Twists in Time
Chapter Eleven: The Shakespeare Code: Curtain Call
By Lumendea
AN: Thank you for the great comments on the last chapter. I'm so happy at the positive response. Now for some wrap up. We'll have an original episode next!
…
Martha was a good sport about everyone's exhaustion when they returned to The Elephant. Rose could see that her curiosity was killing her, but she quickly updated them on Peter's status. The man had trembled throughout the storm but immediately settled once it all passed. When Martha told them that she planned to keep an eye on him throughout the night, the Doctor thanked her and pulled Rose into one of the rooms. She wasn't sure if he'd forgotten her earlier concerns or was just dismissing them as Martha was occupied and Jack had vanished with Will when they returned.
"They had trouble naming me," Rose whispered once she and the Doctor were stretched out in the small bed. "I think they were trying to name Bad Wolf."
"You have a lot of defences as the Gold Guardian," the Doctor answered. His voice was soft, curious, and tentative at once. "That probably hides your name. Like my history and me burying my birth name of Gallifrey echo to protect me."
"Suppose so; it does make sense. Despite being knocked out, Jack was oddly pleased."
"He was." The Doctor nodded. "Not sure what that's about."
"He'll tell us if he wants to." Rose sighed softly. "But they could see Bad Wolf."
"Yes." The Doctor's gaze was distant even as he peered at her. "It… I'm not sure. While you are the Bad Wolf, there are layers to it. Plus, that being part of the Time Vortex running through her scares me a little despite knowing it's your heart behind it. If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a vengeful god." He smiled a little, his eyes focusing on her. "I doubt Bad Wolf felt the need to hide herself. Not when being seen can send enemies running."
It was strange to think about. Rose was so used to being an amalgamation of different people that while she knew it should alarm her, it made sense. Bad Wolf was part of her, but it was… distinct in a way. It was a purpose-driven aspect of her. The Gold Guardian… well, Rose was trying to make that a comfortable part of her day-to-day life.
"All the other names I've had in other lives probably made it a bit of a mess," Rose laughed. "I'm not always named Rose."
"That is hard to imagine," the Doctor admitted. "Rose Tyler, not being Rose Tyler." He said her name slowly as if savouring the syllables.
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
He chuckled and kissed her softly. "True enough, darling."
"I do like darling."
The Doctor smiled and finally seemed to be relaxing. "Martha did well. I know she wasn't in the thick of things, but…"
"She took care of Peter. It would have been too easy for him to be attacked if she hadn't been with him. And receiving proper care as he was faced with the trauma of the city being attacked might be what gives him a chance to rebuild his life." Rose paused for a moment. "That matters too. Besides, she's studying to be a doctor. I'd certainly trust her between her sense of duty of care on the moon and here."
"Yeah. Another trip then?"
"I think that's a good idea." Rose shifted closer to him. "Before everything went sideways, she really did seem to be enjoying herself. Lit up when she saw the Globe and all that." Rose smiled against the Doctor's shoulder. "I can see why you like having fresh eyes along. Her excitement was special."
The Doctor chuckled and tightened his grip on her. "It is," he agreed. Then he kissed the top of her head again. "Get some rest. We need to do some clean-up checks tomorrow just to make sure that the play is really gone."
"Shame," Rose murmured. But she closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of the Doctor, letting herself drift off.
…
They had a bit of a lay-in that morning, but as soon as she awake, the Doctor turned into his usual bundle of raw energy. Then, with a kiss to her lips, he swanned out and left Rose to gather her wits for the day. Dolly had some breakfast waiting for her and Martha, but the Doctor headed off to the Globe right away along with Shakespeare. Rose didn't care, but Martha was on edge at being abandoned by all of them except for Rose and checked on Peter. Thankfully, the man was eating, and Rose was certain that he was looking better than the night before. After eating, Rose and Martha headed down to the courtyard to find Jack.
"Where have you been?" Martha asked Jack as they approached him.
"Busy." Jack was grinning, and when Martha narrowed her eyes at him, he brought his hands up. "Just having a bit of fun with Will. Not every day you get a chance at Shakespeare."
"You didn't!" Martha's eyes widened. "He's married!"
"Open relationship." Jack shrugged. "It happens."
Martha grimaced, and Rose thought back to the scene outside of the restaurant where they'd picked Martha up. Based on the shouting, there had been an affair at the root of the divorce, and it was still affecting Martha. Rose had no experience with such things in this life. Her dad had died young, and she'd learned that there were suspicions of cheating, but never anything that had erupted to that level.
"Anyway," Jack said. "Will's gonna meet us at the theatre. Come on." He nodded toward the opening of the courtyard and headed out, whistling cheerfully.
Martha looked at Rose as if searching for some anger from her. Rose just shrugged. "Different people have expectations. Jack is from the 51st century. By then, lots of humans have been having relationships with aliens, some humanoid and some not. Poly relationships are more common, and pansexuality is much more the norm." She offered Martha a smile. "Jack does take committed relationships seriously and respects them if that's what the folks in them want and value. If Shakespeare says that he and his wife have an open relationship, then Jack's gonna take him at his word on that."
"I suppose…" Martha didn't seem very comforted by that.
"Your parents?" Rose asked carefully.
"Dad cheated. It was not an open relationship," Martha said shortly. She crossed her arms over her chest. "What about your family?"
"Father died when I was a baby. Mum had a long line of boyfriends, but nothing serious. It was always just me and her." Rose nodded towards the courtyard opening. "Come on; we'd better catch up. The Doctor went a little earlier to check to make sure that all copies of the play are gone."
"Okay." Martha nodded and glanced at The Elephant. "Peter should be alright."
"Thank you for watching over him," Rose said gently. "Come on, let's catch up."
Jack was lingering outside the entrance to the courtyard for them. Martha glanced at him awkwardly, but he didn't seem concerned. Rose took Jack's offered arm, and they started the walk to the Globe. In perhaps an olive branch, Martha asked Jack a bit about his home time.
"It's very different in some ways," Jack offered. "But people don't change much, so you'd recognize more aspects of society than you'd think. I haven't spent much time in that era for years, even before I met the Doctor and Rose."
"Really?" Martha asked curiously.
"I was what is called a Time Agent," Jack explained. He kept his voice down as he scanned the people out on the street with them. "There's an organization called the Time Agency. I worked for them for years. Not all of the missions were good. It can be an ugly business. I lost part of my memory in an incident and let the Agency. Then I met Rose and the Doctor. The rest of history." He beamed at Rose.
"And we're happy to have you," Rose assured him.
"How long have you been travelling in the TARDIS?" Martha asked.
"It gets hard to keep track," Rose confessed. "I'd need to count days in my journal to give you a good answer. At least a few years now for me. I was with the Doctor for over a year before we met Jack."
"It can get complicated," Jack added.
Rose glanced at Martha. She had a strange expression on her face, a blend of excitement and anxiousness. Rose suspected that the reality of her situation was finally settling on Martha. At least the woman wasn't screaming in terror.
"There's the Globe," Rose said cheerily. She eyed the structure. "Thankfully, I don't see any damage."
"It sounds like it was quite the show," Martha murmured. "Sorry, I missed it."
"I did, too," Jack grumbled. "Carionittes knocked me out." Yet his smile widened. "Using the name Jack Harkness."
"Really?" Rose stopped them and hugged Jack tightly. Happiness was radiating off the man, and she couldn't help but be affected by it. "Oh, Jack! That's great!"
"Uh?" Martha blinked at them.
"It's not my birthname," was the only explanation Jack gave her. "Come on. The Doctor is probably driving Will up the wall."
Rose chuckled at Jack's raw energy. She was just grateful that the universe was still intact after the pair of flirts met and that she hadn't been a witness to too much of it. The tension was a little lighter now, but Rose wondered if she'd need to keep an eye on Martha and Jack. Martha seemed very clever and compassionate, her training as a doctor had shined through with Peter, but there was definitely some culture shock involved with people from such two different eras meeting.
They found Shakespeare on the stage of the Globe. He was peering out at the empty audience pit with a hint of a smile. As he spotted them, his smile widened, and he stood.
"My friends! It was past time for you to join us!"
"Where's the Doctor?" Rose asked, glancing around.
"Ah, your good husband is checking every nook and cranny for copies of the play." Shakespeare was less pleased now. "A shame, that is. But I suppose that the world must return to how it was before your arrival."
"What about Peter?" Martha asked sternly. "He seemed a little better this morning, but he's likely going to need time to recover."
"He'll have it," Shakespeare promised her with a warm smile and an earnest voice. "His family is still local. Peter has a lot of friends. With signs of improvement… well, there's hope. I'll keep an eye on him. Many of us will. Peter's well-liked."
Martha didn't seem completely convinced. After all, Peter had ended up in Bethlam Hospital in the first place, but she slowly nodded. "Alright. I'm trusting you on that," Martha's tone was stern. "He needs support and a healthy diet. Vegetables and moderate exercise to rebuild his strength." She looked like she wanted to say more but glanced around the Tudor-era buildings with her shoulders slumping a little. "Hopefully, that will be enough."
"It will be done," Shakespeare promised solemnly. "Dolly promised me this morning to let him rest, and I sent a message to his family before I came here."
Martha slowly relaxed though she kept studying Shakespeare's face as if searching for a lie. "Alright," she finally agreed. "I trust you."
"You have my word, good lady. Your care is inspiring."
The Doctor strode out from backstage a moment later, a slight spring in his step. "Good props store back there," the Doctor was holding a strange long skull. "I'm not sure about this, though. Reminds me of a Sycorax."
Rose peered at it. "I hate to say it, but you're right."
"Sycorax," Shakespeare said. "Nice word. I'll have that off you as well."
"I should be on ten per cent. How's your head?"
"Still aching," Shakespeare answered.
"You have a mild concussion," Martha told him, sitting beside Shakespeare. She touched his chin to turn his face towards her. "But your eyes look better this morning. It'll fade soon. Just try to get enough rest, drink boiled, clean water, and don't overdo it."
"What about the play, Doctor?" Jack asked. "No copies in were in Will's room."
"Gone. I looked all over. Every single copy of Love's Labour's Won went up in the sky.
"My lost masterpiece," Shakespeare sighed. Rose felt a twinge of regret for that. Though, she hadn't seen or heard enough to know for sure that it was the same play that was rattling around in her head.
"You could write it up again," Martha offered.
"Yeah, better not, Will," the Doctor said. "There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten."
"Oh, but I've got new ideas," Shakespeare said. "Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons in memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet."
"Hamnet?" Martha asked.
"That's him," Shakespeare answered.
"Hamnet?" Martha repeated.
"What's wrong with that?" Shakespeare asked.
"Anyway, the time we were off," the Doctor said. He set down the skull and held up the crystal ball in one hand. Stepping over to Rose, he took her hand with his free one. "I've got a nice attic in the Tardis where this lot can scream for all eternity, and we've got to return Martha home safely."
"You mean travel on through time and space," Shakespeare said. He was smirking.
The Doctor looked at Jack, who just grinned and shook his head. "You what?" the Doctor gaped at Shakespeare.
"You're from another world like the Carrionites, and Martha is from the future." Shakespeare nodded to Jack. "He's from even further than Martha is and Dame Rose…." Shakespeare trailed off while peering at Rose. "You are something else. What, I do not know, and I think that might be best. It is a pity that I do not think my audience would know what to do with a character like you."
"That's incredible," the Doctor said gleefully though his grip on Rose's hand tightened. "You are incredible."
"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady." Shakespeare took the surprised Martha's hand. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate."
"Will!" Two of the actors came running in, their faces gleaming with excitement.
"Will, you'll never believe it. She's here! She's turned up!"
"We're the talk of the town. She heard about it last night. She wants us to perform it again."
"Who?" Martha asked.
"Her Majesty. She's here."
A small procession entered the theatre with an elderly Queen Elizabeth right in the middle of everything. Rose's eyes widened in surprise. The Queen stopped, and several emotions flickered over her face.
"Queen Elizabeth the First!" the Doctor cheered.
"Rose!" The bright way the Queen said her name surprised Rose. The older woman smiled, causing her thick makeup to crease. She glanced at the others and smiled fondly but with a hint of exasperation at the Doctor. That, more than anything, made Rose believe that Queen Elizabeth the First did know them. "I should have suspected you were at the heart of this matter." The Queen chuckled and held her hand out towards Rose. "Come and tell me of these strange happenings."
Glancing at the Doctor, Rose was irritated when he just shrugged and gently pushed her forward. He was grinning, and Rose held back a sigh. The Queen was clearly familiar with them, but she had yet to meet her. One more temporarily complex relationship to add to the list. Still, she walked off the stage and managed not to jump when the Queen took her hand and turned to walk with her out of the theatre. The Queen shifted her and linked their arms as if it was something that occurred frequently.
"Is the threat to the realm resolved?" Elizabeth asked urgently.
"Yes," Rose assured her, uncertain of what else to do. "It is."
"It is regrettable that Master Shakespeare has not, in fact, mastered such a spectacle himself, but I suppose I must be content with the knowledge that my realm is safe."
Rose glanced over her shoulder. The Doctor, Jack, and Martha were following close behind. Jack and the Doctor both looked tremendously amused, while Martha seemed confused and a touch worried. Rose didn't blame her for that. Clearly, the Queen had met them before.
"Thank you, Doctor, for keeping the damage to a minimum this time," the Queen added. She chuckled and touched Rose's arm with her free hand. "I was starting to doubt your assurances that such a thing was possible."
"He has his days," Rose managed.
"Hey!" the Doctor huffed. He trotted up to the Queen's other side. None of the guards made any move to stop him. "A little less insult, please, though I can understand Rose being your favourite."
"Rose is the favourite of anyone who meets the pair of you," the Queen replied dryly. "Well, if I am not to have a performance, then I must insist on your company for a meal and a retelling of the events."
"Does this happen often?" Martha whispered to Jack behind them.
"No," Jack laughed. "Well… on occasion. Just go along with it. Should be fun."
Behind them, Shakespeare just laughed.
…..
Martha's brain hurt. She was tired. A bone-deep tiredness that managed to outweigh even her worst nights at the hospital. Everything was just… it didn't make sense. They'd been taken to the Queen's palace, nothing as grand as Buckingham, and piles of food had been laid out in the main hall. Martha's stomach was a little unsettled now due to the high fat and sugar context. It was no wonder that the Queen had bad teeth if that was how she ate.
But the Doctor, Rose, and Jack had been fine with all of it. Rose was clearly the Queen's favourite though Rose had changed the subject lightly whenever the Queen referenced something in the past. Jack had whispered to her that those things probably hadn't happened to Rose yet. Martha had questions but didn't dare ask at the palace. She didn't know how to ask at all. The questions were there, but the words weren't. It was a whole other language, a different syntax, and she had no idea.
Instead, she focused on the tapestries on the walls and the small details of the palace. It was nice. Elegant in a way that didn't appeal to her, but she could still appreciate it. A few nobles and officials were breezing in and out of the large hall. Curious glances were cast their way, but no one asked the Queen about them. One of them was a black man who quickly gave the Queen an update on something in Dover before slipping out again. Her head hurt, and the beer was terrible.
"You okay?" Jack asked softly. He leaned over to talk with her while the Doctor and Rose spoke with the Queen. The Doctor was almost vibrating in his seat.
"I have no idea what is happening anymore," Martha murmured.
"Ah… there it is." Jack chuckled. "Witches and Shakespeare, no problem, but I figured it would hit you eventually."
"Hit me?"
"Culture shock." Jack nodded at the Doctor and Rose. "Time travel is like that the first few times. Something will happen that will drive it home."
Martha wasn't sure that was all of it. But maybe it was part of it. She was sitting in Richmond Palace's hall, a place she'd never even heard of before, and having a very rich and long meal with Queen Elizabeth the First. And the people she had just… left London with were totally fine with it. Shaking her head, Martha turned her attention to the unusual sugar desserts that had been brought out by the servants.
"When in Rome," Martha muttered.
…
It was late when they made it back across town to the TARDIS. Rose was tired, and she could see that Martha was dragging. The Doctor was still chipper and keeping a tight grasp on her hand.
"Well, that was fun," the Doctor said. He examined the crystal ball in his free hand. "Not what I expected this morning."
"How did you meet her?" Martha asked.
"We haven't yet," the Doctor confirmed. "Something to look forward to. Whenever it was, we left a positive impression."
"Or at least Rose did," Jack teased. "You less so."
The Doctor sniffed loudly as he unlocked the TARDIS. "Yes, well… we'll just have to see what happens." He gestured to everyone inside and bounded up to the console. He kept talking about Richmond Palace and Queen Elizabeth the First while taking them into the Time Vortex. "Right. Where to now?"
"Doctor, Martha has got to be tired," Rose said with a fond smile. "She was up most of last night with Peter, and we spent a large chunk of the day with the Queen." The Doctor stopped his rapid movement and blinked at Rose. "Humans need sleep," Rose added firmly.
"Right," the Doctor said as if the idea was a surprise to him. "Right, good point, Rose. Better get Martha a room for the night."
"Exactly," Rose replied. She turned her smile on Martha and nodded towards the hallway. "Come on, Martha. I can promise the rooms are better than the inn."
"Wouldn't take much," Martha said. Giving the Doctor and Jack a smile and a small wave, she followed Rose into the corridor. "How many rooms are in the TARDIS?"
"No idea," Rose replied. "She adds rooms as they are needed. Sometimes they are deleted, but that's rare. The Doctor and I sometimes explore the TARDIS to rediscover old rooms or find completely new rooms."
"You do know how mad that sound, right?" Martha asked. But she was smiling, her face sore from grinning so much.
"Completely," Rose agreed. "Oh, here we go. I think this is you."
A dark wood door was to their right. A small crescent moon painted green was in the upper part of the door. Martha eyed it, uncertain of why Rose would say it was for her.
"Uh? It doesn't look all that different from the other doors."
"The green crescent moon is a common medical symbol in the future and across the universe," Rose explained. "You're a medical student, and your medical knowledge helped us. I think the TARDIS is acknowledging that."
"You make the ship sound alive."
Rose turned to look at Martha, a spark of amusement in her eyes and a smile tugging at her lips. "She is. Life comes in a lot of different forms across the universe. The TARDIS is very much a living being with a mind all her own." Rose brushed her hand along the wall fondly. "She's a bit more active with companions than she used to be, according to the Doctor. But we'll talk more about that later if you like. I can see you swaying."
Martha hated that Rose was right, but the adrenaline of their time in Shakespeare's London was long gone. She hadn't gotten a lot of sleep in the inn the two nights they'd stayed there. Rose opened the door and nodded in satisfaction as she peered inside. Martha stepped into the room and looked around.
It looked like a very nice and large hotel room. The walls were the same coral pattern as the rest of the ship but a touch paler. A large bed with pastel green pillows and a duvet gave a spark of colour to the space and was framed by nightstands on either side. There was an empty bookshelf and desk against one wall, complete with a reading lamp and a small cup of pens and pencils. A wardrobe stood against the opposite wall next to another door and a full-sized standing mirror. Closer to the main door was a small sitting area with a dark green rug and two white armchairs. A small table, just perfect for holding a cup of tea and a book, was between the armchairs.
"That door leads to the bath," Rose explained, gesturing at the interior door. "There should be some basics there. Just put your dirty clothes in the lower drawer of the wardrobe, and they'll be clean in the morning."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I like to do laundry every week or so. I don't use that much, but I suspect you'll be more comfortable with your own things. There's a lot of options in the wardrobe room, so we should be able to get you whatever you need." Rose turned back to Martha. "I know it can be a bit much-"
"It's brilliant," Martha said. She grinned as she looked around. "This room is bigger than my flat." Martha wasn't even exaggerating that much.
Rose nodded her understanding. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
Martha collapsed back on the bed and sighed blissfully. "This mattress is amazing."
"You seem to be getting on fine," Rose laughed. "Get some sleep. Don't worry about an alarm. We should be able to keep the Doctor from waking you too early in his eagerness to go someplace."
"Early riser, is he?" Martha asked. She was trying to muster up the energy to climb off the bed and undress.
"He doesn't sleep as much as humans," Rose explained. She sounded both fond and resigned. "He's usually pretty good at remembering that the rest of us still need to sleep every night. Sleep well, Martha. If you need anything, just shout. The TARDIS will make sure we're alerted."
"Right," Martha forced herself to sit up. "Thank you, Rose. Pleasant dreams."
Rose nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Martha kicked off her shoes and forced herself to stand. The period dress was badly wrinkled at this point, but she couldn't help but smile. She opened the top of the wardrobe and was surprised to find the clothes that she'd been wearing when the Doctor picked her up, now clean, waiting for her, along with a set of simple but comfortable-looking pajamas. They were generic but looked her size. That was weird.
"Uh, thank you," Martha said awkwardly to the ceiling. She wasn't completely sure if the ship heard her or not, but decided it was better to take Rose's word for it about the TARDIS. After all, a couple of days ago, she hadn't believed that Time Travel was possible. Now… well, she'd just have to see what was out there in the universe.