Checkmate (Doctor Who fanfiction)

The Extra Wheel

Oh god this was not good. This was in no way good. I folded my arms and circled the console, watching Amy, Rory, and The Doctor talk.

"The life out there, it dazzles!" The Doctor shouted from under the floor. As if on cue, a part of his electric workings sparked brightly causing a loud sound that made me flinch. "I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans." A loud snapping sound cans from where he was working and Rory, who was standing above him at the time, looked down at him skeptically. "It's meant to do that," The Doctor assured us. Sure. "Because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back!" He continued. "It will tear you apart. So, I'm sending you somewhere, together."

"Woah, wait, like, a... date?" Amy said.

"Anywhere you want. Any time you want." He started running up the stairs and soon joining me where I was awkwardly standing by the console. "One condition, it has to be amazing. The Moulin Rouge in 1890, the first Olympic Games. Think of it as a wedding present, because frankly, it's either this or tokens." He ran up the stairs and looked back down at Rory. "It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain."

"It's another dimension?"

"It's basically another dimension- what?"

"After what happened with Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories. FTL travel, parallel universes."

Oh, burn. Burn, burn, burn. Burn baby, burn.

"I like the bit when someone says it's bigger on the inside. I always look forward to that," The Doctor says. I smirk. And so the rivalry begins.

"So, this date. I'm kind of done with running down corridors. What do you think, Ruby?" Amy asked me, linking her arm through mine.

"Well it's your date. How about somewhere romantic?" I say. The Doctor ran to the console and started to set it hastily. I grabbed Amy's jacket and scarf and tossed them to her. I pulled on my leather jacket that cut off at my stomach and zipped it up to my neck, and yanked on leather gloves with fur around the wrists.

A minute later, we landed and ran to the doors. The Doctor swung one open and walked out, shouting, "VENICE!" Over all kingdom come. A lady with a goat passed us. People walked around in beautiful attire selling and buying food. It looked like we'd landed in the middle of a market. I found it a bit chilly, so I adjusted my jacket tighter. I really should've rethought wearing one of Amy's skirts.

I shivered and knew The Doctor noticed, since I caught him glancing at me with an expression I couldn't place but he used with me often. It quickly disappeared and he went back to being his happy, childish self. It sickened me. How could he be so caught up in this?

"Venezia!" He said happily. We began walking through the market and the idiot would not shut up. "La Serenissima. Impossible city. Preposterous city. IFounded by refugees running from Attila the Hun. It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh, but became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding, constantly, just beautiful! Ah, you got to love Venice. So many people did. Byron, Napoleon, Casanova. Ooo, that reminds me." He halted and looked at his watch. "1580. That's all right. Casanova doesn't get born for a hundred and forty five years. Don't want to run into him. I owe him a chicken."

Okay, so was THIS what he was doing for fourteen years? Made sense. He did seem to be having the time of his life.

"You owe Casanova a chicken?" Rory asked disbelievingly.

"Long story. We had a bet," The Doctor answered vaguely.

A guard stopped us from walking hastily. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Papers, if you please. Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection."