.

"Oh! I'm so sorry my dear, you said this day would come!" He looked sadly at the two of them. The Doctor had had enough of the enigmatic speech and glared down at Violet. He grasped her arm loosely and pulled himself down for her to hear, but she gasped a little in.. surprise?

"We're time travelers, we can meet people that have already met us, remember?" Violet, although he still thought she looked concerned, nodded. "Now," he started loudly, returning to the Aplan in front of them, "Tell me about this angel."

"They say she has to keep her face hidden so we never see how beautiful she is. Apparently, anyone who sees her face dies soon afterwards." The Doctor and Violet traded alarmed glances while the head paused. "Every month, a sacrifice is made and sometimes she even speaks to the authorities. But you said," once again looking at Violet, "that she was dangerous. I can't tell you much, I'm sorry."

"And who are the authorities?" The two heads looked in the same direction and pointed.

"That's all thanks!" the Doctor called over his shoulder as he and Violet ran to catch up with the head architect. As they neared the wide circle of important looking people, the Doctor made sure to keep an eye on Violet. The look of wonder had disappeared, replaced by nervousness and a little fear.
"You doing alright?" She met his gaze looking surprised and forced the worried look away.

"An angel who covers her face and kills regularly and someone who obviously knows me far better than I know him. Or them…? Sounds bad and slightly familiar." The look returned. "Have you ever heard of the Weeping Angels?" His nose wrinkled in remembrance, not liking where his memories took him.

"Yes, but it was quite a while ago, and there's something not right." He stopped, grabbing her arm roughly and dragging her close to whisper. "One, Angels don't speak. Two, how the hell would you know about them?" He gave her his best glare and she shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

"Greenwich." He leaned away, taken aback.

"What?"

"There were two in a cemetery in Greenwich. I lost two friends that day. Got notes and pictures from their descendants a day later, so I decided to do what research I could." That was a decent explanation, so he let the fierce look drop. Obviously relieved, she came back to stand next to him. It seemed that he height was perfect for him to offer his arm and he did so unthinkingly. It appeared just as instinctual for Violet to catch it and hold him close. He grimaced and tensed and she made that little gasping noise again, this time a little sharper than before.

"That still doesn't answer my other question." With his free hand, he scratched the back of his head in thougt.

"Let's ask the man in charge then!" Violet took off, nearly yanking his arm out of place in her hurry. He followed her gaze to see Almaxis excusing himself from the crowd and entering a large, artistic villa. The room they entered soon after the architect was moderately sized and furnished, although several precious stones and unique artifacts stood in display cases throughout the room.

"Anyone home?" he called cheerfully. Violet stepped forward into the next room and he saw her whirl and fall to the ground the next instant. "Violet?" was the last thing he called before a sharp crack sounded above him and he, too, dropped to the floor.

~:~:~

Groaning, the Doctor pushed himself onto his hands and knees, catching his breath before glancing around. All around him were echoing noises, bouncing through the darkness. A cry of pain far behind him, footfalls from his left, and even farther away sounded a terrified scream, soon cut off without finishing.

The Doctor reached down into his breast pocket, pulling out a small torch and his sonic. Scanning the ground below him, he ascertained he was in the fourth sediment layer below the surface, about two miles away from the exit he had seem when they first landed.

"Violet!" he called, letting his voice boom between the stone walls.

"Hello, Doctor." He spun and threw his arm out. An "oomph" came from his assailant as he connected with a thin frame. Reaching out, he held them by the shoulder and shook, forcing a strangled cry out. When the red of adrenaline in his vision cleared, he found himself face-to-face with none other than the woman he had come here with. He immediately dropped his arm and surveyed her appearance, immediately noticing the differences. Her clothes were that of a native Aplan woman, and her hair was done up in traditional braids piled on her head. His gut clenched.

"How long?" He didn't need to elaborate. The angel had found her, old her, and transported her back in time.

"Only a few years, the angel doesn't need to take much energy because of mow many are available to her." Violet smiled and took his hand firmly in hers. He didn't pull away. Violet wasn't angry, or bitter, or wanted to leave, but he grasped the hand more firmly.

"Violet, I am- I'm…" His tongue felt heavy and he tripped over his words before she cut him off with her hand.

"Don't worry, I was able to help out a lot with my extra time." She walked away, guiding him down the myriad of tunnels.

"Where are we going then?" No guilt weighed on his chest, but they needed to get out before he could face any of her accusations.

"Out," was her quick response. "For five years, I've come down here and looked for you at this festival. What the church does is find outsiders, criminal, or the odd volunteer to throw down here. Like I said, the Angel doesn't need to displace them much, so most of them live to find their families again." Here, they found a path that led into bright sunlight and he looked at her, surprised. "Shortcut." She grinned widely and let them out and he inhaled sharply. They were right outside the TARDIS. Feet away, actually.

"But sometimes, the Angel wants to contact the people up here. She snaps the neck of a victim and uses his vocals cords to speak." Violet shivered. He noticed she looked more than pretty with her hair pulled up that way. "Remember that temple the pompous one was talking about?" He nodded. "She requested it in her honor. A bit of an ego, that one."

"Violet, we should have left the moment I thought there was something wrong here, and now you've been-" Violet threw her arms around his neck in a strong hug. His own arms wrapped stiffly around her middle, clinging to the unfamiliar heat. This strange woman was unique, even for him. She said she had lived for years alone, and none could come out of it as cheerful as her. Even though it was a very good façade. She had kept going. She came to him and pulled him to his feet. She had gotten hurt, and he guessed it wasn't the first time, and here she was, hugging and consoling him.

"I know, and I forgive you." She pulled away enough to look him in the eye. Untangling himself from each her, he moved back toward the festivities. He kept an eye on her for bitterness or anger, but she just seemed sad. That unnerved him just as much. "I woke up, probably much as you did. It was pitch black, and I thought I felt someone behind me I realized that I was in the maze of the dead below the temple, and so I tried to feel my way around. I didn't get far." Her voice had dropped but there was no emotion in it, protecting herself from the memory. The Doctor recognized it as something he used to do far too often. "When I came to again, it was bright daylight and I was right in the mouth of the tunnel. I had no idea what year we had gotten here, so I just… waited." She leaned towards him conspiratorially. "For once I was glad that I don't age."

"And now you're here?"

"Yep," she announced, popping the 'p' again. He hated that, but it was amusing when she did it. "Been working to stop the authorities and relocate as many families as I could." He understood.

"There isn't a real way to beat the Angel, so we should just get everyone away, you think." He nodded, not really listening.

"Actually, I think it's Angels, plural. Some how, with all the energy it got, it did some Angel science stuff that I obviously could never understand and replicated itself." She shook her head sadly as they walked to the top of a hill overlooking the town. The Doctor noticed this time that the streets didn't seem very crowded, and a few of the buildings were vacant. He didn't like this new development, but he wondered how she knew there were more Angels. As if sensing his curiosity, she spoke up.

"I listen in on the meetings the authorities hold, and they've been mentioning that the Angel says 'we' or 'more need to be fed.'" She looked disgusted and he resisted the urge to put his arm around her. "Even they are getting nervous."

The Doctor had an idea at that and bounced to his feet, taking her hand again, though not as shyly.

"You know what, Violet? I think we're going to have a nice chat with the head architect!" He spun her down the hill as they raced towards the swarming parade of people. "Maybe he'll even invite us to dinner!" He grinned, letting his mania consume him, just like he had so many times before.

~:~:~

The Doctor sat at a large white table with Violet next to him, both with large green napkins on their laps and stuffing food into their mouths.

"How've you been, Violet?" The Doctor almost snorted. The old fools had been staring at her, alternately one head ogling her long tanned legs, and the other her chest, both pleasantly accentuated by her new attire. The Doctor couldn't really blame them however. He shook his head and brought his attention back to her reply.

"Oh, just fine! I've found my friend again, as you can see. He has an awful habit of wandering off, but I always find him again." She slid him a sly grin. And he rolled his eyes before grinning widely, the smile that in his sixth face always got him a response, not matter how grumpy.

"Yes! That's me! In fact, I would like to ask you something about this Angel infestation you have." His eyes narrowed as they got up from their seat and started forwards. Moving quickly, he strode up and behind them. Putting his hands on their shoulders, he tossed them back in the chair. Violet had stood, but now waited silently for his next words with wide eyes. Leaning over between their ears, he asked one more, simple question.

"How many are there now?" The architects spluttered and tried to twist to see him but failed.

"Oh… ah, well, perhaps… about, what would you say… a few hundred perhaps?" Their body was shaking in his grasp. He let out a loud, short "HA!" before slapping the men's back good-naturedly. "As it should be!" Walking back to Violet, he turned her towards the exit with a hand on the small of her back. "Thanks very much for the food, and good luck with the…" He waved vaguely, "architecture." He grinned widely and continued out.

"But Doctor!" turning only half way, he raised his eyebrows. "What of the Angels? Violet said they-"

"Oh don't worry about all that, I've got it all handled nicely," he nodded and turned again, ignoring all questions put to him and pasting a pleasant smile on his face.

He did the same to Violet all though town, eyes glinting brightly, waving and asking mothers about their children, vendors about their wares. Violet resisted and began to speak when they approached the TARDIS, but he held her arm and assured her all was well.

When he finally entered the TARDIS, he approached the console, relaxed and ready to go somewhere else.

"Doctor?" He hummed for her to go on. "What happens to the Aplans now?" Was her voice shaking? Perhaps she as tired. He started the dematerialization sequence.

"In about four and a half more years, the Aplans will be extinct. Their monuments and temples will stand for years over the whole planet that will soon belong to the Angels. That's a fixed point, however." He leaned against the console, crossing his arms. "Where to next?" Her breathing hitched and she swallowed thickly. He almost laughed at humanity's inability to reign in emotion.

"Um, I think I should actually get some sleep, you know?"

"You humans. Sleep half your lives away, you will." He turned back to the console, ready to tinker as he always did when his companions slept. He heard Violet's quick, light footsteps recede into the depths of the ship before sinking back on his heels. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand across his face.

"I'm so sorry Old Girl." If a TARDIS could weep, he thought she would have then.

An alert popped up on the monitor. Standing up, he pulled it closer to read. Because of her prolonged exposure to an unfamiliar environment, Violet had been vulnerable to all kinds of diseases. His companion was currently infused with Haelmafrantis, a worm that crystalized all the cartilage in any living body. First ears and nose, then deeper. It took a very long time to die from, but was infamous as one of the most painful non-lethal conditions in the universe at the time. Thankfully he had all the equipment necessary to rid her of the parasite with little to no damage done.

The Doctor was about to retrieve her when an idea occurred. She aged slowly, obviously. But how would her body react to a hostile organism? He decided he would keep a record of her progress. After all, he knew little of this girl and owed her less. Perhaps now he could learn something.

The TARDIS shrieked in his head, but he ducked under the console to rewrite her recent memory banks. Erasing it back to the way it was five minutes ago was the best he could do, but he also was able to disable her automatic medical updates coded for Violet, leaving his intact. As she forgot, the TARDIS's cries became quieter until she lapsed into a brooding silence.

~:~:~

Rose threw herself into her room and sat down on a chair, breathing heavily and trying to control her heartbeat. Her sister groaned pitifully in her head. He had seemed so relaxed, not happy, but ready to face the world again.

Now, Rose knew it was just the TARDIS keeping him together. The moment he stepped away from her protection he began to fall apart.

A tear slid down her cheek.

He had taken her to see the end of another race, and he knew it was fixed. Worse, some twisted part of him enjoyed it. She felt every too-tight grasp where she couldn't help but gasp in pain. In the catacombs, he had been surprised, she knew, but he had grasped her throat until she had to for ar. Her arm in his had been twisted, held until the fingers turned blue. And the Doctor never batted an eye. After five years, she wondered if he had even noticed hurting her.

Those five years had made her love the world she was in. It was a little corrupt, to be sure, but kind words and selfless deeds were abundant. A little girl with a brother head had come to her little mud hut every day to give her flowers while the boy said he would marry her when he grew up. The people who had first taken her in already had three pairs out and in society, but fed and clothed her anyway. Her own home had been built by a local school to thank her for correcting their textbooks. Later, she had worked there as a maths teacher.

More tears came as she tried to remember every child in her classes. Now to her, they were all dead. A sob got past her lips and she covered her mouth with her hand. The worst thought yet came to her again.

He had known they would all die. Irrational guilt spread to her heart. The clear blue eyes were now clouded with grief and something far more sinister. His smile was too wide, dropped too quickly. When she knew him, his eyes had crinkled when he smiled. Now, they glared the truth.

This was not her Doctor.

A/N: Dark!Doctor is just starting! I can get a lot grittier than this, but I'm not sure if that's where I'm going yet. Quotes and setting are from season 5 The Time of Angels. Anyone feeling bad for Rose? Nervous for the Doctor? Waiting for me to get off my ass and write some more? Stop trying to use British terms? Tell me in a review!