Katy's eyes began to feel heavy as the Doctor waved off the last of the Ood, a wave of tiredness overwhelming. When was the last time she had actually slept? Allowing her head to loll back against the console seats, she decided she deserved to have a quick nap after the trials of the day. She imagined she would need to sleep whenever she had the time in regard to her new life. Being dragged around the Doctor's timeline for years to come...

She wasn't at peace with what had happened to her, but she had meant what she had said to the Doctor. Maybe travelling with him wouldn't be so bad. A sudden jolt from the TARDIS had her eyes fluttering open, finding herself blinded momentarily by the bright lights from the console. A very different console than she had been looking at moments ago.

"That's gonna' get old real fast" Katy sighed, running a hand through her hair.

An ecstatic cheer had her head snapping up, finding the Doctor's next regeneration grinning at her. Or was there another Doctor in between them? She realised she hadn't asked what regeneration he was on the last time they saw each other...or how many he had left. As she pushed herself onto her aching feet, the Doctor continued pointing at her excitedly, causing a familiar redhead to giggle. Before she had the chance to say anything, he was suddenly wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug. Katy was too taken aback to say anything, her hands hovering in the air, unsure where to place them. It was clear from the way the Doctor dropped his chin onto her shoulder that embraces were a common thing for them to do. Surprising herself a little, she circled her arms around him, finding a strange sense of comfort come over her. It felt...nice.

"So...hugs. This is new" Katy murmured, as the Doctor pulled back as if she had struck him.

"What do you mean?" He frowned.

"I'm guessing this is something we do in the future?" Katy pointed out, gesturing at the space between them.

"You hug all the time" Amy stated, her own brow furrowed.

"Uh, not yet. Still pretty early days for me, I guess" Katy admitted, rubbing at the back of her neck.

The Doctor blinked at her a few times, his eyes swimming with hurt, fear, and far more sadness than Katy was comfortable witnessing. His arms which had been hovering over her shoulders were quick to pull back, guarding his chest as if it could stop the pain growing in his chest. Amy's own gaze had dropped to the glass floor, grimacing at the sudden tension in the console room.

"Ravan-Skala" The Doctor announced, clicking his fingers together, masking his emotions in a split second.

"Come again?" Katy questioned.

"The people are six hundred feet tall. You have to talk to them in hot air balloons and the Tourist Information Centre is made of one of their hats. Brilliant. I'll have us there in no time" The Doctor exclaimed, rushing over to the console, pressing an array of buttons.

From the look on Amy's face, Katy could tell this wasn't the first time the Doctor had avoided his problems. And at that moment, it was her. She was a problem. Because she wasn't the right version for him. She couldn't stop the bitter feeling that spread through her body at the thought.

"So, when was the last time you saw us? We've done shopping in Paris back in the 60's right?" Amy asked, as Katy slowly shook her head.

"Maybe that's a good thing. Rory scarred me with that yellow monstrosity he bought" Amy scoffed, as Katy's eyes doubled in size.

Rory.

Nice, kind Rory who was going to marry Amy. Who ended up dying ten years in the future and being erased from time...but then how did Amy remember—

"You said you loved that shirt!" A familiar voice cried, as Katy whipped around to find a ghost walking toward her.

Her jaw dropped open as Rory marched toward them, his arms crossed, a prominent pout on his face, and a wedding ring on his finger. Katy took a cautious step forward, eyeing him up and down, trying to figure out if she was a hallucination.

"Oh" The Doctor exclaimed, in a soft tone.

"Ah. Right, yes...time travel. Spoilers" The Doctor mumbled, walking toward the pair, as Rory gave him a confused look.

The man's confusion only grew as Katy raised up her hand and poked his cheek with her finger, eyes narrowing when she realised he was flesh and blood. Very much alive.

"So...you're not dead" She suggested, as realisation bloomed on Rory's face.

"Common misconception," The Doctor told her.

"You get used to it after a while" Amy added.

"Which, uh...which death is she on?" Rory whispered to the Doctor, who hit him in the head with his sonic screwdriver.

"What did he say—" Katy began, but the Doctor was suddenly grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the TARDIS doors.

"Welcome to Ravan-Skala..." The Doctor trailed off, as he pushed the doors open with his free hand.

He was then dragging her out into...a hotel. With dim lighting, tatty old-fashioned carpets, and a staircase that seemed to go on and on. He looked down at her, then back at the very earth-like display before him, before turning back to her once again.

"Are you sure you know how to steer her?" Katy teased, causing the Doctor to pout.

"We must be inside some sort of tourist resort..." The Doctor trailed off, taking out his sonic screwdriver and scanning the area.

Katy realised he was still clutching on her hand, and was quick to pull away from his grasp, remembering the hurt she had felt herself only minutes ago. He was stuck with an old version of her, and he'd have to get used to it, she thought to herself.

"Okay, I was off course a tad. This is not Earth. This has just been made to look like Earth. The craftsmanship involved. Can you imagine?" The Doctor exclaimed, as Amy and Rory exited the TARDIS, disappointment on their faces.

"What? Then where are we?" Amy inquired.

"I don't know. Something must have yanked us off course. Look at the detail on that cheese plant!" The Doctor gaped, pressing his nose to the plant, inhaling deeply.

"Right, but who would mock up an Earth hotel?" Rory asked, as the Doctor picked up a red apple from a bowl beside the plant.

"Colonists maybe, recreating a bit of home, like when ex-pats open English pubs in Majorca. No, whoever did this, I am shaking his/her hand/tentacle" The Doctor grinned, before taking a large bite from the apple.

"Don't eat the suspicious-looking food!" Katy scolded, grabbing the apple from his hand before he could take another bite.

The Doctor stuck his tongue out at her, causing her to snigger, before their attention returned to Rory who was tapping on a set of photographs hung on the wall. There were dozens of photographs of different humans and aliens alike, all with their names and a seemingly random word underneath.

"Paige Barnes, other people's socks. Tim Nelson, balloons. Novice Prin, sabrewolves. Royston Luke Gold, Plymouth? Lucy Hayward, that brutal gorilla. Doctor, what does it mean?" Amy read aloud, as confused as the rest of them.

"I don't know. Let's find out" The Doctor announced, before rushing down the stairs toward the reception desk.

As soon as he had rung the bell conveniently placed on the desk, three people were racing toward them, makeshift weapons raised in the air. The only woman in the group who was dressed in blue scrubs was waving around a broken chair leg at the Doctor, who jumped back a few paces. A younger man beside her held up a rather pathetic looking lamp, screaming at them as if that made him appear more frightening. Katy's brow furrowed as she spotted the taller man cowering behind the pair certainly wasn't human. Where the hell were they?

"Blimey, that was a bit quick" The Doctor mumbled, as the woman continued swinging the chair leg toward them.

"We surrender!" The alien behind her shouted, waving a white tissue in the air.

"Who are you?!" The woman insisted.

"It's okay, we're not...we're nice!" Rory replied, as Amy gave him a look of disbelief.

"She's threatening me with a chair leg. I've never been threatened with a chair leg before. No, hang on, I tell a lie..." The Doctor trailed off, as Katy lunged forward and ripped the broken piece of furniture from the woman's hand.

"Hey!" She cried, indignantly.

"Did you just say, it's okay, we're nice?" Amy muttered, turning to a sheepish Rory.

"Alright, alright, enough. I'm confiscating your...weapons" Katy snorted, as she tugged the lamp from the younger man, finding he gave little resistance.

"It's okay, Howie. Their pupils are dilated. They're as surprised as we are. Besides which, if it's a trick, it'll tell us something" The woman in scrubs commented, peering into Katy's eyes.

"Oh, you're good. Oh, she's good. Amy, with regret, you're fired" The Doctor exclaimed, earning an elbow to the ribs from Katy.

"I'm kidding" The Doctor murmured, before mouthing 'we'll talk' to the newcomer.

"I take it from the pathological compulsion to surrender, you're from Tivoli" The Doctor called out to the alien still hiding behind the others.

"Yes. The most invaded planet in the galaxy. Our anthem is called Glory To Insert Name Here" He nodded.

"You with the face, Howie, you said you were surprised to be back in reception" The Doctor stated.

"The walls move. Everything changes" The young man described, causing Katy to frown.

"You, clever one. What's he talking about?" The Doctor asked.

"My name is Rita, not 'clever one'. And the corridors twist and stretch. Rooms vanish and pop up somewhere else. It's like the hotel's alive" Rita explained.

"That's quite enough of that" The Doctor said, flicking the radio off, irritated by the noise.

"Have you tried the front door?" Rory questioned, pointing to the large doors nearby.

"No. In two days it never occurred to us to try the front door. Thank God you're here" Rita scoffed, sarcastically.

"Alright, I like her too" Katy mumbled to the Doctor, earning a large grin from him.

"...Wait, you said you've been here two days? What have you been eating, drinking?" Katy inquired, as the Doctor walked over to the front doors.

"Whatever we can find" Rita shrugged, as the Doctor pulled the doors open, finding only brick walls behind.

"They're not doors, they're walls. Walls that look like doors. Door-walls, if you like, or dwalls. Woors even, though you'd probably got it when you said they're not doors. I mean, the windows are...Right, big day if you're a fan of walls" The Doctor rambled, as Katy leaned in close to Amy.

"He seems very excitable today" She whispered.

"Always is when you visit" Amy said, in a teasing tone, as Katy gave her a pointed look.

"It's not just that. The rooms have things in them..." Rita trailed off, a shiver going down her spine.

"Things? Hello! What kind of things? Interesting things? I love things, ask anyone" The Doctor asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Bad dreams" Rita replied.

"...Well, that killed the mood" The Doctor exclaimed.


"We'll pop back to the Tardis, I'll do a planet-wide diagnostic sweep, and then we'll have a sing-song" The Doctor advised, as he led the group up the staircase they had used before.

Katy let out a long sigh when they arrived where the TARDIS should have been, to find nothing but an empty space. The Doctor spun around a few times, confusion etched over his features, darting up the next flight of stairs.

"Where's the Tardis? You parked it there, didn't you?" Amy pointed out.

"What's a Tardis?" Howie inquired, curiously.

"Our way out. And it's gone" Rory mumbled, dropping his face into his hands, as Amy put her hand onto his shoulder supportively.

"You know I'm beginning to see a pattern of you losing her..." Katy trailed off, when she saw the Doctor pull out a familiar circular disc from his pocket.

Her eyes widened as she realised it was the one she had created on the space station, which for her had only been less than twenty-four hours before. The device looked a bit more worn, but the coils she had tied around it had been removed, and instead of the orange light that used to glow from it, a strange blue was emitted instead.

"I made that" She stated, placing her finger on the device, causing the blue light to glow brighter.

"I made a few tweaks, used a small amount of vortex energy and added some stabilisers—" The Doctor began, but Katy cut him off quickly.

"You kept it" She murmured, a little taken aback.

"Of course, I did. It was genius. You left it behind when you...that's where you've just come from, isn't it?" The Doctor realised, as she gave a quick nod.

"Blimey. You weren't exaggerating when you said early days" The Doctor frowned.

"Sorry to disappoint" Katy scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I didn't mean..." The Doctor trailed off, running a hand over his face.

"What does that do?" Rita questioned, approaching the pair.

"It'll take me to my ship. Then I can come back and get the rest of you" The Doctor explained.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, was it? How exactly do we know you'll come back for us?" Gibbis, the Tivoli insisted.

"I always come back" The Doctor announced, before pressing a button on the side of the device and closing his eyes.

"Uh, Doctor?" Katy exclaimed, when nothing happened, causing the Doctor to open one eye.

He looked down at the device, and the blue light slowly started to ebb from it, causing the Doctor's frown to deepen. The device rarely malfunctioned, not since in the past years at least.

"Okay, this is bad. At the moment, I don't know how bad, but certainly we're three buses, a long walk and eight quid in a taxi from good. Something must be blocking the signal" The Doctor mumbled, scanning the device with his sonic screwdriver.

"Are there any more of you?" Katy asked, watching as Rita gave Howie a strange look.

"Joe. But he's tied up right now" Rita told them.

"Doing what?" The Doctor inquired, as Rita bit her lip.

"No, I mean he's tied up right now" Rita clarified, as the Doctor's eyes lit up.

"Didn't realise you were so kinky, Rita" Katy teased, making the older woman huff out a laugh.


Rita led them to an extravagant dining room, her hand hesitating on the doorknob for a moment. Katy's eyes narrowed when she instantly heard a sinister laughing coming from the room as soon as the door opened and the Doctor walked through. Her mouth went slack as she found over thirty ventriloquist dummies inside, all sat at the dozen tables around the room. Their laughter slowly subsided as the group entered, the dummies twisting their heads around to face them. In the middle of the creepy dolls, was a man dressed up in a suit, rope keeping him tied to the chair he was sitting on. He had a manic look in his eyes, his face shining with sweat. Katy cautiously reached out to touch one of the dummies, finding it felt like wood under her finger, and gave a small shove, sending the dummy falling to the floor.

"What?" She shrugged, when the Doctor gave her a look.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor" He announced, approaching Joe slowly.

"You're going to die here" Joe replied.

"Well, they certainly didn't mention that in the brochure. Is Joe there? Can I have a quick word?" The Doctor questioned, grabbing a chair and sitting on it back to front.

"Oh, it's still me, Doctor, but I've seen the light. I lived a blasphemous life, but he has forgiven my inconstancy, and soon he shall feast" Joe went on.

"Well, you've been here two days. What's he waiting for?" The Doctor pointed out.

"We weren't ready. We were still raw" Joe explained, looking almost elated.

"But now you're what, cooked?" The Doctor huffed, his eyes flickering over the horseshoe tie clip and dice cufflinks he was wearing.

"If you like. Soon you will be, too. Be patient. First, find your room. There's a room here for everyone, Doctor. Even you" Joe told him, his last words sounding like a threat.

"You said you'd seen the light now" The Doctor stated.

"Nothing else matters anymore. Only him. It's like these things. I used to hate them. They make me laugh now" Joe exclaimed, before descending into laughter, as the dummies joined in.

"Have you got a pen torch?" Katy asked Rita, who nodded, pulling the small torch out of her pocket.

"Joe, look up at me" Katy ordered, placing her hand on his shoulder, and shining the light in both his eyes.

"They're dilated. A lot. He's certainly high on something. Eye reaction's sluggish...Joe, what's your date of birth?" Katy asked, as the man mulled over her question.

"Eighteenth of April, 1979" Joe replied.

"And what year is it?" Katy pushed.

"What does it matter?" Joe groaned, his head lolling back against his chair.

"Alright, you have any pets? Dogs, cats, I don't know...a hamster?" Katy went on.

"A cat...I think" Joe murmured.

"And what's your cats name?" Katy insisted.

"I...I don't...I don't know..." Joe stuttered, his forehead wrinkling.

"Do you think he's having a stroke?" Rita suggested, as Katy shook her head, handing the pen torch back to her.

"I think it's something a lot worse" She sighed.

"Whatever it is, he needs to come with us" The Doctor stated, beginning to look for something to carry Joe out on.

"Is he really a Doctor then?" Rita questioned Katy, who pondered over the question.

"You know what...I don't actually know. He's smart though. But don't tell him I said that" Katy mumbled, with a fond look.

"And you? I'm guessing you're not wearing that outfit to go out clubbing?" Katy replied, gesturing to her scrubs.

"Third-year medical student. You too?" Rita guessed.

"Nurse. A few years down the line" Katy explained, as Rita pursed her lips.

"Do you think that's a connection? We all have a medical background?" Rita exclaimed, as Katy looked toward Gibbis who was picking at his teeth with his finger.

"...Somehow I doubt that" Katy grimaced, as she watched him eat what he had scraped off his teeth.

"Ah. Perfect!" The Doctor called out, spotting a luggage trolley in the corner of the room.

"So, what's the plan?" Amy asked, as the Doctor pushed the trolley toward Joe.

"First, we find the Tardis. Quick thing before we go. If you feel drawn to a particular room, do not go in, and make sure someone else can see you at all times" The Doctor suggested, as he pushed the trolley underneath Joe's chair.

"Joe said, he will feast. Is there something here with us?" Rita asked, in a hushed voice, hoping the strange man wouldn't hear her.

"Here comes a candle to light you to bed. Here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop, chop, chop, chop" Joe ranted, gleefully.

"Can we do something about him?!" Howie cried.

"I think I've got just the thing" Katy smirked, as she pulled Joe's tie off from around his neck and instead used it to gag him, only seeming to amuse him further.

"And you called me kinky?" Rita mocked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I definitely like her" Katy grinned at the Doctor.


Soon enough, the group were walking down the never-ending corridors of the hotel, desperately trying to find any sort of exit. Gibbis was wheeling the now-gagged Joe around, mumbling something about how they should give up already. All of a sudden, one of the doors swung open and a middle-aged man dressed in a white shirt and shorts jumped out, a whistle hanging around his neck.

"...Hello" The Doctor greeted, his brows knitted together.

"Have you forgotten your PE kit again? Right, that's it, you're doing it in your pants!" The teacher threatened, before storming back into the room and slamming the door shut.

Katy couldn't stop the laugh that her lips at the Doctor's sheepish expression, watching as he adjusted his bow tie, his cheeks turning a slight red. The smile instantly fell from her face when she spotted Howie approaching a door a few metres away, his hand outstretched.

"Hey! Don't!" Katy cried, but it was already too late.

As the door opened, a group of teenage girls came into view, wearing tacky clothes and far too dark foundation. They began giggling at Howie, pointing and mocking at him, as the boy in question started twitching, muttering under his breath.

"Oh, look, girls, it's H-H-H-Howie!" A blonde teased, causing Howie's eyes to dart to the floor.

Before the teenager could become even more embarrassed Katy was quick to slam the door shut, as an awkward silence engulfed the group. Howie could no longer look anyone in the eye.

"This is just some m, m, messed up CIA stuff, I'm, I'm, I'm telling you" Howie stuttered.

"You're right. Keep telling yourself that. It's a CIA thing, nothing more" The Doctor agreed, placing his arm over Howie's shoulder in an almost protective gesture and led him away from the room.

Katy was about to follow them when she could have sworn she heard footsteps approaching from behind them. No, not footsteps. It sounded like...

"So, how're you holding up?" Rory inquired, breaking through Katy's thoughts.

"Oh. Well, I'm still alive...so not too bad, I guess" Katy huffed, finding the sound seemed to have disappeared.

"Pretty good going where the Doctor's concerned" Rory mumbled, causing Katy to frown.

"You don't like travelling with him?" Katy questioned.

"Of course, I do. It's great. All of time and space. What's not to love?" Rory pointed out, as Katy raised an eyebrow.

"But?" She insisted.

"But...I spent three years getting a nursing degree and now...it's like it never mattered. All those friends I made. All those places I wanted to go. The Doctor just makes it seem so...small" Rory confessed, in a hushed voice as they continued behind the rest of the group.

"Maybe you should take a great break then. Time out of the TARDIS" Katy suggested, as Rory shook his head quickly.

"Amy would never agree to that" Rory shrugged.

"Uh-huh, so you'll what, keep this up for the next, ten, twenty...thirty years? Just to keep her happy?" Katy pushed.

"That's marriage" Rory huffed, with a small smile.

"Remind me to never sign up for that" Katy murmured, as Rory's smile grew wider, appearing amused about something.

"We'll see" Rory stated, laughing to himself.

"I'm guessing you aren't gonna' want the Doctor or Amy finding out you've got doubts then?" Katy asked, as Rory patted her on the shoulder.

"Yeah. Thanks for having my back. Like always" Rory smiled at her, as they made it back to the staircase.

Despite herself, Katy found a warm feeling spreading in her chest at his words. She supposed that was the one good thing about travelling through time. She already had the trust of the people around her. She had earnt it a long time before. As they began their ascent up the stairs, the bruises that remained on Katy's stomach ached once again, reminding her of how little time had passed for her since they had first met.

"Come along, you two. No dawdling" The Doctor called back to them, as they picked up their pace.

"Yes, sir" Katy replied, sarcastically, looking up at him as she gave him a mock salute.

The Doctor grinned at her, pointing to her and then to himself, seeming very pleased with her reaction. Amy was then nudging him forward, wanting them to keep moving to the next floor. Katy found her eyes were starting to hurt from staring at the ugly red carpet beneath her and rubbed at her face. When she pulled her hands away, she was surprised to find a door with the word fire exit painted on, a bar handle beneath. She nudged Rory, whose eyes went wide as he spotted the door too.

"Er, guys?" Rory spoke up, as Katy took a step closer to the exit.

It seemed far too good to be true. A trap, maybe? But still, Katy's hand reached out for the metal bar, ready to push it open when an almighty roar echoed down the corridor, grabbing everyone's attention. Joe screamed against the gag in his mouth, seeming elated at whatever was following them.

"Okay, whatever that is, it's not real, yeah?" Amy suggested, as the Doctor backed up a step.

"No. No, I'm sure it isn't, but just in case, let's run away and hide anyway. In here" The Doctor advised, gesturing to the room next to him.

Katy was about to follow when she saw Rita pulling Joe into a different room, a strange expression on her face. She called out Rita's name, but the older woman didn't seem to notice. Once Katy followed her into the room, she was quick to realise why. A doctor, with a greying beard and stethoscope around his neck, glared at them, waving papers around in his hands. Katy flinched when the door suddenly slammed shut behind them.

"A 'B' in mathematics? You are lazy. Do you understand me, girl? Lazy!" The man scolded, as tears instantly began to well in Rita's eyes.

"I'm sorry. Daddy, I'm so sorry" Rita cried, sitting down on the bed behind her.

"Shit" Katy murmured, as Rita dropped her head into her hands, shaking her head.

"I never meant to disappoint you" Rita sobbed.

"Rita. Rita, look at me!" Katy insisted, dropping to her knees in front of her, and placing both hands on Rita's shoulders.

"That is not your father, okay? I don't even think we're on Earth right now, so how could your father possibly be here? He's not real" Katy explained, as Rita bit her bottom lip.

"But he's...he's right. I'm going to fail my exams and then—" Rita started, when Katy suddenly slapped her in the face, leaving a red mark on Rita's cheek.

"Ow! Why did you..." Rita trailed off, looking behind Katy to see her father was now shouting at the wall.

"To knock some sense into you" Katy scoffed, earning a sniffle from Rita.

"Sorry. I don't...I don't usually cry so easily" Rita muttered, wiping away at the tears that had rolled down her cheeks.

"I bring that out in people" Katy stated, as the two girls shared a quick laugh.

The sound of rope hitting the ground had Katy twisting around, surprised to find Joe had somehow got free and was stumbling toward the door. She cried out his name, trying to grab onto the sleeve of his shirt but he was out of the door before she could reach him. He slammed it shut behind him, placing his body against it, keeping Katy and Rita trapped inside as they both tried to turn the handle.

"Come to me...come to me!" Joe exclaimed, as Katy heard a growl from the corridor.

Whatever was following them was just outside...and racing right toward Joe. Without another thought, Katy was taking a few steps back and then rammed into the door with all her strength. The door's hinges creaked, and just as she was about to run at the door again, it slowly swayed open. She rushed into the corridor, just in time to see Joe being dragged around the corner, only his feet visible.

"Joe!" Katy yelled, sprinting after him as fast as her legs could carry her.

Even though she could have only been a matter of seconds behind him, by the time she rounded the corner there was no sight of him at all. She pushed on, calling out his name as the corridors started to twist and turn, seeming to send her in all different directions. She wasn't sure how long she had been staggering around the hotel for, when she finally spotted Joe's cufflink on the ground. Just as she was about to reach down and pick it up, someone placed their hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump out of her skin.

"Ah!" She and the newcomer screamed, giving themselves a fright.

"What are you doing?" She cried, when she realised it was the Doctor, who was red in the face from chasing after her.

"What am I doing? What are you doing? Don't get running off alone!" The Doctor scolded, tapping her on the head with his sonic screwdriver.

"Why? You worried I'll get myself killed and not turn into this friend you think I'm gonna' become?" Katy blurted out, watching as the Doctor's forehead wrinkled.

"Is that why...do you think I don't want you here?" The Doctor realised, as she gave a slight shrug.

"Not this version of me" Katy pointed out, as the Doctor let out a sigh.

"There is no..." The Doctor trailed off, his eyes flickering to something behind her.

"Joe?" The Doctor called out, as Katy whipped around to find the man they were searching for kneeling on the carpet.

Her mouth went slack as she saw he was propped up against the wall, his hands clasped together as if he was praying. His eyes were wide open but unmoving, and his skin had grown pale and grey. She had seen enough dead bodies to know he was already gone.

"Fuck" Katy murmured, as the Doctor crouched down beside the man, placing his hand on his cheek and finding him cold.

The Doctor pulled away, his hands balled into fists at his side, jaw clenched together, clearly holding in his anger. He didn't like losing people. He didn't like losing in general, Katy realised.

"We shouldn't leave him here" Katy suggested, as the Doctor gave a curt nod.


"Here you go" Rita announced, placing a hot cup of tea in front of Katy.

An hour had passed and they had brought Joe back to the dining hall, thinking it was the best place to hold up in. They had placed the dummies against the wall beside his body, too creeped out to keep the dolls as they were. Katy frowned as she touched the cup, giving Rita a confused look.

"You found teabags?" Katy inquired, as Rita gave a quick nod.

"How many?" Katy pushed, as Rita thought it over.

"Seven...which is exactly how many of us are left" Rita realised, as Katy ran a hand over her face.

"This tea is about as real as your father was" Katy muttered, taking a sip of her drink, nonetheless.

"But you're still gonna' drink it?" Rita teased.

"Hey, imaginary tea is still tea in my books" Katy shrugged, as Rita gave her a grin before walking away.

She wondered whether anything in the hotel was real. Could any of the 'weapons' they had found actually be used to hurt whatever was chasing them? A chill went down her spine as she looked toward Howie and Gibbis at a nearby table, thinking for a split second about the possibility of them not being real. Could they all be one of the hotel's more devious tricks?

She turned her attention to her left when she heard the Doctor laughing, finding Rita passing him a mug of tea. The two conversed for a few minutes, the Doctor's smile widening the longer they spoke. He had definitely taken a shine to her, Katy thought to herself.

"You've got that look on your face" Rory told her, coming to stand beside her.

"What look?" Katy retorted, taking another sip of her tea.

"You're 'I'm the only one who should be drinking tea with the Doctor' look" Amy teased, making Katy scoff.

"That's not a thing" Katy muttered.

"Mmm, it is. I'm usually on the receiving end" Amy smirked.

"If you know me so well, tell me what I'm thinking now?" Katy exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at Amy.

"The Doctor doesn't like us using that word on our adventures" Amy pointed out, as Katy gave a small shrug.

"Sure fucking thing, Ames" Katy grinned, before the three of them burst out laughing.

"Yeah. You're definitely Katy" Rory sniggered, as she felt another wave of warmth at his words.

Her smile faltered when she spotted a piece of paper hanging out of Amy's jacket pocket and pointed it out to her. Amy's eyes doubled in size as she pulled the note out, running a hand through her ginger hair

"Doctor, look at this. I found it in a corridor, I completely forgot I had it" Amy called out, holding the note up in the air, before handing it to the man in question.

"My name is Lucy Hayward and I'm the last one left. It took Luke first. It got him on his first day, almost as soon as we arrived...It's funny. You don't know what's going to be in your room until you see it, and then you realise it could never have been anything else. I just saw mine. It was a gorilla from a book I'd read as a kid. My God, that thing used to terrify me. The gaps between my worships are getting shorter, like contractions...This is what happened to the others, and how lucky they were. It's all so clear now. I'm so happy. Praise him" The Doctor read aloud, looking increasingly disturbed.

How many people had already died in the hotel?

"Praise him!" Howie blurted out, as if was the most natural thing in the world.

"What did you just say?" The Doctor asked, as all eyes turned to Howie.

"Nothing...praise him!" Howie cried, before slamming his hand over his mouth.

"This is what happened to Joe!" Gibbis warned, jumping out of his seat, wanting to be as far away from the teenager as possible.

The whole room then descended into chaos, with everyone talking over each other, and Howie looking on the verge of a panic attack. The Doctor was forced to raise his sonic screwdriver up in the air, deafening them for a few seconds to grab their attention. Katy went to stand by Howie's side, as the boy tried his best not to cry.

"Don't you see? He'll lead it right here!" Gibbis insisted.

"What do you suggest?" Rita retorted.

"Look, whatever it is out there, it's obviously chosen Howard as its next course. Now, tragic though that is, this is no time for sentiment. I'm saying if it were to find him, it may be satisfied and let the rest of us go. All I want to do is go home and be conquered and oppressed. Is that too much to ask?!" Gibbis suggested, as they all looked at him in disbelief.

"I'd say that will happen over my dead body, but actually...if you're not careful it's gonna' be your dead body!" Katy spat out, as the Doctor placed himself in front of her.

He could tell she was a split second away from lunging at Gibbis, and ran his hand down her arm, in a calming gesture. Katy sucked in a deep breath, surprised at how quickly her anger seemed to ebb away from his touch. She slowly realised it was because, for some innate reason, she knew the Doctor could deal with Gibbis. And that he certainly would.

"It's okay. I'll stay with Howie. You take the others and go" Rita told the Doctor, who shook his head.

"No. We stay together" The Doctor murmured, before marching over to where Gibbis was sitting.

He placed his hand on Gibbis's shoulder, none too gently, looming over the alien, his green eyes boring into his. The Doctor's anger simmered closer to the surface than Katy could remember seeing it before.

"Your civilisation is one of the oldest in the galaxy. Now I see why. Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's sly, aggressive. It's how that gene of gutlessness has survived while so many others have perished. Well, not today. No one else dies today. Right?" The Doctor stated, his knuckles turning white as he dug his fingers further into Gibbis' shoulder.

He didn't need to raise his voice. He didn't need to use violence. The silent fury in his voice was enough to have Gibbis nodding his head and replying with a shaky yes. Katy had watched the interaction with fascination, sensing she was seeing behind the mask that the Doctor had taken so many years to create.

"Brilliant!" The Doctor exclaimed, straightening up, a smile on his face which didn't meet his eyes.

His eyes caught Katy's from across the room, who tilted her head at him, sending him an appreciative look. It made him feel something. Something he really shouldn't have.

"Howie, any second, it's going to possess you again. When it does, I'm going to ask you some questions. Please try to answer them" The Doctor announced, ushering Howie to sit back at the table as they all crowded around him.

"I hope my mum's all right, she's going to be w, worried" Howie stuttered, as Katy's heart clenched.

Howie was little more than a child, and despite how much she wanted to believe they could save him...she knew he would likely die in the hotel. Maybe they all would. In the blink of an eye, all the fear and concern was replaced on Howie's face. Now, he merely looked at peace.

"Howie? Howie. Howie, you're next. We're all dead jealous. So, tell us. How do we get a piece of the action? Why isn't he possessing all of us?" The Doctor asked, as they all nodded, playing along.

"You guys have got all these distractions, all these obstacles. It'd be so much easier if you just let it go, you know? Clear the path" Howie instructed, leaning back in his chair.

"You want it to find you even though you know what it's going to do?" Amy pushed.

"Are you kidding? He's going to kill us all. How cool is that?" Howie grinned.

"Okay, should we..." Katy trailed off, nodding for them all to walk away.

"It's as I thought. It feeds on fear. Everything, the rooms, Lucy's note, even the pictures in reception, has been put here to frighten us. So we have to resist it. Do whatever you have to. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, think of a basket of kittens, but do not give in to the fear" The Doctor explained, in a hushed voice.

"Okay, but what are we actually going to do?" Amy pointed out.

"We're going to catch ourselves a monster" The Doctor grinned.

"I'm gonna' hate whatever mad idea you've just come up with, aren't I?" Katy groaned, as the Doctor swung his arm over her shoulders.

"Most likely" He smirked down at her.