"So, huge castle, so many rooms, can I explore?" Rose said hopefully to Jack after dinner, bouncing on the balls of her feet and looking around.
"I'll give you the grand tour, if you'd like," the Doctor offered before Jack could reply.
Jack nodded with a smile and walked away, and Rose contemplated his offer for a moment. "That'd be great."
They didn't do much conversing besides him telling her the history of certain things and where they had been imported. They came across several statues of men and women Rose hadn't seen before, but when she asked about them, he didn't speak. The paintings in the dining room and several other rooms of a world with orange grass and silver leaves also remained unexplained, making her more and more curious every second. And Rose Tyler had learned more than anyone that being curious in life could get you in trouble. As he was explaining a vase that was outside the foyer, she looked towards the right and stared at the fleet of stairs that led to the West Wing, just barely visible through the doorway.
"This statue is of a famous Punic Carthaginian military commander named Hannibal. He was mostly known for the battles of Trebia, Cannae, and…"
Rose cut him off, still staring at the stairs. "And the battle of Lake Trasimene, right?"
"You know about him?" the Doctor looked genuinely curious, folding his arms across his chest, frowning when he turned to see she was staring at the stairs. "That's the West Wing, it's forbidden."
"What's up there?"
He glared at her with his most intimidating expression, making her frown. "Right, forbidden," she mumbled, looking back at the statue. "I read about Hannibal in a book. He provoked Flambinius into battle on the shores of the lake and killed him."
His eyes widened a little, and Rose was pleased with herself to know he was extremely impressed, though she also knew he would never say anything about it. "I suppose you paid attention in school," he said simply, turning away and walking away from the stairs, beckoning for her to follow.
After the tour, when the entire castle was sleeping soundly in their beds, Rose Tyler got up. If there was one thing she hated, it was forbidden things. As soon as she saw what was in the West Wing, she would leave. All she wanted to know was what he had to hide, then she would never go back there and the Doctor would never even have to know.
"I don't usually leave the Stormcage Containment Facility for just anything," the woman said, looking up from the table in the bar so the two men across from her could just barely see her eyes through her blonde curls and under her hat. "But you said you would make it interesting, sweetie."
"River Song, it's an honor to meet you, truly, it is," Mickey said, shaking her hand and smiling.
River was wearing her usual gray jacket, perfect for any situation whether it be a date or an apocalypse. Attached to her side she had a few guns, just the regular group, and on her belt was a knife hidden in a sleek black sheath, only for the most desperate of situations. A mint was in her mouth, as usual, and her hair bounced whenever she moved. A tiny bruise was on her right forearm, though that was impressive for a woman who had just escaped from prison.
Although, anyone who knew anything in Powell knew that River Song wasn't an ordinary woman.
She was committed to the prison for the crime of someone she couldn't even remember killing, and had been there for several years now. Although, to call Stormcage a Containment Facility was technically incorrect, seeing as she escaped whenever she felt like it to continue her job.
River was the woman you went to when you had a problem, a serious problem that you couldn't solve on your own. People didn't go to her for lost puppies or stolen mail, no, they went to her for the real stuff. She could do anything from making an injury or illness look like an accident to making someone disappear forever. Nobody really knew how she did some of the stuff that she did, though nobody questioned it much.
So as she took of her brown leather cap and threw it on the table, the Master couldn't really say he wasn't intimidated.
Throwing down a tiny bag filled with coins, jewels, and other goodies, he grinned mischievously at her. "So, it's like this," he began, folding his hands together and resting them on the table, "Rose Tyler, do you know of her?"
River scoffed, "I know everyone. Yes, I know Rose. Little blonde girl, innocent as can be, book-lover."
"I proposed to her, and she said no."
"Turned him down flat," Mickey added with a smile, making the Master shove him out of the chair and scowl.
"Shut up, Rickey."
"So what do you want me to do about it?" River waved Rory over and took a beer from him, sipping it a little before setting it on the wooden table next to her hat.
"Her mother is Jackie Tyler, you know her, blonde woman, a bit short, inventor, wears a lot of pink, calls everyone 'plum', and…"
"Yes, yes I know her," River said, urging him to talk faster, "I'm on a schedule. Stormcage will know I'm missing in about… Oh, I'd say two hours. Besides, Jackie Tyler is harmless."
"She may be harmless, but Rose loves her mother, very, very much, even for the lunatic that she is. She'd do anything to keep her from being locked up in a dungeon, wouldn't she?"
River nodded, now understanding the point the Master had been getting to. "You want me to lock up Jackie so Rose will agree to marry you? A bit desperate, isn't it?" She sipped her drink again and smiled a little bit.
Rory came over with a small bill for River, handing it to her nervously. She took one glance at him and waved him away, and he nodded quickly and scurried back behind the bar. "How did you do that?" The Master asked.
She looked at him and blinked. "Disgracefully."
"So will you do it?"
"Well…" River sighed over-dramatically, putting her hat on and pushing the quickly emptied beer glass away. "I may take a little more convincing. After all, it's a big job. I can't just walk up to Jackie and demand she get into jail."
The Master knew she was lying about the fact that it was a big job, but he handed her another sack of money anyways. "There, now do it."
Back at Rose's cottage, Jackie was packing her bags quickly. "Stupid Canton…" She murmured, picking up a flashlight and sticking it into the bag. "Stupid, stupid Master… If they won't help Rose, I will!"
Jackie exited the house and hopped onto Arthur's back, yelling a "Hyaah!" and taking off quickly, rushing towards the castle.
The Master, Mickey, and River arrived only minutes afterwards, knocking loudly on the door of the house, expecting Jackie or Rose to answer. "Hello? Jackie?" the Master yelled loudly at the house, knocking again.
When nobody answered, River gestured for the two men to back up and she kicked the door down in one swift blow. "Check inside," she said, sitting on a bench outside the house and nodding inside.
Mickey regarded her for a moment, staring with his mouth open a little bit. "What did you do before you were put in Stormcage?"
"Archaeologist," she said, rotating her shoulders and stretching before winking at him. "Love a tomb."
A/N: Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter! Halfway to the finish now! :D