A/N: I'm going to be such a cheater! There's 13 episodes in one DW series, right? Well, I'd only planned for 12 so... Education Isn't Always Healthy is being promoted to an episode lol! I'll be re-writing it though, and I'm just curious if people would prefer me to take it down and repost it as it's rewritten, or just to leave it as it is and replace the chapters? It'll be harder to keep up with but... meh I'm nonplussed either way really :p So techincally, after re-writing EIAH, there's only three stories left :o And then my series is over :(


Chapter Seven

Turning the Tables

The door burst open, making the Doctor jump and let out a little yelp. Ashley shut the door behind her and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She grinned broadly.

'I should be running for Britain!' she exclaimed breathlessly. 'You should have seen me go. They were eating my dust.'

The Doctor only rolled his eyes and got up from his seat. He had been waiting for her in an old abandoned house for about forty minutes. For a while he had been terrified that they had caught her, and had just been on the verge of going out to find her when she burst through the door.

'Where did you go?' he asked as he crossed the dusty floor to a closed door on the other side of the room. 'Sounds like you ran to Germany and back.'

'I might as well have.' Ashley replied, pulling the hat from her head and tossing it to one side. 'They bloody gave me a run for my money. I bet if I hadn't been running around with you so much they would have caught me in no time.' Her eyes moved to the closed door. 'Has he said anything?'

'I was waiting for you.' The Doctor replied with a sigh. He screwed up his face and lowered his voice. 'I hate this kind of stuff. Forced interrogation. There's something… well… mean about it.'

Ashley raised an eyebrow. 'You knock a guy out and lock him up and it's just mean?'

The Doctor frowned. 'I couldn't think of a better word.'

Ashley waved a hand. 'Well we'll try and talk to him now. The sooner he tells us where he's from the sooner we can make him help us get the Tardis back and let him go.' She shuddered. 'I hate this stuff too. It's creepy.'

The Doctor nodded and then pulled open the door. It creaked on its hinges and the two of them went in. At one point the room must have been magnificent, with high ceilings and an intricate fireplace – but now it was dusty and the paper was peeling from the walls. There was one piece of furniture in the room; a high backed leather chair. And tied to it, was the tall blonde bounty hunter, Tim.

'Hi, Timmy,' the Doctor beamed as they went in. 'How are you doing?'

The man glared at him, but his set stare seemed to wane when he saw Ashley. 'I take it they didn't catch up to you.' He muttered.

Ashley shrugged her shoulders. 'I'm like the wind.' She grinned, cutting through the air with her hand. The Doctor gave her a disapproving look and she stopped smiling, pushing her hands in her pockets.

'You don't mind if I call you Timmy, do you?' the Doctor asked, walking towards Tim. He didn't wait for an answer. 'Good. Now, we're all pretty busy people I'd imagine. You see we have places to go, planets to see that kind of thing and you don't strike me as the kind of man who likes being tied to a chair in an abandoned house, am I right?'

Tim stared at him, but again didn't have the chance to respond.

'I thought not,' the Doctor carried on. 'So I think it would be easier on all parts if you would; a, call off your other two friends and b, give us the Tardis back. Then we can carry on and you lot can… well… do whatever it is you do. What do you think?'

Tim looked at him for a moment, and then to Ashley. Then he half laughed. 'Did you really think it would be that easy?'

The Doctor shrugged. 'Well no one really asks nicely anymore do they?' He glanced to Ashley for confirmation and she shrugged in return.

'You know why no one asks nicely?' Tim grimaced. 'Because asking nicely doesn't work.'

The Doctor sighed. 'I know. And it's sad. Shows you what kind of universe we live in.' He looked down glumly.

'So what you going to do now then?' Tim raised his head slightly, obviously trying his best to appear brave and nonchalant. 'Have her burn me up?'

The Doctor looked at him in bewilderment. 'What? Why would I do that?' He gestured back to Ashley. 'She wouldn't do that anyway. I don't know who has hired you to find her but they obviously don't know a thing about her if they think she would do that.'

Ashley cleared her throat. 'Well, Doctor…' she began.

He turned and pointed a finger at her. 'I know what you're going to say, and don't. We agreed not to talk about it, right? It was an accident.'

Ashley nodded and glanced away, crossing her arms over her chest and looking faintly sad. The Doctor regarded her for a moment before turning his attention back to Tim.

'She won't hurt you,' he told the slightly bewildered bounty hunter. The Doctor's eyes darkened. 'But I might. So how about I give up asking nicely and just tell you what to do? Go back to your ship, leave the Tardis, and fly away.'

Tim looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out whether or not he was bluffing. 'No can do.' He said finally. 'I've been waiting all my life for a payout like this.'

The Doctor narrowed his eyes briefly. 'Who exactly is paying you?' He had to ask, but he already knew.

Tim half smiled. 'Timothy Crowe.'

The Doctor had known it ever since they had found the bounty ship in the cave all those thousands of years in the past. He didn't think Ashley knew, and the light gasp she gave at the mention of his name confirmed it.

'I heard he was dead.' the Doctor lied, narrowed one eye.

Tim shrugged his shoulders. 'Alive and kicking. Well… he doesn't kick much these days. But when you've got that much money you can pay people to do that for you, can't you?' He chuckled.

Ashley moved forwards quickly. The Doctor got a look at her face and saw that she had gone quite pale. 'Why does he want me?' she asked.

Tim shrugged. 'I'm only one of the delivery boys. I transport the package. Don't particularly care what happens to it.'

'So you'd happily hand over a human life just to satisfy your own ends?' the Doctor frowned.

Tim shrugged. 'It pays the bills.'

The Doctor grimaced at him and turned away. 'I'm going to tell you one more time,' he said in a low voice. 'You leave now. Call your friends off, and leave. Tell Crowe that if he wants her, he can come and get her himself. But he'll have to go through me first.'

Tim smirked, and then grinned, then laughed. Ashley watched him, visibly unsettled. The Doctor looked more angry.

'With a head price like that,' Tim grinned. 'I'd lose all my limbs before giving up.'

By the time the Doctor noticed the small silver disc in Tim's hand, it was too late. Tim's thumb pressed in the centre and he went up in a white light. There was a flash, and then the chair was empty.

'No!' the Doctor yelled. 'Damn it!'

'What the hell happened?' Ashley cried.

'Transportation device!' the Doctor responded through gritted teeth. 'Why didn't I think of that?' He hit himself on the head with his fist. 'Stupid!' He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and turned it on. The blue light shone and the contraption whirred, but nothing seemed to be happening. The Doctor only let out a frustrated cry and whirled around with it, as if he were searching for a signal. Which in a way, he was.

'What are you doing?' Ashley demanded, losing patience with the madness unfolding around her.

'They've got a block on the signal!' the Doctor snarled. 'I can't bring him back.' He turned to Ashley. 'They were tricking us. We weren't the ones in power at all. It was a diversion.'

Ashley's eyes widened. 'You mean…?'

'We have to get back to the ten year old you. Now.'