chapter twenty-nine ; the shakespeare code
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"COLUMNS THERE, RIGHT, AND FOURTEEN SIDES," the Doctor spoke quietly to himself as they stood in the middle of The Globe.
Usually, Luna had some idea what he was talking about, or could figure it out before his grand explanation: but currently? She was missing a few clues and had no idea.
"Do you know what he's on about?" Martha asked her quietly.
Luna shook her head. "Not a fucking clue."
Martha laughed and the Doctor kept talking to himself, figuring it out as fast as his brain would let him. "He's so cute though," Luna added, despite herself. She wanted to be mad at him, but couldn't bring herself to be. At least not when he looked so focused and adorable.
"I've always wondered, but never asked. Tell me, Will, why 14 sides?" The Doctor asked Shakespeare loudly.
"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all."
"It is odd," Luna agreed, connecting eyes with the Doctor, finally staring up. "No, yeah, it's really strange..."
"Fourteen lines in a sonnet," Martha suggested.
The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, so there is, good point. Words and shapes following the same design."
"But why?" Luna asked, biting her nail in thought. "Fourteen lines, fourteen sides, fourteen facets..."
"My head!" The Doctor exclaimed loudly, rushing up to the stage and staring at Luna. "Sorry, I needed to look at you to make myself feel a bit better."
Luna rolled her eyes. "That doesn't change anything."
"No, but a man can dream. Tetradecagon. Words, letters, numbers, lines!"
"This is just a theatre!" Shakespeare declared.
Luna shook her head, shooting him a sympathetic look. "No, it's not, something's off and we can't figure out what. Something...special about this..."
"Oh, yeah, but a theatre's magic, isn't it?" The Doctor replied harshly. "You should know, you stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time. Oh, you can make men weep. Or cry with joy."
"Or furious with envy," Luna snarked and the Doctor's shoulders dropped a fraction. "Change them."
"Yeah, that's--that's a good point." His eyes widened. "You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that..."
"It's like your police box," Martha added. "Small, wooden box with all that power inside."
"Oh! Oh, Martha Jones, I like you. Tell you what, Peter Streete would know."
"Can we talk to him?" Luna asked.
"You won't get an answer," Shakespeare explained, his voice resigned. "A month after finishing this place, he lost his mind."
"What happened?"
"He started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled."
"Where is he now?" The Doctor asked.
"Bedlam."
"What's Bedlam?" Martha asked.
Luna sighed, fury encompassing her stomach. She hated the stories about Bedlam, and her hearts went out to the poor souls that resided there. "It's not good, let's leave it at that."
"We're going there, right now. Come on!" The Doctor shouted, rushing off. Luna jumped off the stage, tucking her hands into her jacket pocket and following after him, a bit affronted he hadn't even attempted to hold her hand.
"Wait, I'm coming with you," Shakespeare called after them. "I want to witness this at first hand."
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"So, tell me of Freedonia," Shakespeare started as he caught up with them. "Where women can be doctors, writers, actors, teachers."
"This country's ruled by a woman," Martha countered.
"Ah, she's royal. That's God's business. Though, you are a royal beauty," he flattered Martha. "And my sweet Luna, you are just as ravishing."
Luna shook her head, ignoring him, until the Doctor stopped suddenly, turning around and glaring at the writer. "Stop it," he ordered through gritted teeth. "Stop flirting with her. Flirt with Martha, chat her up, hell, kiss her, I don't care. But don't talk to my Luna as if she's anything to do with you. I'm lucky enough to call her my own and I will not lose her to the likes of you."
Shakespeare smiled. "Is that a challenge? Perhaps she's not entirely yours if you're scared of losing her."
The Doctor's frown deepened. "Just stop it, I'm warning you. Do not get on my bad side, William Shakespeare, I will make you regret it."
As much as Luna wanted to protest, and assure the Doctor she belonged to herself and she wasn't property to be taken and won -- she found her breath caught in her throat. Something about the angry look in his eyes, and the firm glare planted on his face...Luna swallowed thickly.
"Doc, let's just keep moving, okay?"
He glanced at her shortly, his face softening and he nodded, his eyes shifting to Shakespeare once more before he pulled Luna's hand into his own and gripped tightly, making sure she wouldn't let go.
"That was rude," she chastised.
He practically growled, giving her a sidelong look. "Don't you start, Luna Peterson. I don't want to hear it."
She grinned to herself as Shakespeare and Martha spoke behind them.
"You didn't have to do that," she reminded him.
The Doctor shook his head. "Of course I did. There are very, very few people I believe you'd choose over me, and I hate to admit it, but I believe Shakespeare's one of them."
Luna's face softened and she rolled her eyes, wrapping her other arm around his own, squeezing his hand. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
"I would choose no one over you, let's get that clear right now. You are my home, Doctor, and I've got nowhere to be if not with you."
He looked over at her, a small smile on his face. "Really?"
"Yes, you idiot. Now, come on, let's get this over with."
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"Does my Lord Doctor wish some entertainment while he waits? I can whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for you."
The Doctor gritted his teeth and Luna's grip on his hand tightened. These poor men, being treated worse than animals because they'd lost their minds, or diseases not yet known. It sickened her.
"No thank you," Luna spoke up harshly. "Say something funny again, maybe I'll take a crack at the whip and watch you put on a show."
"Luna," the Doctor hissed quietly.
She raised an eyebrow and the man turned around, standing over her and the Doctor easily. "Watch your woman," the man told the Doctor. "Else she might end up in here as well. Thinking she can go about talking to a man like that."
The Doctor's eyes darkened. "Just show us Peter Streete."
"Well, wait here my lords," the man nodded. "While I, em, make him decent for the ladies."
"So this is what you call a hospital, yeah?" Martha asked Shakespeare. "Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?"
"Oh, it's all so different in Freedonia," Shakespeare mocked her.
"But you're clever!" Martha protested. "Do you honestly think this place is any good?"
"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. Serves its purpose."
"Not in the right way," Luna replied easily.
"Mad in what way?" Martha asked.
"You lost your son," the Doctor spoke up, his voice soft and distant.
"My boy, the Black Plague took him. I wasn't even there. Made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence, to be or not to be. Oh, that's quite good."
The Doctor smirked. "You should write that down."
"Hmm, maybe not. A bit pretentious?"
Luna's heart tinged and she felt herself clench up at the mention of a child. She'd never felt that way before, the looming dread and sorrow buried deep within her. But now, it gnawed at her insides, chewing and tossing them like a salad. Her eyes watered, and she saw a flash of a child she'd never met, big brown eyes and a goofy smile. She blinked, falling back a bit. The Doctor caught her, watching her with concern.
"Luna, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.
"I feel -- I feel like I'm suffocating. Like nothing will ever...god, I feel like I'm drowning. I can't catch my breath. I feel so sad, so devastated, I don't think I've ever been this sad." She looked up at the Doctor tearfully and he held her face in his hands, his face furrowing into a deep frown. "Doctor, I--I--"
He wiped her tears quickly, shaking his head. "What're you thinking about? What's wrong darling?"
And then she heard it again. Her eyes widened. "The drumming," she whispered to herself, shaking her head. The screams of the men, Shakespeare's voiced concern, Martha's curious stare, the Doctor's worried one, the drumming -- all of it was proving too much.
"I can't--I can't do this. I need some air. I've got to go." She pushed the Doctor off her, rushing outside from where they'd come, ignoring the men cat-calling after her and leaned against the wall outside, struggling to catch her breath.
What was going on with her? First, her memories began disappearing. Then she heard the mysterious drumming at Torchwood that the Doctor ended up taking into his own mind. Then it was the dreams about the Doctor's past regenerations, and now she was reminiscing about a child she'd never met? Feeling as though she'd lost her own, when she'd never had a child?
Luna gasped for air, trying to calm herself down, but a churning feeling flooded her stomach and she felt sick. She gagged, tears pouring down her face as she collapsed to the ground, leaning back against the wall, digging her palms into her eyes. What was happening to her?
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"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe," the Doctor explained, pacing around the room. Luna sat on a chair at the desk, her head in her hand, the incessant drumming returned. An empty feeling settled in her stomach and she felt like nothing in the world mattered anymore. Something snapped inside her, something deep and dark. Martha stood against the bookshelf, and Shakespeare washed his face in a basin, terrified of what he'd seen.
The Doctor had explained it all to Luna after the events, but she didn't care enough that she missed them. She didn't feel like herself anymore, she felt like a shell of the person she was before. Before the drumming, before the child's face.
"Nobody was sure if they were real or legend."
"Well, I'm going for real," Shakespeare said loudly.
"But what do they want?" Martha asked.
"A new empire on Earth," the Doctor explained, leaning against the desk and pulling Luna's head into his side, running his hand through her hair gently. Her eyes fluttered shut at the comfort of his body against her own. She felt so cold, so empty, so different. "A world of bones and blood and witchcraft."
"But how?" Martha asked again.
"I'm looking at the man with the words," the Doctor watched Shakespeare, who stilled in drying his face, frowning.
"Me? But I've done nothing."
"Hold on, though," Martha spoke up. "What were you doing last night when that Carrionite was in the room?"
"Finishing the play."
"What's the ending?" Luna asked tiredly, her voice strained and hollow. She hated the way she sounded. But she couldn't bring herself to care enough to pretend anymore.
"What happens on the last page?" The Doctor asked, agreeing with Luna, his hand stopping in her hair.
"The boys get the girls, they have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought-provoking as usual," he paused, looking at them carefully. "Except those last few lines. Funny thing is, I don't actually remember writing them."
"That's it," the Doctor breathed out, stepping away from Luna, walking towards Shakespeare, his voice raising. "They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. Love's Labour's Won, it's a weapon! The right combination of words spoken in the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play is the thing!" He shouted, turning to face Shakespeare again. "And yes, you can have that."
Luna nodded, running a hand across her face. "Okay, let's take the fuckers down."
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"All Hallows Street," the Doctor pointed on the map Shakespeare had given them. "There it is. Martha, we'll track them down. Luna, my love, do you want to come with us or go back to the TARDIS?"
Luna waved him off, pinching the bridge of her nose tightly, trying to subdue the headache and dull drumming, before giving him a cheeky thumbs up. "You think you're going to save the world without me? Funny."
He smirked, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!"
"I'll do it," Shakespeare agreed. "All these years, I've been the cleverest man around," he held his hand up for the Doctor to shake. "Next to you, I know nothing. You're more than worthy of a woman like Luna."
Luna snorted. "I don't know, I think I stepped down to his level."
Martha smiled at her but the men ignored her retort. "Well, don't complain," Martha told Shakespeare.
"I'm not," he denied. "It's marvelous. Good luck, Doctor."
"Good luck, Shakespeare," he grabbed his coat, tossing it on before he pulled Luna from the chair, gripping her hand tightly. "Onto the breach!"
"I like that," Shakespeare smiled, before it dropped. "Wait a minute, that's one of mine!"
"Oh, just shift!" The Doctor shouted back.
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"All Hallow's street," the Doctor started, gripping Luna tightly as they looked around the block. "Which house?"
The familiar feeling of adrenalin rushed through her veins, drowning out the exhaustion, as she helped him and Martha search.
"Thing is, though, am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599, it just didn't. Look at me, and Luna, we're living proof."
"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux?"
Luna rolled her eyes. "He's overdramatic. Anything can change. We shouldn't change it, no, because there are moments in time that are fixed. But the world can be rewritten if certain events never happen. For example, if this world gets taken over by the Carrionites, then we still exist, but we slowly start to disappear, first our memories then our histories, then our lives. Time's...funny like that. It never really connects. Everything you do dictates your life and different realities and timelines exist atop each other. Only certain events can never change. But the Sycorax invading a few years prior? Wasn't mean to happen. The Dalek and Cybermen invasion last year at Torchwood," she noticed the Doctor stiffen at her words, "wasn't meant to happen. But, it didn't change anything drastically. Just created a new world, a new branch of time, our timeline, the one we both understand. The Carrionites can still take over the world, and the entire human race is destroyed. But, if we stop them, then nothing changes. Does that make any sense?"
Martha took a moment, letting it sink in, before nodding. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks, Luna."
She winked in response and the Doctor pressed a kiss to her temple. "I love you," he muttered into her hair breathlessly. She barely heard the words, but they made her heart skip a beat. "But which house?"
A door in front of them creaked open and Luna stiffened, her grip on the Doctor tightening.
"Make that witch house," he joked to the women and Luna smirked, but Martha just glanced at him fearfully.
He pulled her a bit behind them as the trio entered the house, his hand intersected with her own tightly.
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"I take it we're expected," the Doctor voiced as they entered the room. The same woman from before, who stood on the balcony, and made Luna suspicious, stood in front of them.
"I fucking knew it," Luna swore, shaking her head. "I knew it was you. You're really obvious," she jabbed.
"Oh, I think death has been waiting for you a very long time," the woman replied to the Doctor, ignoring Luna entirely.
"Right then," Martha tapped the Doctor's chest. "It's my turn."
Luna grimaced, prepared for the worst as Martha stepped forward. "I know how to do this. I name thee Carrionite!" Martha pointed, only for nothing to happen.
"What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?"
Luna cringed. "Sorry, love, doesn't work like that."
"She's right," the Carrionite witch responded, "Power of a name works only once. Observe. I gaze upon this bag of bones, and now I name thee, Martha Jones."
Martha gasped, eyes rolling back to her head as she fell backwards. The Doctor let go of Luna's hand, grabbing Martha and holding her tightly as he gently set her on the ground.
"What have you done?" He asked furiously.
"Only sleeping, alas. It's curious, her name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And your lady," she turned to Luna. "You've not a single name, how curious. The moon seems to guide you, and yet, you're as lost as a lone star. You're not bound to anything, you're not simply out of your time, but life. There's nothing left of you, is there?"
Luna's eyes widened as the woman turned to the Doctor with a smirk. "And as for you, Sir Doctor," she pointed, but nothing happened. The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look," she grinned and Luna glanced at him, worry flooding her features. Surely she hadn't discovered his name, not even Luna knew it. "There's still one word with a power that aches."
"The naming won't work on me," the Doctor growled out.
"But your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distant...Rose."
The Doctor stiffened, moving past Luna's shocked expression. That was the name he harbored so deep in his heart? Wounded, she looked up at him with a hurt expression. He'd really lied to her. He swore he loved her, and only her, truly and deeply -- and yet, here he was, missing the woman who'd killed her.
"Oh, big mistake," the Doctor argued. "'Cause that name keeps me fighting."
Another jab to her heart. Luna's eyes filled with tears but she pushed them away. She could cry later. She had to stay strong, for Martha, if not the Doctor.
"The Carrionites vanished. Where did you go?"
"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness."
"Then how did you escape?"
"New words. New and glittering. From a mind like no other."
The Doctor nodded in understanding. "Shakespeare."
The woman nodded to a cauldron, bubbling blue with an image of Shakespeare crying. The Doctor stared on blankly but Luna's heart fell at the sight. As if it could fall any further.
"His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."
"How many of you?" The Doctor asked.
"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will leave the universe back into the old ways of blood and magic."
"That sounds like a real party," Luna remarked. The woman's attention snapped to her.
"Hiding behind your words? Privy to such information, and yet, you care not. Empty then and empty now. Meaningless and fleeing, your life will end soon. I can taste it."
Luna swallowed, pushing away the concern she felt at the words. So eerily similar to what the beast said all those months ago. Living a life that wasn't her own...she'd die so very soon...
"Busy schedule," the Doctor rubbed his ear, stepping in front of Luna and towards the woman. "But first, you've got to get past me." He leaned close to the woman and Luna felt the betrayal rise deep within her chest, but she didn't have it in her to say anything.
"Oh, that should be a pleasure," the woman replied, leaning closer to the Doctor. Her Doctor. "Considering my enemy has such a handsome shape." She held her hand up to the Doctor's face and jealousy swam inside Luna's stomach.
The woman smirked, glancing over at Luna once, before her eyes settled on the Doctor again.
"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me," the Doctor said plainly. Luna shook her head. Or, maybe it would. It seemed Rose and enough magic to charm his heart, perhaps this ancient Carrionite did as well.
"Oh, we'll see," the woman replied, snipping hair off the back of his head, pulling away with a smirk.
"What was that for? What did you do?"
"Souvenir," she turned to Luna. "Sorry, I didn't get anything from you. But I presumed you'd want front row seats to watch your world burn. You're already burning from the inside out."
"Give it back!" The Doctor shouted as the woman leaned against the window. She waved her arms and the windows flung open, and she was floating in the sky.
"Well, that's just cheating," the Doctor remarked.
"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets," she pulled out a band covering some sort of tweed.
"Now, you might call that magic," the Doctor interjected. "I'd call that a DNA replication module."
"What use is your science now?" She took a needle, stabbing the doll once in the chest, looking to Luna again. "Hope you liked the show."
The Doctor screamed, falling to his side and Luna rushed forward, ignoring the betrayal and pain in her heart, holding him close. "Hey, love, shh, you're fine, now, c'mon, you're fine," she rolled her eyes, helping him on his back. Martha jumped up then, rushing over and checking his heartbeat.
"Hold on, wait," she exchanged a look with Luna. "Two hearts?"
Luna shrugged. "He does love the dramatics."
Martha laughed and the Doctor smiled. "I'm making a habit of it," he replied to them both, his smile falling when his eyes connected with Luna's. They helped him up and he gasped, letting out a scream.
"I've only got one heart working! How do you people cope?"
"We don't run as much," Luna joked. "And we eat lots of cake."
"I've got to get the other one started," he winced, "hit me. Hit me on the chest," he begged them. Luna and Martha exchanged another exasperated look.
"You hold him," Luna told Martha. "I'll take this one."
Martha held him up and Luna slammed her fist against the Doctor's right side, smirking when he winced. "Oh, sorry, was that the wrong side?" She raised an eyebrow, slamming her fist down on the left one next, watching in satisfaction when he gasped, falling forward.
"Now, on the back, on the back!" He ground out and Martha whacked him from the back as hard as she could. "Left a bit!"
Martha hit him once more and he sprang up, gasping for breath and straightening out. "Ah," he cracked his back. "Lovely. There we go. By-da-boom-ba!"
"Well, what are you standing there for?" He asked Martha and Luna. "Come on, the Globe!"
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"We're going the wrong way!" Martha and Luna shouted together as they raced after the Doctor. Luna refused to hold his hand after everything that occurred in the house, but she was beginning to regret not having him pull her around.
"No, we're not!"
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"We're going the wrong way!" The Doctor shouted, realizing the women were right.
They all turned around, running back down the street.
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They stopped at the end of the street, watching as a bright pink light and dust scattered over the Globe theatre.
"Stage door!" The Doctor shouted, rushing ahead first. Luna ran after him and Martha followed quickly behind as they all raced to stop the Carrionites. They found Shakespeare sitting inside, rubbing the back of his head.
"Stop the play!" The Doctor shouted exasperatedly. "I think that was it. Yeah, I said stop the play!"
"I hit my head," Shakespeare responded, rubbing his head.
"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." A scream erupted from the audience, and what sounded like flames, and the Doctor shot forward. "I think that's my cue!"
Luna raced after him, and Martha pulled Shakespeare after them.
"Come on!" The Doctor shouted, grabbing Shakespeare as swarms of black overwhelmed the pink hues inside the theatre. "Will, history needs you."
"But what can I do?" Shakespeare asked loudly, unsure of himself.
"Reverse it!" Luna chimed in.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith. The one true genius, the only man clever enough to do it."
"But what words?" Shakespeare asked. "I have none ready."
"You're William Shakespeare!" The Doctor shouted angrily.
"But these Carrionite phrases, they need such precision."
"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm, words that last forever! That's what you do, Will. You choose perfect words. Do it! Improvise!"
Luna grabbed Shakespeare's hand. "You can do it, Will! Just let yourself feel the words!"
He nodded, taking a moment before stepping back. "Close up this din of hateful, dire decay, decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy, my doting Doctor tells me I am not! Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show, between the points..." he looked to the Doctor for help. Luna shrugged.
"7-6-1-3-9-0!" She shouted, the numbers flying from her lips before she could stop them. The Doctor looked at her in surprise as Shakespeare repeated the numbers.
"Banished like a tinkers' cuss, I say to thee..." He looked back at the Doctor and Luna, who fumbled for a word, until Martha spoke up.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Expelliarmus!" Shakespeare shouted, finishing his words.
"Good old, JK!" The Doctor shouted in glee.
The Carrionites shrieked above them as the wind blew around them, shrouding into the pink dust, taking the papers and the Carrionites with it.
"Love Labour's Won," the Doctor grinned. "There it goes."
The sky crackled and lightening flashed, until finally, the wind stopped and the hole in the sky ceased. Everyone gasped, watching the clear sky before the audience erupted into a hesitant applause, until finally, cheering loudly.
"They think it was all special effects?" Martha asked.
"Your effect is special, indeed," Shakespeare charmed. Luna rolled her eyes, following after the Doctor, who'd wandered off up tp the balcony.
✰☾✰
Luna sat on the floor, watching Shakespeare and Martha flirt, smiling when Martha stood her ground and told the man his breath stank when he leaned in to kiss her. The Doctor walked in a moment later, with different props in his hands and around his neck.
"Great prop shop!" He grinned. "I'm not sure about this, though," he held up a fossil-like head. "Reminds me of a Sycorax."
"Nice word," Shakespeare nodded. "I'll have that off you as well."
Luna shook her head. "Give us 10%."
"How's your head?" The Doctor asked him.
"Still aching," Shakespeare responded.
"Here, I got this," he pulled the neck brace from around his neck, wrapping it around Shakespeare's. Luna smirked as the man looked increasingly similar to the paintings. "Wear that for a few days until it's better. Although, you might want to keep it, it suits you."
"What about the play?" Martha asked.
"Gone," the Doctor shook his head. "I looked all over. Every single copy of Love Labour's Won went up in the sky."
"My lost masterpiece."
"You could write it up again," Martha suggested.
"Yeah," the Doctor spoke up. "Better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten."
"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons, in memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet."
"Hamnet?" Martha questioned.
"That's him."
"Ham-net?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Anyway," the Doctor spoke up, sparing a glance at Luna, who's energy had diminished almost completely. From the lack of sleep the night before, the fight with the Doctor, the heartbreak and pain she suffered earlier the evening, and the Carrionite's cruel words, not to mention the drumming... "Time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot can scream for all eternity. And I've got to take Martha back to Freedonia."
"You mean travel on through time and space?"
Luna smiled, shaking her head. Of course he guessed it. He really had lived up to every expectation.
"You--what?"
"You're from another world, like the Carrionites. And Martha here's from the future. Luna's from somewhere in between. You're like Martha, but you act like him," he told her pointedly. "You're still lost, love, you need to find yourself," he looked back at the Doctor. "It's not hard to work out."
"That's incredible. You are incredible."
"We're alike in many ways, Doctor," Shakespeare smiled. "Martha," he turned to her. "Let me say goodbye to you with a new verse. A sonnet for my dark lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely, more temperate..."
Luna's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she stared at the Doctor. Had the man honestly created the entire sonnet for their Martha? They looked at each other with disbelief and she grinned to herself, until the drumming got louder. Shakespeare's words were tuned out and the drumming got louder. Was that a heartbeat? Her own heartbeat? How could it have been so loud?
"...We're the talk of the town," one of Shakespeare's actors spoke up. Luna hadn't even noticed them enter the room. "She heard about last night. She wants us to perform it again."
"Who?" Martha asked.
"Her Majesty. She's here!"
Luna's eyes widened and she perked up, excited by the prospect. Queen Elizabeth? Only one of her favorite historical women of all time.
Trumpets sounded and Luna stood up, straightening herself excitedly. The woman walked in in a big black and white dress, and a headpiece larger than life. Luna squealed despite herself.
"Queen Elizabeth I!" The Doctor grinned, moving forward and tapping Luna's arm. "Look, she's here!"
Luna beamed up at him. "I know, can you believe this?"
"Doctor!" The Queen gasped.
Their faces dropped. The Doctor stared at her in confusion and Luna shook her head.
"What?"
"You've got to be shitting me," Luna sighed. "Every time I get excited about something historical, you manage to muck it up."
"My sworn enemy."
"What?"
"Off with his head!"
"Literally, what's the point in dating a time-traveller if he's just going to crush your dreams of meeting historical figures. You know what? At this point, forget Sherlock. I'm done. I'm going to bed."
Luna tapped the Doctor's chest twice, winking at Shakespeare and walked off, ignoring the Queen's declaration of war against the Doctor. She only picked up speed when the Doctor and Martha raced past her.
"What've you done to her?" Martha asked as they reached the TARDIS.
"Who knows! That's the fun of time travel. Still, something to look forward to," the Doctor remarked as he shut the doors behind him.
"I'm going to bed," Luna said immediately. "You guys can travel again or something but I feel like I've been hit by a freight train, I haven't felt this bad since after the beast," she glanced at the Doctor. "Not that it matters."
His face hardened, and Martha cleared her throat. "I'm going to see if there's a kitchen around here," she said measly, offering them a quick smile before disappearing down the hallway of the TARDIS.
Luna shook her head. "You can lie to everyone, Doctor, anyone you like. But you don't lie to me. And you did." She laughed hollowly. "I should've known. I should have known not to fall for your trap, play into your game. You don't give a damn about me, Doctor. I'm a rebound or something for you, aren't I? Moon girl? Please," she scoffed. "You don't love me. I don't think you can love anything but yourself. I'm done. We're done. If I go out with you two again, it's because I want to spend time with Martha before you get sick of her too!"
The Doctor moved forward. "Hold on a minute, don't you walk away again! I'm tired of you exclaiming end remarks and running off!"
"Well, I'm tired of having to! God, Doctor, you think I like fighting with you? You think I want to curl up in my bed and cry? You're the only thing in my life that makes sense. I can't think anymore. Today? You want to know what happened at Bedlam? The drumming came back. And I keep picturing this child, this sweet, innocent looking child with big brown eyes and dark hair. And he smiles so wide it touches his eyes. And he's standing on this field in front of two big orange skies. Do you know where he is?" His mouth fell open a fraction at her proclamation. "Gallifrey. Not that you cared to ask how I'm doing. You're walking around, treating Martha like something you can use at your own will, and you're hot and cold with me. Are you upset with me? Do you love me? Do you miss Rose?" His face flinched at her name and Luna shook her head.
"Unbelievable," she held her hands up. "Rose Tyler, really? The woman who threw me to the Cyberman like a chew toy because she was jealous? The woman who unbuckled my seatbelt and killed me--"
"--You said you believed her about it being an accident--"
"--I was lying to keep the peace! Are you honestly that thick, Doctor? Do you have such blinded faith over a young woman who hardly knew you? She doesn't even know how old you are! She doesn't know about your wife, your people, your family, your history. She knows nothing. And yet, you stand here, defending her. Her name was the one keeping you fighting. Not mine. No, you enjoy the memory of your companion, or, you know what, let's call it like it is. She's not your friend, she's not your former companion at all, is she? She's your ex-girlfriend. Stop pretending she's not."
"Luna, don't--"
"--Stop!" Luna pleaded, fighting back tears. The day was getting to her and her head bounced around in her skull, hear heart hammering against her chest. She didn't want this. She loved him, desperately, but she didn't feel as though he felt the same. Time and time again, he said one thing, yet did another. "Stop hurting me, just stop. I'm done, okay? Rose won and she's not even here. Go do whatever the hell you want. This TARDIS is big enough that I don't have to see you for a long while."
She gave him one last heartbroken look before trodding off, this time, for good. She was too tired to muster any feeling towards him at all. She couldn't play his game, have her heart broken day in and day out. He'd made his choice, deep inside of himself. And it wasn't her.
✰☾✰
okieeee that's the end of Shakespeare code! LOTS of drama and angst oops hahaha did I say that would be over?? I lied lmao. no, it's sad and umm yeah there's a lot rn. obviously, they still love each other, but things are tense and they gonna keep being tense. hope you guys enjoyed this! also, what's happening with luna? Why's she losing it? What's the drumming? Who's the child? any idea who that woman was from before? leave a comment if you liked it and don't forget to vote! don't be a silent reader! stay safe! -osw