Advent Challenge Day 20
Title: Silent Night, Part 1
Author: acanismajoris or Sako Akarui
Fandom: Doctor Who/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: None
Rating: PG13
Warnings: This is a scary story. It is meant to scare you. Descriptions of murder will be present. If I give you nightmares, do not complain unless you want to make me happy, as this is my plan.
Disclaimer: The Doctor is not mine, nor his companions.
Summary: Something Odd happens when Eleven, Amy and Rory visit Yule
Notes: Wrote basically all of this on the plane. Really tired. Will finish it up tomorrow morning. Must sleep now. Been up since 3am Kiev time with restless 3 hour sleep, it is now 8:30pm California time. I will get this banner. Head over to Advent Challenge for more stories!
Yule was a very calming place. As a member of the chain of resort planets including Midnight and Euphoria, the employees prided themselves on providing perfect vacations for their guests. Yule’s specialty was two-fold - a continuation of winter traditions and celebrations all year round, and the guarantee of a relaxing stay in the countryside. The entire planet was caught in a snowy chill at all times, and during their actual winter months, guests were encouraged to stay within the protected lodges and underground tunnel network that navigated the entire planet. The Doctor thought it would be the perfect place for Amy and Rory to spend some time together and build happy memories during their extended honeymoon.
“I don’t know what you’re acting so upset about.”
“You don’t know why I’m upset? Oh, let’s consider.” Rory turned, red in the face. “First, you don’t want to see the frozen falls with me, you want to take the deep cave jump with the Doctor. Then, you have the nerve to stay out all evening, not even mentioning the dinner you two go to. And then this! It’s the last straw, Amy!”
“I thought you’d like to spice things up a little in bed. You are marrying a kissagram.”
“Roleplaying so you can call me ‘Doctor’ is not my idea of spicing things up.”
“Well, you wouldn’t look nearly so attractive as me in the slutty nurse’s outfit, would you, Rory?”
“If you want someone to look attractive in your stupid nurse’s slip why don’t you go find your precious Doctor!”
“You need to get over this,” Amy said, becoming deadly quiet. “I married you, not him. God, you used to enjoy playing Doctor when we started dating.”
“Yeah? Well that’s when he wasn’t real!” Rory knew he’d crossed a line, but his face was resolute. Let Amy feel a little of the pain for once in this relationship. She had the same look of vicious fire in her eyes as she had whenever one of the school kids had mocked her raggedy doctor. Rory didn’t want to back down, but he’d never fared well versus Amy’s glares. He caved after a tense silence, retreating from the fight without another word.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she spat at his back. He grabbed a coat, muttering about needing a walk before exiting their room. Amy growled in frustration, running to the TARDIS door and slamming it open.
“The nerve of him! It’s as if he’s not listening to a word I’m saying.” The Doctor continued working under the counsel, judiciously deciding not to take sides. He’d run for cover at the first sign of a fight, and he wasn’t about to get pulled under now, especially since he’d found the TARDIS acting funny.
“There, there, sweet thing. Don’t be like that.” The Doctor petted the outer paneling, feeling it’d be rude to handle the circuitry with company in the room. A bell, deep and melodious, sounded from deep within the TARDIS.
“Was that a church bell?” Amy asked.
“No, not a church bell,” the Doctor said, eyes widening. “Haven’t got a church. I’ve a small Buddhist shrine around the study, but no churches.”
“Is that what that was?” Amy stretched her arms into the air, yawning. “I’m going to bed. Tell Rory if he comes looking for me he can stay in the hotel room alone. Serves him right.”
Amy walked through the back door, navigating her way to her and Rory’s room within the TARDIS. She thought she heard voices, and stopped momentarily to listen. The sounds blended together, though, and she couldn’t make out the words. She shrugged, figuring there were carolers outside in Yule, and she was hearing the muffled words of an unfamiliar Christmas song. Or whatever holiday it was today here.
When she got to her room, she prepared for bed and forced herself to sleep with a vengeance.
*~*~*~*~*
Rory made his way out towards the largest park in their complex, where they’d seen a tree lighting ceremony four days ago. It was empty now, as the guests had gone to bed for the evening. He walked along the desolate streets in his heavy coat, sighing. He knew Amy would win this fight, because she always won. Still, he wished he felt that Amy could hear him once in a while. Despite her reassurances, this whole… thing with the Doctor still bothered him.
He passed by an old, half-finished building, blocked off by cheerful pink construction tape strapped across the front door. He passed the front window, not even sparing a glance inside. He was lost in his thoughts, unsure of how or when he was going to head back to his room.
Just as the window past from his view, a pale, grinning face drifted by within the house, gazing out and nodding slowly. If Rory had stopped he would’ve seen more of the strange creatures gathered inside. Eight of them stood together in the unfinished sitting room, dressed in trim but solemn suits, along with eight loping creatures bound up in large white jackets. None of them spoke a word, hideous grins plastered to their faces like concrete. As midnight tolled in the park, one moved away from the others, picking up a nondescript box from the table. The others clapped silently, hands moving but never striking each other. The first - the leader, as social action would suggest - raised a hand to acknowledge their respect with modesty, then calmly opened the box.
Rory had settled on a bench, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He felt suddenly light headed, and he gave something between a yawn and a gasp. His eyes squinted, and he saw a white fog as he exhaled.
God, it was cold. He really ought to get home.
Perhaps in another hour. He’d enjoy the silence a little longer.
*~*~*~*~*
Amy woke the next morning, taking a moment to orient herself with her surroundings. She couldn’t figure out why she was in the TARDIS alone, until she remembered the fight, which also reminded her that she was still very angry with Rory. He hadn’t even come looking for her last night. With a scowl, she picked out clothes for the day. She resolved that if Rory didn’t want to talk with her, then she didn’t want to talk with him. She could find plenty to entertain herself without the stick in the mud.
When Amy finally left the TARDIS she found Rory dead asleep in the hotel bed, still in his clothes. His coat was lying on the ground. She considered waking him up, just to be spiteful, when the door to the hotel room burst open. The Doctor sped inside, harried and concerned.
Amy opened her mouth to greet the Doctor and ask what he had gotten up to this morning, but was shocked when no sound came from between her lips. She tried again, speaking carefully, even yelling, but it was as if her voice was simple gone. It didn’t hurt, but she could feel adrenaline entering her bloodstream as she soundlessly yelled at the room.
The Doctor, however, stepped in front of her, holding a hand right in front of her face. Carefully, he enunciated the words ‘calm down’, then turned on the television set in the wall of the room. An announcement was running from a nearby lodge, and Amy watched with growing apprehension.
“Early this morning, it was discovered that the residents of Lodge Christmas Park have lost the ability to talk, an unfortunate side effect of a new relaxation technique in development here on Yule. Guests should be assured that the process is perfectly safe, and we encourage you to enjoy the true serenity and peace of the winter wonderland at Yule. In the meantime, we would like to request that residents of Lodge Christmas Park remain there for the time being. Services will be complimentary in light of the inconvenience -“
Amy shut it off. She knew when a story smelled foul. A rustle from the bed startled her, and she stared as Rory stretched, scratched his arm, and yawned like a cat. His lips began to move as he presumably tried to say good morning, but then he went through much the same panic attack as Amy had.
‘Already figured it out,’ she mouthed, rolling her eyes. Despite the silence, Rory was sure he could hear her sigh of annoyance. He didn’t need to hear her voice to know when she thought he was acting the fool.
The Doctor stared at the screen, tapping his finger to his lips in investigation. Then he shrugged and began to walk back towards the TARDIS.
Amy stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. She tried to ask him what they should do, but he didn’t seem to understand her. And then his lips were moving, but Amy had no idea what he was saying either. She was starting to go red in the face again when the Doctor pressed a finger to her lips, stopping her mid-sentence, and then ran to the desk. He opened the drawer and pulled out a notepad and pen, then scribbled on the pad, tore the sheet off and dropped it on the table:
‘Nothing to worry about. We’ll look into it once I figure out what’s setting of the TARDIS.’
Amy squinted at the writing, turning the paper on its side. She grabbed the pen from the Doctor and wrote under his note:
‘You’re penmanship is awful’
The Doctor adjust his jacket, pouting in an indignant fashion. Then he wandered off to the TARDIS, leaving Amy and Rory alone.
Neither knew well what to do, in light of everything. After all, they were still fighting.
*~*~*~*~*
They had settled on walking through Lodge Christmas Park - individually - and see what they could find out about the affair. They both returned that evening, not much the wiser. No one from Yule knew anything about the crisis, and the official representatives of Yule were only doing their best to maintain calm, not solve the problem as far as anyone could tell. Although to be fair, that wasn’t an easy job either. Residents who hadn’t panicked were enraged. Complimentary services were not enough to appease their perturbation at losing their voices. Amy and Rory slept uneasily that night, tossing a turning often.
Amy was awoken roughtly, and at first her only thought was ‘why oh why is Rory shaking my shoulder?’ One look at his pale face, though, and she knew that something was really wrong. She was awake like a shot and he handed her a sheet of paper he’d found slipped under their door.
Murder on Yule!
Last night, at least two guests were viciously and brutally murdered in their beds. One Malcolm Pinkerton was found by his recent acquaintance, dead in his single. The door had been left open, reported his companion, and there was blood everywhere. Pampaloola Vaukal was found by her friend Talateeni Faula, who had shared a room with her the whole night. “I didn’t hear anything,” he wrote to us.
Amy swallowed around the lump in her throat, putting the sheet aside. It had been printed by another guest, not the administration. ‘There goes the hope of keeping calm,’ she thought, heaving a silent sigh. Rory nodded in silent agreement. He adjusted an invisible bowtie and Amy nodded. Time to find the Doctor.
He was fast at work on the TARDIS again and didn’t notice as the married couple walked in. Amy had to grab his foot which startled the Doctor. He banged his head on the counsel, and presumably had a few choice words for the headache he received. Rubbing the new bump on his head, he took the sheet Amy pushed into his hand.
He couldn’t have finished the whole report before he was on his feet, pacing. He was definitively talking to himself, but when he finally looked up, Amy only gave him an annoyed smile and pointed to her ears. The Doctor nodded, looking a little disappointed that no one had heard his wonderful babbling. He went to the keyboard at the counsel, and Amy and Rory stood behind him, reading what he typed.
We need to find out more about these murders.The TARDIS is picking up a psychic field, but I can’t narrow the source as it is.
Rory pushed him aside, typing beneath the Doctor’s message.
There’s no way we’re going out there with a murderer on the loose.
Amy pushed his shoulder like she used to do when they were kids and he was too scared to take a dare. With frustration, he looked her straight in the eyes. He wanted her to realize how serious he was - this was dangerous on a whole different level - but as per usual, she shrugged him off. She typed at the keyboard:
If you’re scared then stay here. But I want to figure out what’s going on here.
They proceeded to argue, occasionally using the keyboard but mostly making do with reading lips, or the occasional shove. There was something to be gained from marrying someone you’d known most of your life.
It ended as Rory had known it would: Amy and the Doctor went to investigate the murders, whil Rory stayed in the room. For some reason, he felt safer within the actual TARDIS although the usual white noise of the TARDIS’s engines had taken an oddly melodic lilt.
Author: acanismajoris or Sako Akarui
Fandom: Doctor Who/Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: None
Rating: PG13
Warnings: This is a scary story. It is meant to scare you. Descriptions of murder will be present. If I give you nightmares, do not complain unless you want to make me happy, as this is my plan.
Disclaimer: The Doctor is not mine, nor his companions.
Summary: Something Odd happens when Eleven, Amy and Rory visit Yule
Notes: Wrote basically all of this on the plane. Really tired. Will finish it up tomorrow morning. Must sleep now. Been up since 3am Kiev time with restless 3 hour sleep, it is now 8:30pm California time. I will get this banner. Head over to Advent Challenge for more stories!
Yule was a very calming place. As a member of the chain of resort planets including Midnight and Euphoria, the employees prided themselves on providing perfect vacations for their guests. Yule’s specialty was two-fold - a continuation of winter traditions and celebrations all year round, and the guarantee of a relaxing stay in the countryside. The entire planet was caught in a snowy chill at all times, and during their actual winter months, guests were encouraged to stay within the protected lodges and underground tunnel network that navigated the entire planet. The Doctor thought it would be the perfect place for Amy and Rory to spend some time together and build happy memories during their extended honeymoon.
“I don’t know what you’re acting so upset about.”
“You don’t know why I’m upset? Oh, let’s consider.” Rory turned, red in the face. “First, you don’t want to see the frozen falls with me, you want to take the deep cave jump with the Doctor. Then, you have the nerve to stay out all evening, not even mentioning the dinner you two go to. And then this! It’s the last straw, Amy!”
“I thought you’d like to spice things up a little in bed. You are marrying a kissagram.”
“Roleplaying so you can call me ‘Doctor’ is not my idea of spicing things up.”
“Well, you wouldn’t look nearly so attractive as me in the slutty nurse’s outfit, would you, Rory?”
“If you want someone to look attractive in your stupid nurse’s slip why don’t you go find your precious Doctor!”
“You need to get over this,” Amy said, becoming deadly quiet. “I married you, not him. God, you used to enjoy playing Doctor when we started dating.”
“Yeah? Well that’s when he wasn’t real!” Rory knew he’d crossed a line, but his face was resolute. Let Amy feel a little of the pain for once in this relationship. She had the same look of vicious fire in her eyes as she had whenever one of the school kids had mocked her raggedy doctor. Rory didn’t want to back down, but he’d never fared well versus Amy’s glares. He caved after a tense silence, retreating from the fight without another word.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she spat at his back. He grabbed a coat, muttering about needing a walk before exiting their room. Amy growled in frustration, running to the TARDIS door and slamming it open.
“The nerve of him! It’s as if he’s not listening to a word I’m saying.” The Doctor continued working under the counsel, judiciously deciding not to take sides. He’d run for cover at the first sign of a fight, and he wasn’t about to get pulled under now, especially since he’d found the TARDIS acting funny.
“There, there, sweet thing. Don’t be like that.” The Doctor petted the outer paneling, feeling it’d be rude to handle the circuitry with company in the room. A bell, deep and melodious, sounded from deep within the TARDIS.
“Was that a church bell?” Amy asked.
“No, not a church bell,” the Doctor said, eyes widening. “Haven’t got a church. I’ve a small Buddhist shrine around the study, but no churches.”
“Is that what that was?” Amy stretched her arms into the air, yawning. “I’m going to bed. Tell Rory if he comes looking for me he can stay in the hotel room alone. Serves him right.”
Amy walked through the back door, navigating her way to her and Rory’s room within the TARDIS. She thought she heard voices, and stopped momentarily to listen. The sounds blended together, though, and she couldn’t make out the words. She shrugged, figuring there were carolers outside in Yule, and she was hearing the muffled words of an unfamiliar Christmas song. Or whatever holiday it was today here.
When she got to her room, she prepared for bed and forced herself to sleep with a vengeance.
*~*~*~*~*
Rory made his way out towards the largest park in their complex, where they’d seen a tree lighting ceremony four days ago. It was empty now, as the guests had gone to bed for the evening. He walked along the desolate streets in his heavy coat, sighing. He knew Amy would win this fight, because she always won. Still, he wished he felt that Amy could hear him once in a while. Despite her reassurances, this whole… thing with the Doctor still bothered him.
He passed by an old, half-finished building, blocked off by cheerful pink construction tape strapped across the front door. He passed the front window, not even sparing a glance inside. He was lost in his thoughts, unsure of how or when he was going to head back to his room.
Just as the window past from his view, a pale, grinning face drifted by within the house, gazing out and nodding slowly. If Rory had stopped he would’ve seen more of the strange creatures gathered inside. Eight of them stood together in the unfinished sitting room, dressed in trim but solemn suits, along with eight loping creatures bound up in large white jackets. None of them spoke a word, hideous grins plastered to their faces like concrete. As midnight tolled in the park, one moved away from the others, picking up a nondescript box from the table. The others clapped silently, hands moving but never striking each other. The first - the leader, as social action would suggest - raised a hand to acknowledge their respect with modesty, then calmly opened the box.
Rory had settled on a bench, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He felt suddenly light headed, and he gave something between a yawn and a gasp. His eyes squinted, and he saw a white fog as he exhaled.
God, it was cold. He really ought to get home.
Perhaps in another hour. He’d enjoy the silence a little longer.
*~*~*~*~*
Amy woke the next morning, taking a moment to orient herself with her surroundings. She couldn’t figure out why she was in the TARDIS alone, until she remembered the fight, which also reminded her that she was still very angry with Rory. He hadn’t even come looking for her last night. With a scowl, she picked out clothes for the day. She resolved that if Rory didn’t want to talk with her, then she didn’t want to talk with him. She could find plenty to entertain herself without the stick in the mud.
When Amy finally left the TARDIS she found Rory dead asleep in the hotel bed, still in his clothes. His coat was lying on the ground. She considered waking him up, just to be spiteful, when the door to the hotel room burst open. The Doctor sped inside, harried and concerned.
Amy opened her mouth to greet the Doctor and ask what he had gotten up to this morning, but was shocked when no sound came from between her lips. She tried again, speaking carefully, even yelling, but it was as if her voice was simple gone. It didn’t hurt, but she could feel adrenaline entering her bloodstream as she soundlessly yelled at the room.
The Doctor, however, stepped in front of her, holding a hand right in front of her face. Carefully, he enunciated the words ‘calm down’, then turned on the television set in the wall of the room. An announcement was running from a nearby lodge, and Amy watched with growing apprehension.
“Early this morning, it was discovered that the residents of Lodge Christmas Park have lost the ability to talk, an unfortunate side effect of a new relaxation technique in development here on Yule. Guests should be assured that the process is perfectly safe, and we encourage you to enjoy the true serenity and peace of the winter wonderland at Yule. In the meantime, we would like to request that residents of Lodge Christmas Park remain there for the time being. Services will be complimentary in light of the inconvenience -“
Amy shut it off. She knew when a story smelled foul. A rustle from the bed startled her, and she stared as Rory stretched, scratched his arm, and yawned like a cat. His lips began to move as he presumably tried to say good morning, but then he went through much the same panic attack as Amy had.
‘Already figured it out,’ she mouthed, rolling her eyes. Despite the silence, Rory was sure he could hear her sigh of annoyance. He didn’t need to hear her voice to know when she thought he was acting the fool.
The Doctor stared at the screen, tapping his finger to his lips in investigation. Then he shrugged and began to walk back towards the TARDIS.
Amy stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. She tried to ask him what they should do, but he didn’t seem to understand her. And then his lips were moving, but Amy had no idea what he was saying either. She was starting to go red in the face again when the Doctor pressed a finger to her lips, stopping her mid-sentence, and then ran to the desk. He opened the drawer and pulled out a notepad and pen, then scribbled on the pad, tore the sheet off and dropped it on the table:
‘Nothing to worry about. We’ll look into it once I figure out what’s setting of the TARDIS.’
Amy squinted at the writing, turning the paper on its side. She grabbed the pen from the Doctor and wrote under his note:
‘You’re penmanship is awful’
The Doctor adjust his jacket, pouting in an indignant fashion. Then he wandered off to the TARDIS, leaving Amy and Rory alone.
Neither knew well what to do, in light of everything. After all, they were still fighting.
*~*~*~*~*
They had settled on walking through Lodge Christmas Park - individually - and see what they could find out about the affair. They both returned that evening, not much the wiser. No one from Yule knew anything about the crisis, and the official representatives of Yule were only doing their best to maintain calm, not solve the problem as far as anyone could tell. Although to be fair, that wasn’t an easy job either. Residents who hadn’t panicked were enraged. Complimentary services were not enough to appease their perturbation at losing their voices. Amy and Rory slept uneasily that night, tossing a turning often.
Amy was awoken roughtly, and at first her only thought was ‘why oh why is Rory shaking my shoulder?’ One look at his pale face, though, and she knew that something was really wrong. She was awake like a shot and he handed her a sheet of paper he’d found slipped under their door.
Murder on Yule!
Last night, at least two guests were viciously and brutally murdered in their beds. One Malcolm Pinkerton was found by his recent acquaintance, dead in his single. The door had been left open, reported his companion, and there was blood everywhere. Pampaloola Vaukal was found by her friend Talateeni Faula, who had shared a room with her the whole night. “I didn’t hear anything,” he wrote to us.
Amy swallowed around the lump in her throat, putting the sheet aside. It had been printed by another guest, not the administration. ‘There goes the hope of keeping calm,’ she thought, heaving a silent sigh. Rory nodded in silent agreement. He adjusted an invisible bowtie and Amy nodded. Time to find the Doctor.
He was fast at work on the TARDIS again and didn’t notice as the married couple walked in. Amy had to grab his foot which startled the Doctor. He banged his head on the counsel, and presumably had a few choice words for the headache he received. Rubbing the new bump on his head, he took the sheet Amy pushed into his hand.
He couldn’t have finished the whole report before he was on his feet, pacing. He was definitively talking to himself, but when he finally looked up, Amy only gave him an annoyed smile and pointed to her ears. The Doctor nodded, looking a little disappointed that no one had heard his wonderful babbling. He went to the keyboard at the counsel, and Amy and Rory stood behind him, reading what he typed.
We need to find out more about these murders.The TARDIS is picking up a psychic field, but I can’t narrow the source as it is.
Rory pushed him aside, typing beneath the Doctor’s message.
There’s no way we’re going out there with a murderer on the loose.
Amy pushed his shoulder like she used to do when they were kids and he was too scared to take a dare. With frustration, he looked her straight in the eyes. He wanted her to realize how serious he was - this was dangerous on a whole different level - but as per usual, she shrugged him off. She typed at the keyboard:
If you’re scared then stay here. But I want to figure out what’s going on here.
They proceeded to argue, occasionally using the keyboard but mostly making do with reading lips, or the occasional shove. There was something to be gained from marrying someone you’d known most of your life.
It ended as Rory had known it would: Amy and the Doctor went to investigate the murders, whil Rory stayed in the room. For some reason, he felt safer within the actual TARDIS although the usual white noise of the TARDIS’s engines had taken an oddly melodic lilt.