ACT ONE
The atmosphere in Guido's house was tense and reeked of disappointment after the failure of not being able to rescue Isabella. Florence could tell by the way the Doctor was furrowing his brows that he was trying to come up with a plan, but in the meanwhile, the group was left sitting helplessly at the table.
Florence sat still whilst the Doctor carefully checked her neck with his sonic screwdriver. " You're fine, open wide " he instructed as he popped a humbug into her mouth and sat back down.
"Ugh peppermint " She cringed as the flavour made it onto her tastebuds. Instead of reacting the Doctor held his hand out in front of his mouth as he was scanning Amy's bite marks and Florence took that as her queue to gracefully spit the sweet out into his hand.
"Noted for future reference " He replied still distracted.
Saying the same thing to Amy the Doctor gave a big sigh of frustration and began impatiently pacing up and down the humble room " I need to think, come on think, think, think, think, think ".
"If they're fish people it explains why they hate the sun " Amy suggested first, the sweet in her mouth making her sound funny.
" Stop talking, brain thinking hush " The Doctor replied by placing a hand over Amy's mouth to stop her from saying anything else.
"It's the school thing I don't understand " Rory began.
"Stop talking, brain thinking, hush " The Doctor once again repeated as Florence took the hint and put her hand over Rory's mouth to which he just rolled his eyes.
"I say we take the fight to them " Guido assured passionately, losing his daughter was enough for him to start behaving recklessly.
"Ah - Ah - Ah " The Doctor began.
"'What ?".
"Ah " The doctor interrupted nodding at Rory who placed his hand over Guido's mouth ."Her planet dies, so they flee through a crack in space and time and end up here. Then she closes off the city and, one by one starts changing the people into creatures like her to start a new gene pool. Got it. But then what? They come from the sea. They can't survive forever on land, so what's she going to do? Unless she's going to do something to the environment to make the city habitable. She said 'I shall bend the heavens to save my race.' Bend the heavens. Bend the heavens " He repeated the last part as if something was on the tip of his tongue.
" Well, if we are speaking literally, Venice has water... and they are fish people " Florence suggested, feeling as if the Doctor was going to shush her she clamped her hand over her mouth.
However, the Doctor was too busy having a lightbulb moment. " She's going to sink Venice " he realised.
"She's going to sink Venice ?" Guido repeated slowly.
" And repopulate with the girls she's transformed "
" Using the 10,000 husbands in the water .." Florence trailed off.
"Only the male offspring survived the journey here. She's got ten thousand children swimming around the canals, waiting for Mum to make them some compatible girlfriends. Urgh. I mean, I've been around a bit, but that's, that's enough."
The room was met with a loud clattering from the floor above that made the group lookup in curiosity. " The people upstairs are very noisy " The Doctor hesitantly began.
" There aren't any people upstairs "
"I knew you were going to say that. Did anyone else know he was going to say that ?" The Doctor replied a little bit too excitedly as Florence was looking around for an escape plan.
" Is it the vampires ?" Rory asked looking up towards the sound.
"As I said, they're not vampires. Fish from space " The Doctor corrected him.
"They drank my blood without permission, they're vampires " Florence replied as a matter of fact with Rory muttering in agreeance.
" Oi - have you ever met a polite vampire ?" The Doctor retaliated.
"So they are - " Rory didn't get to finish his statement when the converted girls started flooding the room and there was a loud shattering sound as the others started to climb in through the window.
•••
Florence ran in front of the Doctor out of Guido's house which was beginning to be swarmed by the converted girls, noticing Guido not following them she turned around to see the man in the doorway. His eyes gleamed with revenge as his quick wit made him turn on his heel.
Before he could slam the door Guido's eyes caught with Florence and he gave her one last sincere smile to which she gave back with glistening eyes. Would she do the same for her child? she thought of an almost impossible scenario where the pain is too much to live on.
" Stay away from the door Doctor " Guido yelled through the door one last time.
" No . Guido! What are you doing ?! I'm not leaving you, what are you doing ?" The Doctor yelled as he was trying to get in through the door with his sonic screwdriver that was proving futile because of the deadlock.
Florence's face turned to horror as she remembered the barrels of gunpowder that were littering the room they sat in earlier.
"Doctor !" Florence shouted over the pounding of the door " The Gunpowder".
Realising instantly what she meant the Doctor ran towards her and flung himself on her turning her around in the process so that he could make the most impact from the fall. A sudden burst of heat and debris danced around them as they were thrown to the ground. Florence lifted herself from the crook of the Doctors neck and placed her right hand onto the ground steadying herself up, giving a loud swallow she made eye contact with the Doctor.
"Are you hurt ?'" He asked, almost whispering.
"No " Florence replied lowly " Are you ?" she returned.
"No "
"Good "
"Good "
Florence could tell the Doctor was lying by the way he winced and tried to suppress a groan that was fighting its way out of his lips, but she didn't call him out on it.
Amy and Rory found their way to the pair as the building behind them were now indulged with flames and the air was beginning to feel thick and moist with whatever danger lay ahead.
Florence could feel the weird look Amy was throwing her way, most likely being a witness to what just happened between her and the Doctor but she couldn't comprehend why. Why was she looking at her like that ?.
"Rosanna's initiating the final phase " The Doctor realised as he stared up from Guido's house to the unnatural sky that was forming above them.
Florence stared solemnly at the damage before them, stared at what was once a family house now reduced to ash. " Then we need to stop her. Come on " Amy answered, determined in her ways.
" No, no - get back into the TARDIS " The Doctor replied shrugging her off.
"You can't stop her on her own ".
"We don't discuss this! I tell you to do something, Amy and you do it, Huh?!" The Doctor was now yelling at the redhead and Florence noticed as her face fell in defence before she stormed off.
Before Rory could follow after her he gave the Doctor a quick " Thank you ".
'Yeah, you're welcome " He replied unsurely.
'You too " He spoke again, his back facing Florence and it took her a while to realise he was speaking to her.
"I'm not leaving you "
"You've been put in danger too many times since meeting me and I'm not taking that risk again" The Doctor spoke louder, his statement intensifying.
"So have you !?" Florence argued back in disbelief.
"What I do, is none of your business " He yelled.
" Well I feel like it should be somebody's - you may feel like you're the most untouchable being on the planet but you are wrong, sometimes you need someone to stop you ".
The Doctors face darkened as if Florence had said something he's already heard, instead of arguing back he simply turned and walked towards the screams of the Venetians.
" After this, I'm taking you home "
•••
Florence made it back in time to find Rory in a much compromising situation with Francesco where he was holding out two candlesticks in the shape of a cross, apparently hoping on a Catholic miracle.
"This way you big, you big, stupid great... Spongebob. The only thing I've seen uglier than you is your mum " Rory shouted from behind Francesco and Florence watched in semi amusement at how offended the fish boy got.
"Did you just seriously use a ' your mum ' insult " Florence spoke from next to Rory making him jump in the process.
"Do you have anything better in mind ?" Rory replied half sarcastically.
"Yeah I do actually " Florence grinned as she held up a baseball bat that she found in the TARDIS when the Doctor sent her away.
"Deck him Florence " Amy yelled eagerly from the corner.
'Did you just say something about mummy ?"
"Stich this mate " Florence pelted Francesco from the back as Rory turned himself into a scapegoat and let him into the Plaza, ocassioanly shielding himself with a broom.
As Florence hit him one more time in the back the perception filter broke and shattered onto the floor turning him into a big alien fish. Brilliant she thought.
Without realising Francesco leapt on Rory as he began fighting for his life on the ground, Amy climbed the stairs and pulled out her compact mirror and directed it at the sun and then back at Francesco.
"Hey, mummy's boy - get off my soulmate " She cried as the vampire exploded covering both Rory and Florence in dust that smelt particularly unpleasant.
" Oh thank god " Florence muttered as she helped Rory up from the floor, shaking off any remains of alien dust off her.
"Why did you make the sign of a cross you numpty, " Amy asked confused as she ran towards her other half.
" Oh, oh right - I'm being reviewed now am I?" Rory asked waiting to be criticised once again but instead, he was met with Amy giving him a passionate kiss that surprised him.
Florence swung the baseball bat over her shoulder as she distracted herself from the disgusting happy couple " Oh thanks Florence for saving us " - " Oh that's no problem " she had a conversation with herself feeling mildly sad she had no soulmate to turn to.
•••
The trio ran into the Calvierri palace just in time to be met with the Doctor who gave them a dismissive look " Get out I need to stabilise the storm ".
'We are not leaving you " Rory demanded.
" Oh Right, so one minute it's all you make people a danger to themselves, and the next it's we're not leaving you. But if one of you gets squashed or blown up or eaten, who gets the - " The Doctor didn't manage to finish his sentence when the ground quaked beneath them, knocking them all off their feet.
Well nearly all of them, the Doctor was quick to pull her towards him so she didn't fall, which made her falter a small smile. He isn't that mad at me she thought.
" What was that, " Rory asked.
"Nothing," The Doctor asked dusting himself off " Bit of an earthquake ".
'An Earthquake ?".
"Manipulate the elements, it can trigger earthquakes. But don't worry about them." The Doctor dismissed it in a mildly concerning manner.
" Sounds like we should worry " Florence spoke, weirdly eyeing the Doctor.
" No. Worry about the tidal waves caused by the earthquake. Right, Rosanna's throne is the control hub but she's locked the programme, so, tear out every single wire and circuit in the throne. Go crazy. Hit it with a stick, anything. We need it to shut down and re-route control to the secondary hub, which I'm guessing will also be the generator "
•••
After the trio relentlessly started to pull and tug at the wires in the control hub, the Doctor made his way up to the bell tower where he managed to stop the mechanism. Which led Florence down to find Signora Calvierri who was walking slowly towards the edge of the water and undressing as quickly as she could.
Florence made a mental note to stay semi planted near the doorway and not to scare Rosanna away. She noticed the Doctor caught up to her, panic flooding his face.
"Rosanna! " He called.
The woman turned back with a small, faint smile on her face " One city to save an entire species. Was that so much to ask?".
"told you, you can't go back and change time. You mourn, but you live . I know Rosanna, I did it". He spoke gently, reaching his hand out towards her.
"But you're not the last, so why do you mourn ?" Rosanna asked as her eyes bore into Florence on the side.
Before either of them could process what Rosanna said, the woman climbed up onto the plank and gave one last turn towards the pair "Remember us. Dream of us."
"No! " The Doctor cried as he lurched forward onto the plank and tried to reach into the water until the bubbling stopped. Rosanna was gone.
Defeated, the Doctor sat back down onto the plank, still staring intently at the water. Florence wiped the stray tear from her cheek and sat down next to him, both not taking their eyes off the water and both not saying a word to each other. The company was enough.
•••
The Silence in the Tardis was loud. After convincing Rory to stay the couple both headed off to their room. Which only left the Doctor and Florence in the console room.
She sat on one of the leather seats near the consol, cross-legged, picking at her cuticles - a habit she developed whenever she was anxious or lost in thought. The Doctor fiddled with random buttons on the console, keeping himself distracted.
The silence was broken when Florence decided to ask " Do have a soulmate ?" she didn't know what compelled her to even ask the question, maybe the intimate moment between Amy and Rory triggered that thought.
Hearing her question the Doctor was pulled out of his mindless fiddling on the console and looked at her with intent 'Why do you ask ?" he replied.
Florence gave a simple shrug of her shoulders "Just a simple question ". But the Doctor saw through that ' simple question ' and recognised a flash of sadness in her eyes that she was carrying, behind her smile was something that was paining her deeply and he wanted to help her but he wasn't sure as to how.
" I don't think we have just one soulmate " He started gently as he made his way over to Florence and crouched down in front of her, holding both of her hands.
Warmth spread through her whole body as the Doctor held onto her hands, she couldn't help but think if he just wanted to see her wrist, then the truth would become clear. But he didn't pry and she was grateful for that.
"I don't think we are necessarily bound to one person for life, we make so many connections, platonic or romantic - it doesn't matter " He reassured.
"Maybe you just haven't met that one person that you would be willing to spend your entire life with " Florence finally answered, still feeling pessimistic about the whole situation.
"Maybe not " The Doctor replied simply before giving a quick kiss of her hands and standing up abruptly. Putting on a big grin he held his hand out, wiggling his fingers he was met with a questioning Florence.
"I have something to show you " he simply stated.
Florence took his hand and he started walking to the TARDIS door and held out his hand to open the doors to which Florence cut him off. " Wait - you're not going to throw me outright ?" She half-joked.
The Doctor reacted by giving a hearty laugh that reached his eyes. " No, but I should now sit " He replied as he swung both doors open to reveal outer space.
Florence let out an audible gasp as she slowly settled herself down onto the TARDIS floor and gaped at the bright stars she used to watch from the earth, always over-explaining everything to her friends and now here she was, just sitting in space.
Florence watched as the TARDIS floated mindlessly through space, dodging the occasional asteroid, watching as comets were flying towards planets she didn't even the names of in the distance and noticed the colour palettes of the galaxy below her.
"It's beautiful " She whispered, more to herself as the Doctor sat down next to her holding a patched blanket and placed it over her shoulders, humming in agreement.
"Wait - how are we breathing ?".
" I've extended the air shell around the TARDIS " He replied simply kicking his feet off the edge.
" Sorry about earlier " The Doctor added lowly, not making eye contact with Florence.
"About what ?" She asked even though she knew exactly what he meant, she just felt like prodding the vulnerable.
"Snapping," He said flatly and Florence hummed teasingly.
"I do need someone to stop me sometimes, you wouldn't be the first to say that " He admitted bowing his head. In response, Florence looped her arm with his and pushed him lightly and smiled.
" So I'm not being banished home ?"
The Doctor smiled at her stupid question, of course, he wasn't letting her leave anytime soon.
"Do you want to be banished ?" He raised an eyebrow.
"No "
"Then no "
"You know if I just pushed you right now, you'd be floating through space "
"Why would you say that '
•••
- Uh hello long time no see I suppose , Ngl I spent all day MT mind is empty and I managed to turn this chapter into 3k words as a plea for forgiveness
Hoping you enjoy - I forgot how long episodes were to write so I feel like whenever I have to follow a script I feel like it's Probbaly so much more boring to read ?? But get ready for some Og content
- thanks to everyone who's still here :-))