Vincent was laying in his bed, the sun slowly filtering into his bedroom through the window to signal the next day dawning, the room exactly the same as the painting Amy had spotted as they had headed inside the night before. He had no idea his, for once, peaceful sleep was going to be broken by the Doctor stalking in loudly, startling him away.
"Wakey, wakey. Rise and shine!" The Time Lord cried, heading straight to the window and throwing open the shutters, "Breakfast is served in the courtyard. Whoa! What a morning." He declared as he looked outside before turning to face Vincent, clapping his hands, "Come on." Vincent groaned as he pushed himself up off the bed, "And Amy's got a little surprise for you." Vincent walked over to the window and looked down at the courtyard below, leaning against the frame in surprise and grogginess. Amy sat next to Danni, beaming proudly at the mass of sunflowers she had filled the garden with, all in different mismatch containers.
"I thought I'd brighten things up to thank you for saving me last night." She called up to him.
"Ah!" Was Vincent's less then enthusiastic replied as he took in the red-head in the mass of yellows.
"I thought you might like, you know, possibly to perhaps paint them or something? Might be a thought." Amy continued, gently but firmly prompting the painter. The Doctor joined them at the table, pouring himself a glass of orange juice before handing one over to Danni. She smiled gratefully, sipping at it. She would have preferred a coffee, she hadn't slept in what felt like a couple of days and her brain was becoming slightly fuzzy. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, when she first started missing days of sleep she was a wreck, but then again she'd never really drank caffeine before this universe, and she had to admit it was a lifesaver.
"Yes." Vincent stated, "They're not my favourite flower." The Doctor paused, mid-drink and Amy cocked an eyebrow in disbelief.
"YOU don't like sunflowers?" She asked, a laugh in his voice. Danni leant on her shoulder, closing her eyes and drifting slightly as she listened to them. Amy was very comfortable, maybe she could just get a little nap in...
"No, it's not that I don't like them." Vincent replied, "I find them complex. Always somewhere between living and dying. Half-human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting." He paused as he studied the flower, images of a new painting exploding in his mind, "But, you know, they are a challenge."
"And one I'm pretty sure you will rise to." The Doctor told him with a smile, tearing his eyes away from Danni who appeared to be falling asleep against his companion, "But, moving on, there's something I need to show you." Vincent nodded, "Freshen up Vincent. Don't rush, it can wait." Vincent eyed him dubiously but turned to head back into his room for a wash. Amy shifted, moving to wake Danni up but the Doctor shushed her. He propped Danni up to let Amy stand then laid her down on the bench. The sleeping girl fussed slightly but didn't wake.
"Let her sleep for a bit, Amy." He whispered, "She'll wake up before we leave anyway."
"It's not like her to just fall asleep." Amy pointed out as they headed back into the kitchen to wait for Vincent to come down from his bedroom.
"She'll spend so much of her time tired, I just want her to sleep while she can." The Doctor replied. Amy frowned.
"Will she? Why?" The Doctor nodded, sitting down on the chair he had sat on yesterday and rubbed his face tiredly.
"Oh Amelia." He muttered, "Poor Danni has so much to come, and she's just barely begun."
~0~0~0~
Danni jolted awake as a particularly frisky rooster found his mate for the day, making a noise she had never heard before and really didn't want to hear again. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and feeling slightly disorientated as she found herself surrounded by sunflowers in a courtyard, lying on a wooden bench. She blushed slightly as she realised where she was, partly in embarrassment because of the fact she had drifted off and partly because of the dream she was having while being in Vincent van Gogh's garden. She stood up and brushed her dress down to distract herself from the images still playing in her mind and headed inside, finding the Doctor explaining to Vincent what the creature he had seen was.
"...So, dotted all around the universe are individual, utterly merciless, utterly abandoned Krafayis. And what they do is... Well, kill, until they're killed. Which they usually aren't. Because other creatures can't see them." He explained as he paced in the room. Danni walked over and grabbed his hand, stilling him with a squeeze of her fingers. He smiled fondly at her as Vincent looked up from the image he was holding in his hand, which was the printout from the device the Doctor had used to scan for the alien.
"But I can." He stated. The Doctor nodded as Amy walked away from Vincent's side and sat down across the room from him by some more sunflowers.
"Yes. And that's why we are in a unique position today, my friend, to end this reign of terror. So," The Doctor plonked himself down next to Vincent, "feeling like painting the church today?"
"What about the monster?" Vincent asked worriedly.
"Take my word for it. If you paint it, he will come." The Doctor promised.
"OK. I'll get my things." Vincent stood up with an adventurous grin, waving the image as he headed for the doorway.
"In your own time. I promise you, we'll be out of your hair by this time tomorrow." The Doctor told him. Vincent hesitated in the doorway, the grin falling away as he looked at Amy before heading for his bedroom, "This is risky." He stated once he heard Vincent's door shut, a frown on his face as he shook his head.
"Riskier than normal?" Amy prodded, leaning closer. The Doctor stood up and checked out the door to see if Vincent could hear them before grabbing Danni, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on top of hers.
"Well, think about it." He replied in hushed tones, "This is the middle of Vincent Van Gogh's greatest year of painting. If we're not careful, the result of our trip could be the brutal murder of the greatest artist who ever lived. Half the pictures on the wall of the Musee D'Orsay will disappear." He closed his eyes, burying his nose in Danni's hair for a moment in comfort, "And it will be our fault."
"And you just told the manic depressed man, who has never had anyone like or understand him, that we're leaving tomorrow." Danni pointed out from the Doctor's arms, looking upwards with a worried look on her face.
~0~0~0~
Amy and Danni stood at the bottom of the stairs leading the the door to Vincent's room, leaning against the wall anxiously waiting for the Doctor and, hopefully, Vincent to come out. Amy was biting her thumbnail as she glanced up the stairs again, unconsciously copying Danni who was doing the same.
"Will he be okay?" Amy asked her shakily, "I mean, not just now. We have had to have made a difference, right?" Danni shrugged non-committally, knowing that ultimately Vincent was a very ill man who needed more help than they could provide.
"History and the future is complex, who's to say what effect we've had on his life?" Danni replied as the unmistakeable tones of Vincent's voice floated down from the room, his voice loud but the words incomprehensible. The door opened upstairs and closed gently, but no one came down so the two women headed up the stairs.
"What's happening?" Amy asked the Doctor, who was leaning on the small railing surrounding the balcony they were stood on.
"We're leaving." He stated solemnly, "Everyone knows he's a delicate man. Just months from now he'll...he'll take his own life." He hesitated over his words and said them quietly. He pushed off the railings and headed towards the staircase.
"Don't say that. Please." Amy pleaded, her voice breaking. The Doctor stared back at her, just as heartbroken, before continuing down the stairs. Amy followed forlornly, but Danni looked back at the door that shielded Vincent from the outside world. She held her fist up to knock, but thought better of it and opened the door quietly, closing it behind her slowly and watched Vincent sadly as he sobbed uncontrollably on the bed.
"You don't have to talk to me," She started and even though he jumped at her voice, he didn't look around, "and no one is going to force you to do anything you don't want to. But as desperately lonely as you feel, and I know you do feel that way, isn't life supposed to be lived for the moments in the sun rather than the ones in the dark?" She asked. He glared up at her, eyes bloodshot and full of anger.
"Do not pretend you know how I feel." He snapped.
"I'm not, because I don't." She promised, "But if the Doctor is correct, and he generally is, I have lost my family, my friends and my home and I can never go back." She took a shuddering breath, this had been the first time she had admitted out loud that fact that she knew she was never going home, "And that is quite the lonely place to be. We will leave soon, we can't stay because we're all running away from our problems. But you, Vincent, you face yours head on and are the bravest one out of all of us. And if you're brave enough to still paint the beauty of the world after the darkness you have suffered then I think you're brave enough to suffer through us travelling away." She told him honestly. He sat up, eyes still streaming as he studied the girl at the door, only just seeing the sorrow that actually flowed through her. He had sensed Amy had been very sad the moment he had laid eyes on her, and it had intrigued him, but this girl was grieving much more silently than her taller, just as orange-haired friend.
"But what if I'm not?" He whispered, "What if it is to be the end of me?"
"Is it not better to end on a high then drag out a low?" She asked in returned. He couldn't help the laugh that broke from his throat; the simplicity of the statement throwing him out of his rage as had happened so many times before. They could last for minutes or for days, but his moods always left him as quickly as they came.
"You are incredibly wise for someone so young." He told her as he stood up, grabbing his suit jacket off the back of his chair.
"And you're incredibly bright for someone stuck in a place so dull."
~0~0~0~
The Doctor studied Vincent's 'The Round of Prisoners' one final time before sighing and letting the loose canvas fall from his fingers.
"Come on." He told Amy, a fake smile plastered on his face, "We have to do this on our own. Go to the church at the right time and hope the monster still turns up." He walked over to an old leather suitcase and shut the lid, "Where did Danni hop off to?" Before Amy could answer a shadow fell over the pair. Vincent appeared in the doorway. He had a long overcoat on and his straw hat.
"I'm ready." He stated and they span around, surprised, "Let's go." He picked up a paint brush out a jar full of them. Amy smiled widely at him and walked over, linking onto his arm and talking animatedly to him as she led him out of the room to collect the rest of his equipment. The Doctor stayed and watched Danni come in through the same door Vincent did. She jumped slightly, having not expected him to be staring directly at her.
"What did you do?" He asked her and she shrugged, blushing slightly.
"Tried to make the most unwanted man feel wanted. I think it worked." She replied happily. He laughed and took her hand, spinning her underneath his arm before pulling her in for a kiss. She smirked into the kiss as he backed her up into the wall, getting lost in the moment. His hand grasped at the side of her dress, bunching it up in his hands and she, reluctantly, tapped him hard on the chest. He backed up, flushing slightly but with a smile on his face.
"Vincent." Danni prompted and he jolted, mouth falling open slightly.
"Oh, yes. Of course." He dragged her out after the pair, Danni giggling to herself.
~0~0~0~
Amy and Vincent walked side-by-side, each laden down with painting equipment as Danni and the Doctor followed behind them. Amy was studying Vincent out of the corner of her eye as their free arms were linked between them. They were walking down a country lane, a thin dusty track lines with two stone walls as they headed towards the church.
"I'm sorry you're so sad." Amy told him.
"But I'm not." He promised her, "Sometimes these moods torture me for weeks, for months. But I'm good now." He shifted their arms and took hold of her hand, "If Amy Pond can soldier on, then so can Vincent van Gogh."
"I'm not soldiering on. I'm fine." Amy laughed off.
"Oh, Amy," He told her lowly, "I hear the song of your sadness. You've lost someone I think." The Doctor pulled Danni slightly closer to his side and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. Thinking of Rory made him more determined to make sure she wasn't going anywhere.
"I'm not sad." Amy insisted.
"They why are you crying?" Amy's hand shot to her cheek to wipe a tear away. She looked at her fingertips, surprised then up at Vincent, "It's all right. I understand."
"I'm not sure I do." She admitted, and she didn't. She had found herself feeling so incredibly sad, and she couldn't work out why. Her heart would ache for something but she didn't think anything was missing in her life. She had her Raggedy Man, his Danni-Girl and their big blue box. What could possibly be missing out of her life that made her want to curl up and cry?
"It's amazing how much he can actually see." Danni stated, drawing the Doctor's attention from the pair and back to her, "Straight into her soul, where even she can't reach."
"He truly is remarkable." The Doctor agreed.
"The second most remarkable man I know." She smiled up at him and he looked back down at her, confused. She rolled her eyes and nudged him, "It's you, ya silly Time Lord." She teased. He grinned and sped up slightly, catching up to the couple in front of them.
"OK. OK!" He repeated louder to grab their attention, "So, now, we must have a plan. When the creature returns..." Vincent stopped and turned to face the Doctor.
"Then we shall fight him again." He interrupted, his voice hard and serious. The Doctor stared back at him in surprise at his outburst.
"Well, yes, tick." He ticked the air, "But last night we were lucky. Amy could have been killed. So this time, for a start, we have to make sure I can see him, too."
"And how are we meant to do that, suddenly?" Amy exclaimed.
"As always, Amelia, the answer is in a box." Danni replied, motioning to the case the Doctor was carrying. The Doctor tapped it.
"I had an excellent, if smelly, godmother." The Doctor began to walk off down the road again. Danni rolled her eyes at him.
"She had two heads apparently." Danni elaborated, but Amy didn't seem any more convinced. They followed him for a moment until a funeral procession came into view, lead by a man holding a large golden cross. The coffin being carried by the pallbearers had a bunch of sunflowers resting on it.
"Oh, no." Vincent breathed, devastated, "It's that poor girl from the village." They pulled over to the side of the road, Vincent taking off his hat and they all bowed their heads as they passed by. The mother spared them a glance but continued following her daughter to her final resting place. Danni sniffed, wiping her eyes free of the tears that had built up there. God, that poor girl.
"You do have a plan, don't you?" Amy asked the Doctor.
"No." He stated before setting off down the track again, "It's a thing - it's like a plan, but with more greatness."
"That means definitely not." Danni added, her quip missing it's usual teasing tone. He wrapped an arm around her waist and she leant against him as they walked on, "What's the point of me if I can't save anyone?" She whispered.
"Oh Danielle." The Doctor sighed, "You're not here to save everyone else."
"Then why I am here?" She asked.
"To save me." He replied instantly and honestly. She looked up at him and saw the deeply sad look on his face, showing every lost he had ever felt, "You are my only remaining friend, and the only person in my life that doesn't leave. I have lost so many, but every time you appear it's as if I have found you all over again." She felt her heart swell at his words, the feeling of being that loved filling her completely. Sometimes he just said some wonderful words that reminded her just why she loved him.
~0~0~0~
Vincent stabbed his easel into the ground outside the church with a grunt, sitting down on his collapsible chair as the Doctor helped him set up his paints.
"And you'll be sure to tell me if you see any, you know, monsters." The Doctor reminded him as he bent down over his shoulders, his hands clasped on either one. Vincent rolled his eyes and looked up at him.
"Yes. While I may be mad, I'm not stupid." He pointed out. The Doctor looked suitably abashed and nodded.
"No, quite. And, to be honest..."He squatted down by Vincent who dabbed his brush in the first splash of paint, "not sure about mad either. It seems to me depression is a very complex..."
"Shh." Vincent scolded, "I'm working."
"Well, yes." Vincent nodded encouragingly as the Doctor mirrored the action, "Paint. Do painting!" Danni and Amy shared an amused look.
"'Do painting'?" Danni echoed. The Doctor shot her a glare as he stood next to her, slightly embarrassed to be pulled up on his grammar.
"Shut up."
~0~0~0~
The Doctor paced backwards and forwards as Amy and Danni watched Vincent colour the sky in behind his outline of the church.
"I remember watching Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel. Wow! What a whinger. I said to him, 'If you're scared of heights, you shouldn't have taken the job.'"
"Shh!" Amy scolded him and he pouted, his story not getting the attention it deserves. Danni realised she would have normally humoured him, but it was Vincent van Gogh, who could say they got to see the master at work?
~0~0~0~
Dusk was slowly falling over the area as Vincent began adding detail to the colour of the sky, a multitude of blues and blacks filling the canvas in a way only the great painter could. The Doctor walked over and clasped a hand on either of his arms.
"And Picasso. What a ghastly old goat. I kept telling him, 'Concentrate, Pablo, it's one eye, either side of the face.'"
"Quiet." Danni commanded firmly as Vincent tensed under his touch, obviously becoming irritated with the Doctor's constant interruptions. He folded his arms, walking off and sitting on the ground in a huff. Why was Danni paying Vincent so much attention anyway? He wasn't the one with the bigger-on-the-inside blue box who could take her anywhere she wanted. He wasn't the one whose time line she followed. She should be listening to his stories, not staring at a man painting.
He shook his head, his mood deflating slightly, she was only being interested. She was always curious, and he was just acting like a child.
She liked it when he was childish, it made her laugh. Maybe he should tell her the joke about the Space Weevil and the nun...
~0~0~0~
Night fell over the church but Vincent continued to paint despite the sun having long since set, his lamp the only source of light he had. Amy and Danni still watched him, completely engrossed in his technique as the Doctor squatted on the floor, a pout now permanently plastered on his face.
"Is this how time normally passes? Really slowly. In the right order." He stood up and walked over to them.
"Not for me." Danni replied off-handedly. It still amazed her how quickly she had fallen into jumping around time and space, it almost felt like this was how she should have always lived her life. The only thing that truly annoyed her about it was the fact she couldn't decide when she was going to jump, otherwise it could be quite fun. That and the lack of sleep. She stifled a yawn as she continued to watch Vincent paint; yes, the lack of sleep was a pain. But, they were nearing the end and she could go to bed. And dream of the Doctor again...
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an unpunctual alien attack." The Doctor raged as he stormed passed them. Danni rolled her eyes and patted Amy on the shoulder.
"I've got this." She told the girl-who-waited, who nodded and continued to watch Vincent uninterrupted. Danni followed the Doctor over to where he was stood, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently .
"What's wrong?" She asked him gently, wrapping around his arm with a smile.
"There's something not right and I can't quite put my finger on it." He told her quietly before looking down at her, "Do you know what?" She nodded slightly.
"I suppose so, yeah." She admitted, "I can tell you, if you like?" She looked up at him questioningly and he studied her for a moment with a thoughtful frown before shaking his head, laughing slightly.
"No, don't." He replied, "I'll figure it out, and then you can correct me." She nodded slowly, looking over at the church then back at him.
"Are you sure?" The Krafayis didn't deserve to die, it was just scared but the Doctor had said they were merciless. If they saved it then it might just go on to kill more innocent young girls like the one from the village.
"There." Vincent called, interrupting their conversation. The pair turned around as he pointed towards the church with his paintbrush, "He's at the window."
"Where?" The Doctor asked, looking at them all with a worried look on his face.
"There, on the right."
"As I thought. Come on." He told Danni as he ran over to Vincent and Amy, "I'm going in." He stated as he bent down and fiddled with the old suitcase, shutting it with a slam.
"Well, I'm coming, too." Vincent declared, quickly packing up his things.
"No!" The Doctor shouted, horrified. Vincent stared at him in shock as he held up a hand to stop him coming any closer, "You're Vincent van Gogh. No."
"But you're not armed." Vincent replied confused.
"I am." The Doctor assured him.
"What with?"
"Overconfidence and this." The Doctor tapped the case with a happy smile of his face.
"Don't forget your screwdriver." Danni pointed out and he nodded, pointing at her in thanks.
"And a small screwdriver. I'm absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right crosactic setting, and stun him with it. Sonic never fails. Anyway, Amy," The Doctor approached her, a deadly serious look on his face, "only one thought, one simple instruction - don't follow me under any circumstances. The same goes for you Danni, do not follow me." He motioned to his eyes then at Vincent, telling the painter to keep an eye on the girls.
"I won't." Amy told him, her voice sounding sincere to go with the sombre look on her face. The Doctor shot her a thumbs-up, then grabbed Danni's hand, placing a kiss on it. He headed towards the church as the trio watched. When he was a safe distance away Danni looked up at Amy.
"I think he actually believed you." She praised and Amy nodded, a smile breaking out on her face.
"Will you follow him?" Vincent asked and Amy nodded.
"Of course." She replied as if it was obvious. He stared at her, looking bewildered by her.
"I love you." He told her honestly. Amy smiled gently at him, unaware of the sad look that appeared in her eyes.
"But not yet." Danni explained, "We've got to give him a fighting chance, otherwise he'll never do anything on his own."
"The monster?" Vincent asked and Danni shook her head.
"No, the Doctor." She clarified before taking Amy's hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. The poor girl was looking nervous, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the Doctor or because Amy had once again felt so sad but didn't know why.
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