TWELVE
SAM BOUNCES INTO THE CONSOLE ROOM with her newly repaired trainers and twirls around. "They look brand new now." Sam beams at Amy.
"How did you fix them?" Amy questions her best friend with wide eyes.
"I basically bought stuff to make my own little tool kit last year." Sam says with a smile. "Oh hey, Rory." Sam smiles at him before doing a double take and hugging him.
"Hey, Sam." Rory chuckles as he hugs back. "You're here too." He says as she takes a step back from him.
"Yeah, basically, Amy forced me to go with them." Sam says.
"I did not." Amy argues.
"Yes, you did." Sam smirks.
"Where you there when she snogged him over there?" Rory asks her.
"You what?" Sam asks with wide eyes. "Amelia Pond, what the actual hell?" Sam bellows as she turns to face her best friend.
"Oh, not the full name." Amy mutters mutters. "Listen, it was a heat of the moment thing." Amy tries to bargain her way out of it.
"Was it really?" Sam questions her best friend as she glares at Amy.
"So, this date. I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think, Rory?" Amy questions as she darts around Sam.
"How about somewhere... romantic?" The Doctor says as he sets the TARDIS in motion.
The TARDIS materizlises in the middle of a busy market and no one takes any notice. The DOCTOR is the first to exit.
"Venice! Venezia! La Serenissima! Impossible city. Preposterous city!" Rory, Sam and Amy look about in amazement. "Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding... constantly... Just beautiful! Oh, you gotta love Venice. And so many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Oooh, that reminds me. 1580. That's all right. Casanova doesn't get born for 145 years. Don't want to run into him. I owe him a chicken." The Doctor rambles.
"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory questions him.
"Long story. We had a bet." The Doctor states.
A small man dressed in black steps out in front of the Doctor. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Papers, if you please. Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection." The man says.
"There you go, fella." The Doctor says as he holds up a piece of paper which the Official takes. "All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find."
"I am so sorry, Your Holiness. I didn't realise." The man says as he bows deeply.
"No worries. You were just doing your job. Sorry, what exactly is your job?" The Doctor questions as he takes back the paper.
"Checking for aliens, visitors from foreign lands what might bring the plague with them." The man rambles.
"Oh, that's nice see where you bring us?" Amy questions as she slaps the Doctor's arm.
"The plague!" Sam exclaims.
"Don't worry, Viscountess and your highness." He says as bows as the two women let out a sigh of relief. "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." He says as he points to crest on the box he's carrying.
"How interesting. I heard the plague died out years ago." The Doctor informs the official.
"Not out there. No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said." The official explains to the group.
"Did she, now?" The Doctor raises an eyebrow at the man.
Rory reaches for the psychic paper as the man goes off to question someone else. The Doctor, Sam and Amy continue on. "According to this, I am your eunuch!" Rory reads from the paper.
"Oh, yeah, I'll explain later." Amy says as she and Sam try to catch up with the Doctor.
"Oh, now that's a bit low." Sam winces.
As they get further into the city, they notice people in the street stop what they are doing and rush towards a big building to watch a group of girls leave a gate of the big building. The Doctor, Amy, Sam and Rory get a spot across the canal and watch.
Sam watches a older man runs up to the procession. She lets out a gasp as she watches of the girls comes forward and hisses at him, her mouth, two rows of fangs. She watches as he falls to the ground. "Girls, come along!" She hears a female voice call out.
The girls continue their procession. A booted foot lands on the man's chest, keeping him down. The Doctor grabs a hold of Sam's arm and drags her with him. "Hey." She calls out. "Where we going?" She questions him.
"To find that man." The Doctor responds with a smile.
The man walks along the passageway. The Doctor and Sam cross behind him and the Doctor leaps onto the bottom step of a stairway. "Who were those girls?" He questions the man.
"I thought everyone knew about the Calvierri school." The man says as he looks between the pair.
"It's our first day here." He says as he steps down and helps Sam down. "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?" The Doctor whispers.
"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." The man explains as the Doctor and Sam share a look.
"I think it's time I met this Signora Calvierri." The Doctor says as he puts an arm around the man's shoulder.
"You're on your own." Sam says. "I'm not going in there." She adds.
"Ok." The Doctor says. "I need you to distract the guards whilst I sneak inside." The Doctor explains. "What's your name?" He then asks the man.
"Guido." He responds.
"Well Guido once we get to the bottom of this and you'll have your daughter back." The Doctor says.
Sam takes her place across the bridge once again and watches as Guido approaches the guards of the school.
"You have my daughter. Isabella!" She hears the man call out his daughter's name.
"You're not coming in, stop there! We've told you..." One of the guards states.
While Guido has the guards distracted, she watches as the Doctor sneaks along the side.
"You have my daughter. Isabella! I demand you let me see my daughter." Guido bellows
She watches as the Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver on the canal gate. "Isabella! It's me! It's your father." He calls out.
"I'll arrest you..." The guard warns him.
"Isabella!" He calls out once again.
After the Doctor has made it inside, the man leaves. Sam watches the building closely as she waits for the Doctor. Her head then darts down to the water as though she could feel someone looking at her from underneath.
"Doctor!" Amy's voice bellows causing Sam to look up from the water.
"I just met some vampires!" The Doctor exclaims.
"There's what?" Sam questions him.
"We just saw a vampire!" Amy exclaims.
They both talk at once, voices overlapping. Sam shakes her head at the two of them. "And creepy girls and everything." The Doctor lists.
"Vampires!" Amy exclaims.
They jump up and down together excitedly as Rory joins them. We think we just saw a vampire." Rory says.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Amy was just telling us." The Doctor says.
"Yeah! The Doctor actually went to their house." Amy informs Rory.
"Oh. Right. Well..." Rory trails off.
"OK, so..." the Doctor begin as he slaps his hands on Rory's cheeks, "first we need to get back in there somehow." The Doctor says.
"What?!" Rory and Sam exclaim.
"How do we do that?" Amy questions.
"Back in where?!" Rory then ask after his fiancée.
"Come and meet mine and Sam's new friend." The Doctor smiles at the duo.
Rory catches Sam looking down at the water. "Are you ok, Sam?" He questions her.
"Yeah, I just can't shake the feeling that there's something looking at everyone from underneath the water." She tells him. "Is that weird?" She asks him.
"No." He says. "Come on, we better catch up." He tells Sam who rushes after him.
Sam and Rory enter the house behind the Doctor and Amy. They watch as Guido has brought out a map of Venice. The Doctor and Amy sit at the table looking it over with him as Rory sits back among some barrels.
"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 informs the Doctor.
"You need someone on the inside." Amy states.
"No." The Doctor shuts her down.
"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Amy exclaims.
"We pretend you and Sam are applicants for the school to get you inside and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in." The Doctor says.
"Oh. So you know what I was going to say!" Amy scoffs.
"Are you insane?" Rory questions them.
"We don't have another option." Amy answers.
"He said no, Amy. Listen to him." Rory states.
"There is another option." He states as he points in Rory's direction. "I work at the Arsenale. We build the warships for the navy." He says.
"Gun." The Doctor says as he sniffs the barrel. "Most people just nick stationery from where they work." He says as he puts hand on Rory's shoulder.
Sam let's out a giggle as she watches Rory slide slowly off the barrel and backs away into a dead rabbit hanging by the fireplace.
"Look, I have a thing about gun and huge quantities of explosive." The Doctor informs the man.
"What do you suggest, then? We wait until they turn her into an animal?" Guido says as he turns away and pokes at the fire.
"We'll be there three, four hours tops." Amy states.
"No, no, no, no, no, no. It can't keep happening like this. This is how they go." The Doctor says with a small smile at her persistence.
He sits on the bed, head in hands. He then takes a breath and sits back. "But I have to know. We go together. Say you're both my daughters." He then says.
"What?! Don't listen to him!" Rory exclaims to Sam and Amy.
"Hey, I didn't agree to this." Sam argues.
"Your daughters? You look about nine." Amy giggles causing Sam to snort.
"Brother, then." The Doctor says.
"Too weird. Fiancé." Amy grins.
"Amy!" Sam exclaims.
"I'm not having him run around telling people he's your fiancé." Rory says.
"No. No, you're right." Amy agrees.
"Thank you." Rory says.
"I mean, they've already seen the Doctor. You should do it." Amy says.
"Me?" Rory questions.
"Yeah! You can be our brother." Amy says as she rubs his head playfully.
Over on the bed, the Doctor smiles at their interaction. "Why is him being your brother weird, but with me, it's OK?" Rory questions.
"Actually, I thought you WERE her fiancé." Guido tells the Doctor.
"Yeah, that's not helping." The Doctor states.
"This whole thing is mental! They're VAMPIRES, for God's sake." Rory cries out.
"We hope." The Doctor sighs.
"So if they're not vampires...?" Amy questions.
"Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a vampire?" The Doctor breathes.
Amy, Sam and Rory stand as petitioners in from of Signora Calvierri. Rory is wearing Guido's clothes whilst Sam and Amy are wearing a simple skirt and blouse that once belonged to Isabella.
"So, basically, both of our parents are dead from getting the plague. I'm a gondola... driver... so... money's a bit tight... so having my sister's go to your school for special people would be brilliant. Cheers." Rory says.
Francesco shows an interest in both of the girls and stands in front of her. "Have we met?" Francesco questions Amy.
"I've just got one of those faces." Rory answers.
"I wasn't talking to you." The young man snaps at Rory.
"She's got the same face... which is because she's my sister!" Rory answers for Amy.
"Carlo, explain yourself. Why have you brought me this imbecile?" Signora questions Carlo.
"Signora, they have references from the King of Sweden." Carlo answers.
"What?! Let me see." Signora demand as she holds out her hand and Rory walks to throne and hands her the psychic paper. "Well, now I can see what got my steward so excited. What say you, Francesco? Do you like them?" She asks her son.
"Oh, I do, Mother. I do." Francesco says as he circles the two of them.
"Then we would be delighted to accept her. Say goodbye to your sister." Signora states.
Rory, Sam and Amy grip each other's hands just before Carlo leads a stuttering Rory away. "Tell Uncle... Doctor...I'll see you both pretty soon, OK?" Sam smiles as she turns to look at the doorway where Rory nods. "We'll be fine." She finishes.
Behind, and unknowingly, Amy and Sam, Francesco bares his teeth. Sam watches as Rory's eyes widen as the door closes.