Disclaimer: I Don't own Doctor Who that goes to the BBC
There was a soft growling in the distance as the Doctor left the cottage. As he creeped forward, looking towards the source of the growling before leaving the area as he found nothing at the location of the growling's source.
The Doctor walked cautiously back to the Tardis in an alleyway, glancing over his shoulder periodically as he unlocked the Tardis as he entered the Gallifreyan Time Capsule and threw a few things out of his way as he dragged out a large trunk.
"Right. Are you here somewhere? I can't apologise enough. I thought you were just a useless gadget while Rose thought differently. I thought you were just an embarrassing present from a dull godmother with two heads and bad breath. Twice," the Doctor said as he pulled out a device that seemed to be a mirror attached to a harness, "How wrong can a man be?"
He hooked it up to the Tardis for power then made a face at the mirror. The Tardis then printed up pictures of his first two incarnations with a dark haired woman with a light skin tone, standing next to his first incarnation and that woman was Rose's first incarnation as it named his and Rose's species and their planet of origin.
"Good. OK, you're working. Now, see what you make of this," the Doctor said as he held up the sketch, "Who is that?" The machine showed an image of a parrot, "No, I know it's not that. There are thousands of them and you can see them plain as day," the device then showed an image of a polar bear, "No. Definitely not. This is the problem with the impressionists - not accurate enough. This would never happen with Gainsborough or one of those proper painters. Sorry, Vincent," he then picked up the sketch and threw it over his head, "You'll just have to draw something better."
He then stepped out of the Tardis, wearing the device with the mirror aimed over his shoulder as the creature appeared in the mirror as the Doctor adjusts the controls.
"That's better, old girl. Time-delay, but you always get it right in the end. Good. Let's find out who this is, then," he said as the device showed the results, "Whoa, there you are, you poor thing. You brutal, murderous, abandoned thing. I hope we meet again soon so me and Rose could take you home," the creature appears in the mirror over the Doctor's shoulder and roars, "Maybe not that soon."
He then ran through the alley as he kept checking the mirror to see how close the creature was as he started to knock over tables and other items to slow it down and the creature soon gave up the chase as the Doctor rested against a wall and looked over the corner again to see Rose, startling them both as they both yelped in surprise..
"Don't do that again, Rose, you scared the living daylights out of me," the Doctor told Rose.
"Sorry, Theta," Rose said, "I got bored waiting at Vincent's cottage and Amy insisted on coming with me as she said that as much as you admire his command of colour and shape, it is hard to get fond of Vincent Van Gogh's snoring, but I told her that it was more dangerous for her than for me." She then noticed the device that the Doctor was wearing, "You're finally using the Species matcher that one of your godmothers gave you when we got married?"
"It seemed appropriate given the circumstances, not being able to see the creature with the naken eye, Arkytior," he told her.
"So what is the creature?" Rose asked as they began to head back to the Tardis.
"It's a Krafayis," he answered.
Vincent's bedroom was his painting come to life with the only differences being that he was in his bed, snoring.
"Wake, wakey. Rise and shine!" The Doctor said as he entered Vincent's bedroom, "Breakfast is served in the courtyard," he then opened the bedroom's window, "Whoa! What a morning," he then clapped his hands, "Come on," Vincent then got up, "And Amy's got a little surprise for you."
Amy was sitting at a table, sunflowers scattered around in different containers below Vincent's room in the courtyard.
"I thought I'd brighten things up to thank you for saving me last night," Amy told Vincent.
"Ah!" Vincent muttered.
"I thought you might like, you know, possibly to perhaps paint them or something? Might be a thought," Amy told him as the Doctor and Rose joined Amy at the table.
"Yes. They're not my favourite flower," Vincent told her.
"You don't like sunflowers?" Amy asked with surprise.
"No, it's not that I don't like them. I find them complex. Always somewhere between living and dying," he explained as he held one of the flowers by his window, "Half-human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting. But, you know, they are a challenge."
"And one I'm pretty sure you will rise to. But, moving on, there's something me and Rose need to show you," the Doctor told him.
A bit later, the Doctor showed Vincent the printout of the Krafayis that he and Rose got from the Tardis as they were in the cottage's sitting room.
"That's him. And the eyes. Without mercy," Vincent told them as he sat down in his cottage's sitting room.
"This is a creature called the Krafayis. They travel in space, they travel as a pack. Scavenging across the universe. Sometimes one of them gets left behind and because they are a brutal race, the others never come back. So, dotted all around the universe are individual, utterly merciless, utterly abandoned Krafayis. And what they do is... Well, kill, until they're killed. Which they usually aren't. Because other creatures can't see them," the Doctor explained to him.
"But I can," Vincent told him.
"Maybe it's because of your depression, Vincent," Rose told him.
"That's a good explanation, Rose," the Doctor told Rose before turning back to Vincent, "And that's why we are in a unique position today, my friend, to end this reign of terror. So, feeling like painting the church today?"
"What about the monster?" Vincent asked them.
"Take my word for it. If you paint it, he will come," the Doctor told him.
"OK. I'll get my things," Vincent said as he stood up.
"In your own time. I promise you, we'll be out of your hair by this time tomorrow," the Doctor told him as Vincent hesitated at the doorway with a look at Amy before going into the other room, "This is risky."
"Riskier than normal?" Amy asked him.
"Well, think about it. This is the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's greatest year of painting. If we're not careful, the result of our trip could be the brutal murder of the greatest artist who ever lived. Half the pictures on the wall of the Musee D'Orsay will disappear," the Doctor explained as he stood up and checked to see if Vincent could hear them before he sat next to Amy, "And it will be our fault."
"This is a flux point in time, Amy," Rose added, "Anything could happen here to change the course of history."
"Vincent? Vincent?" The Doctor said as he soon knocked on the door to Vincent's bedroom before checking his watch before opening the door and saw Vincent lying face down on his bed, crying. On the wall between the door and the window is one of his many self-portraits, "Vincent, can I help?"
"It's so clear you cannot help. And when you leave, and everyone always leaves, I will be left once more with an empty heart and no hope," Vincent told him as he rolled over to look at the Doctor.
"My experience is that there is, you know, surprisingly, always hope," the Doctor told him.
"Then your experience is incomplete. I know how it will end, and it will not end well," Vincent told the Time Lord.
"Come on," the Doctor said as he slapped Vincent's back cheerily, "Come out, let's go outside."
"Out! You get out. What are you doing here? What are you doing here?" Vincent asked the Doctor, angrily.
"Very well. I'll leave. I'll leave you," the Doctor said, backing away towards the door as Vincent curled into a fetal position as he continued to sob.
"What's happening?" Amy asked as she and Rose walked up the stairs outside the cottage and saw the Doctor leaning against the railing, somber and without Vincent.
"We're leaving. Everyone knows he's a delicate man. Just months from now he'll...he'll take his own life," the Doctor said as he pushed away from the rail.
"Don't say that. Please," Amy begged him.
"Amy, there's a chance if we stayed for a bit longer with Vincent, he probably might not take his own life, but that's a long shot," Rose told her as the Doctor went down the stairs and took a last look at Vincent's paintings.
"Come on. We have to do this on our own. Go to the church at the right time and hope the monster still turns up," the Doctor told them as Vincent suddenly appeared in the doorway with his coat and hat on.
"I'm ready. Let's go," Vincent said as he picked up his brush.
Amy was walking alongside Vincent, her arm tucked in his as he was carrying his easel and palette as she carried his paint case and canvas. The Doctor is walking behind them, with his hand holding Rose's hand as they walk alongside a road outside of Auvers.
"I'm sorry you're so sad," Amy told Vincent.
"But I'm not," Vincent told her, "Sometimes these moods torture me for weeks, for months. But I'm good now. If Amy Pond can soldier on, then so can Vincent Van Gogh."
"I'm not soldiering on. I'm fine," Amy assured him.
"Oh, Amy, I hear the song of your sadness. You've lost someone I think," Vincent told her.
"I'm not sad," she told him.
"Then why are you crying?" Vincent asked her, causing her to put a hand to her cheek as she wiped away a tear as she was surprised by it as she never knew she was crying, "It's all right. I understand."
"I'm not sure I do," Amy told him.
"It seems that we were correct, Theta," Rose told the Doctor, "Rory is still being remembered in Amy's subconscious."
"Yes, it seems we were, Arkytior," he said, agreeing with her as they followed as they knew that the tears are for Rory even though he has been wiped from existence, somewhere inside Amy's subconscious, she still remembers him, "OK. OK! So, now, we must have a plan. When the creature returns…"
"Then we shall fight him again," Vincent said as he stopped and turned to face the Doctor.
"Well, yes, tick. But last night we were lucky. Amy could have been killed. So this time, for a start, we have to make sure me and Rose can see him, too," the Doctor told him.
"And how are we meant to do that, suddenly?" Amy asked them.
"The answer's in this box," the Doctor answered as he tapped the case that he was carrying as Rose did the same to a case she was carrying as well, "I had an excellent, if smelly, godmother that gave us a device called Species matcher as a wedding present when we got married but earlier the Tardis made a copy of it for Rose."
"Oh, no. It's that poor girl from the village," Vincent said as they stopped as they saw a funeral procession walking towards them with sunflowers resting on the coffin as all four of them stood respectfully at the side of the road as the procession passed them as the mother of the young girl was was killed by the Krafayis looked at them but said nothing.
"You do have a plan, don't you?" Amy asked the Doctor.
"No," he answered as he started walking again, "It's a thing - it's like a plan, but with more greatness."
"And you'll be sure to tell me and Rose if you see any, you know, monsters," the Doctor told Vincent as he placed his hands on Vincent's shoulders as he bent over as Vincent set up his easel and sat down to paint as they arrived at the church outside of Musée d' Orsay.
"Yes. While I may be mad, I'm not stupid," Vincent told him.
"No, quite. And, to be honest…" the Doctor said as he squatted beside Vincent, "not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is a very complex…"
"Shh. I'm working," Vincent told him.
"Well, yes. Paint. Do painting!" The Doctor said as Vincent continued to paint.
A few hours later, Vincent had outlined the top of the church and was painting the sky.
"I remember watching Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel. Wow! What a whinger. I said to him, 'If you're scared of heights, you shouldn't have taken the job,'" the Doctor told Vincent.
"Shh!" Amy said as she shushed him.
"When was that?" Rose asked the Doctor in a whispered tone.
"When I was in the incarnation that you met when our Tardis collided with the Tardis from the past after we defeated the Master and after Martha left us," he answered.
"So, fifth body then," Rose told him.
"Yeah, it was," he confirmed.
A few more hours later, there was more detail on the church as Vincent was still working on the sky.
"And Picasso. What a ghastly old goat. I kept telling him, 'Concentrate, Pablo, it's one eye, either side of the face,'" the Doctor told Vincent.
"Quiet," Amy told him.
"That was a while ago," Rose told the Doctor.
"Yeah, it was," the Doctor said, agreeing with her.
Later, at night, Amy stood by Vincent as he kept painting as the Doctor was squatting, bored as Rose sat next to him.
"Is this how time normally passes? Really slowly. In the right order," the Doctor said as he got up, "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack," he then walked behind Vincent, facing away as Rose followed him.
"Are you OK? You seem a bit, if I didn't know better, I'd say nervous," Amy asked the Doctor.
"There's something not right and I can't quite put my finger on it," the Doctor told her.
"There!" Vincent told the Doctor, Rose and Amy as they turned to face him, "He's at the window."
"Where is he?" Rose asked him.
"There, on the right," Vincent answered.
"As we thought. Come on, Rose. We're going in," the Doctor said as he began to run towards the church with Rose.
"Well, I'm coming, too,' Vincent announced as he stepped down from his easel..
"No," the Doctor said as he stopped and held his hand out to stop him, "You're Vincent Van Gogh. No."
"But neither of you are armed," Vincent protested.
"Yes we are," the Doctor and Rose told him at the same time.
"What with?" Vincent asked them.
"Overconfidence, this," he began as he tapped his case while Rose tapped on her case as they both held their cases in their arms, "and two small screwdrivers. We're absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right crosactic setting, and stun him with one of them. Sonic never fails. Anyway, Amy, only one thought, one simple instruction - don't follow me and Rose under any circumstances," he then signals Vincent to keep an eye on her.
"I won't," Amy promised both Gallifreyans as they gave her a thumbs-up as they headed towards the church.
"Will you follow them?" Vincent asked Amy.
"Of course," Amy answered.
"I love you," Vincent told Amy as he looked at her.
The Doctor and Rose stopped as they neared the Church, set down the cases of their species matchers and took out the species matchers as they strapped it on their bodies and set the controls after turning them on. With a smile, they both entered the church, slowly and cautiously as they heard a low growling. The Doctor and Rose kept checking the mirrors of their Species matchers and pulled out their sonic screwdrivers and activated them for a second.
"Has he moved?" Amy asked as she paced as Vincent watched the window.
"No, just shifted to the next window," Vincent answered, "But, wait! He's turning now."
The Doctor and Rose approached the window and kept checking the mirrors, only to find that they didn't see the Krafayis where it's supposed to be.
"Theta, he's moved,' Rose told her husband.
"I can see that, Arkytior," he said as he put the mirror of his species matcher down and looked up and in the mirror he saw the Krafayis's arm as it swiped him, causing him to go flying.
"Theta!" Rose yelled as she ran after him.
"Doctor!" Amy said as she and Vincent heard the Doctor's cry and Rose yelling her husband's nickname from the Academy on Gallifrey as she headed for the church.
"Amy!" Vincent said as he rushed after her as he grabbed a jacket from a chair next to him.
Back inside the Church, the Doctor used his screwdriver as he retreated as Rose followed him after she took off her species matcher somewhere, hoping that it won't get damaged.
"Doctor! Rose!" Amy yelled.
"Argh!" He screamed as Amy appeared in front of both Gallifreyans, "I thought I told you... Never mind. We'll talk about it later. Quick, in here," the three of them then hid in the church's confessional as they heard the Krafayis moving about outside as he whispered to Amy, "Absolutely quiet," he then slides the door over the grill between them, "Can you breath a little quieter, please?"
"Doctor, human lungs aren't like ours, they can't stop them for a while as unlike us they'd suffocate," Rose whispered to her husband.
"No!" Amy whispered as she lifted the curtain, "He's gone past."
"Shh," the Doctor said, shushing her as the Krafayis growls, blowing in the grating on Amy's side of the confessional, causing her to scream, "I think he heard us."
"You think, Doctor?!" Rose remarked, sarcastically, as the Krafayis then took out part of the grating on their side of the confessional.
"That is impressive hearing he's got," the Doctor muttered.
"Agreed," Rose said, agreeing with him as another section of the confessional was ripped out
"What's less impressive are our chances of survival," he told them as Amy screamed.
"Hey! Are you looking for me, sonny?" Vincent yelled to the Krafayis outside the confessional and peered out and saw Vincent brandishing his chair like a lion tamer, "Come on. Over here. Because I'm right here waiting for you."
"Come on. Quickly! Get behind me," Vincent said as he motioned to Amy, Rose and the Doctor
"Doing anything?" The Doctor asked as he used his sonic screwdriver before they went back outside.
Vincent was still holding the chair in front of him defensively as the Doctor looked around wildly.
"Where is he?" He asked Vincent.
"Where do you think he is, you idiot?" Vincent asked him, sarcastically, "Use your head."
The Krafayis walked towards them as The Doctor stood by Vincent and used his sonic screwdriver again.
"Anything?" He asked Vincent.
"Nothing. In fact, he seemed to rather enjoy it," Vincent asked as they moved apart before he saw the Krafayis going to attack the Doctor, "Duck," the Doctor then ducked, "Left." The Doctor moves to his left as the Krafayis swats him away and he was slammed into a wall, "Right, sorry." The Doctor sat up with a groan, holding his side as Rose and Amy rushed over as Vincent came over with the chair to help defend them, "Your right, my left."
"This is no good at all. Run like crazy and regroup," the Doctor muttered as he got up.
"Oh, come on, in here," Amy said as they ran into another church building.
Together, they begin to push the door closed only for ity to not close and soon Vincent saw the leg of the Krafayis was keeping it open and he stamps his foot down on it and the creature yanks it back as they closed the door and stand with their backs against it.
"Right. OK. Here's the plan. Rose, Amy, Rory," the Doctor said.
"Doctor, did you just forget that he was erased from existence?" Rose whispered to her husband.
"Who?" Amy asked him.
"Sorry, um, Vincent," he said.
"What is the plan?" Amy asked him.
"I don't know, actually," he answered, "But in future, I'm just using this screwdriver for screwing in screws," he puts his sonic screwdriver back inside his jacket's pocket.
"Yeah, like you'll ever do that," Rose muttered, sarcastically, causing the Doctor to glare at her for a second.
"Give me a second. I'll be back," Vincent said as he ran off.
"I suppose we could try talking to him," the Doctor suggested.
"Talking to him?!" Amy and Rose repeated with disbelief.
"Well, yes. Might be interesting to know his side of the story," he explained as the Krafayis growled, "Yes, though maybe he's not really in the mood for conversation right at this precise moment." The Krafayis growled again as it banged on the door, "Well, no harm trying. Listen. Listen!" The growling then stops, "I know you can understand me," He faced the door, "Even though I know you won't understand why you can understand me. I also know that no-one's talked to you for a pretty long stretch, but please... listen. Me and the blonde also don't belong on this planet. We are also alone, the last of our species. If you trust me, I'm sure we can come to some kind of, you know, understanding. And then, and then, who knows?"
The window directly opposite them shattered as the Krafayis found a way inside and roared and displaced things as it moved about as Vincent returned with his easel.
"Over here, mate!" Vincent said as he aimed his easel at the Krafayis like a weapon as the Doctor, Rose and Amy moved behind him
"What's it up to now?" The Doctor asked.
"It's moving round the room. Feeling its way around," Vincent answered.
"What?" The Doctor and Rose asked at the same time as Amy and Vincent moved behind a sarcophagus while they hid behind a column.
"It's like it's trapped. It's moving round the edges of the room," Vincent explained as he saw the Krafayis walking along the walls.
"I can't see a thing," Amy told him.
"I am really stupid," the Doctor muttered.
"Oh, get a grip! This is not a moment to re-evaluate your self-esteem," Amy told the Time Lord.
"I get what you're getting at, Doctor," Rose said as se realized what he was thinking.
"No, I am really stupid and I'm growing old with Rose being the second oldest person in this room. Why does it attack, but never eat its victims?" He asked as he and Rose moved to the sarcophagus, "And why was it abandoned by its pack and left here to die? Why is it feeling its way helplessly around the walls of the room? It can't see, it's blind. That explains why it has such perfect hearing!"
"Which unfortunately also explains why it is now turning around and heading straight for us," Vincent said as he saw the Krafayis heading toward them as he stepped forward and used the sharp ends of the easel held out as a weapon again.
"Vincent. Vincent, what's happening?" The Doctor asked him.
"It's charging now," Vincent answered as he motioned to them with hand to back away, "Get back. Get back!"
Vincent moved forward as he impaled the beast on the easel as The Krafayis bellowed in pain and anger. Still holding the easel, Vincent was suspended above the floor before letting go of the easel and fell to the floor as the Krafayis collapsed. To the Doctor, Rose and Amy, the easel was suspended but Vincent could see where it penetrated the creature's chest.
"He wasn't without mercy at all. He was without sight. I didn't mean that to happen. I only meant to wound it, I never meant to…" Vincent said with regret.
"It's alright, Vincent. At least you put the Krafayis out of it's misery," Rose reassured him as she put a hand on his shoulder.
"He's trying to say something," the Doctor said as he kneeled beside the Krafayis' body.
"What is it?" Vincent asked him.
"I'm having trouble making it out, but I think he's saying, 'I'm afraid. I'm afraid,' the Doctor answered as he reached out to stroke the Krafayis' body, "There, there. It's OK. You'll be fine. Ssh," the Krafayis then passed away.
"He was frightened…and he lashed out. Like humans, who lash out when they're frightened. Like the villagers who scream at me. Like the children who throw stones at me," Vincent told them.
"Sometimes winning - winning is no fun at all," the Doctor said as he and Rose left the church building.
A while later after recovering their species matchers and put them back in their cases, the Doctor, Rose, Amy, and Vincent lied down in the field, heads together, Vincent reaches first for Rose's hand and then the Doctor's as Rose reaches for Amy's hand.
"Hold my hand, Doctor. Try to see what I see," Vincent told the Time Lord, "We are so lucky we are still alive to see this beautiful world." The Doctor and Amy reached for each other's hands, "Look at the sky. It's not dark and black and without character. The black is in fact deep blue." He pointed with his hand entwined with the Doctor's, "And over there, lighter blue." He then let go of Rose's hand and made a sweeping motion, "And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air and then, shining, burning, bursting through - the stars!" Both Gallifreyans and Amy's vision turned into Vincent's perception as the sky turned into a real version of 'Starry Night,' "Can you see how they roar their light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes."
"I've seen many things, my friend. But you're right. Nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see," the Doctor told him.
"I agree, Doctor," Rose said, agreeing with her husband, "Nothing is as wonderful as you see things, Vincent."
Vincent gripped the Doctor's hand tighter and pulled it to his chest as he looked at Amy, "I will miss you terribly," he told her.
"I only wish I had something of real value to give you," Vincent told the Doctor, the next morning inside his cottage as the Doctor giggled as he held Vincent's 'Self Portrait with Straw Hat' painting next to Vincent and compared them side-by-side.
"Oh, no, no. I could never accept such an extraordinary gift," the Doctor told him.
"Very well," he said as he was hurt by what he said, "You are not the first to decline the offer." He held out his arms, "Amy, the blessed, the wonderful." They both hugged each other before she kissed him.
"Be good to yourself and be kind to yourself," Amy told him.
"I'll try my best," Vincent told her.
"And maybe give the beard a little trim before you next kiss someone," she suggested as she rubbed her cheek and laughed.
"I will. I will. And if you tire of travelling with this Doctor and Rose of yours, return, And we will have children by the dozen," he told her.
"Eek!" Amy muttered, sarcastically.
"Doctor, my friend," Vincent said as he took his hand, "We have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear I may not do as well." The Doctor hugs him tightly, sad because he and Rose both know what's coming.
"Are either of you thinking what I'm thinking?" The Doctor asked Rose and Amy as they began to walk away from the cottage.
"I was thinking I may need some food before we leave," Amy told him.
"I was thinking that we should give Vincent a trip in the Tardis to show him how appreciated he'll become after his death," Rose told him.
"Well, no, Amy, you're not thinking exactly what I'm thinking, but Rose is," he told Amy as he faced Vincent's cottage, "Vincent!" Shirtless with a brush in his hand, Vincent stuck his head out the window, "Me and Rose have got something I'd like to show you. Maybe just tidy yourself up a bit first."
"Now, you know we've had quite a few chats about the possibility there might be more to life than normal people imagine?" The Doctor asked Vincent as they along with Rose and Amy walked through an alleyway in the village towards the Tardis and they stopped with a sigh as they saw the Tardis covered in bills, causing Rose to giggle.
"Yes," Vincent answered.
"Well, brace yourself, Vinny," the Doctor said as he used his Tardis key to slice the crack between the Tardis doors before opening it. He, Rose and Amy stood in the doorway as Vincent got his first view of the Tardis interior. He then stuck his head out and then examined the exterior before he stepped back inside.
"How come I'm the crazy one and you three have stayed sane?" Vincent asked as the Doctor took off Vincent's hat and tossed it to the side as they walked to the console.
"What do these things all do?" Vincent asked both Gallifreyans.
"Oh, a huge variety of things," the Doctor answered, "This one here," he turned a knob, "for instance, plays soothing music," he then danced with Rose for a second as it played Johan Strauss' Emperor Waltz as Amy danced a bit as well before he switched the music off, "While this one makes a huge amount of noise."
Amy nodded as he placed a hand on a lever, "Yeah."
"Yeah, let's show him what it does," Rose said, agreeing with Amy as the Doctor pulled the lever down as a distorted sound began to sound off, "And this one makes everything go tonto." He then used another control as everything in the room shook and the four of them laughed as Vincent struggled to keep his balance before grabbing onto the Tardis' monitor.
"And this one?" Vincent asked as he pointed at a control below the monitor.
"That's a friction contrafibulator!" Rose told him as she went over to the control.
"And this?" Vincent asked as he pointed at two other controls.
"That's ketchup. And that one's mustard," the Doctor answered.
"Mmm. Nice!" Vincent said as he gripped the Doctor's shoulders, "Come on. Back to the cafe and you both can tell me about all the wonders of the universe."
"Good idea. Although, actually, there's a little something we'd like to show you first," the Doctor told him as he and Rose set the Tardis' coordinates as it dematerialized.
The last of the posted bills burnt off the Tardis as the door opened after it rematerialized in modern day Paris as the Doctor, Amy and Vincent stepped out.
"Where are we?" Vincent asked the Doctor.
"Paris. 2010 AD. And this is the mighty Musee D'Orsay, home to many of the greatest paintings in history," the Doctor answered.
"Oh, that's wonderful," Vincent told him as two boys walked by with portable electronics as Vincent stared at them.
"Ignore that. We've got something more important to show you," the Doctor told him as they entered the museum and Vincent was overwhelmed by the grandness of it as Amy led the way past some Monets and Rodin's 'The Kiss'. The Doctor had to drag him from the 'Water Lilies'. The DOctor held his arms out, making a pose as he stood in front of a statue at a staircase, causing Rose to grab him by the arm. They then entered the Van Gogh exhibit. Vincent saw his paintings in a Paris museum when they had only hung in his home as the Doctor held out his arms. The Doctor then saw Dr Black.
"Dr Black, we met a few days ago. I asked you about the church at Auvers," the Doctor said as he approached Dr Black as Rose and Amy brought Vincent closer.
"Oh, yes. Glad to be of help," Dr Black told him, "You were nice about my tie."
"Yes. And today is another cracker if I may say so. But I just wondered, between you and me, in 100 words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?" The Doctor asked him.
"Well, big question. But, to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all," Dr Black said, causing Vincent's eyes to become red as he began to tear up, "Certainly, the most popular, great painter of all time, the most beloved. His command of colour, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world - no-one had ever done it before. Perhaps no-one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived." Vincent began to cry outwardly, which the Doctor noticed as he went to him.
"Vincent. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Is it too much?" The Doctor asked Vincent as he gave him a comforting hug.
"No. They are tears of joy," Vincent said before he went over to Dr Black and gave him a Gallic kiss, "Thank you, sir. Thank you." He then hugged him.
"You're welcome. You're welcome," Dr Black said.
"Sorry about the beard," Vincent told him as he went back to the Doctor, Rose and Amy. Dr Black slowly walks away and quickly turns, wondering if the man he saw was truly Vincent Van Gogh, only to find that the man is gone as Dr Black shook his head.
"This changes everything. I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back a different man," Vincent said as he exited the Tardis as it materialized at an olive grove, "I still can't believe that one of the haystacks was in the museum. How embarrassing."
"It's been a great adventure and a great honour," the Doctor said as he shook Vincent's hand and then hugged him.
"You've turned out to be the first doctor ever actually to make a difference to my life," Vincent told him.
"It's been nice knowing you, Vincent," Rose said as she shook his hand.
"It's been nice knowing you too, Rose," Vincent said as they hugged each other.
"I'm delighted. We won't ever forget you," the Doctor said as he and Rose headed to the Tardis.
"And you are sure marriage is out of the question?" Vincent asked Amy.
"This time," Amy said as she hugged him and whispered in his ear, "I'm not really the marrying kind," she then kissed him and headed back to the Tardis, "Come on, Doctor. Let's go back to the gallery right now." Vincent took out his pipe from his pocket and watched the Tardis dematerialize and with a smile and a shake of his head, he walked away.
Amy exited the Tardis with a big smile after it rematerialized in Modern day Paris. The Doctor's and Rose's are more indulgent as Amy skipped ahead.
"Time can be re-written," Amy told them, "I know it can. Come on!"
"Oh, the long life of Vincent Van Gogh. There'll be hundreds of new paintings," Amy said as she climbed the stairs to the exhibit of Vincent's paintings.
"We're not sure there will," the Doctor told her and as they walked past the Monet exhibit, the Doctor and Rose walked more slowly, following in the wake of Amy's exuberance.
"Come on!" Amy urged them as she rushed into the exhibit and looked around at the same paintings.
"We have here the last work of Vincent Van Gogh, who committed suicide at only 37," they heard Dr Black say, causing Amy to close her eyes in grief, her hope shattered, "He is now acknowledged to be one of the foremost artists of all time. If you follow me now…"
"So, you both were right. No new paintings. We didn't make a difference at all," Amy told both Gallifreyans.
"We wouldn't say that. The way we see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. Hey," he said as he hugged her after he and Rose walked up to him before she hugged Amy as well, "The good things don't always soften the bad things. But, vice versa - the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant. And we definitely added to his pile of good things. And if you look carefully.." He then took her to the 'Church at Auvers' painting with Rose following, ".. maybe we did indeed make a couple of little changes."
"No Krafayis," Amy said as she looked at the painting.
"No Krafayis," the Doctor and Rose said as they agreed with her
While the Doctor and Rose study the church, Amy walks to the center of the exhibit. Something catches her eye and she moves with a purpose across the room. Rose saw this first before the Doctor and they followed at a distance. In its own alcove rests 'Still Life: Vase With Twelve Sunflowers'. On the vase right above his signature it says 'For Amy'. The Doctor and Rose came up beside her and he whistled.
"If we had got married, our kids would have had very, very red hair," Amy told them.
"The ultimate ginger," the Doctor said, agreeing with her.
"Definitely the ultimate ginger," Rose said, agreeing with them.
"The ultimate ginge," Amy said as the Doctor and Rose both laughed as Amy smiled, "Brighter than sunflowers." As they stood together looking at the painting, the Doctor rubbed her back and gave her and Rose a quick one-armed hug.
Should I one day write a spin-off story of how the episodes Human Nature/The Family of Blood in this universe took place and how it played out?
Also when I get to The Time of the Doctor, should Rose be on her seventh body when Clara returns for the first time and should she be on her thirteenth when she returns for the second time when she and the Doctor prepare to die?