Note: I'm a little rusty, but its spring break now, and I'm impatient for DW to start back up again on the 30th! So I thought I'd take out my excitement in the form of a dark fanfic. This will be a longer story, with an estimated 14-16 chapters. Please review – reviews make me happy, let me know how to improve my writing, and I would love you forever. ;)

Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.

Setting: In between the Wedding of River Song and Asylum of the Daleks.

Rating: M for violence, sexual violence – this story is very dark, you have been warned!

I'm Home

Chapter One

The planet Vascon. With its putrid odor, sandy winds, and streets filled with the scum of the universe. What in the name of sanity had drawn her here?

Combat boots firmly stepped down the alley-way. It was perpetually night on this disgusting planet, so her night vision shades had the double function of allowing her to see in the dark and to protect her eyes from the constant barrage of blowing sand. She licked her lower lip that felt chapped beyond repair; no flirty lipstick on this mission, for her own safety. No need to attract attention from those she was not hunting.

A voice from behind her forced her to quietly slam her back against the dry mud wall. She was insane to have picked this project, what the hell was she thinking? The voice and two pairs of feet began to shuffle down the alleyway in her direction, dragging a large object behind one of them. She pressed her lips together firmly in resolute determination and wiped the blood that fell from them with her dark green jacket sleeve. Thirty-five days of meticulous tracking and planning on this damn planet and now she felt nervous? She wouldn't allow herself to feel that. She pulled up the bandana from around her neck to cover her mouth and nose.

They were very close now. She pulled out her little gun and pressed the record button on the devise implanted in her arm. The outlines of two standing humanoids and a third dragged on the ground appeared on her night vision shades. The tall leader was growling in Vascilion, which translated in her head, "You damn fool, you let him escape! He could have made me a fortune, but now his beautiful skin is lost to the Vasco devise."

"My lord, that is only if he gets off Vascon, and that is impossible. I will find him."

"You better had, or I'll take it out your hideous hide."

Taking in a deep breath as her gun beeped in alarm that it was fully charged, she stepped out from the wall and pointed it, "Not a step further."

The two stopped abruptly, with the tall leader falling behind the shorter one, "And who dares address me with that tone of voice?"

"Stay back, my lord, I'll handle this."

The short one whipped out a large baton-like weapon, but she knew better than to stay in one place and jumped out of the way. A rattling noise hit the ground she had been standing on, but even her night vision shades couldn't pick up the thin wire that she knew had nearly trapped her. She shot at the short one with a beam of green energy, but he ducked just in time.

"Ah, a professional. Could it be the mysterious Song I have heard whispers about?" the tall leader had a grin in his voice. "You are not the first that has failed to capture me, but I must admit, I am impressed by your reputation."

She was barely able to contain the gasp that threatened to spill from her lips, they knew her name? Shit, she cursed inwardly. Her cover had already been blown. River was only able to take one step back as she felt the sharp sting of the wire before her ears could even hear the rattling of his discharged weapon. The wired net wrapped around her entire body and constricted her breath. Her gun fell to the ground first, then the net's homing device yanked her off her feet and she slammed to the ground hard.

The short one barked a snide laugh and bent down to snap the night vision shades from her face, leaving her in complete darkness. He grabbed the bandana and ripped it from her face, and she could smell his sickening breath, "I see you're a pretty one. Maybe you will serve our lord better as a pet than you could ever have been a soldier."

"Bring her along to the fort as well, Captain Skarbek, and we will deal with her there. Yet another failed attempt I can profit from."

"Yes, my lord," Skarbek took hold of the handle of the net that was over the top of her head, grabbed the other trapped humanoid's net, and began to drag them both along the dirty alleyway.

River could barely breathe, and no longer wondered why the other prisoner had been silent this whole time. It would be impossible to speak with the net so tight around her throat. She attempted to maneuver off of her side and onto her back so that the recording device could get clear audio. She managed to take a gulp of air and quieted her mind to handle the pain. This was only the beginning.

It took just another few miles to reach the fort, she had been so close to it. After guards allowed them inside and onto a cool stone floor, the tall lord left into another room with a short bark of orders, leaving River, the other prisoner, and Skarbek alone.

A blue light came on, and River's eyes squeezed shut against it. Her eyes slowly adjusted after days of being in the dark outside as she listened to Skarbek untie the other prisoner. River blinked several times and saw an unconscious human male lifted by Skarbek and strapped into a tall machine against the wall. Poor soul had likely been dragged for many more miles before her.

This was the unknown part that she had been unable to gather any information about. Her stomach lurched in anxiety. Skarbek approached her with a nasty grin on his Vasconian face. River half-wished she could erase that face from her memory, but knew that would be counterproductive. His peeling, rotting skin would have made her vomit if she had any food in her.

Skarbek lifted her while still wrapped by the wired net and only untied the net when she was already partly strapped into the machine against the wall. His grin never left his face, as though he especially enjoyed this.

River coughed as the wire loosened off her throat, "What is this thing?"

"Oh, don't you know?" Skarbek snickered. "You're the bounty hunter, shouldn't you have done some research?" That caused him to laugh outright, "You'll find out right now, then." And he yanked her button down jacket down the front, and then ripped her under shirt apart as well, leaving her chest completely bare. He traced her breast with a rough finger, "This won't hurt too much. And then maybe I'll have some fun with you."

An hour later, River found herself being dumped into a dimly lit room with no clothes on. A female Vasconian servant stepped in and began dressing her in a strange material and revealing dark blue dress. The Vasconian pulled out the tie in her hair to allow her blonde curls to fall down her back. The room was quiet until the Vasconian whispered, "It will heal soon, and only a small scar will remain on your chest. You are lucky to have been assigned as a slave." She wiped away the tears River didn't even realize had spilled down her face.

River breathed through her nose to try and calm down, "What.. what did they put in my chest?"

The Vasconian hesitated, "..The Vasco device. You can never leave Vascon again. That is all I can tell you."

Then the servant left, and River was alone with her thoughts.

Of course, the entire situation was beginning to make more sense. This was something the Clerics had pretended they knew nothing about, but they had to have known. The mission's true plan started to come together in River's mind. It was actually a suicide mission she had been promised would lead to a pardon. And there was nothing she could do about it now except continue to follow the plan. Burning anger built up in her exposed and aching chest.

She looked around the room. It was clearly the master's personal apartment, with a small kitchen, dining room, and large bed. She had succeeded in being brought directly to him, even though she had to endure his second in command. This was certainly not something she'd be putting in her diary, if she ever got back to her cell where it lay…

The voice of the tall lord, the criminal mastermind behind this entire scheme she had vowed to put an end to, filtered into the room. He was debating something of political importance with the second in command, Captain Skarbek. River could only shiver from the chill of his rough voice. This was not going to be big on dignity.

That's when she heard a soft mechanical noise at the window. Oh dear sanity, she could only think in dread. Late as usual, and now he's going to ruin the whole damn thing before I can explain.

The window creaked open and he popped in clumsily, somehow landing both feet on the floor. The Doctor glanced around before settling his eyes on River, "Honey, I'm home."

River could only breathe through her nose in an attempt to remain calm as she heard footsteps from the other room start to get closer, "And what sort of time do you call this?"

To be continued…

Note: You're not meant to know everything yet, so don't panic, we'll get there in time! Please leave a review with your thoughts, I would really appreciate it! Thanks very much!