Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 3 of Hold On. Thank you to all of those who have read this story and have left reviews. It really does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying it. I hope that you guys enjoy this next chapter. Which will be set in Vampires of Venice. I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. Without further ado Chapter 3. Enjoy.
Chapter 3
The Doctor was hanging underneath the console platform, doing some welding.
Rory and Amy stood there in silence as they watched him.
"Oh, the life out there, it dazzles. I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans. It's meant to do that. Because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back, it will tear you apart. So, I'm sending you somewhere, together."
"Whoa. What, like a date?" Amy asked, her eyes widening some as she watched him work.
"Anywhere you want. Any time you want. One condition. It has to be amazing. The Moulin Rouge in 1890. The first Olympic Games. Think of it as a wedding present, because it's either this or tokens. It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."
"It's another dimension." Rory pointed out looking at the Doctor with his brows furrowed.
"It's basically another dimension. What?"
"After what happened with Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories. FTL travel, parallel universes."
"I like the bit when someone says it's bigger on the inside. I always look forward to that."
"So, this date. I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think, Rory?"
"How about somewhere romantic?" The Doctor questioned as he slowly came out from under the console platform. He blinked a few times seeing swirling gold light and a smile came to his lips. "Ah… right on time." He said with a soft chuckle.
Leona fell through the golden light and landed harshly on her feet causing her to topple down onto her knees. She caught herself with her hands letting out breath shaking her head.
"Need to work on that landing a bit, Leona." The Doctor said with a smile.
Leona looked up at the Doctor and saw that he was much different than the Doctor she had just left. She looked over and saw Amy and Rory standing there looking at her with amazement. She knew right away this had to be the first time that they've seen her like this. Her cheeks flushed. "Sorry." She said as she straightened up some.
DWDWDW
The Tardis had landed in the middle of a busy area not even trying to hide.
The Doctor opened the doors to the Tardis and the four of them stepped out onto the busy streets. "Venice. Venezia. La Serenissima. Impossible city. Preposterous city. Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding, constantly just beautiful. Ah, you got to love Venice. So many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Ooo, that reminds me. 1580. That's all right. Casanova doesn't get born for a hundred and forty five years. Don't want to run into him. I owe him a chicken."
Leona let out a soft chuckle shaking her head lightly.
"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory questioned his brows rising as he looked over at the Doctor.
"Long story. We had a bet." The Doctor was suddenly stopped by an official.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Papers, if you please. Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection."
The Doctor held up his psychic paper. "There you go, fellow. All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."
"I am so sorry, Your Holiness. I didn't realise."
The Doctor then blessed the man. "No worries. You were just doing your job. Sorry, what exactly is your job?"
"Checking for aliens. Visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them."
"Oh, that's nice. See where you bring me? The plague." Amy questioned softly, her eyes slightly going wide at the thought.
"Don't worry, Viscountess. No, we're under quarantine here. No one comes in, no one goes out, and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri."
"How interesting. I heard the plague died out years ago." The Doctor said looking at the Inspector his brows furrowed some.
"Not out there. No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said."
"Did she now."
Rory took the psychic paper from the Inspector who moved onto his next target.
"Oi."
"Er, according to this, I am your eunuch."
"Oh yeah. I'll explain later." Amy said, looking over at Rory taking his hand softly into hers.
Leona shook her head lightly. "There isn't really much to explain with being called a eunuch."
They began to walk by the canal across from the procession of girls that were dressed in with with white parasols and heavy veils on their head and walked out two by two.
Amy blinked a few times when a man tried to plead with a girl but she knocked him down and was left hollering after her. "What was that about?"
"Isabella!" Guido yelled.
Amy turned her head and saw that the Doctor and Leona were gone. "I hate it when he does that. And take her with him." She shook her head letting out a soft huff.
DWDWDW
The Doctor dragged Leona with him, quickly meeting up with Guido. "Who are those girls?"
The man looked at the two of them with his brows furrowed. I thought everyone knew about the Calvierri school."
"My first day here. It's okay. Parents do all sorts of things to get their children into good schools. They move house, they change religion. So why are you trying to get her out?"
"Something happens in there. Something magical, something evil. My own daughter didn't recognise me. And the girl who pushed me away, her face, like an animal."
"I think it's time I met this Signora Calvierri."
Leona looked at the Doctor and firmly nodded her head. "I agree with you there."
DWDWDW
The Doctor and Leona slowly went down a stone staircase to an area with a vaulted roof. There was an ornate mirror on one wall opposite 3 doors.
"Hello, handsome." The Doctor said as he began to adjust his tie in the mirror not noticing in the mirror that there were girls in white robes appearing behind them.
"Who are you?" They questioned hissing out slightly.
Leona turned her head sharply and ten back to the mirror, her eyes widening slightly.
"How are you doing that? I am loving it. You're like Houdini, only five slightly scary girls, and he was shorter. Will be shorter. I'm rambling."
Leona let out a soft groan. "You and your rambling."
"I'll ask you again, signor. Who are you?"
"Why don't you check this out?" The Doctor said as he held out an ID card with William Hartnell's photo on it.
The girls stared blankly at it.
The Doctor then suddenly looked at it. "Library card. Of course, it's with. He's. I need a spare. Pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight and can't be seen. Ha. Am I thinking what I think I'm thinking? But the city. Why shut down the city? Unless…"
"Leave now, signor, or we shall call for the Steward, if you are lucky."
"Ooo."
Each girl's teeth turned into needles, and they started to advance on the Doctor and Leona hissing.
"Tell me the whole plan. One day that will work. Listen, I would love to stay here. This whole thing. I'm thrilled. Oh, this is Christmas." The Doctor grabbed Leona's arm and they ran back up the stairs quickly.
DWDWDW
The Doctor led Leona through the streets to see Amy.
"Doctor! Leona!" Amy said, rushing up to him.
"We just met some vampires." The Doctor said as he gripped Leona's hand tightly in his trying to calm his nerves.
"We just saw a vampire." Amy said, talking over the Doctor as well.
"And creepy girls and everything."
"Vampires."
"We think we just saw a vampire." Rory said coming up to them quickly.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Amy was just telling us."
"Yeah, yeah. The Doctor and Leona actually went to their house."
"Oh. Right. Well."
"Okay. So, first we need to get back in there somehow." The Doctor said thinking.
"What?" Rory questioned his head whipping towards the Doctor with his eyes wide.
"How do we do that?" Amy questioned.
"Back in where?"
"Come and meet my new friend." The Doctor said as he began to walk with Leona leading Rory and Amy away from the canal and to the place where he knew their new friend would be.
DWDWDW
A vellum map of Venice was laid out on the table.
Leona sat in one of the chairs looking at it with a curious gaze.
"As you saw, there's no clear way in. The House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house. I tried to get in once myself, but I hit a trapdoor." Guido said with a shake of his head.
"You need someone on the inside." Amy said thinking as she spoke.
"No." The Doctor said firmly.
Leona's hand smacked the Doctor's arm causing him to look at her. She gave him a sour look.
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
"Er, that we pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside, and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in."
"Oh. So you do know what I was going to say." Amy said with a roll of her eyes.
"Are you insane?" Rory questioned looking at his girlfriend.
"We don't have another option."
"He said no, Amy. Listen to him."
"There is another option." Guido said, pointing to a collection of barrels behind Rory. "I work at the Arsenale. We build the warships for the navy."
The Doctor sniffed the barrels causing Leona to shake her head. "Gunpowder. Most people just nick stationery from where they work. Look, I have a thing about guns and huge quantities of explosive."
"What do you suggest, then? We wait until they turn her into an animal?"
"I'll be there three, four hours, tops." Amy said, trying to convince them.
"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It can't keep happening like this. This is how they go. But I have to know. We go together, say you're my daughter."
"What? Don't listen to him." Rory said, shaking his head.
"Your daughter? You look about nine."
"Brother, then."
"Too weird. Fiance?"
"I'm not having him run around telling people he's your fiance?" Rory snapped looking at her.
"No. No, you're right."
"Thank you."
"I mean, they've already seen the Doctor. You should do it."
"Me?"
"Yeah. You can be my brother."
"Why is him being your brother weird, but with me, it's okay?"
"Actually, I thought you were her fiance?" Leona questioned tilting her head to the side.
"Yeah, that's not helping." The Doctor said, shaking his head.
"This whole thing is mental. They're vampires, for God's sake."
"We hope."
"So if they're not vampires?" Amy asked, looking at the Doctor.
"Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire."
Leona shook her head lightly. "I didn't think vampires existed. It has to be something else."
DWDWDW
Guido poled a gondola along, he was wearing Rory's stag party t-shirt.
The Doctor looked over at Rory. "She'll be fine."
"You can promise me that, can you?"
Guido stopped at the tunnel. "We're here."
Leona slowly got off of the gondola with the Doctor fixing her outfit she wore.
"Right. Okay, I'll go first. If anything happens to me, go back." The Doctor told them as he got out of the gondola.
"What happened, between you and Amy? You said she kissed you." Rory said softly.
"Now? You want to do this now?" The Doctor questioned looking over at Rory.
"I have a right to know. I'm getting married in four hundred and thirty years."
"She was frightened. I was frightened. But we survived, you know, and the relief of it, and so she kissed me."
"And you kissed her back."
"No. I kissed her mouth."
"Funny."
"Rory. Rory, she kissed me because I was there. It would have been you. It should have been you."
"Yeah, it should have been me."
"Exactly. That's why I brought you here."
A strong wind suddenly blew out their torch.
"Can we go and see the vampires now, please?" He questioned looking at Rory.
"If you two are finally done being macho macho men. Can we get this show on the road?"
DWDWDW
The Doctor climbed up onto Rory and out the trapdoor, then pulled him up and Leona up. "Push. Come on. There we are. Amy. Where's Amy? Amy?"
"I can't see a thing. Just as well I brought this, then." Rory pulled out his tiny pen light.
The Doctor pulled out a small lightsaber.
Leona's brow raised as her hands glowed gold, lighting up the area some.
"Ultraviolet. Portable sunlight." The Doctor explained.
"Yours is bigger than mine."
"Let's not go there."
Leona shook her head. "Come on, stop it boys." She said as she moved past them.
"If we cancel now, we lose the deposit on the village hall. The salsa band. Oh."
The Doctor opened a nearby chest and it contained desiccated vampires.
"What happened to them?"
"They've had all the moisture taken out of them." Leona said her brows furrowed together. This was rather concerning.
"That's what vampires do, right? They drink your blood and replace it with their own." Rory said softly, swallowing the lump in his throat trying to calm himself.
"Yeah, except these people haven't just had their blood taken, but all the water in their entire bodies."
"Why did they die? Why aren't they like the girls in the school?"
"Maybe not everyone survives the process."
"You know what's dangerous about you? It's not that you make people take risks, it's that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don't want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you're around."
"Who are you?"
Six girls had appeared.
The Doctor waved his UV light at them. "We should run. Run."
They began to run down the corridor. "Oh! Rory, come on."
Suddenly Rosanna, Francesco and Carlo blocked their path.
"Cab for Amy Pond?"
"This rescue plan. Not exactly watertight, is it?" Rosanna snarled.
The Doctor brandished his UV light again. "Ah ha!"
Leona let out a huff shaking her head lightly.
Isabella and Amy ran into the corridor.
"Rory." Amy said softly.
"Amy."
"Quickly, through here." Isabella ordered.
"Seal the house." Rosanna snapped, ordering everyone to seal the house up.
They ran down the tunnel and towards the trap door.
"They're not vampires." Amy said as she ran.
"What?"
"I saw them. I saw her. They're not vampires, they're aliens."
The Doctor soniced the trap door hatch. "Classic."
"That's good news? What is wrong with you people?" Rory questioned looking at them.
"Come on, Rory. Move."
Francesco and the vampires catch up to them, but are held back by the UV light. He quickly sent the girls ahead of him.
"Keep moving. Come on, guys."
"It would have been so much easier to use my magic… but I can't open portals… not here." Leona said as she tried her best to keep up with the group.
They made it to the tunnel entrance being brought right into the bright sun of daylight.
Guido was waiting with his gondola.
"Quickly, quickly. Get out. Quick. Quick." Isabella said before recoiling as the sunlight touched her skin.
"Come on. Run." The Doctor said looking back at Isabella.
"I can't." Isabella and the vampires shut the heavy door leading to the tunnel.
The Doctor touched the metal on it and got an electric shock dropping to the ground.
"Is he dead?"
"No, he's breathing." Leona said as she ran her magic over him her eyes glowing gold. She turned her attention to them. "Well that went well." She huffed a little bit, shaking her head lightly.
DWDWDW
Rosanna entered the throne room alone only to see the Doctor and Leona sitting on her throne.
"Long way from Saturnyne, aren't you, Sister of the Water?" The Doctor said as he slowly looked up at her.
"No, let me guess. The owner of the psychic paper. Then I take it you're a refugee, like me?" Rosanna said looking at the two of them.
"I'll make you a deal. An answer for an answer. You're using a perception filter. It doesn't change your features, but manipulates the brainwaves of the person looking at you. But seeing one of you for the first time in, say, a mirror, the brain doesn't know what to fill the gap with, so leaves it blank, hence no reflection."
"Your question?"
"Why can we see your big teeth?"
"Self preservation over rides the mirage. The subconscious perceives the threat and tries to alert the conscious brain."
"Where's Isabella?"
"My turn. Where are you from? And your companion?"
"Gallifrey."
"Helmos." Leona said her voice came out very softly.
"You should be in a museum. Or in a mausoleum." Rosanna said as she looked at them.
"Why are you here?"
"We ran from the Silence. Why are you here?"
"Wedding present. The Silence?"
"There were cracks. Some were tiny. Some were as big as the sky. Through some we saw worlds and people, and through others we saw Silence and the end of all things. We fled to an ocean like ours, and the crack snapped shut behind us. Saturnyne was lost."
"So Earth is to become Saturnyne Mark Two?"
"And you can help me. We can build a new society here, as others have. What do you say?"
"Where's Isabella?"
"Isabella?"
"The girl who saved my friend."
"Oh, deserters must be executed. Any general will tell you that. I need an answer, Doctor. A partnership. Any which way you choose."
"I don't think that's such a good idea, do you? I'm a Time Lord. You're a big fish. Think of the children."
"Carlo? You're right. We're nothing alike. I will bend the heavens to save my race, while you philosophise."
Carlo entered the room.
"This ends today. I will tear down the House of Calvierri, stone by stone. Take your hands off me, Carlo. And you know why? You didn't know Isabella's name. You didn't know Isabella's name."
"Open the gates." Carlo said, giving the order.
Leona and the Doctor left the throne room.
DWDWDW
The Doctor checked over Amy's puncture wounds with his sonic screwdriver. "You're fine. Open wide." He popped a humbug into Amy's mouth. "Argh. I need to think. Come on, brain. Think, think, think. Think."
"If they're fish people, it explains why they hate the sun." Amy said softly.
"Stop talking. Brain thinking. Hush."
"It's the school thing I don't understand." Rory said thinking.
"Stop talking. Brain thinking. Hush."
"I say we take the fight to them." Guido said.
"Ah, ah, ah."
"What?"
"Ah. Her planet dies, so they flee through a crack in space and time and end up here. Then she closes off the city and, one by one, starts changing the people into creatures like her to start a new gene pool. Got it. But then what? They come from the sea. They can't survive forever on land, so what's she going to do? Unless she's going to do something to the environment to make the city habitable. She said, I shall bend the heavens to save my race. Bend the heavens. Bend the heavens. She's going to sink Venice."
"She's going to sink Venice?"
"And repopulate it with the girls she's transformed." Leona said thinking.
"You can't repopulate somewhere with just women. You need blokes." Rory said, shaking his head.
"She's got blokes." Amy pointed out.
"Where?"
"In the canal. She said to me there are ten thousand husbands waiting in the water."
"Only the male offspring survived the journey here. She's got ten thousand children swimming around the canals, waiting for Mum to make them some compatible girlfriends. Urgh. I mean, I've been around a bit, but really that's, that's enough."
Suddenly a trump was heard.
"The people upstairs are very noisy."
"There aren't any people upstairs." Guido said, shaking his head.
"Do you know, I knew you were going to say that. Did anyone else know he was going to say that?"
"Is it the vampires?" Rory questioned.
"Like I said, they're not vampires. Fish from space."
Suddenly the window breaks.
"Aren't we on the second floor?"
The Doctor waved his UV light at them, then used his sonic screwdriver to reveal their true appearance.
"What's happened to them?" Guido questioned.
"There's nothing left of them. They've been fully converted. Blimey, fish from space have never been so buxom. Okay, move."
"Come on."
They rushed to the staircase.
"Give me the lamp." Guido ordered.
Leona magiced it to him. "You're welcome." She said as she moved.
They made it outside of Guido's home.
"Go, go, go, guys. Keep moving. Go, go, go."
"Stay away from the door, Doctor."
"No. Guido, What are you doing?"
Guido made his way back into his home.
"I'm not leaving you. What are you doing?" He tried the door and it was useless. "Argh, bolted. Guido!"
Leona gasped as she pulled the Doctor away and put a barrier around them protecting them from the loud boom that was heard. Her body was pressed to his tightly.
The Doctor panted softly. "Rosanna's initiating the final phase."
"We need to stop her. Come on." Amy said softly.
"o, no, no. Get back to the Tardis."
"You can't stop her on your own."
"We don't discuss this. I tell you to do something, Amy, and you do it. Huh?"
Amy stormed off.
"Thank you." Rory said softly.
"You're welcome." The Doctor said, nodding his head.
DWDWDW
The Doctor and Leona open the back of the throne.
"You're too late. Such determination, just to save one city. Hard to believe it's the same man that let an entire race turn to cinders and ash. Now you can watch as my people take their new kingdom." Roanna said, looking at them with a smirk.
"The girls have gone, Rosanna." The Doctor said as he got out of the throne and helped Leona out of the throne as well.
"You're lying."
"Shouldn't I be dead, hmm? Rosanna, please, help me. There are two hundred thousand people in this city."
"So save them."
DWDWDW
"Get out. I need to stabilise the storm." The Doctor said, looking over at Rory and Amy.
"We're not leaving you." Rory said, looking at the Doctor.
"Right, so one minute it's all you make people a danger to themselves, and the next it's we're not leaving you. But if one of you gets squashed or blown up or eaten, who gets the…"
The house suddenly shook and knocked the four of them off of their feet.
Leona let out a soft groan.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Bit of an earthquake."
"An earthquake?" Amy asked in confusion.
"Manipulate the elements, it can trigger earthquakes. But don't worry about them."
"No?" Rory questioned tilting his head to the side.
"No. Worry about the tidal waves caused by the earthquake. Right, Rosanna's throne is the control hub but she's locked the programme, so, tear out every single wire and circuit in the throne. Go crazy. Hit it with a stick, anything. We need it to shut down and re-route control to the secondary hub, which I'm guessing will also be the generator."
"Come on Doctor, we don't have time for this." Leona said, looking at him.
DWDWDW
"Shut up. Shut up. That's better." The Doctor started to climb up the outside to the big metal lightning conductor, with the help of a power cable. "Oh. Oh. Okay."
Leona carefully followed him quickly using her magic to protect him. "Just keep going."
The Doctor opened the brass ball to reveal the clockwork. He found a tiny switch and stopped the mechanism.
The rain ceased and the clouds vanished.
"You did it!" Rory yelled happily.
Leona let out a breath. "We have one more thing to do, Doctor."
The Doctor looked at Leona and nodded his head in agreement.
DWDWDW
Rosanna could not turn her perception filter off now. She quickly undressed.
"Rosanna!" The Doctor yelled as he moved with Leona towards Rosanna.
"One city to save an entire species. Was that so much to ask?"
"I told you, you can't go back and change time. You mourn, but you live. I know, Rosanna. I did it."
"Tell me, Doctor. Can your conscience carry the weight of another dead race? Remember us. Dream of us." Rosanna stepped off the plank into the water where her sons consumed her.
"No! No!"
Leona quickly grabbed the Doctor from trying to dive into the water after Rosanna. "Don't Doctor… don't." She said pulling him closer to her.
DWDWDW
The Inspector gave the Doctor his deepest, and most respectful bow.
"Now then, what about you two, eh? Next stop Leadworth Registry Office. Maybe I can give you away." The Doctor said, looking towards Rory and Amy.
"It's fine. Drop me back where you found me. I'll just say you've…" Rory trailed off.
"Stay. With us. Please. Just for a bit. I want you to stay." Amy pleaded with him.
"Fine with me." The Doctor said with a smile.
"Yeah? Yes, I would like that." Rory said with a small smile.
"Nice one. I will pop the kettle on. Hey, look at this. Got my spaceship, got my boys. My work here is done." Amy said before going into the Tardis.
"Er, we are not her boys."
"Yeah, we are."
"Yeah, we are."
Suddenly, Venice became empty of its people.
Leona looked around concerned.
"Rory, listen to that."
"Er, what? All I can hear is silence."
Leona cleared her throat softly.
The Doctor patted Rory's shoulder allowing him to go into the Tardis. He then looked over at Leona. He moved over towards her. "You're going aren't you?"
"I'm a time jumper witch, Doctor… I'm supposed to hone my craft by jumping through time."
The Doctor put his hand carefully on her shoulder and squeezed it softly. "I'll see you again."
Leona smiled softly. "I know you will." She said as golden swirls surrounded her. "See you again Doctor." She then suddenly vanished.
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This is the end of Chapter 3. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Reviews keep me going. I promise that I'll update soon and you'll see where Leona will end up next. Until next time.