Storm: Time Jump

Vampires of Venice 2

Guido spread out a map of Venice on his dining table, as he said: "As you saw, there's no clear way in."

The Doctor, Amy, and Teresa looked down at the map as Guido explained: "The House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But there's a tunnel underneath it," he drew his finger down the map to illustrate, "with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house."

The Doctor pored over the map as Guido straightened, finishing with a sigh: "I tried to get in once myself, but I hit a trapdoor."

Amy immediately looked up at him and said with a mischievous gleam in her eye: "You need someone on the inside."

"No." The Doctor answered, not even bothering to look at her.

Amy looked at him, offended, and she retorted: "You don't even know what I was going to say."

Teresa chuckled as the Doctor recited dryly: "Er, that we pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside, and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in."

Rory sighed from his spot in the corner of the room, beside a large collection of barrels, and Amy muttered petulantly: "Oh. So you do know what I was going to say."

"Are you insane?" Rory demanded and Teresa piped up: "Er, Rory you might want to move from that spot."

He glanced at her in confusion, but turned his attention back to Amy as the redhead leaned on the table and she said pointedly: "We don't have another option."

Rory replied sternly: "He said no, Amy. Listen to him."

Amy frowned, while Guido chimed in: "There is another option."

He pointed towards Rory, and they all turned to look while Rory lifted a finger to point at himself questioningly, looking surprised. Teresa shook her head at him, amused, and he slowly lowered his finger as Guido told them: "I work at the Arsenale."

The Doctor let go of Teresa's hand- to her surprise, it was the first the entire day- and walked over towards Rory and began to sniff around the other man as Guido added: "We build the warships for the navy."

The Doctor sniffed his way to the barrels and he muttered: "Gunpowder."

Guido nodded proudly and the Doctor grumbled: "Most people just nick stationery from where they work. Look," he walked back towards Teresa as he said flatly, "I have a thing about guns and huge quantities of explosive."

Guido slapped his hand down on the table, asking irritably: "What do you suggest, then? We wait until they turn her into an animal?"

The Doctor sighed, rubbing his eyes with one hand, and Amy said suggestively: "I'll be there three, four hours, tops."

Rory rolled his eyes in annoyance while the Doctor looked at her contemplatively. He quickly snapped himself out as he groaned: "No."

Rory nodded in agreement with the Doctor as he muttered: "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It can't keep happening like this. This is how they go."

He sat down, rubbing his hand across his face tiredly as Rory frowned at him. They could all hear how close the Doctor was to letting Amy go. Amy raised her brows expectantly, and then looked at Teresa for help.

The blonde saw the look and she added: "And Amy wouldn't be alone."

Amy's eyes widened and she began shaking her head in alarm but Teresa didn't notice as she tried to say helpfully: "I'll go with her. We can say we're sisters."

The Doctor's head immediately snapped up and he said sharply: "Absolutely not!"

"Why not?" Teresa asked with a frown, and Rory demanded: "Why is it not okay for her but okay for Amy?"