Whispers of Winter // OPEN

Siren's TARDIS had materialized in the middle of a cobblestone street of Victorian London. As she had stepped out, her long, brown hair swayed in the wind as she took in the crisp, winter air. It felt rather relieving to be back on Earth, after her regenerating disappearance. Still, she never forgave the Doctor and had not seen him in far too long. She didn't want to.

She was wearing a burgundy victorian dress, with lace gloves and a small snap purse to keep her sonic scanner inside of. She had been given an unnamed invitation to a masquerade held at one of the London manners. Wondering why she was invited of all people, she decided to check it out due to curiosity and a bit of homesickness. She did enjoy visiting Victorian London often.

When she began strolling down the snowy, cobblestone streets, she felt the chilled wind creep up on the back of her neck, making a shiver down her spine as she let out a small gasp. She had not felt the grip of winter in so long, and it had given her an intense nostalgia. Of course, the last time she was here, she was traveling with her darling Doctor, and had regenerated. Then she fled, and she had heard of his regeneration not long after that.

She shook the memory from her mind as she continued on, toward the house. When she had seen it in the distance, she could see a homeless man that was gripping himself in the cold, mumbling to himself a witty rhyme that was eerily familiar. When she had passed him, she suddenly heard him utter the words whispermen, to which her eyes widened and she turned around.

The invitation was a trap.

The Doctor had made a habit of coming back to Victorian London. It was where he could remember some of the best memories of her. Of course, this was also the place when she disappeared from his life, but his mind shooed away that thought. And, on top of that, he had an excuse to walk around wearing his fancy overcoat.

It was black, matching his pants and top hat. His shirts were white, and he wore a black bow tie as well. He'd been walking around for quite a while now, and he was starting to feel restless. Sighing, he started walking back towards his Tardis. But something made him stop suddenly. He could feel it. Another consciousness. One he was rather familiar with at that. Turning around in a full circle, he searched for her or any sign that she'd been here. He whispered, in a rather desperate voice "Pariah, where are you?. He went through the places that she could be in his head. There weren't very many, everybody in the town would be going to the masquerade... Oh.

He ran towards the building they were holding the ball, eyes searching. He knew that he would not recognize her, that she'd changed, but he couldn't help it. When he was a small-ish distance away, he looked to the house, which was at one end of the street, then looked towards the other end. Nothing there, except a young lady. It seemed that she too was heading towards the masquerade. Sighing, he went over to her. It would look better if he didn't go into the party alone. Placing a fake grin on his face, he spoke to the woman "Hello, madam, are you alone?"

Her mind was racing of how this was a trap. But who could it have been a trap for? Her? She wasn't that important. Sure, she was a Time Lady, and sure she had connections to the Doctor closely, but that was in the past and she was trying to forget. She had dealt with the Whispermen in the past, a very long time ago, when they were threatening humanity, and she did her best to scare them off, but they were a different type of evil. A different type of fear.

Suddenly a man in a bow tie had approached her, his hair swooped to one side and his eyes older than thousands of men. When he had spoke, his voice was different sounding, but she knew it, far better than she knew her own. "No," she took a step back from him.

She gave him a look of worry and fear. She had not ever wanted to see him again, not after what he had tried to do. The man was selfish, and hated endings, and tried to lock her memories away again, when she had came so far. "Don't touch me. Don't even say a word to me!" she spoke, a bit of pain breaking through her voice.

And suddenly it had hit her. The whispermen, the strange invitations, the fact that no one seemed to be going to this masquerade except for her and The Doctor, this wasn't just a trap for either her or him, it was a trap to kill anyone and everyone from Gallifrey. The Silence is here...

"No" the woman replied, fear and disbelief laced in her voice. Frowning lightly, he looked closer at her, trying to remember if he'd met her before. "Don't touch me. Don't even say a word to me!" Backing up a few steps, he looked at her, feeling slightly shocked. Then he saw it. Like a slap in the face, he recognized her. He hadn't been able to see her face when she'd regenerated, but he could see it. "Pariah?" his voice was a mere whisper. He'd heard the pain in her words, which caused a flash of pain to pass through him. It's because of me... he thought miserably.

He reached his arm out to touch her, then dropped it quickly. No, she obviously wouldn't want any contact what so ever with me. He coughed a few times to clear his throat and straightened up, plastering a painful smile on his lips. "Right, I see." he swallowed, trying hard to keep a light tone of nonchalance "I'll leave you to your devices then. It was absolutely fantastic to see you again..." With that, he turned and walked slowly towards his Tardis, not feeling up to going to the masquerade.

"Oh don't call me that as if you never knew me personally," she snapped when he had spoken her alias. She had only remembered him calling her Pariah a few times in the past, all when things were far too serious and she did not want her real name, Demory, to be spoken.

She took another step away from him when his arm had raised to touch her. She was in shock, of course. She had not seen this man in decades, after what he had done. Their faces had changed and he had moved on. She had to as well, despite how hard it was. He had then spoken once more as he refrained from reaching for her, a look of pain was evident in his eyes.

Her expression softened lightly, in slight confusion. Was he invited to the masquerade or not? He had started to walk into a completely different direction and she turned to him, watching him with a grimace across her face. She wanted to say something, but the thoughts in the back of her mind were demanding her to keep away from him. He's like a magnet for trouble. He will only hurt you again, it kept telling her.

She nodded, that was much easier than expected. He wasn't going to chase after her like he had tried in the past, and it was almost disappointing to her, yet also a relief. She took a step toward the house again, when she had then heard a murderous shrill in the distance. Her eyes immediately shot up toward it, as suited creatures with sharp, hissing teeth began to approach her. She dropped her gloves, taking a few steps back. The Whispermen had arrived.

He trudged through the snow, feeling utterly defeated. He had tried keeping a mask of, at the very least, indifference. It was no use, after walking a few feet, his shoulders slumped and his mouth turned down into a frown.

He had almost reached his Tardis, as it had landed not too far from where they were, when he heard a unearthly scream that sent shivers down his spine. He recognized the sound immediately. It brought back memories of space suits and America. Hearing the screech, he didn't even think about it. One word echoed through his mind as he ran back from where he came: Demory.

As he reached the street they had been on, he slowed down, looking around desperately for her. Seeing her closer to house, he started walking over to her quickly. As a tall, pale skinned being stepped out of the shadows and closer to his friend, his walk switched to flat out sprint. He reached her side and unconsciously grabbed her hand. He was so used to doing it with his companions that he didn't even think twice about it. He pulled her back so that he was standing in front of her slightly, just enough so that if the creature decided to attack, he would be in the line of fire.

Gathering himself up, he address the Whispermen in a light, happy tone. "Well, hello! It's been quite a while, though have to say, not as pleasant a surprise as you would think." the Doctor grinned, glancing back at her to give her a worried once-over. Convinced that she wasn't in pain or dying, he grinned back up at the white being. He had felt the short moment of memory loss, but Demory's expression indicated that there was danger well enough. "Ah! Yes, since we don't want this to get any nastier than it could be, how about we just go separate ways, yeah?" his voice held a tinge of hope "You will regret killing us later on. Trust me, I've been there." he added, hoping it would not see through his lie.

Siren continued to watch the pale beings with wide eyes, not knowing what exactly she could do to stop them. The last time she dealt with these creatures, they were trying to take companions of the Doctor to Trenzalore. She had only gotten away on a whim in her own TARDIS... and she knew not what the cost of this was, since she had the Doctor had stopped speaking beforehand.

Suddenly, she felt a hand clasp hers and she saw that it was the Doctor, and her thoughts began to blur together as she looked at him, and then back at the creature. He was then in front of her, talking to it, addressing it in a teasing manner, and she noticed it didn't like that one bit. It continued to walk toward them, and it had company behind.

She shook her head, moving next to the Doctor. She could hold her own, after all, she wasn't as useless as her last incarnation. For now, she'd have to deal with the fact that she'd have to work with the Doctor. She could complain about it later, when she knew they'd get out alive. She pulled out her sonic scanner, staring down the creatures intently.

She then took a look at the Doctor, observing him, seeing any changes. Although she had seen him in this incarnation before, the last time she had truly seen him was in his tenth form, when she had fled after her regeneration. She wondered how much has changed in his sorrowful gaze. "We need to get out of here, Doctor," she stated firmly. "I don't think we can just scare them off."

The Whispermen didn't seem to be as gullible as the Doctor had hoped. Of course, he knew it was a feeble attempt, but he hoped all the same. Seeing that more white being were getting closer, he dropped his grinning act. Glaring up at the closest one, he ignored Demory's words. "You really want to think about what you're going to do next." he spoke quietly, his voice a lot darker than usual "The last time I saw you lot, you tried to use the people I love to get at me. I can tell you right now that it didn't end well for your species." His unspoken warning hung in the air.

Knowing that his words would give them a few moments to flee, he started backing up quickly, still trying to stay between the Timelady at his side and the pale creatures. "Where's your Tardis?" he murmured, his voice tight because fighting to keep it light. His anger at the Whispermen had burst up so suddenly that he was having a hard time to control it. Taking a breath to settle himself, he took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned them over. Yes, definitively before he had sentenced them all to die...

Siren heard something very acrimonious in the Doctor's voice, and it was something she had not heard in so long, it was almost nerve wrecking to hear. She had only been around the Doctor few times to hear this embittering tone in him, and few times she did, she would have to stop him from making decisions no man should be left alone to make.

When he had asked her where her TARDIS was, he had not looked at her, and he was still giving a very irate gaze to the whispermen. "Uh... a few blocks away..." she spoke very quietly. She had a knot forming in her stomach. Whenever she was around the Doctor when he was angered like this, despite the fact that she loved him dearly, she was afraid of him. She was afraid of what he might do, and the promise he had potential to break.

Whether or not he still felt the same about her, she knew that he still cared in some way, otherwise he wouldn't have been looking for her. She grabbed his hand quickly, squeezing it lightly as she shot him a look of worry, trying to send a message of 'don't hurt them' through eye contact. The seriousness in her eyes was almost on the brink of tears. She hated what this man did to her emotionally.

The worried tone in Demory's voice brought him out of his fight against his fury. Looking down at her, he frowned. She sounded afraid. Not of the danger though, no, the fear was because of him. "Demory..." he murmured softly, in a comforting manner. Did she think he would hurt her?

Looking into her eyes, he saw a strange kind of worry. And tears that were threatening to arise. Squeezing her hand back, he swallowed thickly and nodded, though to what, he could not tell. She still did things to him, and in this emotionally enhanced regeneration, they were amplified. "Let's go." he spoke softly, still not looking away from her eyes. "We should probably hurry... Before they surround us."

When he squeezed her hand, he had looked at her, straight in the eyes, to which she bit her lip, trying to hide the apprehension she was feeling. He said her name, and in that, it weakened her. She turned away for a moment, unable to look at the man whom she once felt so dearly for.

He then said they should go, to which she nodded in agreement. She wasn't quite sure how to defeat these creatures, and she didn't want to be around when they got the cards in their favor. She felt his stare on her though and she looked back up at him. "Where exactly do you presume we go?"

She wasn't sure if he intended for them to go their separate ways, or if he wanted her to go with him. She wasn't even sure if she should go with him, or if she could forgive him. After all those years of trying to erase her feelings for him, it was just that easy for him to pop back into her life and rush them forward once more. She didn't want this. Or at least, she hoped she had not wanted it.

As Demory broke their stare, he was finally able to look away. Blinking quickly, he almost missed her question. He looked back at her in confusion. "Back to your Tardis..." he spoke the sentence like a question. "You don't really think I'm letting you out of my sight with them around, do you?" he snorted, gesturing towards the white entities. He felt a feather of anger brush through him as he was reminded of the threat.

Sighing and shaking his head, he looked down at her in amusement. "Just lead us to you Tardis. I can always come back to get mine later... Perhaps with a time vortex manipulator." The Timelord shuddered lightly at the thought of time traveling without a capsule. Pushing the thought out of his head, he started walking away from the Whispermen, not really caring if it was the wrong way. As long as he got distance between the baddies and Demory. He had enough of her regenerating. If it were to happen again... "Very not good at all..." he muttered.

When the two began walking away, she felt the presence of the whispermen follow behind, but very slowly. For now, the trap would be foiled, and no one would get hurt... or at least that was what she hoped. She had almost forgot that she was still holding the Doctor's hand, so she let go quickly, a tremble in her breath making her snap back into reality.

She hated this feeling that he gave her, and while one part of her wished she could break the ice with him, the other wanted nothing to do with him. That was the problem she found with this regeneration; she was much less trusting of others now. Her head went down in shame, trying to hide the sharp breaths she was taking from the anxious presence of the Doctor around her.

When her TARDIS was in view, the chameleon circuit gave it the shape of a horseless carriage. When she spun around to the other side if it, she opened the door, getting inside quickly before the whispermen could catch up to them, and waited to see if the Doctor was coming with her or not. She watched him for a moment, seeing what his next move was. She wasn't about to leave him alone with those creatures. She didn't want him to do anything rash.

The Doctor felt the Whispermen following, but tried not to think of them too much. He didn't think it would be wise to confront them while Demory was there. He felt the woman take her hand from the Doctor's, and heard the tremor in her breath. Sighing, he tried not to feel too hurt. She did have a reason not to trust him, after all.

They soon came to a carriage that was missing horses. He was confused for a moment, but when he saw Demory quickly enter, he figured that it was her Tardis. She turned back to see if he was coming, he saw the flash of worry in her eyes again. Oh. She did know him very well. With a sad smile, he muttered "I'm sorry.", hoping she understood that it wasn't just for what he was about to do, but for all the pain he'd caused her.

Taking out his sonic screwdriver, he dashed to the door and closed it. The Timelord then locked it with the sonic. That should keep her busy for a few moments... he thought grimly, Hopefully. Turning around, he faced the Whispermen, glaring at them murderously. "Trying to kill my friend, are you?" he spoke quietly, the threat clear in his voice. He took their lack of reaction as a Yes, could you please step out of the way? He chuckled darkly, "Well, I'm disinclined to acquiesque to your request." he growled, taking a step forward.

"You bloody--" her eyes flickered with anger when he had suddenly shut the door. She rammed herself into it, but he had locked it on her before she had the chance. "Doctor, stop!" She started to breathe deeply, trying to recollect herself through the anger as she shook her head. "Damn it." Well, while she was here, she might as well get into something more combat-worthy.

She quickly slipped out of her dress, already wearing a pair of black, tight jeans and a tight fit shirt to match with her laced boots. She grabbed her jacket, making sure the scanner was in place and then unlocked the door quickly before stepping out, looking around. There was the Doctor out about a block away, facing the creatures. She narrowed her eyes, growling under her breath as she ran as fast as she could, now that she was in much more aerodynamic clothing.

"Doctor, don't you dare," she hissed at him, approaching him quickly, turning him to face her. "I've seen you do things that no man should be left alone to face, and I am not about to let you make that mistake again. If you kill these things, I will never forgive you for anything you've done," she threatened, hoping that he'd get the message.

The Doctor was just about to start speaking again when he felt someone yank him around. Looking down, he saw that it was Demory. Looking anywhere other than at her face in annoyance, he grumbled "You got out of there faster than I hoped." He glanced back down at her and saw that she had changed clothes. Her words lashed at him like a whip, and he glared at her. Clenching his fists tightly, he struggled to keep his composure.

He heard the shuffle of feet against snow, and he whirled around to face the Whispermen. "Move again and I might forget my friends words." he snarled, his eyes blazing with fury. He wasn't quite sure where the anger had come from, but it felt amazing to lash out at the white men. The idea of hurting one was deliciously tempting. The feeling reminded him of when Jenny had died and he had been holding the gun up to the Commander's head. He had been very close to killing a man that day.

When the Doctor had glared at her, it was not what she had expected. It was quite frightening, actually. She had never been physically given a look of hate such as that before by this man, and it had caused her a bit of tension as she quickly took a step away from him. For a moment, she wasn't sure what he was going to do. "Doctor, please."

Suddenly, the whispermen had moved in closer, and he swung around to face them once more, still threatening them, with a look of hatred coming over him. That was it, she couldn't take it anymore. If she were to leave him here with them, she didn't know what he might do. "Doctor, we need to have a chat," she said in a hurt, irritated tone.

She quickly grabbed him by the hand, pulling on him with all her strength, leading him from the area. She saw his TARDIS up ahead, and she knew that the creatures would not be so bold as to follow them inside of it. Quickly, she opened the doors, and pushed him inside, shutting the doors behind her as she glared at him upon noticing the blue redecorating of the area.

"What is wrong with you!?" she shouted at him, almost ready to cry. "You're not the man I was in love with, what happened to you!? Not only has your face changed, but so did your temper! What does it mean to be the Doctor? Does that mean nothing to you anymore?" she felt her eyes water a bit as she stepped away from him, looking away with crossed arms. "I don't even know who you are anymore, it's like I'm looking into the eyes of lost love on the face of a stranger."

He felt a hand clamp around his and start pulling him away from the whispermen. The monster inside him roared in defiance. He turned his head sharply, getting ready to yell at someone, but the angry protest died on it's way out. The look Demory was giving him made all his anger simmer down. He was hurting her. Again. Feeling utterly defeated, he followed her reluctantly into the carriage. He gave the group of white beings one last hateful glare before being pushed inside.

Expecting the worst, he sat down heavily on the nearest step and hung his head. In the back of his mind, he noticed that there was some of his Tardis blue in here. As she shouted at him, he could almost hear the tears threatening to break free. He waited a few moments after she had finished, the replied in a dead voice "Well, you aren't the only one. I don't know who or what I am either..." He looked up at her, feeling as if all the strength had been sapped from him.

Now that he was thinking clearly, he knew what it was that was fueling his anger. The unfairness of the universe. All the loss, the pain, the death cause by him, the deaths he couldn't prevent. The fact that, while everyone died around him, he still survived and lived to see another day of heartbreak. "I won't expect you to understand, I don't think I could burden you with it. But I will tell you one thing: I'm lost." he sighed, past the point of tears. He did not feel the wetness on his cheeks. "You should throw me out now, while you've still got a chance. You'll be better off without me, I realize that now. Trust me, I'm the..." he was about to end his sad excuse for a speech with the phrase he'd said so many times. But from what Demory had said, he wasn't acting upon his promise.Shaking his head angrily, he muttered "Nevermind, then..."

Hearing the Doctor's defeat was yet another thing she did not expect. She could not believe how much has changed since she had turned away from him. What happened to her poor Doctor? Something more than her regeneration, and his regeneration has gotten underneath his skin. She doubted he really even was bothered by her leaving anyways. He had moved on.

He started to explain himself, and he started crying. Something she hadn't seen in so long. She almost forgot for a moment who she was or why she ran away in the first place, feeling his defeat seep in and her kindness spilling out and trying to comfort it. She fell to her knees very slowly to be on the same level as him. She put her hands to his cheeks, wiping his tears, a look of shock upon her face.

"I've tried throwing you out before, but you just keep coming back," she tried to relieve the tension, making a small joke. "Hey, it's okay to feel sad. You're not the only one who feels like they've lost everything," she said quietly, trying to wipe his tears and show him he wasn't alone. She thought about it once more in the back of her mind. When she had finished regeneration, the oncoming storm's hand was slowly reaching for her, and all of her friends just watched in agreement. She felt incredibly betrayed.

She immediately sped out of the area, running to her TARDIS, leaving all of her friends and lover behind, and had never felt so broken before. In fact, she still felt that brokenness inside. Seeing the Doctor in such a defeated state like this - it was exactly how she felt when she thought about what happened. She took a deep breath, pursing her lips and trying to hold back the tears of her own as she quickly moved in to embrace him. "Doctor, it will be okay."

She let go of him for a moment and sat down next to him, still letting her hand hang around his chin, wiping away any stray tears. She took a deep breath. In a way, she felt like this was her trying to forgive him as well for what had happened. She turned to him and bit her lip. "It's like what you've said in the past... the good things don’t always soften the bad things — but vice versa — the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things or make them unimportant," she nodded. "and I'm willing to forgive you for all that's happened, because I know you're a good person. The greatest person I've ever known."

The Doctor was surprised by Demory's hug. He was so sure that he'd gone beyond forgiving, he'd quite literally given up on trying. The relief that was blossoming in his chest was so great that it almost hurt. He sniffled, then leaned into her touch. He hated being seen this emotional, but he didn't know how to stop. This regeneration really was tedious...

When she told him that she thought he was the greatest person, he chuckled without any real humor. "At least one of us thinks it..." He ran a hand over his face and wished he were back outside with the whispermen. It was so much easier to hate... "I'm sorry, Demory. I'm sorry for all the pain I've cause you, all the loss you've suffered because of me. You'd be so much better off if you hadn't met me." he mumbled miserably "I've failed you as well as your parents."

When he had suddenly apologized to her, she looked into his eyes for a moment, seeing the truth in his words. She frowned when he had said such things, as though he had failed her and she shook her head quickly, moving her hands from his cheeks and down to her sides. "No, no, no. You haven't failed anyone. I'm the one who failed, okay? If I never met you, I wouldn't be alive, now would I?"

She bit her lip, observing him. Despite his new features, it was still the same man she deeply cared for inside. Maybe things could go back--no, no, stop. You can't. She shook the thought quickly. She looked back at him and took a deep breath, almost choking on her words. "I would have rather loved and lost than never loved at all. You've showed me so much about myself."

He laughed hollowly when she said that she was the one who failed. Looking down at her, he smiled sadly "Don't be so mean to yourself, it wasn't your fault. I'd have done the same thing as you..." shaking his head, he sighed, "And your parents could have chosen a more suitable person to save you."

He felt her gaze on him. When he heard her words, he focused on her eyes, frowning slightly. "I only showed what you couldn't see. It was always there..." he felt a small smile touch his lips "Despite you beliefs, Demory, you are brilliant"

She laughed lightly, a smile escaping from her lips as she looked down, "You always said that to me. Brilliant. I was always brilliant," she mused. She bit her lip again for a moment, taking a breath. "I hope you know, Doctor, that you were never alone, and never will be."

She looked back up at him and felt the defeat inside of her take place, the conflict between the part of her that wanted to keep away from him, and the much larger part of her that wanted nothing more than to feel his loving touch once more. "I'm here, anytime you need me. Anytime you want to go on a whacky adventure again, you always know where to find me."

He grinned openly, forgetting his sadness. "That's because you are! Absolutely brilliant." His voice trailed off when he saw her biting her lip. His thoughts were scattered until her voice brought him back. Blinking a few times, he tried to understand what she said. "Oh, um... yeah, sure." Glancing away, he really hoped she hadn't seen the pink tinge in his cheeks.

Her next words had him looking back into her eyes. There was a funny look in them, like there was a conflict going on inside her. He saw uncertainty mixed with something that looked like lack of trust. But there was also want. She wanted something, but thought it wasn't a good idea. A smirk ghosted his lips as he look at her expression carefully. Surely not... No, that's just your imagination going wild. he tried the chase the thought from his head. But, what if? a small voice at the back of his mind whispered. As if that voice were controlling him, he reached up a hand and moved some strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes, watching her closely.

Siren saw something in him when he was watching her, and she continued to stare back, continuing to bite her lip so she could stop herself from saying anything she might regret later. It was absolutely silent, and all she could hear was the beating of her hearts. His hand slowly moved toward her, and she shuttered a bit when she felt his touch, moving her hair.

And then it all came out at once. As if someone had shaken a bottle and let it loose, her eyes began to water, and she looked away from him, breathing heavily. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from..." she said quickly, still feeling his hand against her. "It hurts, and it's happening all over again..."