THIS IS THE NEW CHAPTER YOU THOUGHT IT WAS! JUST AN UPDATED VERSION OF IT!

A/N: I just want to start off publically apologizing for my behavior to one of my reviewers when I pm-ed them back explaining something. It was not my intention to be rude. I am just highly defensive of my writing and very, very, very proper when I have to interact with people to cover up my awkwardness.

I am a really nice person, honestly, but as the age old saying goes, 'they are just words on a page and up to the reader to decipher them'.

A/N2: Three things- One thank you to the guest who reviewed this morning (4/23) as I it gave me the push I needed to finish this chapter. Two-This chapter was brought to you between working on two research papers and running a fraternity. Three – As you can tell I happen to go on rather long hiatuses. But this fic will never be abandoned. I still put a lot of work into even if you can't see it. I tend to work on it non linearly so closer to the end there is a possibility for more frequent updates, but that is still far in the future. So enjoy and don't forget to R&R.

Chapter 7

Maybe Something More

He paced swiftly back and forth, running his hands through his hair resulting in it sticking up more wildly than usual. Hermione sat on a chair absently picking at a loose thread on her skirt. Ludwig was scratching away on a piece of paper with a quill and Mozart rested his head on his hands, watching The Doctor's progress.

"We need a plan." Ludwig said, not looking up from what he was doing, breaking the tense silence that engulfed them since Xi disappeared. Hermione looked up from her skirts and observed The Doctor for a moment, his face was set and his eyes glittered dangerously, he was determined.

"You want a plan? I'll give you a plan." The Doctor grabbed one of the nearby chairs and pulled it underneath him, backwards. "Save Xi. Defeat The Hush, again."

"You care for your child greatly." Mozart said, fixing The Doctor with a hard look.

"He's not…. I'm not…" The Doctor protested briefly before his attention was diverted by a servant pulling a cart of chairs on to the stage. "Is there a concert tonight?"

"There is. It is big but not grand." Mozart told him. The Doctor nodded knowingly.

"How are you going to catch it, The Hush?" Hermione asked. "You said something about a tape earlier." Mozart and Ludwig perked up curiously.

"Pirate Radio. I sunk the ship back in the early sixties. I caught The Hush on a tape reel. What time is the concert supposed to start?"

Mozart checked his pocket watch. "About an hour and a half."

The Doctor nodded, "Right. I need a hand crank, wax, rope and a needle or something sharp. Meet back here in an hour. I'm going to find Xi. Hermione stay with Mozart and Ludwig."

Hermione seemed a bit put out at getting left behind but didn't argue. The three humans were left to distribute the items between them.

oOo

It was black and silent. More silent than the quietest silence and blacker than the blackest black.

He didn't know where he was. Slowly, his heartrates started rising as panic settled in. It wouldn't due to have a full blown panic attack and he silently berated himself. He wasn't some simpering human, was he? It was hard to tell sometimes where the mentality of Harry ended and Xi started. Harry was a clever, albeit abused human, emotionally stunted, afraid of the dark and highly dependent on whoever gave him a kind word. Whereas Xi was a genius, Time Lord, witty, captain of the innuendo squad and independent. On any given day he was anywhere on the scale.

Right now he was Harry.

Think. Think, think, think, think, think. He chanted quietly, tapping the sides of his temple with his fingers. What would The Doctor always do? Xi took a deep breath.

What can you hear? Xi heard the question in his head in The Doctor's voice. What could he hear? Nothing. No, wrong. He could hear his own breathing and hearts beating.

There was a steady drip, drip, drip behind him and a faint tapping sound.

What can you smell? There was a musty smell, stagnant water on stones.

What can you see? There was the tiniest pin prick of light three meters up and to the right.

What can you taste? There was the stale air and mold, a sliver of metal, and was that wood?

What can you feel? There was a presence above him, he could tell. Reaching out he could feel the damp stones under his fingertips. Turning, he dragged his hands along the wall. It was small space, deep underground, too small for his liking.

Xi immediately regretted finding out how small the room he was in. He managed to head off the panic but now walls started closing in and small sob escaped his lips. Fingers finding a door handle he pulled. It wouldn't budge. He pushed. Still nothing. His breathing became more ragged as he fumbled for his sonic.

His hands trembled as he tried to find the setting he needed. After almost dropping it twice in his growing panic, he found it. Pointing the sonic screwdriver at the door, it whirled and whirled. Nothing was happening. Xi felt all around the door. Wood. All of it.

Then it clicked. The light. He could sonic the stone in the walls so that they would crack and crumble. Trying another setting he pointed his shaking arm at the small light. This was going to take a while.

oOo

The Doctor wasn't quite sure what to make of the building. He managed to navigate his way through the increasing crowd of stage hands getting ready for the concert, back into the depths of backstage. He could feel that Xi was in the building. It was an inherent ability that Time Lords are able to sense each other telepathically and at close enough proximity to communicate.

After questioning a few of the stagehands, The Doctor once again found himself at a deadend. Xi was here, he could feel it. But where was here? Not even the sonic screwdriver was picking up anything. He signed and headed back to the humans.

To his surprise, Hermione was sitting on the floor, wand tucked behind her ear, building something. He got closer and realized it was the cylindrical wax recorder that he himself had planned to build.

He ran up to her, a radiant grin spread on his face, "Hermione Granger, you are absolutely brilliant!"

She looked up from her work and smiled back, tucking her hair behind her ear. " Thank you."

The Doctor sits down next to her to help her complete the project.

"Did you find Xi?" She asked tentatively. The Doctor scratched the back of his head, shoulders slumping.

"He is here somewhere. But I know that once we get rid of the Hush it will be much easier to find him. Xi I knowledgeable enough to fend for himself for the most part. I'm just worried how this is going to affect him."

Hermione cocked her head in curiosity and handed him a stick of wax to sonic. The Doctor didn't respond, he was too focused on his work.

With a vibrant 'Aha!' The Doctor held up the finished product, a perfect replica of Thomas Edison's Cylindrical Wax Recorder. "Brilliant! If I do say so myself. Now I just need somewhere to set it up. Preferably not on the stage. They look ready to chase us off with torches and pitchforks. Any ideas?"

"I think I know just the place!" The Time Lord and his companion turned to look at Ludwig and Mozart, who were smiling back triumphantly.

"I got one of the Boxes as a late gift and I haven't had the chance to use it yet," Explained Mozart, leading the way up the set of stairs, "I have been busy composing and conducting like I will do tonight so it is just going to have to be Ludwig there with you. I'm very sad that I am going to have to miss it."

"Nah. You are going to be in the think of it. Standing on stage, surrounded by people and their instruments. The air pliable with anticipation. You raise your baton and time freezes. I don't think you are going to miss a thing."

Mozart gave The Doctor a strange look after he finished talking and at his 'what I didn't do anything' face. Ludwig frowned, looking contemplative. They finally reached the door to Mozart's Box and Hermione let out a soft gasp before starting to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" The Doctor asked his human companion.

"The thing is," Hermione replied, "I have been comparing this Hall to the Paris Opera House since I got here. And lo and behold we end up in Box 5 of all places."

"Oh yes, The Phantom of the Opera. Good book, slightly creepy in places, doesn't really account for what actually happened."

Hermione gaped at him, "What do you mean what actually happened?"

They had entered the Box and Ludwig settled down on one of the chairs and was listening attentively to The Doctor and Hermione's conversation as The Doctor set up the recording device. Mozart had already bid Ludwig good bye and slipped out quietly.

"Welllllll. First of all there really wasn't a Phantom in the Opera House. Hold up let me explain. Back in Ancient Greece the actors used to leave offerings to the gods before the beginning of play for luck and good fortune and things like that. At the time the Paris Opera House was built and founded the Enlightenment was sweeping through Europe, studying Greek and Latin philosophers was the thing to do and Latin was once more the language of the elite and the clergy. The first managing director was a poet, highly skilled highly educated. It had started off as a joke by a visiting Englishman, leaving these offerings for good luck. Soon it became the thing to do and people eventually forgot why they were leaving offerings and the legend of the Phantom was born."

"That doesn't explain why it had closed down."

"That would partially be my fault." Hermione looked aghast. "Oi! Only partially! There was an alien on the loose that was killing people and I was trying to stop it. Except I kept appearing right after someone was killed and they all thought it was me. Also! I didn't burn the Opera House down on purpose." The Doctor made a ridiculous pouty face mixed with a kicked puppy look. Hermione sighed.

"It's like you actually need adult supervision."

"Oi! I'm 914. Thank you very much. And that. Should. Do. IT!" The Doctor finished setting up the recording device. Now all they had to do was wait. Until the moment that Hermione started giggling during the concert, The Doctor was bored. He looked at his companion and she flashed the number 5 with her hand. The Doctor mouthed to her that he knew that. She mouthed back wondering if he was actually serious. Catching the look of laughter in her eyes, he too started chuckling. Ludwig was glaring at the two of them. The Doctor shrugged apologetically, before he and Hermione dissolved into silent laughter. A few moments later, after the fact that Ludwig was at a loss on how to get their attention, The Doctor received a sharp jab in the ribs.

"What!"

"It's about time."

The laughter fell from his face as it turned cold; a shiver ran down both humans' spines. He edged forward toward the recording device and started it. As the symphony crescendo-ed to a climax an unearthly almost non-audible scream could be heard. A glint of satisfaction flashed in The Doctor's eyes before he dashed from the box.

oOo

Stones came tumbling down around Xi and he breathed a sigh of relief. Brushing the dust from himself, he ran from the now destroyed cell up the nearest staircase he could find. There was a thundering sound as he ascended the steps to a trap door. Cautiously, he cracked it open and found himself surrounded by the legs of chairs and people's feet. Xi deduced that the thundering sound was clapping as the feet started walking away. Carefully he crept out of the trap door and followed the musicians from the stage. Once back stage he navigated through all the people and instruments trying to find the way out. When he couldn't he looked around trying to find a familiar face and spotted Mozart'.

"Mozart!" Xi called out trying to make his way towards the composer. The man turned around and spotted Xi.

"Thank goodness! Your father was beside himself with worry. No matter, I know where he is, follow me."

"He's not…. I'm not…" Xi protested, following Mozart who was smiling knowingly, unseen by Xi.

They caught up with The Doctor in the Lobby, "Mozart, brilliant! Have you seen Xi? I caught The Hush so he should show any minute. He's here. I can feel it. So-" The Doctor caught sight of Xi. "Xi!"

"Doctor!"

The Doctor gathered the younger Time Lord in a hug. "I was worried. Are you alright? And thing broken, missing, in a strange place?"

"I'm fine." Xi chuckled, but was touched nonetheless. The Doctor let go as Hermione and Ludwig joined them.

"Everyone alright?" There were four sets of nods. "Just let me take care of the recording device and we'll be set to go."

Ten minutes later, The Doctor found them in Mozart's sitting room.

"Can't you destroy it?" Mozart asked. The Doctor shook his head.

"Nope, it would let this monster loose again. I wonder how it got out? I guess I'll just have to put it somewhere safe aboard the TARDIS. Now, Mozart, Ludwig not a hide nor hair of this." Both composers nodded.

"Too bad I was only passing through for the day," remarked Ludwig, "It was a pity that Mozart and I didn't have any more time to discuss things."

"Maybe someday, my boy." Mozart chuckled.

"Alright, we must be on our way," The Doctor said.

"Wait!" Ludwig jumped up and grabbed Hermione's wrist, "I have something I want to show you first."

"Okay." She replied following Ludwig to the pianoforte.

"Now I am an educated man and a woman likes to be romanced by poetry. Now as you are an Englishwoman I thought I would recite you Shakespeare, but as he found, you are definitely more mild and temperate than a summer's day. So let my music speak for me." Hermione gaped at him as he turned toward the pianoforte and began playing. She recognized the melody as the "Moonlight Sonata" but could tell it was a preliminary version of what would be known in the 21st century.

Hermione could hardly stutter out her thanks after he had finished. He kissed her hand and they all said their final goodbyes before Hermione, Xi and The Doctor stepped into the TARDIS The Doctor had parked right outside of Mozart's flat.

The two composers waved as the TARDIS vworped out of sight.