The setting sun bathed the students' union building in an auburn glow and stretched the shadows of the students milling around outside. Sophie clung to Mark's arm possessively, holding him back as Bex and Lucy led the way up the walkway to the entrance. The security guards at the door checked their NUS cards and then they made their way into the near-darkness within.
The place was heaving. Ahead of them, hundreds of students packed the Market Place, their flushed, sweat-soaked faces illuminated by flashes of green and red from the whirling lamps. The chorus of 'Things Can Only Get Better' by D:Ream thumped out of the loudspeakers. The heady smell of perspiration and smoke filled the air.
They approached the fringes of the dance floor, the territory of those too cool or shy to dance. "Drink?" Mark said to the girls.
"I'm okay," Bex dismissed. "Fancy a bit of a dance first." Without waiting for an answer, she strode onto the dance floor and started to sway in time to the music, stretching her arms above her head. Mark could only stare in admiration. He could never do that, just walk, sober, onto the dance floor, not caring what anybody else thought. It usually took him half an hour to pluck up the courage. But when Bex danced, she looked self-assured and graceful. When he danced, Rebecca told him, it looked like he was wading through mud while swatting at invisible bees.
"I wouldn't mind a drink," Sophie told him, arching a disapproving eyebrow.
Oh God, Mark thought. She thought he was staring at Bex because he fancied her. Sophie could be so paranoid sometimes.
"Great, let's go," Mark said, and together he, Sophie, and Lucy squeezed their way through the throng towards the lights of the Mandela Bar.
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
Mark waited until his younger self had entered the building before joining the queue. He felt absurdly conspicuous. Here he was, 37 years old, surrounded by students nearly twenty years his junior. They shot him pitying glances and sniggered at his clothes.
Approaching the building, though, brought back a flood of memories. It resembled a parking garage that had been tipped on its side, a slanted slab of concrete surrounded by shallow terraces. It was austere and angular, but to Mark, it represented one of the happiest times of his life.
But how would he get in? The security guards had already given him some doubtful glances. He'd have to bluff it somehow, pretend to be a worried parent or something.
The crash of breaking glass interrupted Mark's thoughts. Immediately, all the students in the queue rushed to the edge of the walkway. The two security guards also peered over the edge. "What the heck!"
Mark took his chance. As the two guards trotted down the stairwell to investigate the disturbance, he calmly walked to the entrance and slipped inside.
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
Students! Normally they just stole traffic cones. But now, somehow, this time, they'd managed to steal a whole statue.
Trev looked in every direction for the culprits, but there was nobody in sight. Which made no sense. Whoever they were, they'd managed to prop the statue against one of the windows of the union building, with one of its arms outstretched, as though it was in the act of punching through the glass. "What do you think, Nick?"
"God knows." Nick crouched beside the statue. "I think some grave is missing its headstone."
"But how did they get it here?" They couldn't have dumped it without being noticed. Maybe it had fallen off the roof? Trev scanned the tip of the building for any signs of movement.
"Stupid idiots—" Nick broke off, giving a startled croak. Trev whirled around to see what had alarmed him.
The statue had disappeared. Where it had once stood was now nothing but a clear patch on the ground surrounded by shattered glass.
"I just turned away for a second," Nick said incredulously. "Where did the damn thing go?"
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
The Doctor, Alex, Amy, and Rory jogged past the Arts Center and across the road. Ahead of them lay the students union building, its lower windows flashing with multicolored lights. As they approached, the Doctor slowed, allowing Amy, Rory, and Alex to catch their breath. "We're getting close," he told them.
"Close to what?" Amy panted.
"A build-up of potential time energy. Can't you feel it?" The Doctor waggled his fingers and sniffed. "A tension in the air. Like before a thunderstorm."
Alex straightened and looked around. Now that he mentioned it, she could feel something. It felt like the air was getting stretched like a rubber band, threatening to snap at any second. "I feel it," she confirmed.
The Doctor nodded approvingly at her but didn't say anything. He was a little scared of her at the moment. She had screeched and cursed and berated him about leaping out in front of the car for a good twenty minutes. He was positive the vicar had never heard so many swear words before.
"Yeah," Rory shrugged. "But I just thought that meant a thunderstorm was coming."
"A thunderstorm is coming," the Doctor said darkly. "Unless we stop it. Look."
A streak of lightning flickered across the surface of the building, scuttling over the concrete like a startled lizard, before fading away to a blue glow.
The companions stared in shock and amazement. "What was that?" Amy exclaimed.
"The dinner gong," the Doctor answered. He straightened his bowtie and jacket cuffs. "Now. I'll need your help. Do I look like the sort of person who goes to university?"
Amy, Rory, and Alex blinked. Alex looked him up and down. "Sorry, Doc, but . . . do you look like the sort of person who goes to university?"
"Yes." The Doctor brushed his fringe out of his eyes. He was dead serious. He eyed her expectantly. "Well? Do I?"
Alex sucked in a large breath of air. The Doctor looked like a really young professor at a university, if that counted for anything. The way he dressed reminded her of how a really old professor at Octavian used to dress. She looked up at the sky, as if it could help her figure out just what to say.
But Amy didn't seem to have that problem. "A bit, Doctor. Just a bit," she reassured him jokingly. "Maybe not in this decade, but yeah."
"Just say you're from the Maths department," Rory suggested, looking rather amused. "You'll be fine."
"Good. Good," the Doctor nodded. "Because that is the cool department, and I look cool. Right?"
"Exactly," Amy giggled. "And for no other reason." She put her hand over her mouth and made a cough that sounded like 'geek!'. Rory laughed, but the Doctor didn't seem to notice.
Instead, he looked at Alex expectantly. "Ally?"
"Yep," Alex lied through her teeth, unknowingly popping the 'p' the way his tenth incarnation used to do. Thankfully for him, it would help their case that she actually looked like she was ready for a night of clubbing and partying. Amy and Rory were in jeans and t-shirts, but they would pass for students too.
They headed down a slope to an underpass where a security guard checked the students' IDs. Rubbing his hands excitedly, the Doctor joined the queue. Alex tugged her tank-top down a little, revealing a glimmer of cleavage, just in case they needed a little more persuasion in getting inside. From inside the building came the muffled thud of music.
The Doctor beamed at the guard and flipped open his psychic-paper wallet. "Hello. I'm from the Maths department. And these are two of my students and my . . . girlfriend." He stumbled a little on the last word, not being used to saying it and because it felt wrong putting such a juvenile term on Alex. She was so much more to him than that. He leaned forward to whisper. "I realize they don't look as cool as I do, except for Ally, of course, but they are genuine students, believe me."
"Whatever," the security guard said. It was then that the Doctor noticed that the guard wasn't even looking at him. All his attention was currently focused on Alex and her glimpse of cleavage.
The Doctor's blood pounded faster than the music inside the building. Why was the guard staring at her? He shouldn't be staring at her! She was HIS! Everyone everywhere they went saw it. Why couldn't this stupid ape?!
The Doctor's eyes narrowed, and he wrapped his arm possessively around Alex's waist. "Let's go, Ally." His voice was dark and threatening as he led Alex inside. Amy and Rory exchanged looks, silently noting the increased possessive behavior.
Inside the building, the noise was all-consuming. The dance floor bobbed and swelled like a sea of arms and faces. The air felt uncomfortably hot but had an almost tangible sense of excitement. These students were having the time of their lives. Dancing, laughing, kissing, all their troubles forgotten.
The Doctor kept his arm wrapped around Alex who, upon seeing his murderous expression at the guard, had tugged her top back up. Now, he used his free hand to waggle his fingers vigorously. "We have to find two people. Or rather, the same person twice."
"You're going to suggest we split up, aren't you?" Rory sighed resignedly.
"I think. . ." The Doctor paused, lost in thought. "I think . . . we should split up. Rory, Amy. You find young Mark, he's probably in there somewhere." He indicated the heaving mass of students currently bouncing up and down to 'The Size Of A Cow'. "Alex and I will find the old one."
"And when we find him?" Amy asked.
Alex took this one. "We have to get the two Marks as far away from each-other as possible."
"As far away from each-other as possible, got it." Amy offered her hand to Rory. "Rory, are you dancing?"
"Are you asking?"
"I'm asking, lover-boy."
"Then I'm dancing," Rory agreed, taking her hand. Amy pulled him towards the dance floor with a suggestive smirk.
"Oh, and one more thing!" the Doctor called after them. "Keep an eye out for the Angels!"
Once Amy and Rory were fully sucked into the throng of dancers, the Doctor pulled Alex further along into the union. Alex could feel the tension in his hand and see how his shoulders were tight underneath his jacket. She winced. She knew that their possessiveness of one another had kicked up a notch the second they officially got together. She really should have known better than to tug her top down like that. The guard ogling her like that would totally set off the Doctor's jealousy.
Oh well, she thought. Time to do damage control.
"Doc?" She tugged on his sleeve and came to a stop, causing him to walk a few steps before realizing she wasn't following him anymore.
He turned back. "Yes, Ally?" He looked calm, but Alex could still see the anger in his eyes, as well as how his jaw was clenched so tight, the muscles in his cheeks were visible.
She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He instantly relaxed, as though her touch was some kind of numbing agent. Alex smiled and her fingers went up to play with the ends of his hair. Her nails scratched against the back of his neck, and he groaned, the sound drowned out by Pink Floyd's 'What Do You Want from Me'.
"Not upset any more, Doc?" Alex asked as she trailed her nails down his neck.
The Doctor shuddered at the sensation. "No," he choked as Alex's nails ran underneath his shirt collar to the upper part of his back.
"Good," she grinned. She definitely wasn't about to tell him she'd had an accidental role in his jealousy popping up. Their relationship was still so new and fragile, and she wasn't about to risk it ending because of a petty argument.
Alex looked around the dance floor. No one was paying the least bit of attention to them. They were all dancing, drinking, or snogging aggressively against the wall. Snogging aggressively against the wall?
The Doctor immediately noticed the impish look on her face. He had learned to watch out for it, not because it led to anything bad; on the contrary, it always led to some pretty good things for him. Still, now wasn't exactly the time for one of Alex's schemes. "Alex," he said slowly. "What are you—"
But he was cut off when Alex suddenly grabbed his hand and dragged him off. They walked a few steps before Alex finally pulled him over to a darkened corner of the room. She backed herself into the corner and positioned him so that he was standing directly in front of her. Then, without further ado, she fisted her hands in his jacket lapels and yanked him down onto her lips.
Now wasn't the time for one of Alex's schemes? Ha! the Doctor thought as he immediately responded to the heated kiss. His hands planted themselves on Alex's hips, his fingers digging into her hard enough to leave bruises. He pushed her further back until her back was against the wall. Alex groaned against his lips and wrapped a leg around his waist, tugging him closer. With one of his hands, the Doctor maneuvered Alex's other leg around his other hip, then placed his hands at the base of her back to keep her steady. Her tank-top slid up a little, allowing him to touch bare skin.
Alex shivered at his touch. His calloused fingertips felt perfect against her smooth skin. She bent down and ran her hands through his hair, her tongue twirling around his mouth. She barely paused for breath. Air was completely useless at a time like this; he was the only thing she needed to keep going.
Eventually though, the Doctor could sense that Alex was in desperate need of oxygen. He pulled back and Alex quickly started gasping for air. He ran a hand through her hair, worriedly watching her chest go up and down as it desperately sucked in oxygen.
"You really shouldn't do that," he admonished. "I'm not about to have you die of oxygen deprivation."
Alex snickered a little. "Sorry, but I can't help it if you make me get carried away."
"Funny." He gripped her hips and tilted his head up to murmur in her ear, "I thought I was the only one of us that happened to." Then, because it was far too appealing and thus, proved his point, he bit down on the bridge of her ear, soothing it a second later with a lick of his tongue.
Alex's legs involuntarily tightened around him. "No," she panted. "You're wrong."
He chuckled and pulled back. "Well, that's nice to hear."
"Really?" Alex burst out laughing. "I thought you hated being wrong!"
"Not about the important things. Like you."
Alex blushed. She still found it hard to believe she was that important to him. The Doctor was her everything now, the center of her whole universe and he considered that of her as well. To be considered that by another person. . . It was rather shocking and overwhelming, but also pretty damn great too.
She leaned down and pressed a light kiss to his lips before hopping down to the floor, only to stumble as the blood rushed back to her numb limbs. The Doctor chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her to him. "So, getting back to business, we need to find our little friend."
Alex surveyed the room. It was hard to make out a specific person in the mass of dancers and partiers. Her eyes trailed over a bunch of girls in crop-tops and leather pants and several guys with way too much product in their hair. As she was looking, she happened to glance up at a balcony overlooking the dance floor. A lone figure was standing there.
After a few moments of squinting, she grinned. She grabbed the Doctor's jacket sleeve and tugged on it. "Doctor, look!"
The Doctor looked upwards and followed her line of vision. Luckily for him, his eyesight was much better than Alex's and he was quickly able to make out the face of the figure. "Ah. Found our friend. One of him, at least."
"Shall we go talk to him?"
He beamed down at her. "Excellent idea, Ally!"
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
Elsewhere on the dance floor, the 20-year-old Mark hopped and whirled amongst the crowd, all self-consciousness now forgotten. He had a couple of pints inside him, and they were playing his favorite tunes at a deafening volume. That was all that mattered. It was the indie section of the night, where things tended to get a little raucous. Occasionally he'd be jabbed by an elbow or shoved off his feet, but that was all part of the fun.
Sophie, however, wasn't enjoying herself. She swayed from side to side as though it was an obligation, smiling only when Mark looked towards her. Rebecca bounced around the dance floor, waving and grimacing to friends. Lucy, meanwhile, had joined a group of fearsome-looking girls near the stage. The last Mark had seen of her, she had been making overtures towards a very pretty Goth with a pierced tongue.
The fade out of Transvision Vamp's 'Baby I Don't Care' gave way to the opening snarls of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. The song had a desperate, angry quality, and it felt odd hearing it given Kurt Cobain's recent death, but dancing to it felt like a celebration of his life. But Sophie had clearly had enough and mouthed to Mark that she wanted to go. The rowdiness was starting to get out of hand.
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
"Any sign of him?" Amy shouted to Rory whilst waving her arms to the music.
Rory shouted something back she couldn't hear. They liked their music loud around here. Somebody jostled him and he stumbled on one foot, not quite falling.
"What?!"
Rory shook his head. "No! You?"
Amy shook her head. "No! Me neither!"
"Excuse me, excuse me." Someone squeezed past Amy. Amy spun around, drawing a breath to protest. A familiar-looking young man gave her an apologetic smile before continuing to weave towards the edge of the dance floor, followed by a girl with a bob of auburn hair.
Mark. It was young Mark. Wow, Amy thought. He was quite good-looking in his day, if a little nerdy. The sort of boy who needed Taking In Hand. Fix the hairstyle and the glasses and you might have something.
"And I've found the other one," Rory said in her ear. "Look!"
He pointed towards the corner of the first-floor balcony where a man stood surveying the crowd. The same man they'd met in 2011. "And, um, I think we have, er, bats in the belfry."
Amy craned her neck to look up at the ceiling, which consisted of triangles fitted together in an isometric grid. Hanging from the ceiling, half-camouflaged against the bare concrete, lit by flashes of red and green from the disco lamps, were the six Weeping Angels.
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
Mark searched the crowd for signs of his younger self. He thought he'd caught a glimpse of him a couple of times but had lost him amidst all the faces.
Watching the students, he felt envious. Envious of their youth, their joy, and all the years they had ahead of them. Okay, so this disco was tame compared to some of the nightclubs in Coventry, but they were having fun. And that was what Mark envied most of all.
The smoke machine hissed and the hectic drum-and-bass intro of 'No Good' by the Prodigy filled the hall. Down on the dance floor, the indie kids flowed towards the bars while the dance kids surged in from Rolf's bar. Within seconds they were thrusting and gyrating to the beat, furiously miming big fish, little fish, cardboard box, pretty much every dance move that they could think of. Green lasers swiped back and forth across the crowd, interspersed with bursts of strobe lighting.
Blue lightning flickered around the edge of the parapet, snaking over the edges before fading away. Strange. He'd never seen a lightning effect like that before. And the tingling in his fingers had grown stronger.
"Looking for someone?" two voices called out. Mark turned to see the Doctor and Alex standing on the balcony beside him. Alex had her eyes narrowed and her hands planted on her hips. The Doctor's arms were crossed in judgment.
"What are you doing here?" Mark gasped.
"Looking for you," the Doctor replied.
"How did you get here?"
"Same way as you," Alex responded, only to tilt her head in consideration. "Well, not exactly, but that's far too complicated to explain. Let's just say we have our resources."
"Your own resources?"
"Which is why we're here," the Doctor cut in. "To take you back . . . to the future!" He beamed wildly while Alex rolled her eyes and sent a Dear-Lord-why-me look up at the ceiling.
"Did you always want to say that but never had a chance to?" she asked flatly.
"Yes! How did you know?"
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
"Three quid," the student behind the bar told him. Mark paid her, then collected his three pints of lager, balancing the plastic containers carefully. The slightest wrong move could cause him to squeeze one of the containers, resulting in a disastrous spillage. Every college student knew this. It took all of Mark's concentration to wind his way out of the bar area, which meant he only noticed that Sophie was talking when she stopped.
"What was that?" Mark asked her as they reached the quiet area by the change machine. He placed the drinks on a nearby ledge.
"I said I want to go home."
"You're not having fun?"
"I am. It's just that I've had enough. And you've got revision tomorrow, don't forget." Sophie squealed in alarm as two students pushed between her and Mark. "Hey, watch who you're shoving!"
"Mark Whitaker?" one of the students, a tall girl with long, red hair and beautiful eyes asked. She spoke with a perky Scottish accent.
"Yeah, yes?" Mark said, turning towards the other student, a friendly-looking bloke in a body warmer with unkempt hair and an apologetic grin. "Sorry, do I know you?"
"No. At least, not yet," the girl cryptically replied. "But that's not important right now. What is important is that you come with us." Behind the girl, Mark could see Sophie glowering with indignation.
"Wh-what for?"
"Friend of yours wants a word," the friendly-looking bloke said confidentially. "In private."
Sophie's mouth opened and closed like a gobsmacked goldfish. "What friend?" Mark questioned.
"You'll find out," the girl whispered enigmatically. "It's a surprise."
"This isn't something to do with Gareth, is it?" Gareth was in the same tutor group as Mark and had a reputation for playing elaborate practical jokes. Mark still hadn't figured out how Gareth had managed to rig that pulley system that dumped ten pounds of chocolate pudding on his and Rebecca's heads a few weeks ago.
"If I say yes, would that make you come with us?"
"No."
"Well, in that case, it has nothing to do with Gareth."
"That's just what he'd tell you to say. Okay, I'll come with you," Mark sighed, against his better judgment. In his experience, Gareth's practical jokes were best got over with as rapidly as possible. "But if this is a rag week stunt, I'm not interested." He took Sophie to one side. "Can you hold on here? I'll be back in five minutes."
"I'm not waiting for you," Sophie pouted, giving the red-haired girl an I-don't-know-who-you-are-but-kindly-drop-dead look. "Either you come home me right now . . . or you don't."
Mark couldn't think of anything to say. Sophie shot him a furious glance and walked away.
"I'll find you!" Mark called after her, before turning to the red-haired girl. "Okay, let's get this over with. Lead on!"
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
The green lasers whirled through the smoke and over the dancers, giving their faces an alien-like hue. The lightning bolts had become more frequent, crackling over the nearby slot machines.
The Doctor and Alex leaned on the parapet beside Mark. "Let me guess," the Doctor began. "You're here because you want a quiet chat with your former self?"
"How do you know that?"
"It's what anyone would do in your situation. You want to tell him things to look out for, things to avoid. I don't recommend it. I've seen it tried before and it never ends well."
"Who are you to tell me what I can or can't do?"
Alex sucked in a breath. Not a good thing to say to the Doctor.
"I told you." The Doctor regarded him with cool, detached eyes. "I'm the Doctor. I'm—" Alex elbowed him harshly. "We," he hastily corrected, rubbing his side, "are the people who're going to save your life."
"Save my life? From what?"
Feeling a little self-conscious that she hadn't said anything in a while, Alex nodded over to the balcony opposite them. As she did so, the Prodigy track launched into its hyperactive chorus and the lights switched to the strobe effect. The flashing gave everything a jerky, film-like appearance.
"That," she told Mark.
On the balcony stood four of the statues, all staring directly towards him. But, by the flickering of the strobe light, they ceased to be statues any longer. They began to move along the balcony. Two of the Angels stretched over the parapet, searching hungrily for their prey, their necks twisting back and forth, while the other two continued to gaze blankly at Mark.
Something grabbed Mark's arm. He whirled around to see it was the Doctor. "Don't worry," he assured him. "They're not going to attack you. At least, not yet."
Alex sighed. "We really have to work on your bad-news delivering."
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
Amy led Mark and Rory up another winding stairwell, refusing to admit, even to herself, that she was lost. This place was like a maze designed by a madman. Whenever she thought she was getting somewhere, she ended up back where she started. Or somewhere completely different that just looked like back where she started.
"Where are we going?" Mark questioned.
"I told you," Amy said irritably as they passed the offices for the Warwick Boar student newspaper for the third time. "It's a surprise."
"You don't know where you're going."
Amy halted, finally at the end of her rope. "Okay. What's the nearest way out?"
"Don't ask me. I've never been around here before."
"What about down there?" Rory suggested, indicating a corridor that branched off to the right. Leaving Mark with Rory, Amy hurried around the corner to see where it would lead.
Two Weeping Angels blocked the way ahead, both frozen in position as they lunged out of the darkness towards her, their mouths open in a vision of hatred.
Amy let out a startled scream and backed away from them, remembering to keep at least one eye wide open at all times. She edged back around the corner and into Rory with a bump. "No, definitely not that way."
"Up the stairs?" he proposed.
Amy glanced towards Rory to see that he had opened the door to another gloomy stairwell. She nodded as confidently as she could. "Up the stairs it is."
While Mark and Rory bounded up the stairs, Amy looked back down the corridor. The two Weeping Angels had turned the corner and stood with their bodies arched, reaching towards her with clawed fingers.
Keeping her eyes fixed on the two statues, and winking her eyes alternately, Amy backed into the stairwell and retreated up the steps as carefully and as quickly as she could.
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
"But I have to speak to him!" Mark protested.
Alex rolled her eyes. It was moments like this where she truly questioned how the human race had gotten so powerful. She was aware she was starting to sound like the Doctor, but considering the current circumstances, it was a valid question.
"Of course you do," the Doctor said sarcastically. He was questioning the superiority of the human race as well. "Never mind the consequences, you just make your own life better."
"It's not like that."
"Don't you get it?!" Alex barked. "If you think they sent you here out of the goodness of their hearts, you're crazy! They are here because they think you're going to create a nice big catastrophic space-time event."
"I don't care!" Mark snapped. He'd had enough of the Doctor and Alex, and all the heat and smoke and the noise, and the ever-present prickling sensation in his hand, and those moving statues. He just wanted to be alone.
He moved to walk off, but the Doctor blocked his path. "Oh, for goodness' sakes!" he groaned. "If reasoned argument doesn't succeed, you'll leave me no choice but to resort to brute force."
Mark and Alex stared at him questioningly. "What?" Mark started, but the Doctor thumped him in the face.
Alex's jaw dropped as Mark dropped to the floor, totally out. The Doctor scrambled to catch him and eased him gently down onto the floor. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what to do next. "Alright," he declared. "We have to get him out of here. Ally, you can carry him by one of the shoulders. He's not too big a bloke, so I think you can manage." He turned to Alex, only to see that she was just staring at him. "Ally?"
"I seriously cannot believe you did that. I've only seen you hit someone once." And that had been back in Venice when a guard that slapped her had the unfortunate luck to come into contact with the Doctor.
The Doctor winced, recalling the memory. He had been denying his feelings for Alex then and seeing that she had been injured and then seeing the person who had caused said injury. . . He just snapped. "I don't do it that often."
"Maybe you should."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why's that, then?"
Alex skipped over to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Because it's kinda hot."
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
Mark followed the red-haired girl and the friendly-looking bloke through a fire door and out onto the rooftop terrace. After the heat and stuffiness of the union, it felt good to be outside in the cool night air.
"Rory, keep an eye on the door," the girl ordered. "And whatever you do—"
"Don't blink, I know, I know." The bloke stared at the fire door behind them, frowning in determination as though expecting to see something burst through it at any moment.
Mark looked around at the empty terrace. "You're brought me all the way up here just for this? I'm going back—"
"No. You have to stay put," the bloke told him, edging firmly between Mark and the fire door.
"Actually, Rory, I think we might be okay," the girl revealed. She peered over the terrace parapet, down towards where three students were emerging from the building. No, that wasn't quite right. Only one of them looked like a student. It was a girl with long, light brown hair and blonde highlights, wearing a black jacket, a sparkly gold tank-top, and form-fitting jeans. Even though he couldn't see her face, Mark could tell that she was the effortlessly gorgeous type, like Rebecca.
The other two were definitely not students. The girl was currently helping someone dressed as an old-fashioned professor lug a dazed-looking man of about 40 out of the entrance. Mark couldn't make out their faces either, but he could hear one of them singing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with drunken enthusiasm.
The red-haired girl darted over to the stairs that lead down from the terrace, checking that the way was clear. "You wait here. Don't go anywhere. And whatever you do, don't follow us."
"Follow you?" Mark scoffed. "As if! You're mad!"
The girl just grinned. "Yeah, that's it, we're bonkers. Anyway, got to love you and leave you." Still grinning, the girl turned and hurried down the stairs. The bloke gave him a long-suffering smile and disappeared after her.
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
Mark woke to find himself being frogmarched through the campus, one arm around the Doctor's shoulder and the other around Alex's. His forehead throbbed. "Oh God, my head. My head!"
"He had a bit too much to drink," Alex explained as they passed a security guard, thankfully not the same one that had been checking her out earlier. "Just taking him home."
The guard nodded. He'd seen it all before.
Mark began to remember the content of their last conversation. "What did you do to me?" he demanded.
"He punched you in the face," Alex told him, nodding to the Doctor.
"I'm sorry," the Doctor apologized. "I did it as gently as I could."
Mark withdrew his arms from their shoulders and was about to speak when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A moment later, Amy and Rory emerged from the shadows, both of them gasping for breath.
"Doctor!" Amy shouted in relief. "Alex! There you guys are!"
"Amy, Rory," the Doctor greeted. "What about—"
"The other Mark?" Rory guessed, rubbing his sides. "We left him on the roof terrace."
"Good, good," the Doctor smiled as Alex giggled at the young Mark's misfortune. "Now we just have to get as much distance between them as possible before—"
"Before?" Amy prodded when he cut himself off.
The Doctor looked back the way they'd come. "Oh dear. Don't look too happy, do they?" The six Weeping Angels stood about twenty meters behind them, caught in the orange glow of a streetlamp. They were all snarling and clawing at the air.
"Not now that we've deprived them of their dinner, no," Alex concluded as the Doctor grabbed her hand.
Amy gulped, reached out for the Doctor and Rory's hands, and together with Mark and Alex, who had snatched up Mark's hand against his will, they arranged themselves so they were all facing the Weeping Angels.
"Back pedal! Fast as you can!" the Doctor cried, taking a long step backwards, pulling Amy and Alex along with him. "And keep looking at them! Whatever you do, keep looking at them!"
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
Back on the terrace of the students' union building, the 20-year-old Mark gazed across the university campus, considering his next move. He should go and find Sophie. He could already imagine the argument they'd have. Why couldn't she just have fun? Why couldn't she be more like—
"So this is where you've been hiding," a familiar voice teased behind him.
Mark turned to see Bex appear through the fire door. "How did you know I was here?"
"Confession time. I followed you. Who were those people?"
"No idea. They just brought me up here and did a bunk."
Bex joined him at the parapet. She didn't speak for over a minute, and when she did, she began with a laugh, as though what she was about to say shouldn't be taken seriously. "While I've got you alone, there's this thing I've been meaning to get your opinion on."
"Yeah?"
"Something I wasn't sure about."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"This."
Bex turned towards Mark and kissed him on the lips. Mark could barely contain his surprise. He'd never thought she liked him, not like that. But here she was, kissing him in a way that could only mean one thing. Her lips tasted of cherry lip balm and were warm and soft. And then, like waking from a dream, it was over.
"That was the thing you weren't sure about?" Mark stammered. He wasn't completely sure his feet were still on the ground; he would have to look down to check.
"I just wanted to know what it would be like."
"And so now you know."
"Yeah."
"Revolting right?"
"Oh yeah," Bex agreed. "And for you?"
"I'm feeling a bit sick just thinking about it."
"Probably not a good idea to do it again, then."
"No."
And then Mark kissed her. Longer than the first time, Mark holding her against him, gently stroking the back of her neck. Until, too soon, she released him.
"Nope, still revolting," Bex sniffed.
"For me too. I really need to brush my teeth to get rid of the taste."
Bex turned away in embarrassment and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I know you're with Sophie, it's just, well . . . I don't think she knows what she has. God, does that make me a bitch to say that?"
"Probably, but I forgive you."
"Speaking of which, you should probably go and find her," Bex advised, a sad smile on her face.
Mark realized that the moment, whatever it had meant, had passed, and now it was time to return to reality.
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
"Doc, they're catching up!" Alex reported. She tightened her grip on his hand. Logically, she knew he would get them out of this. He always did. But it often took him a long time to do and right now, she was praying for a fast, effective solution.
"Yes," the Doctor whispered, his voice getting snarky as the situation's intensity increased. "Please let me know when they catch up and kill us, I'd hate not to notice!" Alex felt the strong urge to roll her eyes but shoved it aside as she concentrated on the Weeping Angels.
They'd walked backwards for what felt like a mile, bumping against walls and roadside barriers along the way. The problem was, whenever one of the Angels slipped out of sight, it would nip around the buildings in an attempt to cut them off. Now, although all six Angels were in plain sight, they were so spread out that it was impossible to look at more than one at a time. And there were only five of them to do the looking.
"It's no good," Amy moaned. Each time she looked back at one of them, it had advanced a little closer, its mouth wide, its tongue tasting the air, its face twisted in an expression of utter evil.
She heard the sound of an approaching vehicle behind her. Its brakes squealed as it slowed to a halt, followed by a hydraulic whoosh.
Amy's back pressed against a glass window. Without thinking, she turned. She'd backed into a bus stop. A warmly lit bus waited at the curb. It was like a sign from God that they were meant to get away! At least, that was what Alex might say, she being the most religious of the group. Amy spun back to face the Angels. They were now only two meters away.
"Doctor. The bus. . ."
The Doctor nodded his understanding. "Okay. With me, three, two, one, move!"
Amy and Alex whirled around and sprinted as fast as they could towards the bus. As she ran, Alex thanked God that she could run in heels. Still, she really needed to rethink all those heels in her closet. The girls leapt on board, followed by Rory, Mark, and finally, the Doctor. He patted his pockets while the girls dashed over to the window. The six Angels stood frozen alongside the bus, reaching towards it with outstretched hands. But they could see them all at once, just about. So long as they both didn't accidentally blink, that is.
"Hello," they heard the Doctor say to the bus driver. "You probably want money, don't you?"
Hurry, Doc, Alex mentally urged him. Why didn't he ever have money on him? It was ridiculous! As the richest TARDIS member, she would happily pay for stuff if she could. Too bad she couldn't get control of her inheritance for four more years. And who knew how much of it would be left by then thanks to her horrible grandmother?
Alex inwardly shook her head. Focus, Alexandria!
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Rory was also watching the Angels, so Alex turned to watch the Doctor dig a variety of odd-looking objects from his pockets; a banana, a squeaky rubber telephone, a copy of The Venusian Book of Calm. She was pretty sure he'd had money for their date tonight, but had probably ditched it back at the TARDIS, deeming it unimportant for the adventure ahead.
Then, much to her relief, Mark shoved the Doctor out of the way and handed the driver a banknote. "Here."
The driver took the note and his eyes practically popped out of his head. "Fifty quid?"
"Keep the change!" Alex called. "It's your birthday, go crazy!"
The driver shrugged, closed the doors, and the bus jerked forward. Alex and Amy watched the Angels through the window, still frozen in the same positions at the bus stop, now grasping towards nothing but empty road.
"We made it!" Rory whooped. "We made it!"
"Only just," Alex said wearily.
"We were lucky," the Doctor muttered in agreement as he slumped into a seat. He reached out for Alex's wrist and tugged her down onto his lap. Alex curled into him and placed her head into the crook of his shoulder. This allowed her a nice whiff of his musky cologne and she inhaled it deeply, relishing in the comfort it provided.
Still, despite the comfort she now felt, her anxiety towards the creatures chasing them wasn't entirely gone. "But the Angels won't give up," she murmured.
The Doctor nodded. They both suddenly looked very tired, their expressions grave. "No," he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "This has only just begun."
~The Pros and Cons of Silence~
A/N: I gotta say, I love all the '90s references in this book. I added in the names of the artists of the songs named in this chapter just in case anyone was curious. :) Also, some snogging from the Doctor and Alex! Yay, fluff! :D
Review Replies:
bored411 - Glad you liked the chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one! :)
ShadowTeir - I'm glad to hear Mark has grown on you! After all, we'll be seeing a lot of him, lol. :) The conversation between him and his mom was pretty sad. It would have to be hard talking to a person you knew so well but they didn't recognize you and I think Morris portrayed that really well. Haha, glad you liked the ending! I loved writing the iPod part with Amy and Rory. :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)
NicoleR85 - Glad you're enjoying the chapters! Hope you liked this one! :)
Thank you to everyone that reviewed, followed and/or favorited this story! Please review and see you tomorrow! :)