Last of Their Kind

by ThyWanderer

Worn down from years of strife as the last of her kind, Madison once believed happiness was far from reach. Everything begins to change when she meets a man called the Doctor. As secrets and sorrows are shared between them, the pair finds comfort together amidst the stars. Madison can only hope that this time things will be different, even if the universe has other plans for her.

51. Chapter 51

I hope everyone has been well! Sorry, I'm going a little slower than normal with the updates. Currently working on a new story for an event in the Good Omens fandom for February. The story and fandom have me in a chokehold at the moment lol

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter!

---

Chapter 51

After a night of rest for them both (and maybe some more romps around the TARDIS), with a trip to the medical bay for a full body scan, the Doctor deemed Madison well enough to travel once again. There was a bounce in his step when announcing this. His eagerness to get going was contagious as she too felt herself become giddy. Ready to go and explore the universe once again. To think she believed she'd never get to do this again . . . But that was all in the past now. She was truly with her Doctor and they had all the stars at their fingertips. In fact, she was so excited to be back that she even asked if she could steer the TARDIS. Something both the Doctor and the TARDIS herself seemed more than happy for her to take the wheel again. Figuratively speaking, of course.

So, after some sleuthing on the Doctor's part to find out where Martha Jones would be, he eventually deemed a location worth meeting the medical student. Madison was quick to follow his directions, planting her hands on the console and feeling the universe turn around her. It was wonderful being able to connect with the old girl once more. The feel of the infinite expanse that made up the ship; the roaring power of the Time Vortex within and outside the ship . . . It took her breath away. She couldn't help but cry. The Doctor was quick to wrap her into a strong hug, worried for her. But she assured him that they were tears of joy. How could she not cry? She was back home where she truly belonged. She was quick to wipe away her tears when they arrived at the location where the Doctor had discovered the birthday party of Martha's young brother.

"So, according to Martha's neighbour, Janet, this should be where the Jones family is celebrating the brother's birthday. I'm only glad Martha had mentioned it in passing when she and I were admiring the Earthlight," the Doctor rambled on quickly, placing on his coat which had been hanging off a coral structure. The Time Lord paused, a sad frown passing over him. "She mentioned a cousin she lost at Canary Wharf."

"Do you think she and her cousin were close?" Madison questioned curiously as she too placed on her blue peacoat. The very same one she had forgotten in the console the day of that terrible battle. The Doctor had kept it in a wardrobe in their shared room. He had mumbled something about locking away painful memories. She was only grateful now that it would no longer cause him heartache.

"Might have been, yeah." The Doctor took her hand as they stepped out of the TARDIS together.

They had arrived in a back alleyway, with trash, bin bags, and graffiti scattered all throughout. Night had settled in, leading to a creeping chill over the place. It appeared to be a place behind buildings, left forgotten. There were a few posters pasted up onto some of the brick walls, making announcements of an upcoming election. The name 'Saxon' stood out more than anything. There it was again. That name she had heard on the radio. Must be some sort of important political figure. Madison glanced at the Doctor curiously, noting his brown pinstripe suit was back on.

"No blue suit this time?" she asked him curiously as they slowly walked down the alleyway.

"What, you don't like the brown?" he responded with a frown.

"No, I love the brown. I was just wondering about the blue. I love that one, too," Madison noted. She gestured for him to lean over, allowing her to quickly fix his crooked tie. She then patted his chest when finished. "Then again, you could wear a studded collar and all leather and I'd still love it on you."

The Doctor burst into laughter, shaking his head. "Now that's a thought. Don't tell me you've suddenly got a fetish while you were away."

"What?! No!" Her face swiftly grew hot in humiliation. "I do not have a fetish, thank you very much. I was just saying—oh, quit laughing." She poked him in the side as he continued to chortle.

"To answer your question," he said after finally calming down, "I sort of," he tugged on his earlobe then, seeming nervous, "wore the blue because wearing this suit . . . reminded me too much of my time with you."

She paused in step for a beat, her breath hitching. "Oh, Doctor," she whispered, squeezing his hand tenderly.

He returned her gesture, smiling then. "Don't worry. It's all in the past now. And, to make it better, I think I'll wear both suits. Mix it up from time to time. Keep them guessing."

She flashed a brilliant smile, nodding in agreement. "Love that idea." She walked alongside him again, stopping only when they reached the end of the alleyway. Across the road, there was a tavern, with a banner hanging above the door with a HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEO written across it. Loud music could be heard coming from the tavern. People could be seen from the shaded windows, moving about or chatting merrily. There most certainly was a party occurring judging by the loud cheering taking place.

"Do you think we should go inside?" Madison wondered aloud.

"Nah, let's wait here for now. It's getting late. I'm sure Martha will be out soon enough." The Doctor leaned against the wall beside him, eyes locked on the tavern to watch any signs of the medical student.

Madison shifted on her feet, her mind wandering now to other things. "So, you mentioned eight months passing after . . . Did you travel alone for all those months?" She had been wondering about his travels since their goodbye on that hilltop in Italy. She worried about bringing up painful memories for him, but her curiosity about what had happened since she had been gone was eating away at her. She needed to know if he had really been alone for so long. If he had refused to travel with anyone again . . . what would have happened to him if she hadn't managed to make it back to him?

"Well, there was this one woman. Her name was Donna Noble. She arrived in the TARDIS the moment I lost connection with you that day. Transported right into the console room because she had been secretly fed Huon particles by her ex-fiance in the HR department, who had actually been working for the Racnoss . . . Anyway, point is, I had asked her if she wanted to join me after we were done draining the Thames. But she declined. After that," he shrugged, avoiding her gaze, "I was just . . . wandering."

A sense of guilt came over Madison then. It was her fault really in making the Doctor think he couldn't find a new companion to be by his side. She hated the idea of him travelling alone. Even if he wasn't any longer, she still felt as though there was a void now in his hearts. Something was lost after the Battle of Canary Wharf. She grabbed his hand that she had let go of a moment ago, holding it tightly as she made him look at her.

"No more travelling alone," she whispered, watching as he smiled softly at her.

"Don't worry. It wasn't going to be like that forever. I was just . . . waiting for the right person to come along." He lifted her hand, holding it close to his chest after kissing it. "I think I found her."

"And she found you," came Madison's gentle reply.

After a moment he dropped her hand again. "You would have liked Donna. Redhead. Fiery spirit. And she could give one hell of a slap." He rubbed his left cheek as if still feeling pain there.

With a laugh, Madison shook her head in amusement. "She slapped you?"

"I, erm, may have deserved it," the Doctor admitted, blushing lightly as he cleared his throat hastily. "Look, seems someone's coming this way." He nodded towards the tavern, making Madison look just in time to see a blonde woman—with pale skin and wearing an outfit which left little to the imagination—storming out of the place. A man was trailing after her, seeming to be pleading with the woman as she stood there fuming. Soon another woman came out, with dark curly hair, shouting at the blonde. It was hard following what they were saying as more people came out. Another woman in a party dress, a young man in casual attire, and Martha. All of them, except for Martha, were talking at once in an argument with each other. Only Martha appeared to be calm, trying to appease the group by the looks of it. In the end, the group dispersed, going separate ways in a huff. Alone Martha stood, seeming at a loss and drained from the situation.

"Oh, dear. Poor Martha. She looks so . . . exhausted," Madison noted as she observed the scene. Glancing at the Doctor, she could see him closely observing the woman as well. "Maybe it's a good thing we came. Going to medical school on top of family drama? I think she deserves a break."

"Couldn't agree more," the Doctor responded with a nod. He and Madison then looked at Martha again, giving a wave at the same time to get the woman to notice them. Soon Martha did, blinking for a moment as though she could hardly believe it. The Doctor gave a wave to follow before grabbing Madison's hand and directing them both back down the alley. Soon, they were standing in front of the TARDIS, waiting patiently for Martha's arrival. It was not long of a wait before Martha came round the corner and stood a few feet away, smiling as though relieved to see them again.

"I went to the Moon today," Martha said to them, as though she could still hardly believe the occurrence had happened in the first place. Maybe she could hardly believe they were real, either.

"Bit more peaceful than down here," the Doctor replied, giving a head tilt towards the tavern they had left behind.

"You never even told me who you are," Martha said as she walked closer to them. "Either of you. Not really."

Madison could see the Doctor's brows furrowed and a confused twitch on his face. "I'm the Doctor? I thought I said that already."

"No, I mean, what sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that." Martha stopped just before them, looking at the two now.

"I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor answered while Madison shifted uneasily on her feet. She could feel him grab her hand, holding it in comfort.

Martha nodded slowly, brow arched as she made a small noise of scepticism. "Right. Not pompous at all, then," she remarked sarcastically. Her eyes shifted to Madison then. "Are you the same as well? Suppose 'Time Lady' would be you, right?"

"No, I'm . . . I'm . . . I'm not the same," Madison replied, struggling to answer truthfully. Again, old habits of hiding and ancient fears are ingrained in her. Mers have been in hiding as far back as human history went. How could she think it would be safe to merely blurt it out now after all these centuries? Then, she thought about Rose. And Mickey. Pete, Jackie, and Reinette. All those humans so far who accepted her without so much as a second thought. And soon, Madison grew the courage to say, "I'm a Mer."

Martha tilted her head slightly, her gaze turning curious. "'Mer'? Is that short for something?"

"Yes," was all Madison replied. It was the last thing she would say on the subject. Her wariness on broaching the entire subject of Mer and Mer history seemed far too daunting for the time being.

Martha seemed to sense that this would be the end of the conversation. A small nod was given before she looked between the two of them in question. "Alright. A Time Lord and a Mer. Interesting couple you two make. So are there many more of your species running around Earth I should know about?"

Madison and the Doctor shared a glance before the Time Lord shifted on foot and cleared his throat, saying, "We just thought . . . since you saved my life and all . . . you might fancy a trip."

"We really want to give you a reward of sorts. As a thank you for everything you did for us," Madison added, giving the woman a kind smile. "And the TARDIS can take you anywhere. To wondrous places, you could only dream about."

"What, into space?" Martha questioned, already her expression shifted into uncertainty. "And what sort of name is that? 'TARDIS'?"

"It's what she's called. Time And Relative Dimension In Space," the Doctor answered.

"I know, it's an overwhelming thought at first. But trust me, the first time you are in the TARDIS, you'll wish it was in your life sooner," Madison was quick to say, trying to reassure the woman.

Martha shook her head, her hair up in a messy short style bouncing slightly from the movement. "But I can't, I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent. I got my family going mad."

"Oh, she travels in time, too. That's where she gets most of her name from, actually," Madison interrupted, smiling as she patted the wooden door frame fondly. She felt the returning wave of warmth within her from the ship. The old girl showing her own fondness. "The TARDIS can do it all. Space and time. Your pick."

"If that helps," the Doctor added, nodding.

Now Martha rolled her eyes, scepticism oozing off of her. "Get out of here."

"We can!" the Doctor countered, a slight frown on his features.

"Come on, now, that is going too far."

Madison raised a brow, turning herself to the Doctor. "You did wonder why you took your tie off in front of Martha. Now seems to be your chance."

The Doctor grinned, seeing what Madison was saying. "You're right. I can prove it. Hold on." He stepped into the TARDIS and Madison took a few steps back.

"You'll want to watch this part," she said to Martha, a sly smile on her face as she nodded to the ship. Together, the two of them watched and listened as the ship wheezed and vanished into the air. Leaving behind a distant echo of the sound of the universe. Madison closed her eyes as she listened to it, feeling a happy tear fall briefly down her face before she hurried to wipe it away. It was a sound from her dreams. A sound she thought she'd never hear again. Oh, how much she loved that sound. She looked then when she saw Martha walking over, her hand waving in the air where the ship had been.

"Careful. She'll be materialising for her return shortly. You might want to stand back again," Madison warned her, watching in amusement as Martha gave a little jump when she spoke.

"But how . . . How did it do that?" Martha questioned, stepping back as instructed.

"I'm not really certain, actually. The Doctor tends to never explain how the TARDIS works. In the end, I suppose I'm just glad that she does."

Now Martha frowned again, looking at Madison for answers. "You keep saying that. 'She'. The ship isn't alive, is it?"

Madison nodded in enthusiasm. "Oh, yes. You should probably know that now before we get started. That, and she translates for you. Any language in the universe, for the most part. She's telepathic, so she can read your mind and know how you feel. Over time, if you really practise, you can even feel what she's feeling as well. Though talking out loud works just the same as a form of communication. Just don't expect her to answer you. She, herself, cannot speak." She giggled then when she saw the wide-eyed expression on Martha's face. "Trust me. A sentient ship is the least strange thing you'll encounter when travelling on the TARDIS."

It was then that they heard the arrival of the TARDIS again. Madison smiled while Martha backed away, startled. The two watched as the ship slowly came back into view as it wheezed its guttural sound. Soon, the Doctor stepped out of the ship, holding his tie in hand and the collar of his shirt a mess. Madison walked over to him after he sent Martha a knowing look, allowing the mermaid to help him place back on his tie. She straightened it with a smile, chuckling as he winked at her.

"Had fun playing around with time?" she asked lightly. "That was a cheap trick you did there, you know."

"Oh, I know," he said, taking her hand and kissing it before the two of them turned back towards Martha. "Told you."

"No, but . . . that was this morning. But . . . Did you . . ." Martha appeared almost too stunned for words, her gaze as wide as ever. Finally, reality seemed to sink in. "Oh, my god, you can travel in time! But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go into work?"

"Paradox," Madison answered. "You needed to be there to get to where you're at now. Um . . . I explained that right, yes?" She looked to the Doctor then for confirmation.

"Basically," the Doctor shrugged, nodding lightly. "And crossing into established events is strictly forbidden . . . Except for cheap tricks."

Looking back at Martha, Madison shrugged as well. "And it's not like you would have believed him even if he did tell you."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Martha said, her eyes shifting to the blue box behind them. Her face slowly lit up with an excited gleam in her brown eyes. "And that's your spaceship?" Martha walked over to the ship, touching and rubbing the wood on the outside. "Your spaceship's made of wood. And there's not much room . . . The two of you must feel a bit intimate when travelling." A smirk was sent their way as Martha eyed them.

The Doctor then casually opened the door, allowing it to swing inwards to give Martha the full view of the inside. He and Madison snickered as Martha's eyes widened, her mouth gaped as she slowly stepped inside. Madison followed the Doctor as they too went inside the ship, standing by the railing close to the still-open door as they watched Martha. The woman was quick to back away, running around the ship on the outside to inspect it.

"But it's just a box. But it's huge!" they heard the woman exclaiming. She kept on talking rapidly as she went around the back of the ship.

Madison couldn't help but laugh, amused by the woman's bewilderment. She heard the Doctor chuckling beside her. "Every time," she heard him mumble. "Well . . . not every time." She then felt him touch her shoulder, making her look to see a warm smile on his face.

"I was amazed, but given how you were an alien, I assumed it was normal," she responded quietly while they still heard Martha's heels clicking on the pavement. "Plus there was a plastic Mickey after us. I had bigger concerns that day." She earned herself another chuckle from him just as Martha reentered the ship.

"It's bigger on the inside!" Martha finally exclaimed, finished with her astonishment for now. Madison noticed the Doctor mouthing the words along with the woman. Was this something people said often? She recalled Rose saying this as well. She wondered if Sarah Jane had, too.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed," the Doctor spoke up then, sounding rather sarcastic as he finally closed the door of the ship behind Martha. He then proceeded up towards the console, throwing off his coat onto a coral pillar as he did. "All right then, let's get going." Madison walked over to the console as well, waving for Martha to join them.

"But is there a crew?" Martha asked as she came over closer to the console. "Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?"

"It's just us," the Doctor replied rather absently as he focused on working the controls, ready for their first flight. "Don't really need anyone else. I've got Maddie here able to steer the TARDIS better than even I can. And I don't often admit that."

"That's only because of the Siren and the TARDIS's connection. I would be horrible at it otherwise," Madison corrected him, shaking her head lightly.

"You mentioned that before. 'Siren'. What is that exactly?" questioned Martha, frowning as she stared at Madison.

"The Siren is an entity from the Time Vortex. It's this sort of . . . corridor through time and space. The TARDIS travels through it all the time," Madison began explaining.

"It's a dimensional plane where time and space meet, intersecting at an angle determined by non-Euclidean geometry," the Doctor added, eyes still on the console as he walked around to fiddle with different dials and knobs.

Madison just nodded in agreement, knowing he was far better at explaining it than she ever would be. "Right. Yes. And some entities live within the Vortex. Some events occurred during my first year of travelling with the Doctor, I looked into the Vortex—which you should never do—and now I have one of those entities living inside me. She's called the Siren. She's very powerful but is limited in power due to my body. So she sleeps mostly in the back of my mind, only coming out when I need her the most."

Martha seemed to take the explanation well, slowly nodding as she appeared to process it. "So . . . you have some kind of . . . thing living inside you that can do . . . what exactly?"

"I'm not certain. Mostly she can kill things who wish to harm me. Like that Slab. She burned it into ashes." Seeing Martha's uneasiness, Madison felt maybe she shared too much. Biting the inside of her cheek, she shifted on the spot. She always worried about telling people she was Mer, but perhaps she should begin to keep the existence of the Siren a secret as well. "The Siren won't harm you, so don't worry. She's not a cruel being. Just one who lashes out when I, or my friends, am in danger. So if I begin to glow golden light, just, ah, keep your distance."

Martha eventually blinked before shaking her head lightly. "Right. Okay. Good to know, then." Her attention shifted around the room once more. "But is it really just the two of you?"

"Well, sometimes we have guests," the Doctor stated, his gaze briefly leaving the console to look at Martha. "I mean, some friends travelling alongside. We had . . . It was recently . . . Friend of ours . . ."

Seeing the Doctor struggling to speak on it, Madison decided to speak for him. She was gentle with her words as she walked over to the Doctor, grabbing a hand which lay on the edge of the console, entangling their fingers together. "Her name was Rose. She was a very dear friend of ours. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, she's now in another universe where we can never see her again. It was where I had just come from before arriving at the hospital. I was trapped there, in that universe. And I managed to cross dimensions to come back."

The Doctor met Madison's gaze, eyes shining as he smiled. "Yes, you did. Something so . . . impossible, yet you did." Then he cleared his throat and looked back at the controls. "And Rose is fine. She's with her family. Happy. She's fine, she's . . . Anyway. So, one trip. To say thanks. One trip. Then me and Maddie need some time alone."

Raising a brow, Martha looked between the two of them. "Right. Okay, then." She walked around the console, trailing her fingertips along the edge as she came closer to them. "And you two are . . . 'life partners'? What is that, a code word for married?"

Her face flushing, Madison stuttered somewhat, her voice catching in her throat. Married? She had never been in a marriage before. Not even with David. The two of them had decided it would be best to remain just as lovers since, if they were married, it would be harder to explain away the age difference as David grew older. But now . . . it could be different with the Doctor, couldn't it? No, no, she doubted he would ever wish to marry her. The lifespan difference was too much of a hardship for the Doctor to wish to marry the likes of her. That, and she doubted he ever wanted to marry again after losing his wife during the war. Though he never really talked about his past wife and his children and his grandchildren, he mentioned enough over the two years they knew one another for Madison to paint a clear enough picture. She felt him squeeze her hand then, making her realise with a start that they were still touching. Oh, dear. Had he heard all of her thoughts? She glanced at him, seeing him not exactly looking at her. More or less his eyes were locked on Martha.

"'Life partners' is exactly what it means. We're partners for life. Always together," he answered, again holding Madison's hand a little firmer than before.

Martha gave a firm nod, crossing her arms as she frowned at the Doctor. "Then that kiss—"

"That was a genetic transfer," the Doctor swiftly countered, sounding defensive. But soon his shoulders fell somewhat and he let go of Madison's hand to tug on his earlobe. "Actually, about that. I, ah, I shouldn't have done that." He sighed as he dropped his hand from his ear, apologetic in his gaze at the medical student. "I should have asked permission before doing that to you. I'm sorry."

Taken aback, Martha blinked before slowly nodding. "I appreciate the apology. Really, I understand why you did it, but . . . yeah, a warning next time would be nice. And maybe a genetic transfer without kissing, yeah?"

"Understood." The Doctor smiled as he gave a small salute gesture with his two fingers.

"He does tend to think before acting at times. So, just forewarning now. Oh, and he's terribly rude," Madison added in, snickering when noticing the Doctor pout at her.

"But you like the rude," he said, his bottom lip sticking out somewhat.

Madison gave him a sly smirk, leaning against him. "Oh, yes, I love the rudeness. Just as I love the tight suit of yours."

Grinning again, he waggled his brows. "Oh? Am I still foxy then?"

"Always foxy." She laughed as he kissed her cheek with glee.

There came a throat clearing, making the two look over to see Martha looking rather bemused. "You do realise I'm still here, yeah?"

With her face heating up, Madison was quick to hit a random lever, avoiding the woman's gaze. "Yes, so sorry. We, um . . . tend to . . . forget ourselves." She heard a snicker from the Doctor, and she was quick to send him a sharp eye.

"Yeah, I can see that," Martha said, a chuckle heard in the back of her throat. She appeared excited then as she walked around the console, eagerly staring at the time rotor in the centre. "So, where are we going then?"

"Hang on, just got to close down," the Doctor hit a lever, "the Gravitic Anomalyser." Turned a knob. "Fire up the Helmic Regulator." He stopped at the last lever, smirking at the two beside him. "And finally, the handbrake." He placed his hand on the lever, ready to pull it. "Ready?"

"No," Martha breathed, her body practically vibrating now with anticipation.

"Yes," whispered Madison, her voice caught in a breath as she too was gleeful for what was to come. She hurriedly glanced at Martha. "You might want to hold onto something," she warned their newly found friend. Martha followed Madison's example and held onto the edge of the console. The Doctor, grinning at them, yanked the lever down. The entire ship then rocked, making them all bounce and stumble in place as the time rotor groaned. The Doctor fell back into the jumpseat while Martha and Madison held onto the console with a struggle.

"Blimey! It's a bit bumpy!" Martha exclaimed over the sound of the ship loud groaning and wheezing.

Madison laughed as she leaned over the console, planting her hands on the surface to help steady the TARDIS a bit more. "I did warn you."

"Welcome aboard, Miss Jones!" called the Doctor as he pulled himself out of the seat and back to the console, gripping a few levers as he kept on stirring the ship. He held out his hand to shake it with Martha's.

"It's my pleasure, Mister Smith. You too, Miss Baker." With a gleam in her eyes, Martha yelped in delight as the TARDIS gave another mighty bounce, partially sending them up off their feet. It was a moment of watching the Doctor hurry around the console to spin dials and pump some handles before Martha began to ask questions. "Where are we going?"

"Back in time! Had an idea, and decided to go through with it," the Doctor answered her.

"But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?"

A short laugh left Madison as she looked at the young woman. "Good luck getting a straight answer on that one. I'm still asking about it."

"Oh, sure, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything," the Doctor spoke loudly over the ruckus that was happening within the ship. "Really, I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. You don't want to know, it just does."

"You just think we're not smart enough for the answer," Madison responded pointedly.

"I didn't say . . . Yes, alright, so I think it'll just be too complicated for lower life forms." The Doctor grabbed a mallet, banging it on the console for a moment. His foot then came up, hitting a lever around where he couldn't reach. "Besides, it's not like it matters in the end. As long as I get us there, that's the point of it all." He then stumbled over to a spinning wheel, making it take a few turns. "Hold on tight!"

All three of them fell back from the TARDIS. The Doctor and Madison barely managed to remain on their feet while their new friend fell back onto her rear end. Martha looked at the Doctor and Madison again after standing back up. "Blimey! Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?"

"Yes, and I failed. Now, make the most of it. I promised you one trip and one trip only," the Doctor responded absently as he went over and grabbed his coat, placing it back on. Madison grabbed Martha's red leather jacket that had fallen from the young woman's grasp, handing it over.

"Get ready. This is going to be fantastic," she said to Martha, beaming away when she saw the woman's excited glee coming back. They walked over to the Doctor who stood by the doors, waiting for them impatiently. Madison nodded towards the door, bumping into Martha's side lightly. "Go on. First step into the unknown."

"Did your first step feel as though it'll take your breath away?" Martha said breathlessly, seeming both anxious and eager to get going.

"Oh, most definitely. And trust me, the feeling never goes away." Watching Martha's bright smile before rushing over to the door, Madison slowly trailed behind, grabbing the Doctor's hand as he held it out for her.

Together, they followed Martha out of the TARDIS. They were met with the sight of old London. From a time far long since passed given the sight of things. The walls of the buildings around them were made of old stone, chiselled without much care in the making of them. Clothes were seen hanging around lines all over the place, either in the fronts of the buildings or high above on the upper levels. Flames from torches blew in the wind, lighting up the dirt streets and stone buildings. The neigh of a horse echoed off the walls, coming from somewhere nearby. People were mingling about, walking to and fro, chatting with each other. Some were dressed nicely in Elizabethan attire. Others dressed more in rags than clothes, covered with grime on their faces. Some children ran past the trio, laughing in jubilation. A smile tugged at Madison's lips as she watched the children. There was a part of her that wished to lick her thumb and wipe away the smudges she saw on their faces. An old habit her mother used to do with her, which then Madison would sometimes do to David. Much to his amusement back then.

"Oh, you're kidding me," she heard Martha saying just under her breath. "You're so kidding me!" she then said a bit louder. "Oh, my god, we did it! We travelled in time!" There was a pause for a moment while a man passed right by them. "Where are we? No, sorry. Got to get used to this whole new language. When are we?"

There came a call from above and Madison felt herself being swiftly yanked back. The Doctor held her and Martha back just as unsanitary contents were tossed out a window from an upper floor, splattering on the ground right at their feet. Yes, something about the past Madison did not miss. Indoor plumbing had been a godsend in her opinion.

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that," the Doctor mumbled after the woman above finished dumbing her chamber pot.

"I've seen worse. I worked the late-night shift, A&E," Martha said, waving away the occurrence as though it were nothing.

"Oh, indoor plumbing. How wonderful it was when invented. I do not miss the days of outhouses and latrines, thank you," Madison recounted, shaking her head at the mess. The Doctor chuckled as he grabbed Madison's hand and began to walk around the mess at their feet, moving further into the city.

"But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?" Martha was swift to ask as she hurried to catch up with them.

"Of course we can. Why do you ask?" the Doctor responded, looking back at the woman in confusion.

"It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly, you change the future of the human race."

With interest piqued, Madison turned back to the woman. "Oh! Are you talking about A Sound of Thunder? That was an interesting film, wasn't it?"

Martha blinked and then nodded quickly. "Yeah, that's the one."

"Do you enjoy science fiction films more than others?"

"I do, yeah."

A firm nod was given before Madison turned back around to hold the Doctor's hand. "Don't worry. Time actually doesn't work like in most films you've seen. Things we do in the past are more or less meant to be. In fact, there was one time the Doctor and I had to rob a train that my past self was blamed for. I already lived being wanted for it, which in turn meant my future self had to commit the crime. Am . . . Am I making any sense?" She noticed the bewildered expression on Martha's face, making her then look at the Doctor for guidance. "Sorry, my explanation was disconnected, wasn't it."

"No, it made perfect sense to me," the Doctor said with a small shake of the head. He then glanced back at Martha, making a face. "Tell you what, don't step on any butterflies. What have butterflies ever done to you?"

Martha hurried to follow them as they pressed onwards. "What if . . . I don't know . . . What if I kill my grandfather?"

"Are you planning to?" the Doctor questioned with another glance towards the woman.

"No," Martha answered with a laugh.

"Well, then."

"And this is London?"

"It should be. I recognize the clothing to be Elizabethan," Madison noted. Suddenly, in alarm, she looked down at herself and then back at Martha who still had yet to place on her leather jacket. Her bare shoulders were showing for anyone to see. "Oh, dear."

"Yes?" the Doctor responded with a blink.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Not you. I meant, Martha and I are rather indecently exposed at the moment. Should we head back to the TARDIS to get more properly dressed?"

"Nah. It'll be fine. Not the first time you weren't following the latest fashion choice." The Doctor shook his head in dismissal, pulling Madison along further into the city.

"True, but the last time I almost had my head chopped off for it." She felt the Doctor's hand tighten around hers, gripping it rather hard. Gazing at him then, she could see a small storm swirling within his eyes in a flash.

"And if anyone tries to hurt you, they'll answer to me," he spoke in a low growl. Just as quickly as his turbulent mood came, it was gone, back to a more peaceful demeanour like before. "Besides, I've got my psychic paper. If anything goes wrong, I'll just say I'm the King of . . . something or another. I don't know, I think of somewhere by the time I need to use it." Madison was left giggling in amusement while the Doctor hushed her. "Anyway, it should be about, um, ooh, 1599."

"But . . . hold on. Am I all right?" Martha suddenly asked, earning the two's attention once more. She gestured vaguely at herself. "I'm not going to get carted off as a slave, am I?"

The Doctor and Madison stopped, both looking back at Martha with concern. Though, for different reasons between them. "Why would they do that?" the Doctor questioned, sounding rather bewildered.

There was a smile then from Martha. A tired smile as though she had dealt with similar questions before. The lack of awareness from others. "Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed," she replied while pointing at her face.

"If anyone dares try to harm you in any shape or form, they will have me to answer to. And I will fight them off with hands and teeth if I have to," Madison assured the woman swiftly, a small growl in her voice as she stepped up to the woman. Letting go of the Doctor's hand, she held Martha by the hands in a gesture of faith. "You have my promise, nothing will jeopardise your safety, Martha. I swear on my life."

Taken aback, Martha blinked at her for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Alright. Thanks. But really, you don't have to lay down your life or anything for me."

"Oh . . . sorry, yes. That was rather dramatic of me, wasn't it?" Madison laughed awkwardly, letting go of the woman's hands. "It was just . . . with Rose, I . . ." Her throat tightened then, making it hard for her to say anything else. Swallowing heavily, she turned back to the Doctor, grabbing his hand again and beginning to pull him along. "We should continue onwards, yes? I wish to see what is around here."

She hadn't realised it until this moment. But now that she was back in the old universe, back with her Doctor . . . there was some unacquainted grief just there in the back reaches of her heart. Now that the universes were finally closed for good this time . . . it was just now beginning to dawn on her that she had left behind a good friend. That Rose was now gone for good and they would never again spend time together. No more movie nights. No more comforting moments between the two. Just . . . gone. She knew she should be grateful for being with the Doctor once more. For Jack finding his way back into her life. For finding a new acquaintance with Martha, which might just turn into a friendship if everything went well. Still though . . . it had been one of the worst days of her life when the old west gang had to say their goodbyes. Madison hated letting go of any friendship. She hated goodbyes. And now . . . she had given her last goodbye to Rose without a second thought. What kind of friend was she to be so heartless?

"You are never heartless," said the Doctor in her mind then, squeezing her hand hard. "I know Rose. She would have understood why you left."

"I hope so. I would hate for Rose to feel disheartened by my departure," Madison remarked, the subtle grief still bubbling away within her heart. There was nothing else said between them. Only the feeling of the Doctor drawing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. The gesture alone was enough to calm her grief, allowing her to feel more at ease.

"You really don't have to worry about things like that. You'd be surprised. Things aren't as different from your time," the Doctor suddenly spoke, looking briefly at Martha who now walked beside him and Madison. He nodded his head when two women walked ahead of them. Both of them share the same skin colour as Martha. This seemed to appease their companion as Martha smiled lightly at the sight.

"Look over there," the Doctor went on, pointing at a man scooping horse manure. "They've got recycling." They came about some men standing around a barrel filled with water, drinking and talking. "A water cooler moment." Then they passed by a man spouting off about 'end times' rather loudly. "Global warming." Then the Doctor's smile grew wider as he looked at both Madison and Martha. "Oh, yes, and entertainment. Popular entertainment for the masses."

"Oh? What sort of entertainment are we discussing?" Madison could think of many things seen as 'entertainment' in this era. Many are not so pleasant. But seeing the Doctor's grin, she knew she and Martha were in for a treat.

"If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark," muttered the Doctor as he began searching for something in particular, turning in place as he took in their surroundings. He then yanked Madison along in a hurry, with her grabbing Martha's hand next to keep their companion in pace. "Right next to . . ." They were passing by stone bridges now, with the river right beside them. Growing closer and closer to . . . They came around a corner of a row of buildings, stopping with the Doctor as he stood proudly in place at the sight before them. "Oh, yes! The Globe Theatre!"

It was large. Larger than any of the other buildings in the surrounding area. Standing tall and proud within the Moonlight. Circular in design, it was clear the theatre was currently in use given the warm glow of yellow lights coming from the many windows of the structure. Madison had seen the Globe Theatre before, of course. In modern times on a tour once. Mostly out of curiosity more than anything. The building stood out with the modern setting of the 21st century. Now, it stood out just the same. Being a massive building built for one specific reason. She hadn't grown up around the theatre much. Some sideshows had been the main attractions she had witnessed over the years. Then, when motion pictures became more accessible, she had of course enjoyed those frequently. But a place for large stage plays? She could only think of a handful of times she had been able to afford such luxuries.

"Brand-new. Just opened. Though, strictly speaking, it's not a globe. It's a tetradecagon, fourteen sides, containing the man himself," said the Doctor, earning Madison's attention once again.

"Whoa, you don't mean . . .," gasped Martha as she placed on her leather jacket when a chilly wind blew on by. "Is Shakespeare in there?"

"Oh, goodness, are we going to be able to see him?" Madison said in delight, a slow smile spreading across her face. Giddiness began to overtake her when she saw the Doctor smile and nod.

"I remembered you saying you wished you were born during these times. You mentioned your parents got to meet Shakespeare, and I thought, why don't you get to as well," the Doctor told her, grinning as Madison leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"You take me on the best dates," she gushed, more than happy as indeed she had been envious of her parents meeting a historical figure. Though now, she had more than a few of those under her belt.

"Hold on, your parents?" blurted Martha in shock. Her mouth dropped somewhat as she stared at Madison. "Did your parents time travel, too?"

Shifting on foot, Madison debated for just a moment on whether or not to avoid the subject. However, Martha already knew about being non-human. Eventually, the subject of her people had to be discussed completely. "Ah, no . . . They lived during these times. Both of them had been born in the early Middle Ages see, and—"

"The early Middle Ages? No, hang on, if they were born then, that would make them . . ."

"Over a thousand years old, yes. However . . . neither of my parents are alive any longer." Seeing the stunned look on Martha, Madison nodded gravely. "Yes, my family is gone. I'm . . . alone, you see. As a Mer."

"I'm sorry . . . That must be hard," Martha said softly in sympathy, touching Madison's shoulder gently. "Did your parents visit Earth often?"

"Actually, Mer are from Earth. We live alongside humans." A small laugh escaped her when she saw Martha's look of astonishment. "Yes, I know. A rather strange concept for a human, isn't it?"

"No way. There aren't any other species living on Earth. Humans would know about them, wouldn't we?"

"You'd be surprised, actually. There are quite a number of other species living beside humans without any awareness at all."

"You're kidding!" With an amazed laugh, Martha seemed only able to shake her head for a moment. Then, she looked at Madison with bright interest. "How many other Mer are there, then? I mean, they're bound to get noticed eventually, yeah?"

In hearing this question, all humour and enjoyment drained away from Madison. Her face fell as she was quick to look away from Martha, avoiding the woman's gaze.

"Come on, we're going to miss the show at this rate," spoke up the Doctor, sounding annoyed. It was then that the Doctor swiftly pulled Madison along, forcing Martha to hurry after them. The Doctor then began rambling on things about Shakespeare and the time period they were in. Seemingly doing so to keep Martha preoccupied with where they were going. Madison leaned her head against the Doctor as they strolled through the city, appreciating him changing the subject so efficiently. She wondered then when there would be no avoiding the subject of being the last of their kind. Martha had the right to know . . . eventually.

Soon enough, they arrived at the theatre. People were slowly making their way into the place, chatting excitedly with each other. The Doctor easily got the three of them some tickets, allowing them to pass through without a second glance. Before long, Madison was pressed between the Doctor and Martha as the three of them stood near the stage. Many others were crowded around them, pressed up close and tight as the theatre was packed. Even the balconies were filled with people, all watching the stage eagerly for the play to begin. And soon, it did. It appeared as though the Doctor had brought them to the night Love's Labour's Lost was performing. Something Madison had never seen before, but had read on occasion. Shakespeare's comedies were more along the lines of her tastes than his tragedies, so the night's play was a delight. She found herself laughing more than once as the play progressed. In the end, when the play had finished, she clapped along with everyone else as the actors gathered on stage and began their bow to the audience. The noise grew louder still as people began roaring in cheers.

"That's amazing, just amazing," Martha gushed while she clapped with enthusiasm. "It's worth putting up with the smell."

"And the crowds," Madison muttered, wincing as she felt someone bumping her from behind. Oh, yes, the crowds. Not something she was fond of. It made her skin itch being so tightly packed into place. At least the play had distracted her from the uncomfortable experience. It helped though having the Doctor and Martha both there. She blinked when the Doctor placed an arm around her, pulling her closer to his side.

"Sorry, I didn't realise it'd be so crowded," he whispered into her ear.

"That's alright. I'm content to put up with it all if it makes Matha happy," she replied quietly in turn. She glanced towards Martha then, seeing the glee on the young woman's face.

"And those are men dressed as women, yeah?" Martha asked them then, not noticing the two's brief conversation.

"Yes, acting was seen as an indecent practice and not a credible profession," Madison answered, recalling her mother's complaint over the lack of women's rights over the eras. "It won't be until the mid-1600s when women in England are allowed to perform. Which is odd, given that in other places in Europe women are allowed in the profession quite easily."

"London never changes," the Doctor noted, nodding lightly.

"Where's Shakespeare? I want to see Shakespeare! Author! Author!" Martha said, beginning to chant briefly with her fist waving in the air. But she quickly halted herself, looking at the two beside her in uncertainty. "Do people shout that? Do they shout 'author'?" Suddenly, a man beside them began to shout the word as well. Slowly, the shout became a chant throughout the theatre, echoing around them.

"Well," the Doctor spoke as he glanced around the place, "they do now." Madison snickered, shaking her head as she watched the stage, hoping they would indeed see the author.

Soon, a man walked on stage, coming from behind the actors. It was a man with rich brown hair, with a scruffy beard and a cunning smile. He gave a small jump across the stage as he waved to the crowd. He was dressed in fine clothing, though overly so like that of the wealthy. Rather a black, leather long-sleeved jacket with golden buttons at the cuffs, with matching dark trousers and boots, with a white ruffled shirt which was opened and showing off the hair on his lean chest. All in all, he had a suave sort of appearance in Madison's opinion. Much different than all the pictures history books enjoyed using. She listened as the crowd roared in cheer when seeing Shakespeare on stage, shouting as he waved at them all.

"He's a bit different to his portraits," Martha commented aloud.

"I was just thinking the same thing. Must be of his later years," Madison replied, nodding in agreement. They watched a moment longer as Shakespeare touched hands with some of those closest to the stage before backing away and throwing kisses into the air towards others.

"Genius. He's a genius, the genius. The most human, human there's ever been," the Doctor began saying, appearing just as amazed by seeing Shakespeare as others in the audience. "Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words." Madison snickered quietly, feeling as though the Doctor were 'fangirling' as modern times would say. She too, however, watched in anticipation as Shakespear began opening his mouth.

"Oh, shut your big, fat mouths!" shouted the author, much to the delight of the audience as all began laughing in merriment. A small, startled laugh escaped her as well as she looked at the Doctor, seeing his stunned expression.

"Not what you were expecting, I take?" she teased him, bumping her hip against him.

"Oh, well," he mumbled as his shoulders sagged somewhat.

"You should never meet your heroes," Martha remarked, snickering at the Doctor's expression.

"You've got excellent taste. I'll give you that," Shakespeare continued on, making them listen. "Oh, that's a wig," he said while pointing to a man in the audience. More laughter followed. Shakespeare waved for them to settle. "I know what you're all saying, 'Love's Labour's Lost, that's a funny ending, isn't it?' It just stops. Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle. You'll find out soon." He paused for a moment when the audience began shouting 'when' at him. He waved a hand in dismissal. "Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush genius."

At that moment, just as Shakespeare began to bow to the audience, finishing his interaction with the audience, there came an unnatural jolt in his body. Madison tried watching as Shakespeare stumbled back a few steps, his eyes glazed over strangely as he stared off into space. But suddenly her vision swam with a golden hue. With a small gasp escaping her, she turned into the Doctor, hiding her face as she feared anyone seeing her eyes. Was her body glowing as well? Oh, no, not at a time like this. The melody came into her mind as well, echoing as the Siren appeared to be alerted to something.

"When? Tomorrow night," she heard Shakespeare announcing then. The crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer. Shakespeare kept speaking over them. "The premier of my brand-new play, a sequel, no less. And I call it Love's Labour's Won." The crowd grew louder then, whistling and shouting their praise and excitement. Madison could barely hear them all over the Siren's melody growing louder.

"You alright, Maddie?" she heard the Doctor mutter into her ear, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her closer to his chest. She lifted her face for him to see. He sucked in a breath, eyes widening at the sight of her eyes.

"The Siren. Something's spooked her," she breathed shakily.

"What's wrong?" she heard Martha asking behind her. The woman came around then to have a look at Madison, gasping when seeing the Mer's eyes. "Oh, my god. Is that . . . the Siren thing you warned me about?"

"Ssh. Keep your voice down," muttered the Doctor, throwing Martha a sharp eye. He then looked around them, keeping an eye out in case anyone was staring. But Madison patted his chest the moment her vision returned to normal and the melody trailed away.

"She's gone. I think she was trying to tell me something, a warning of sorts, but I couldn't tell what of," Madison told the two, seeing their gaze on her now.

"Come on, we better move," the Doctor muttered as the crowd began to shift. Everyone was heading outside, all chattering and muttering amongst one another in excitement. The trio walked with the crowd, bumping along the way as the masses moved together.

"Why would your Siren thing come out now of all times?" Martha wondered aloud, looking to Madison for answers.

"I don't know. Normally she only comes out like that if there's something dangerous around. The last time it happened there was this entity she called 'The Dark One'. Essentially, it was a being who had gone to war against the Siren and her kind long ago," Madison explained quietly, trying to not be overheard by others.

"Do you think this 'Dark One' is around again?"

"I don't know. I hope not. It . . . didn't go so well last time."

"You don't think it had anything to do with Shakespeare, do you? Now, I'm no expert, but I've never heard of Love's Labour's Won."

"Exactly. The lost play," said the Doctor, still having an arm around Madison and keeping her close. "Doesn't exist. I mean, rumours. It's mentioned in the list of his plays, but never ever turns up, and no one knows why."

"Mysterious play and a strange visit from the thing that lives inside Maddie. That can't be a coincidence," Martha commented thoughtfully.

Madison looked to the woman beside her, smiling then. "You called me 'Maddie'."

"Oh, sorry, I heard him saying it and I thought . . ." Martha blushed, seeming uncertain now.

"No, no, it's alright. I enjoy the nickname. It just makes me happy knowing you're more comfortable with me." Madison gave her a reassuring smile, earning a small grin in return.

They returned to the topic at hand. "How come it disappeared in the first place?"

"Well . . . with the Siren frightened by something . . . and the now a lost play coming out . . .," mumbled the Doctor, scratching at his ear in thought. Finally, he sighed, dropping his hand. "Oh, I was just going to give a quick little trip in the TARDIS . . . but I suppose we could stay a bit longer."

"Trouble?" Madison muttered, sharing a glance with the Doctor.

He gave a firm nod. "Trouble."

XxXxXxXxXx

It took some sleuthing on their end to find out where Shakespeare would be during the night. They knew that if they wished to figure out what was going on, then they needed to find the author before anything else. Things seemed to be centred around him at the moment. It made Madison wonder what could an author for playwrights possibly be a part of. Was Shakespeare aware of strange ongoings? Or was he simply oblivious to anything amiss? If the Siren had been alerted to something, then obviously it had to be of non-human origin. The only question was, how terrible of an entity were they about to face? She shuddered to think of another creature like that of the Beast from Krop Tor. How could they possibly ever face another creature such as that?

As luck would have it, they eventually found the location of Shakespeare's whereabouts. Apparently, the author was staying in an inn called The Elephant. A place where Madison felt as though she recognised the name, but could not recall where from. But soon enough, they arrived at the inn, and Madison placed that thought away from another time. The inn was rather crowded as it seemed to be a local pub as well during the night. She waited patiently with Martha by one of the only empty tables as the Doctor spoke with the landlady of the establishment. The innkeeper was a woman called Dolly Bailey during introductions with the Doctor that Madison could hear over the noise of people enjoying their drinks. A blonde woman who seemed to regard the three newcomers with a keen eye. She appeared wary of strangers with such odd clothing, but soon enough accepted the Doctor's coins and told them to wait near the bar down below while she was called away to bring drinks upstairs.

"Innkeeper bringing drinks to a special guest? I do believe that would be our Shakespeare," Madison noted when the Doctor came back over to her and Martha.

"You think so?" The Doctor looked up the stairs where Dolly had vanished too. A bright eye of interest coming from the Time Lord. "Well, why don't we make our introductions then, hmm?" He was quick to bound away, leaving Martha and Madison hurrying to catch up with him. They passed Dolly along the way, seeing how she had recently left a room just at the top of the stairs. The woman paused in step, looking back as if about to tell them off from being up there. The Doctor was swift to knock on the doorframe, poking his body around. "Hello! Excuse me. Not interrupting, am I? Mister Shakespeare, isn't it?" Madison could practically hear the wide grin on the Doctor's face as he stepped into the room.

"Oh, no, no, no. Who let you in?" came a groan from Shakespeare from within the room. Martha stepped up behind the Doctor first, with Madison close behind. She poked her head around Martha's shoulder, seeing two men sitting at the table facing towards Shakespeare who sat behind nearest to the large bay window. Shakespeare was seen with his eyes closed in frustration and rubbing at the bridge of his nose tiredly. "No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me, and please don't ask where I get my ideas from," grumbled the author. "Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove . . ."

It was by this point that the author opened his eyes to finally look at the Doctor. With hand slowly lowering from his face, the author's eyes trailed over to Martha first, then looked past the young woman straight at Madison. A flash of interest came from the man's eyes as he took in the sight of her and Martha. A slow intrigued smile spread across his face, with another spark of languid expression taking hold of the author's demeanour.

"Hey, nonny, nonny," he spoke then in a sultry manner. "One of you, please, sit right down here, next to me." The author then looked to his two fellows, waving them away. "You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go."

Dolly came into the room then, apparently having been close by to escort the newcomers out if need be. She patted one of the men's shoulders. "Come on, lads. I think our William's found two new muses." The woman sent a wink to Martha and Madison's way before she and the two men left the room.

Madison felt her face flushing slightly. Did she appear to be a muse to be so easily swayed? At least the attention seemed to be appealing to Martha as the woman had such a delightful smile spread across her face. She allowed the young companion to walk over to Shakespeare first, sitting down in the chair that would be closer to the desk. Madison hesitated but saw the encouraging wave of the hand from the author, so she decided to play along. For now. Though she did glance towards the Doctor, noting the unamused, tight-lipped smile the Time Lord had for the moment. She also noted the other woman in the room. It looked to be a maid from the way the woman dressed. The maid's head was bowed and appeared to be concentrating on cleaning in the small corner of the room. Frowning, there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of Madison's being as she pressed on and stepped forward further into the room.

"Sweet ladies," spoke the author after Madison took her seat beside Martha. "Such unusual clothes. So . . . fitted."

"Erm, verily, forsooth, egads!" Martha responded, seeming to be trying to fit in. Madison was quick to kick Martha's foot that was beside her as subtly as possible, clearing her throat pointedly. Martha looked at her in confusion and the Mer slightly shook her head, trying to not be obvious in correcting the companion.

"I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS," the Doctor then said briskly, pulling out his psychic paper and flipping it open for the author to view, "and these are my companions, Dame Madison Baker of TARDIS and Miss Martha Jones."

Shakespeare, staring at the paper in the Doctor's hand, seemed fascinated then. "Interesting. That bit of paper, it's blank."

The Doctor lowered his paper, stunned. "Oh, that's . . . Very clever, that proves it." The Time Lord's face transformed into delight. "Absolute genius."

"No, it says right there, 'Sir Doctor, Dame Madison, and Martha Jones.' It says so," Martha spoke up then, frowning as she pointed at the paper in the Doctor's hand.

"I say it's blank," countered Shakespeare, glancing the paper's way once more before his eyes set on Martha.

"Eh . . . psychic paper. Um . . . long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch," grumbled the Doctor, folding his psychic paper and putting it away.

"Psychic? I've never heard that before, and words are my trade," noted Shakespeare, resting his head lazily against his hand, with elbow propped on the armrest of his chair. "Who are you exactly?" Then, his eyes travelled to Martha and Madison, the flirtatious eye back into play. "More to the point, who are your delicious blackamoor and crimson-haired ladies?"

Madison gave a hard blink, taken aback from hearing this phrase after being away from these time periods for so long. Oh, dear. She glanced Martha's way, seeing the expression on the woman's face that spoke of feeling scandalised.

"What did you say?" scoffed the companion.

Shakespeare sat back in his chair, seeming uncertain now. "Whoops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl, a swarth, a Queen of Afric?" the author began listing off.

Martha apparently couldn't help but laugh. "I can't believe I'm hearing this." She looked at Madison and the Doctor then, seeming to hope to be confirmed if she should be insulted or not.

"Apologises, my good sir. Though those may be words used in local customs around these parts, you'll find we have abandoned such titles from where we hail," Madison spoke up then, hoping to stop any more names the author may, unfortunately, think were fine to use.

"It's political correctness gone mad," muttered the Doctor, who stood close to Madison, just behind her shoulder.

"And where do you hail from, my crimson lady?" Shakespeare leaned over his desk, eyes searching over Madison attentively. "With subtle inflexions as such with the way you speak—your hair of fire and eyes of emeralds—one might conclude that you come from the Gaelic clans from across the way."

Flabbergasted, Madison could only stare at him for a moment. Inflexions in her words? Did he mean her old accent? And here she thought she had practised enough over the years for no one to pick up on that. Yet it seemed that Shakespeare's ears were able to detect even the most subtle of idioms. "Impressive," she remarked, grinning lightly as she was indeed astounded by his master of words. "Yes, yah astonishin' ahbservation is indeed correct. You see, I'm actually sent 'ere frahm me clan as a secret ahperative to 'elp overthrow de monarchy. Though dahn't tell anyone, o' course." She finished her sentence with a sly wink, laying on her old accent thicker than normal as she tried to sound with the times.

Bursting into a belly full of joviality, Shakespeare leaned back in his chair as he threw back his head in his laughter. He ended up needing to wipe away tears from his eyes before leaning forward towards her once more. "Oh, dear lady, your facetious ways are most welcomed here," he said, still trying to control his wheezing laughs. "Such a feisty, fiery spirit I see in you. Your hair does well to match your temperament."

"I do try, Mister Shakespeare," she replied smoothly, chuckling herself.

"Oh, please, do call me 'Will'. All my humorous acquaintances call me as such."

Madison raised a brow, finding it funny how much she had amused him. "Alright. Will, then."

Shakespeare then turned his interest onto Martha next. "And you, good lady? Where do you hail from?"

"Ah, Martha's from a far-off land, Freedonia," the Doctor responded for the companion, seeming to wish to direct the conversation into more pressing matters. Madison glanced his way, seeing him rubbing an eye as he appeared rather nonplussed over the exchange which just occurred. Before anything else was said, as Shakespeare frowned thoughtfully at the strange place the Doctor named, there were hard footsteps heard approaching.

"Excuse me. Hold hard a moment," boomed a male's voice in annoyance. Madison turned along with the Doctor and Martha, seeing a man standing in the doorway. It was a man finely dressed in riches, with a large beard along his round face. The man glared hard at Shakespeare. "This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning. I demand to see a script, Mister Shakespeare," barked the man, stepping aggressively further into the room. "As the Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed."

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it round," the author promised the man.

The Master of the Revels narrowed his eyes. "I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!"

Shakespeare glared back. "I can't."

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled."

"It's all go around here, isn't it?" Martha whispered to the Doctor and Madison. Madison nodded lightly, noticing the maid from the corner of the room quietly leaving behind the man by the doorway.

They watched as the Master of the Revels turned, beginning to stomp away. "I'm returning to my office for a banning order." He turned back to Shakespeare for one last retort. "If it's the last thing I do, Love's Labour's Won will never be played." With this said, the man vanished downstairs, his steps heard marching on the steps at a quick pace.

There was an awkward silence in the room after the man's departure. Before long, Shakespeare muttered, "Damn that Lynley." Then he sighed, grabbing one of the drinks that Dolly must have set down for him earlier. "Well, there goes that one," he grumbled as he took a long gulp from his drink. He nodded then to the other two drinks sitting on the table. "Do help yourselves, fine ladies. I'd hate for good drink to go to waste. And I do not wish to be tempted to drink them all myself."

Martha was the one to grab a drink, sniffing it thoughtfully before taking a small sip. She made a face at first, then gave a shrug. "Well then, mystery solved. That's Love's Labour's Won over and done with," the young woman remarked. "I thought it might be something, you know, more mysterious."

"It cannot be that simple," Madison muttered under her breath. The inkling of a gut feeling was still within her, knowing that something was not quite right here. There came a sudden onset of a golden glow in her vision and a melody in her mind. She turned swiftly so that Shakespeare would not notice, looking instead at the Doctor so he would see. He stiffened, staring at her in concern as the glow and melody faded away again. She and the others were startled then when there came a cry of a man followed by a piercing scream of a woman.

The Doctor was the first to bolt out of the room. Madison followed closely behind, feeling Martha and Shakespeare just on her tail. Going out of the inn and into the cobble street, there came an alarming sight. Lynley, the Master of the Revels, was seen stumbling across the way, water spurting out of his mouth in gushing swells. Some of which flew far across the way, hitting the sides of buildings or people who stood around horrified. Lynley clutched at his throat, his face turning blue as he struggled in place.

"It's that Lynley bloke," gasped Martha.

"What's wrong with him?" the Doctor wondered aloud, staring at the sight in bewilderment. As another spurt came out of the man's mouth, the Doctor hurried forward. "Leave it to me, I'm a doctor. Maddie, stay back," he said then to the people who stood around, watching the sight unfold.

"So am I. Near enough," added Martha as she too rushed forward. Madison stood next to Shakespeare, knowing she was useless to help. She had no idea what to do for the poor man. What sort of thing could be causing this? She watched instead as the Doctor and Martha helped keep Lynley upright as water continued to pour out of the man's mouth. His body slowly suffocated from whatever was happening to him. Then, the man gave a gurgling cry as his body jolted and he collapsed to the straw-covered ground. Martha went with him, head hovering over his chest.

"Can't get the heart going," Madison heard the young woman mutter as the Doctor rushed away towards the direction Lynley had stumbled from. Madison went over to Martha then, crouching down by the man on the ground. "Mister Lynley! Come on. Can you hear me?" Martha continued to call to the man, touching his blue face. "You're gonna be all right." She began pinching his nose and tilted his head to open his mouth. A spurt of water shot out of him then. Madison gasped as she felt herself being pulled back and away.

"Watch it!" the Doctor exclaimed as he helped Madison up and away from the water. He looked at her in concern. "Did it get you?"

"No, I'm fine," she assured him. Her gaze shifted to Lynley on the ground once more. "Is there anything we can do for him?"

The Doctor kneeled down, inspecting the clearly deceased Lynley. "I've never seen death like it. His lungs are full of water. He drowned," he spoke low so that only Madison and Martha could hear him. "I don't know, like a blow to the heart. A visible blow." The Doctor stood then, turning to Dolly who was hovering beside Shakespeare. "Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural, if unfortunate, demise. Call the constable, have him taken away."

"Yes, sir," replied Dolly, turning to go. But Madison saw the maid from earlier coming out of the inn, touching Dolly's shoulder.

"I'll do it, ma'am," said the maid before turning and hurrying off. Madison watched the maid go for a moment before crouching beside the Doctor who kneeled once more. The trio all hovered around the dead man to whisper to each other.

"Why are you telling them that?" Martha questioned the Doctor then.

"This lot have still got one foot in the Dark Ages," the Doctor explained, his voice as low as possible as he spoke. "If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft."

Martha nodded, staring down at the deceased Lynley once more. "Okay, what was it, then?"

"Witchcraft," the Doctor answered gravely.

Blinking for a moment, Madison could only stare at the Doctor. Martha was about the same, brow furrowed in confusion. "What?" gaped the young woman.

"Suppose that's another thing to cross off my list?" muttered Madison with a shake of her head.

Eventually, after the crowd of people had died down and the constable came with some men to collect the body from the street, the Doctor suggested that they all return to the inn for the night. It was getting rather late, after all. Even Madison was beginning to feel weary from the hours that had passed. She followed along with the others, with Shakespeare asking for a quick word from the trio before they retired for the night. Dolly mentioned a room had been made for them finally as they entered the author's study. As the inn was booked, it seemed the trio would have to share for the night. The Doctor nodded to Dolly as the landlady soon left.

"Poor Lynley. So many strange events," Shakespeare noted as he sat against his desk, eyes fixed on the Doctor, Madison, and Martha. "Not least of all, this land of Freedonia, where a woman can be a doctor." Madison winced, realising their mistake. Of course, he had been standing right there when Martha had made her comment. How careless of them.

"Where a woman can be what she likes," Martha replied proudly, making Madison exhale through her nose. Not the best response, given how observant Shakespeare appeared to be. She tensed as the author's thoughtful eyes turned to her next. The way he gazed at her then . . . it was as though he were seeing right through her. All the years of masks and hiding, peeled away by his enlightened eye.

"And you, a woman who hides behind masks, keeping herself unseen even in plain sight," Shakespeare commented. Remaining silent, Madison only stared at him uneasily. The author's gaze shifted to the Doctor then. "And you, sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?"

Keeping his eyes equal with Will's, the Doctor only countered with, "I do a lot of reading."

There was a nod given in return from Shakespeare. "A trite reply, yeah? That's what I do." The author smiled as he looked at Madison once again. "Your eyes are old as well. Not as old as your Doctor's, though still . . . far wearier than your face reveals." Then once more shifted his eyes to Martha. "And you, you look at them like you're surprised they exist. They are as much of a puzzle to you as they are to me."

"I think we should say good night," Martha spoke then, seeming uneasy and ready for departure from the author. Madison watched the woman leave, heading for their shared room. She happened to catch Shakespeare still staring at her when she turned her gaze back. But then he looked at the Doctor once more.

"I must work. I have a play to complete," the author stood from the chair on which he had been sitting, walking around the desk towards his papers. "I'll get my answers tomorrow, and I'll discover more about you two and why this constant performance you both wish to give."

"All the world's a stage," said the Doctor in parting words.

"Hmm. I might use that," Shakespeare responded with a thoughtful hum. "Good night, Doctor. Miss Baker."

"Just Madison is fine," Madison told him, nodding for a goodnight. She ignored the quirk of the author's brow as she walked down the hallway and towards the room Dolly had indicated. She arrived in time to see Martha hanging up her leather coat into a very crudely made wardrobe. The room itself was not all that terrible. A chamber pot in the corner, a wash basin sitting on a dresser. There were a few candles lit within the room that gave it a nice warm glow. The bed, however, was rather small, with only a thin mattress made from wool and thread. Some pillows had been placed on the bed, thankfully.

"It's not exactly five star, is it?" Martha noted as she closed the wardrobe behind her, holding onto a candle holder with the candle's flame dancing as the woman moved to inspect the room.

"Oh, it'll do. I've seen worse," remarked the Doctor behind Madison. She stepped aside to allow the Time Lord further into the room. He closed the door tightly behind him soon after.

"Much worse," Madison agreed with him. "Remember that jail cell on Ocuzuno?"

"Don't remind me," muttered the Doctor as he frowned at the memory. He looked at the state of their room then, frowning further when seeing the bed. Then, he turned to Madison, eyes shifting to concern. "Will you be alright without a bath? I could find you one if you need it."

"You know I can go a few days without a bath. I'll be fine," Madison spoke quietly to him, trying not to let Martha wonder why he was asking about a bath of all times.

"A bath? We don't even have toothbrushes," Martha piped up, making the Doctor and Madison look at her. There was this slight arch of a brow as Martha regarded them both.

The Doctor began patting around his suit jacket. "Ooh, um . . ." He grinned then as he pulled out a toothbrush from his dimensional pocket, handing it over to the woman. "Contains Venusian spearmint."

"Oh, those are nice. They clean your teeth perfectly. Have one of my own back in the TARDIS," Madison commented as she walked over to a bench that sat low under the one window in their room. She sat down, trying her best to make herself comfortable. "Since there's only one bed, you two can take it. I'll remain here on alert. I don't trust all of us going to sleep when something is shifting about the place and causing chaos."

"Oh, no you don't." The Doctor came to her then, grabbing her hand and hoisting her up from the bench. A stern eye was given to her. "You and Martha will take the bed. I'll stay up. And no 'buts' about it. Doctor's orders."

Rolling her eyes fondly, Madison gave him a soft smile. "Alright, spaceman, you win." She chuckled as he kissed her forehead. "But if I happen to wake up in the middle of the night, then we'll switch places."

"No, wait, you're two are the couple here. I can stay up to watch," Martha suddenly spoke up, frowning at the two as she looked between them. "I've done the late-night shift before. I'm used to staying up."

"No, no, you're fine, Martha. Trust me, take sleep when you can get it when it comes to travelling with the Doctor," Madison assured her quickly, walking over to the bed then. "The Doctor's right, it's best if the two of us got some sleep. Time Lords can go much longer without sleep than the rest of us."

"Really?" Martha looked at the Doctor then, seeming interested. "How does that work?"

"Superior biology. It'd be too long to explain," the Doctor responded with a wave of dismissal as he sat down on the bench.

In a blink of an eye, vexation radiated off of Martha as she turned and sat on the edge of the bed, her back facing them. "That's fine. Avoid all my questions. Not annoying at all," came a rather hard edge in the woman's tone.

Uneasy by the woman's sudden change in demeanour, Madison walked over and sat down on the bed, facing Martha's back. "What's on your mind, Martha?" she asked kindly.

There was a slump in Martha's shoulders as her onset ire seemed to vanish then. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."

Madison spoke a bit more firmly this time. "No, we don't do that here. If something is troubling, please, don't hesitate to talk with us."

There was a moment of stillness between them all before Martha eventually turned to look at Madison and the Doctor. "It's like I said, you've both been avoiding my questions. Don't think I don't notice when you change the subject and try to distract me. I know when I'm being ignored."

"We're not trying to ignore your questions or you. It's just . . ." Uncertain of how to explain their lack of clarity, Madison turned to the Doctor, hoping he might help her wording. The Doctor appeared less than willing to say much, however. He was tight-lipped, eyes guarded as he stared at Martha. Oh, dear. Madison remembered how he was when Rose pushed for answers. Perhaps it's best if . . .

"Some things are best left unsaid," he answered suddenly, his tone curt and final. Something must have been conveyed by his stormy eyes alone as Martha held up her hands in defeat.

"Yeah. Alright, then. Moving on," she said, still seemingly vexed but letting it slip away for now. She appeared more relaxed then as she turned keenly to Madison and the Doctor. "So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's all a bit Harry Potter."

"Or maybe Lord of the Rings," Madison remarked lightly, recalling enjoying those fantasy books in particular.

"But is it real, though?" Martha pressed on, almost completely facing them now. "I mean, witches, black magic and all that, it's real?"

A loud scoff came from the Doctor then. "'Course it isn't!"

There came an eye roll from Martha. "Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel. Give me a break."

"Don't mind him. He tends to forget that we don't know everything like he does," Madison said lightly, looking to see the Doctor ignoring them now. "She does have a point, though. I know I've seen plenty of advanced technology which appears like magic. Remember the Sycorax? They base all their trickery on superstitions and magic."

A small shake of the head, the Doctor leaned forward on the bench he sat on, resting his elbows on his legs and threading his fingers together loosely as he clasped his hands. "Looks like witchcraft, but it isn't. It can't be. There's such a thing as psychic energy, but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton, and I think we'd have spotted that. No. There's something I'm missing. Something really close. It's staring me right in the face, and I can't see it." Frustration practically ebbed off of him as he sat there staring off into the room at nothing in particular.

"There was something," Madison started slowly, "I had a gut feeling with that maid."

The Doctor turned his eyes onto her, a spark of interest there. "Oh? What maid?"

"The maid that was in the room with us during our visit with Shakespeare. She was cleaning in the corner . . ." Seeing the perplexed look from both him and Martha, Madison raised a brow. "Did either of you notice her?"

"No, not really. I think I saw her sort of, but mostly I didn't notice her," Martha said with a shrug.

"Neither did I. And that's saying something," mumbled the Doctor under his breath, his brow furrowed. "What did your gut feeling say?"

"I'm not certain. Just this uneasy feeling." With a shrug, Madison soon laid on her back, facing the ceiling as she began to get comfortable for the night. "It could be that the maid has wicked motivates that are completely human in nature. It's hard telling what my gut feelings try to warn me of at times." In the corner of her eye, she saw Martha lying down as well, facing her in question with her head resting in her hand as she kept it propped up.

"You mentioned it before. What are these 'gut feelings'? Some sort of predator vs prey thing like animals have?" Martha questioned her then.

"Somewhat, yes. It's an instinctual sensation I experience as sort of a 'sixth sense'. It's something which my people evolved with over time," Madison answered her, trying to sound casual about the oddity that was her other senses.

Now Martha seemed greatly interested, keenly leaning forward as she began questioning, "That's amazing. How does that work, though? Is it all of your people? Can you have other senses with that? Or is it just for danger? What other stuff can you do?"

Now Madison was uneasy again. She gazed back at Martha warily, wondering what other things she should reveal to the young woman. There was her true-form, of course. But that was out of the question. Then her mental abilities, but . . . She recalled how Rose reacted when presented with the idea of Madison being able to read emotional states and whatnot. The girl had been ill at ease with the information at first but soon grew to accept it once Madison assured her it did not count as mind reading. However, would Martha be as accepting? They had just met, after all. It was hard telling for Madison just how Martha would react to such information.

"I think it's best we go to sleep now," Madison finally decided to say, beginning to turn to face away from Martha.

"Right. Fine. Yeah," she heard the short reply from Martha before she too moved around for slumber.

Guilt hit Madison hard, knowing she had upset Martha once again. But she pressed down the feeling for now, knowing she could make it up to Martha later if given the chance. It's just for now . . . trust was a slow thing to build in Madison's book. Neither Martha nor her knew each other that well yet. With Rose, it had been simpler as the two had built somewhat of a friendship a few years before the Doctor came along. Now . . . it was starting from scratch. What if she said the wrong thing and drove Martha away? What if she placed too much trust in the young woman and something terrible came of it? That uncertainty plagued her and would not go away any time soon.

Her eyes travelled over to the Doctor, seeing him watching her carefully. There was an expression of understanding from him as his eyes softened. "Are you alright?" he spoke gently in her mind.

"Yes. I'm fine," she replied just quietly. "I feel awful about how our relationship is starting out with Martha. It seems to be rocky at times."

"She'll get over it. It's just been a rough day for her. Judoon troubles and now witches? After some sleep, I'm sure she'll be more pleasant company."

"She already has been pleasant company. I'm just . . . wary of speaking on everything right away. What if I scare her away completely?"

The Doctor leaned back on the bench, lips pursed. "Doesn't matter anyway. This is only a one-trip deal. She'll be back home before long."

This thought saddened Madison. She was beginning to enjoy Martha's company. She thought the Doctor was as well. Were they really going to leave the woman behind after all of this? That seemed too heartless of them. She thought of Sarah Jane. She thought of her time trapped in France. She thought of being locked away in another universe. She . . . thought of Rose. Could they make Martha, after showing a glimpse of the impossible, go back into an ordinary life just like that?

"Anyway, goodnight, Kiera. Remember, I love you," said the Doctor then, giving a caress across her mind to ease her internal woes. His smile was so tender, making her heartbeat flutter.

"Goodnight, my Doctor. I love you, too." With that said, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

---

I hope it was a good read. Don't forget to leave a review if you have the time. I always enjoy seeing everyone! And if there are any questions, don't forget that I do answer them at the end of any new chapter. :)

Also, in case anyone wonders about that new story I mentioned earlier, no, I will not be posting it on fanfiction. Unfortunately, the story is too explicit for fanfiction's TOS. If you are interested in reading it, I have posted it on AO3. Though only users may be able to read it. I have locked all my stories on AO3 due to some people stealing stories for AI. Which is just sad because I would have loved to have everyone be able to view it.