Amy paced nervously, biting her thumb as she continued to glance up at the window in the church. Vincent was focused on it, staring intently at the monster to make sure it didn't move. Danni stood to his left, concerned about the Doctor even though she knew he would be okay. Should be okay. God, she hoped he was okay.
"Has he moved?" Amy asked Vincent, pausing and looking at the man.
"No," She frowned and began pacing again, "just shifted to the next window. But, wait!" She span to face him, alarmed, "He's turning now." He told her frantically. Amy ran over and grabbed his hand.
"Maybe we should head in now." Danni suggested shakily. Amy nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds..." She was interrupted by the sound of the Doctor yelling in pain.
"Doctor!" Danni screamed, running off towards the church.
"Danni!" Amy cried in surprise, following her.
"Amy!" Vincent looked around, looking for something, anything he could use to defend Amy Pond, before spotting his own chair. He chucked off his coat and belt, picked it up and followed them in.
~0~0~0~
"Doctor!" Danni screamed again, heading into the building and almost running straight into the man in question. He screamed in surprise, obviously not expecting anyone else to be in the building.
"Argh! I thought I told you..." He began to scold her as Amy came barrelling around to meet them, but trailed off as Danni threw her arms around him hugging him tightly, "Never mind. We'll talk about it later. Quick, in here." He grabbed her hand and the three ran over to a confessional, Amy climbing in one chamber and Danni and the Doctor in the other. Danni sat on his lap, stiff as a board as the Krafayis moved around outside.
"Absolutely quiet." He whispered. Amy was breathing heavily, scared of the invisible creature. The Doctor lifted the curtain, covering them both in light before glaring slightly at the grill separating the two compartments. He slid it up, startling Amy slightly, "Can you breath a little quieter, please?"
"No!" She whispered back.
"Rude!" Danni hissed at him, smacking his arm gently. And he'd been getting so much better. Amy lifted her curtain up, peering outside.
"He's gone past." She told them.
"Shh." The Doctor held a finger to his lips. There was silence as they all sat there, the Doctor's arms wrapped around Danni's waist as he held her in place. Then, suddenly, there was a loud growl from the Krafayis which blew in part of the grating on Amy's side. She screamed in both fear and surprise.
"I think he heard us." He stated lowly.
"You think?" Danni snapped back. Part of the grating on their side was smacked in, Danni screaming as well as covering her face.
"That is impressive hearing he's got." The Doctor said as a hole appeared above his shoulder. He shielded Danni from the debris, "What's less impressive are our chances of survival." The confessional shook as the Krafayis tried to break it open. Amy screamed again.
"Hey, are you looking for me, sonny?" Vincent shouted boldly from outside. The Doctor grinned and kissed the top of Danni's head, "Come on. Over here. Because I'm right here waiting for you." Danni stood up and slowly opened the door, seeing Amy doing the same on the other side. She shot her a shaky smile as they watched Vincent fighting thin air. His hat fell off and he looked over at them. He motioned behind himself.
"Come on. Quickly! Get behind me." They all ran behind him as he continued weilding a chair like a lion tamer. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and waved it at where he thought the beast was, setting it off with a high-pitched screech.
"Doing anything?" He asked Vincent, who shook his head. He motioned back again at they headed out into the church's courtyard.
"Where is he?" The Doctor asked.
"Where do you think he is, you idiot? Use your head." The Krafayis roared and it's footsteps echoed in the small space. The Doctor waved his sonic in it's general direction again.
"Anything?"
"Nothing." Vincent told him, "In fact, he seemed to rather enjoy it." The Doctor looked at his screwdriver, a grimace on his face.
"Kinky." Danni commented, "I like it."
"Danni!" The Doctor groaned as the Krafayis roared again. Vincent began turning in a circle and the trio followed him.
"Duck." He shouted and Danni and the Doctor fell to the ground, "Left." The pair headed left but the monster swatted them both, sending them into a wall. Amy screamed as they landed on the floor with a thud.
"Right, sorry." Vincent apologised. Danni groaned, holding her head in pain from where it had slammed into the wall. The Doctor held his side as he turned to look at her and gasped, seeing a trickle of blood coming from her hairline. Amy crouched down by them as Vincent covered them with the chair, "Your right, my left."
"Next time get them right!" The Doctor snapped angrily, taking out one of his handkerchiefs the wipe the blood of her forehead. How hard is it to get your right and left the right way around? The creature could have done so much more damage than it did. If anything happened to his Danni-Girl...
"He didn't mean it." Danni replied firmly, taking the cloth and holding it to her head. Oh, this was going to smart tomorrow. The Doctor nodded, his anger deflating slightly at her look.
"Yes, right. Sorry Vincent." He stated lowly, calming down. She was right, he had just been trying to help. He saw her flinch as she dabbed her head and he tensed, his anger rising again. He shook his head, now was not the time to get worked up, "This is no good at all. Run like crazy and regroup." He scrambled up, helping Danni stand. She swayed slightly so she gripped onto him tightly to steady herself.
"Oh, come on, in here." Amy replied and headed for another door. Vincent dropped the chair and they followed her in, each of them holding the door to try and force it shut. The Krafayis fought against their barricade. Vincent looked down and stamped on what Danni guessed was his foot.
"Out!" He shouted and they managed to close the door. They turned to lean against the door.
"Right. OK. Here's the plan. Amy, Rory." The Doctor started.
"Who?" Amy asked, confused. He stared at Danni, eyes wide at his stumble and she motioned to herself. He turned back to Amy.
"Sorry, um, Danni and Vincent." He corrected himself.
"What is the plan?" Amy demanded.
"I don't know, actually. But in future, I'm just using this screwdriver for screwing in screws." He placed his screwdriver back into his pocket.
"Give me a second. I'll be back." Vincent told them. He looked both ways before running off without any explanation.
"I suppose we could try talking to him." The Doctor suggested.
"Talking to him?!" Amy exclaimed, exasperated. Of course that's what he'd suggest.
"Well, yes. Might be interesting to know his side of the story."The Krafayis growled from the other side of the door, "Yes, though maybe he's not really in the mood for conversation right at this precise moment." Amy nodded in agreement, her lips pursed together as the Krafayis banged on the door, "Well, no harm trying. Listen. Listen!" The growling stopped and the Doctor turned to place both hands on the door, as if he was reaching out to the creature, "I know you can understand me. Even though I know you won't understand why you can understand me. I also know that no-one's talked to you for a pretty long stretch, but please... listen. I also don't belong on this planet." He swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut, "I also am alone. If you trust me, I'm sure we can come to some kind of, you know, understanding. And then, and then, who knows?" Danni reached out and hugged him around the waist. He rubbed a hand against her back as there was silence for a moment until the window behind them shattered, the Krafayis finding a way inside the room. It roared loudly and the Doctor spun Danni around into Amy, shielding them both from the shattered glass. Danni's head spun and she gripped him tighter, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Over here, mate!" Vincent shouted as he ran back in brandishing his easel. The Doctor helped her run behind the painter, Amy on the other side ready to catch her if she stumbled.
"What's it up to now?" The Doctor asked him as they moved behind a pillar in the middle of the room.
"It's moving round the room. Feeling its way around." Vincent explained as he watched the creature move around. He lead Amy over to a sarcophagus and the pair crouched down behind it as the Doctor frowned, keeping a grip on Danni behind the pillar. Did he have to keep shaking her? It was making her nauseous.
"What?" He exclaimed, looking where the creature was leaving a trail of items strewn across the floor.
"It's like it's trapped. It's moving round the edges of the room."
"I can't see a thing." Amy whispered, frustrated.
"I am really stupid." The Doctor muttered with a groan.
"Oh, get a grip!" Amy snapped at him, "This is not a moment to re-evaluate your self-esteem."
"No, I am really stupid and I'm growing old." He looked down at Danni, "And I'm still not listening to you, am I?" Danni frowned at him, wincing at the movement of her head. He lifted the handkerchief up, the bleeding had seemed to have stopped but there was a small bump.
"What do you mean?" She asked him.
"Why does it attack, but never eat its victims?" He helped her over to Vincent and Amy, letting her sit down on the floor, "And why was it abandoned by its pack and left here to die? Why is it feeling its way helplessly around the walls of the room? It can't see, it's blind." He summarized, "And you told me that, in the alley by the TARDIS. That explains why it has such perfect hearing!" He shouted. The Krafayis growled again.
"Which unfortunately also explains why it is now turning around and heading straight for us." Vincent replied, hit teeth clenched in fright. He stood up, holding the sharp point of the easel out in front of him like a weapon.
"Vincent. Vincent, what's happening?" The Doctor asked as he and Amy jumped up, Danni staying behind the sarcophagus.
"It's charging now." Vincent told him, motioning behind him, "Get back. Get back!"
"No, don't." Danni whimpered, knowing what was going to happen next. The Doctor looked down at her, confused to see her crying as Vincent moved forward with a yell, impaling the creature with the sharp point. He dangled in the air for a moment before letting go and falling to the floor. The creature fell to the floor, the easel pointing upwards. Amy helped Danni up as they, the Doctor and Vincent approached it. Vincent took his hat up as his lip trembled to match the tears in his eyes.
"He wasn't without mercy at all. He was without sight. I didn't mean that to happen. I only meant to wound it, I never meant to..." The Doctor knelt down by the creature as Amy held onto Vincent's arm in comfort.
"He's trying to say something."
"What is it?" Vincent asked.
"I'm having trouble making it out..."
"'I'm afraid'." Danni whispered, sniffing and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "He's saying 'I'm afraid'." The Doctor reached out and stroked the body, only being able to feel the creature.
"There, there. It's OK. You'll be fine. Ssh." The creature let out a final breath and died. Danni sobbed and the Doctor sighed, holding his head in his hands.
"He was frightened…and he lashed out." Vincent murmured as the Doctor stood up, stalking over to Danni and pulling her in for a hug. The girl clung to him tightly and he stroked her hair in comfort, "Like humans, who lash out when they're frightened. Like the villagers who scream at me. Like the children who throw stones at me." Amy grabbed Vincent's hand, not knowing what else to do.
"Sometimes winning - winning is no fun at all." The Doctor decided before walking Danni out and away from the creature.
~0~0~0~
The wind had picked up outside as they foursome laid down in a field, their head together in a circle. Vincent grabbed Amy's hand and then reached out for the Doctor's.
"Hold my hand, Doctor. Try to see what I see. We are so lucky we are still alive to see this beautiful world." Vincent told them. The Doctor grabbed Danni's hand, who in turn grabbed Amy's to complete the circle. "Look at the sky. It's not dark and black and without character. The black is in fact deep blue." He motioned above them with the Doctor's hand, "And over there, lighter blue. And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air and then, shining, burning, bursting through - the stars! Can you see how they roar their light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes." The trio stared up as they could almost see his painting 'Starry Night' superimposed over the sky.
"I've seen many things, my friend. But you're right. Nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see." Vincent tightened his grip on the Doctor's hand, holding it to his chest. He held Amy's above his head, studying her fingers closely as if committing them to memory.
"I will miss you terribly." He stated sadly.
~0~0~0~
"I only wish I had something of real value to give you." Vincent told them as they stood in his kitchen. The Doctor giggled as he held the 'Self Portrait with Straw Hat' in his hands, turning to Amy who had her hand over her mouth to hide her grin. Danni smiled at the pair, too tired to join in with their joy. The Doctor held it up to Vincent's head, comparing the two.
"Oh, no, no. I could never accept such an extraordinary gift." He handed it back. Vincent looked down at it with a frown, then shrugged.
"Very well. You are not the first to decline the offer." He placed the painting down roughly, the Doctor waving his hands in panic but the painting was fine. Vincent held his arms out, "Amy, the blessed, the wonderful." They hugged each other tightly, placing kisses on each others cheeks.
"Be good to yourself and be kind to yourself." She told him.
"I'll try my best." He promised.
"And maybe give the beard a little trim before you next kiss someone." She rubbed her cheek and the both laughed.
"I will. I will. And if you tire of this Doctor of yours, return, And we will have children by the dozen." Amy's eyes widened as he motioned to the Doctor.
"Eek!" She replied, not sure what else to say. Vincent then turned to Danni.
"And my guiding star, Danni." They hugged tightly and when she stepped back she held onto both his hands.
"It was an honour and a pleasure to be in the story of your life, Vincent. Be sure to remember me when you pass it on." She told him.
"Your name is written across the stars, you don't need me." He replied and she shook her head.
"Yes I do." He smiled widely at the sincerity in her voice before finally turned to the Doctor.
"Doctor, my friend." The Doctor held his hand out for Vincent to shake, but he just held it in his own, "We have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear I may not do as well." Vincent admitted, his expression now sombre. The Doctor stared back, not knowing what to say as he knew he wouldn't, and then hugged him tightly.
"Nah." He brushed off lightly, trying to reassure him.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor, Amy and Danni walked off, Danni in the middle holding onto their hands tightly. The Doctor kept glancing back at Vincent's house, a thoughtful frown on his face while Amy was smiling to herself.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The Doctor stated suddenly.
"I was thinking I may need some food or something before we leave." Amy replied. The Doctor paused, stopping Danni and therefore Amy in their tracks.
"Well, no, you're not thinking exactly what I'm thinking." He shot her an incredulous look before he turned to the house, "Vincent!" Shirtless, and with a brush in his mouth, Vincent leant out of his window, "Got something I'd like to show you. Maybe just tidy yourself up a bit first." Vincent nodded and ducked back in.
~0~0~0~
The Doctor led Amy, Danni and Vincent down the alley towards the TARDIS, Amy linked to Vincent through his arm while Danni used the Doctor to hold herself up. Not much longer now.
"Now, you know we've had quite a few chats about the possibility there might be more to life than normal people imagine?" The Doctor groaned when he saw the TARDIS covered in posters for some upcoming performance in the village.
"Yes?" Vincent replied slowly.
"Well, you may want to brace yourself." Danni replied. The Doctor nodded and sliced down the middle of the posters with his key so he could open the door. They all moved out of the way and let Vincent enter first so he could see the vastness inside. He stuck his head out to examine the exterior as they giggled at his reaction before stepping back inside.
"How come I'm the crazy one and you three have stayed sane?" The Doctor stepped in after him and took off his hat, placing it on the coat rack at the doorway as Amy laughed outright. They headed up to the console, the Doctor swinging Danni's hand, "What do these things all do?" Vincent asked, staring at the array of levers and buttons and... was that a typewriter?
"Oh, a huge variety of things. This one here," The Doctor turned a know and music began playing throughout the TARDIS, "for instance, plays soothing music." He grabbed Danni and began waltzing exaggeratedly with her before passing her to Amy, where the two women danced together, "While this one makes a huge amount of noise." He flipped a lever and the TARDI was filled with a loud noise that drowned out the music for a moment, causing Vincent to cover his ear in pain, "And this one makes everything go tonto." The TARDIS began shaking wildly as they took off into the vortex, spinning into the future. Amy and Danni laughed as they clung to each other and tried to keep upright, while Vincent stumbled around, grabbing onto the monitor to finally straighten himself up. He couldn't help the chuckle that passed his lips, this was so bizarre!
"And this one?" Vincent asked, pointing at something on the console. The Doctor jumped and reached over, batting his hand away in panic.
"That's a friction contrafibulator!" He cried and Vincent stepped back from it, pointing at something else.
"And this?"
"Ketchup!" Danni cried, happy she knew what one of the controls did, "The one next to it is mustard. I've tried to get a mayonnaise one installed but he," She motioned to the Doctor, "doesn't like it." The Doctor pulled a face.
"Who does?"
"I do." Danni replied, "And I want access to it whenever I have chips."
"Mmm. Nice!" Vincent interrupted their argument, reaching over and gripping the Doctor's shoulders, "Come on. Back to the café and you can tell me about all the wonders of the universe." Amy shook her head frantically at the Doctor, who was unsure what to say.
"That's a good idea, isn't it?" Danni stated loudly, "But I thought there was something else you wanted to show him first?" The Doctor pointed at her, relieved.
"Yes, you're right! Outside, if you would Vincent." He clapped his hand on Vincent's arm, manoeuvring him outside into the streets of Paris. It was Amy's present day and they were parked outside the Musee D'Orsay.
"Where are we?" Vincent asked, looking around confused at the people bustling by. It was lightly snowing and a police car zoomed past with it's siren on, causing Danni to wince at the noise. Did no one appreciate she had a headache?
"Paris. 2010 AD. And this is the mighty Musee D'Orsay, home to many of the greatest paintings in history." The Doctor explained.
"Oh, that's wonderful." Vincent smiled then sated in wonder as two men walked past with a portable radio playing music. The Doctor waved it off.
"Ignore that. I've got something more important to show you." They headed into the building, Vincent staring at all the statues and sculptures in appreciation as they headed up the main staircase. Amy led Vincent up past a large bronze statue, which the Doctor paused at and copied it's pose. Danni laughed and joined him. He grinned and kissed her on the side of the head before leading her up to meet Amy and Vincent. They headed through to where paintings by the greats such a Monet and Rodin hung, the Doctor having to drag Vincent away from one of the 'Water Lilies' series by Monet. They entered the van Gogh exhibit and they smiled gently as he looked around, his face slowly showing the shock he felt as he saw children and adults alike admiring the paintings that he couldn't even give away back home. He turned in a slow circle, taking it all in before his gaze fell back onto the trio who had brought him here. The Doctor held his arms out, motioning to everything in the room. Amy smiled to herself, she knew this was going to change everything. Danni pulled on the Doctor's sleeve and pointed at Dr Black from their last visit. He walked over and placed an arm around the lectures shoulders.
"Dr Black, we met a few days ago. I asked you about the church at Auvers." He explained as he pulled him away from a small crowd. Amy and Danni walked Vincent a bit closer.
"Oh, yes. Glad to be of help." Danni appeared at the Doctor's side and Dr Black smiled at her, "You were nice about my tie." She nodded.
"I was, and today's is simply stunning." She made a frame with her hands, boxing the tie off from the rest of him and he grinned.
"But we just wondered, between you and me and Danni-Girl here, in 100 words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?"
"Well, big question. But, to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all." Dr Black answered honestly, Vincent hearing every word as he began to tear up, "Certainly, the most popular, great painter of all time, the most beloved. His command of colour, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world - no-one had ever done it before. Perhaps no-one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived." Vincent began to openly sob, the Doctor finally noticing his reaction. The smile on his face dropped as he walked over and rubbed his back.
"Vincent. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Is it too much?" He gave him a comforting hug as Vincent shook his head.
"No. They are tears of joy."Vincent told him before he walked over to Dr Black, kissing him on both cheeks then hugging him, "Thank you, sir. Thank you."
"You're welcome. You're welcome." Dr Black replied, utterly confused as Vincent broke away. His mind fell on Amy's words before and he rubbed his face.
"Sorry about the beard." He apologised as he joined Amy, the Doctor and Danni. Amy and Doctor began to lead Vincent out of the exhibit as Danni watched Dr Black walk off, stop and turn to look at where Vincent had been before shaking his head in disbelief and heading back to his lecture.
~0~0~0~
The TARDIS reappeared back in a field in 19th century France, Vincent stepping out first with a smile on her face and his hat in his hands.
"This changes everything." He told them excited, "I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back a different man." He turned to Danni, who was so tired that she had to lean on the TARDIS for fear of falling over, "I still can't believe that one of the haystacks was in the museum. How embarrassing." She giggled, interrupting herself with a yawn.
"It's been a great adventure and a great honour." The Doctor told him honestly before shaking his hand. He then pulled him into a hug, patting him on the back purposefully.
"You've turned out to be the first doctor ever actually to make a difference to my life." Vincent told him incredulously and the Doctor laughed.
"I'm delighted. I won't ever forget you." He held Vincent's face in his hands for a moment before walking over to Danni, pulling out his key to let them back in again.
"And you are sure marriage is out of the question?" Vincent asked Amy one last time. She smiled at him then pulled him into a tight embrace.
"This time."She leant in closer, "I'm not really the marrying kind." She whispered in his ear, a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach that this really wasn't true. She brushed it off as she kissed him on the cheek and headed back into the TARDIS, "Come on. Let's go back to the gallery right now." She exclaimed, shutting the door behind her. Danni made her way to the pilot chair, sharing a sad look with the Doctor who knew just as much as she did that while they had made a difference to his life, the outcome was still always going to be the same. She sat down on the seat and by the time the TARDIS had landed in 2010, she had fallen asleep.
~0~0~0~
"Danni." A voice called to her in from in the darkness, "Danni, wake up." She groaned and batted a hand away that brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. Her eyes fluttered open and after a moment of disorientation she realised she was still curled up on the pilot seat in the TARDIS. The Doctor was crouched down beside her, an amused look on his face as she rubbed her eyes.
"Did I fall asleep again?" She asked with a groan and he nodded as he helped her stand up.
"Let's get you to bed." He told her as clung to him, wobbly and still feeling very tired. She managed to smirk at him though, looking up at him through her lashes.
"Oo, what would neighbours think?" She teased and he blushed.
"That's... that's not what I meant." He stuttered out and she giggled, a huge yawn once again interrupting her. This whole not-sleeping nonsense was getting out of hand. She was going to have to have words with each of his other selves, they needed to let her sleep once in a while.
"I'm only teasing you." She replied as they headed to her room, the TARDIS bringing it closer for the sleepy girl, "Besides, you couldn't handle me." He laughed at the certainty in her voice and opened the door for her.
"You've been very flirty with me lately, Danielle." He mock scolded her, "Anyone would think you fancied me." She smiled innocently up at him.
"Whatever do you mean, Theta?" She replied, stating his name firmly before biting her lip suggestively. He swallowed as his eyes fell to her lips, but instead of kissing her he tapped her on the nose.
"You need to sleep." He commanded gently and she sighed in disappointment.
"Fine." She grumbled. He kissed her on both cheeks then turned to walk away, "I'm just happy to spend time with a version of you I don't have to convince to trust me." She told him. He spun back around, confused, "That's why I've been all over you." She clarified, "I'm enjoying a Doctor who likes me back, I like the fact you want to kiss me." She blushed slightly at her admission and he walked over, now the one who was smirking.
"I can't resist those lips." He murmured. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up, gently touching his lips to hers. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes shut but he pulled back. She groaned gently and he chuckled, "And that's why you've got to go to bed, otherwise I'll keep you up all night." She opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"I'm going to hold you to that." She warned him and he crossed over both of his hearts in promise. She stepped into her room and closed the door, leaning against it and sighing happily. She then looked at her bed and rushed over, taking just enough time to slip into some pyjamas before falling straight to sleep.
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