belle, doctor who

fifty-five

They were up in the air.

"Woohoo!" says the Doctor.

"We've locked on to them. They'll have to lower the shields when I'm close enough to phase inside," says Sexy.

"Can you get a message to Amy?" asks the Doctor. "The telepathic circuits are online."

"Which one's Amy? The pretty one?"

"Hello, Pretty."

"What the hell is that?" Rory asks on the other side of the message. Belle lets out a laugh.

"Don't worry. Telepathic messaging. No, that's Rory."

"You have to go to the old control room. I'm putting the route in your head. When you get there use the purple slider on the nearest panel to lower the shields."

"The pretty one?" the Doctor repeats.

"You'll have about twelve seconds before the room goes into phase with the invading Matrix. I'll send you the pass key when you get there. Good luck."

– – –

"How's he going to be able to take down the shields anyway? The House is in the control room."

"I directed him to one of the old control rooms," says Sexy.

"There aren't any old control rooms. They were all deleted or remodelled," says the Doctor.

"I archive them, for neatness. I've got about thirty now," says Sexy.

"But I've only changed the desktop, what, a dozen times?"

"So far, yes," says Sexy.

"You can't archive something that hasn't happened yet," the Doctor says.

"You can't," says Sexy.

– – –

"Keep going. You're doing it, you sexy thing."

"Oi," Belle states, slapping the Doctor.

"See, you do call me that. Is it my name?" Sexy asks.

"You bet it's your name! Belle's a bit jealous, but she'll get used to it!"

"Oi!" Belle says yet again.

"Whoo!" Sexy smiles as they fly more.

– – –

"Hold on," says Rory as they all reunite inside the TARDIS.

The console materialises in a shower of sparks.

"Doctor. Izzy," Amy says, coming towards them.

"Not good. Not good at all. How do you walk around in these things?" Sexy asks as she struggles to walk.

"We're not quite there yet. Just hold on. Amy, this is, well, she's my TARDIS. Except she's a woman. She's a woman, and she's my TARDIS," says the Doctor, introducing the TARDIS to her.

"She's the TARDIS?"

"And she's a woman. She's a woman and she's the TARDIS," the Doctor says, happy.

"Did you wish really hard? Poor Izzy."

Belle smiles at Amy.

"Shut up. Not like that," the Doctor says, quickly kissing Belle so she wouldn't be so jealous anymore.

"Hello. I'm Sexy," Sexy introduces herself.

"Oh. Still shut up," says the Doctor.

"The environment has been breached. Nephew, kill them all," says House.

"Where's Nephew?" asks Rory.

"He was standing right where you materialised," says Amy.

"Ah. Well, he must have been redistributed," says the Doctor, pulling Belle close to him.

"Meaning what?"

"You're breathing him," the Doctor says.

"Oh, come on," Amy said.

"Another Ood I failed to save," says the Doctor. Belle grabs his hand and squeezes it.

"Doctor. Beauty. I did not expect you," House says, his voice echoing throughout the actual TARDIS.

"Beauty?" Amy mouths.

"Apparently," says Belle, "I'm the Beauty. Like Beauty –"

" – and the Beast," Amy finishes for her. She nods.

"Well, that's me all over, isn't it? Lovely old unexpected me."

"The big question is, now you're here, how to dispose of you? I could play with gravity," says House.

They get pulled to the floor for a few seconds.

"Or I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke," House continues, and he actually does it for a few seconds before he stops. Belle releases her hand from her throat.

"You really don't want to do that," the Doctor says, then makes sure that Belle is okay. She is.

"Why shouldn't I just kill you now?" House says.

"Because then I won't be able to help you. Listen to your engines. Just listen to them. You don't have the thrust and you know it. Right now I'm your only hope for getting out of your little bubble through the rift, and into my universe. And mine's the one with the food in."

"Water, water," Sexy says suddenly. Rory rushes over to help her.

"You just have to promise not to kill us. That's all, just promise," the Doctor says.

"You can't be serious," says Amy.

"I'm very serious. I'm sure it's an entity of its word," says the Doctor.

Rory checks Sexy's forehead. "Doctor, she's burning up. She's asking for water."

"Hey. Hang in there, old girl. Not long now. It'll be over soon," the Doctor says to Sexy.

"I always liked it when you call me old girl," Sexy tells him.

"You want me to give my word? Easy. I promise."

"Doctor?" Belle says, suddenly weak. It was like she was connected to Sexy, but she wasn't. Was she?

"Belle? What's – What's wrong?"

"Something's wrong," Belle says, about to faint, "I don't feel so good," she says.

"Uh – maybe we should –" says Rory before Belle finally faints in the Doctor's arms and collapses onto the floor.