The Best Laid Plans...

At the end of the Romans, Barbara and Ian used the Great Fire as cover to escape and return to Assysium. But what would have happened if Sevcheria had been a bit more alert and caught Ian before he managed to sneak into the palace.

Nero is this is based on the Doctor Who Nero, not the real person.

I don't own Doctor Who despite my deepest desires, and don't make any profit from these stories.

Chapter 1- The Bargain

Nero grabbed Barbara by the arm and hauled her down the hallway.

"Where are you taking me?" Barbara demanded.

"You'll see," Nero said. He signalled to two guards standing by a door. They opened it and saluted as the Emperor swept past with Barbara in tow. "You see my dear, I always keep my promises."

Barbara gasped with fear and surprise. Ian knelt on the floor, his hands bound behind his back and two soldiers at his shoulders, their swords crossed across his throat. As he looked up at her, Barbara had ample time to study his blood stained face. His lip was split, a bleeding cut ran across his forehead and a graze on his left cheek bled sluggishly.

"Barbara," he said when his eyes fell on her. He was rewarded with a cuff to the head by one of the soldiers.

Barbara gasped his name as one of the swords slid, cutting a shallow slice into his neck.

"I didn't manage to caste the other one, but I hardly think that matters," Nero said, "This one will do just as well. Now, you will do exactly what I order, or you friend here will suffer."

"You can't be serious," Barbara said. Nero had come across as a foolish dreamer to hr before, this side of him was completely unexpected.

"Deadly serious, my dear. Allow me to demonstrate."

He nodded to the soldiers who sheathed their swords, cut the cords around Ian's wrists and hauled him to his feet. The removed his rough vest and pulled his tunic down over his shoulders, leaving his torso bare. All the time Ian kept his eyes firmly on Barbara. Don't worry, his eyes said, we'll get out of here somehow.

The two soldiers each slipped a loop of rope around Ian's wrists and stretched his arms out wide. A third soldier shook out a vicious looking whip.

"No!" Barbara cried as she realised what was about to happen. "You can't do this!"

"But I can," Nero said. "And it will convince you that I mean exactly what I say. Proceed, twenty lashes."

Ian gasped, as much with surprise as pain as the first blow fell across his back, but after that he set his jaw, kept his eyes firmly on Barbara and endure the flogging in silence. Only the tightening of the muscles around his eyes and mouth gave any hint of pain.

When the last blow fell Nero held up his hand and glanced at Barbara. "Well?" he asked, "Do you yield or should I let them continue?"

Barbara, tears running down her cheeks, looked from Nero to Ian who shook his head, and then back at Nero. He had won. She could not stand by and watch as her friend, companion and love was tortured when it was in her power to stop it. She nodded her head miserably.

"Good," Nero purred, "Very good. Take him away."

The soldiers released Ian's arms and he sagged forward, almost falling to his knees. Barbara saw the full result of her small defiance- bloody welts and mangled skin.

"One condition," she said firmly as the soldiers were about to haul Ian away.

"Yes?" Nero asked, holding up a hand to stop the soldiers.

"I am allowed to see him every day," Barbara said, "While I obey you, he is not to be harmed, and I want to make sure you keep your end of the bargain."

"You may see him once a week," Nero said.

"Every second day."

"Very well, but you may not speak to him."

"No, otherwise you may hurt him where I cannot see," Barbara countered.

Ian raised an amused eyebrow, then winced as one of the guards twisted his arm, pulling the bloody wounds across his back. He had not known hat Barbara could be such a hard bargainer.

Nero inclined his head in agreement. "But your visits will always be observed."

Barbara also nodded, knowing that she would get no further concessions from the Emperor. "Your command, Caesar Nero," she said, bowing her head in supplication and swallowing bitter gall as she did so.

Nero waved a hand at the soldiers, "Take him away and make him secure," he commanded, "See that he is closely guarded, I wouldn't want any harm to come to him." He waited until the guards had dragged Ian out then turned back to Barbara, who had been watching Ian with a pained heart. "I want you," he said to her, "I want you to serve me and entrance me, I want you to entertain and amuse me. But you are spirited and I want that spark to remain, and capture with no pursuit has no gain."

Barbara remained still, unsure of exactly what he was talking about.

"You will serve me, but do not allow me near you, not yet, not until I capture you, then you will submit to me," Nero said, "Go, elude me, hide from me, tease me. Run, my dove, run!"

Barbara needed no further prompting and ran. If she was clever she could keep the fat little monarch on his toes. She would find Tavius, let him know that their escape plans had failed and see if he could come up with a new plan. She only hoped that Ian would be all right until she saw him again. Two days was a long time to wait, but wait she must.