Chapter 10
The next morning, Freya was fiddling with some wiring on the TARDIS when they heard the knock. The Doctor, at her own urging, had shown her how to fix a common problem on the TARDIS and she was happily taking care of it. Her head shot up, only for Jack to bound towards the door. Freya's eyes drifted up to the Doctor, who shrugged before turning back to his work on the ceiling of the TARDIS.
"Who the hell are you?" Freya heard Jack ask.
"Oh. Hello," Jack said, his tone changing from abrasive to flirtatious.
"What do you mean, who the hell am I? Who the hell are you?" Freya heard Mickey's voice protest.
"Captain Jack Harkness. Whatever you're selling, we're not buying," Jack told him, trying to slam the door in their faces. Mickey shoved his way past him, as did Rose, Masen, and Marie. The four of them moved quickly over to Freya, Marie and Rose pulling her into a tight hug.
"Don't tell me that one's Mickey," Jack said in distaste.
"Here comes trouble! How're you doing, Ricky boy? Marie? Jason? Rose?" the Doctor asked them all in turns. Freya held back her giggles.
"It's Mickey!" Mickey protested.
"And Masen," Masen corrected, sounding equally irritated.
"He's trying to irritate you. It's okay," Freya told them, not wanting everyone to fight.
"How've you been? How's things been? It's been four months since you dropped me off," Rose explained.
"Four months?" Freya asked. It felt like days. A few days, at the most. Rose nodded.
"I haven't seen you in six months!" Marie protested before hugging Freya tightly again.
"Aw. You all are so sweet. How come I never get any of that?" Jack complained, glancing up at the Doctor. The Doctor glanced down at him, nonplussed.
"Buy me a drink first," the Doctor told him. Jack winked at him.
"You're such hard work. How about you, Freya? I did help save your life, you know. The least you could do is give me a hug," Jack teased. Freya stiffened in Rose and Marie's arms, eyes darting away from Jack. The Doctor slid down the ladder, glancing between Freya and Jack cautiously.
"Saved your life? What happened? Doctor, what happened?" Marie asked, alarmed. Rose turned as well to stare at him.
"Nothing. Stupid…alien culture. Like the necklace," Freya lied nervously.
"What happened to the necklace?" Marie asked suspiciously.
"It broke. We had a bit of a mishap with locals," Jack lied effortlessly, trying to cover up the mess he'd brought up.
"So your engagement necklace was broken. What does that say about your relationship?" Marie demanded.
Only to catch sight of the ring on her finger.
"It says he had to adapt to the nearest local culture," Freya told her, forcing a smile onto her lips. Marie snatched her hand, examining the ring.
"Oh! It's gorgeous! But you know, Doctor, you're in trouble," Marie said, spinning on the Doctor.
"Blimey! What'd I do this time?" the Doctor asked her, eyes wide in confusion.
"You didn't ask my permission before you asked her to marry you. I'd never even met you. That's best friend law, if you don't have acceptable parents to ask," Marie pointed out. Masen appeared quite nervous at that statement, Freya noticed, but Marie didn't seem to see it.
"Sorry. I know little about your apish culture," the Doctor said flippantly, turning away to mend another part of the TARDIS.
A part he'd already fixed.
"You're marrying that ape, so you'd bettered learn!" Marie shouted at him. The Doctor winced.
"So this is a real ring. An actual, real ring. Does that mean you really are staying with him? Forever?" Rose asked, drawing all of the attention back to Freya. Her eyes darted around nervously. Not only was Marie, Masen, Mickey and Rose watching her, but Jack and the Doctor seemed equally curious.
"As long as he'll have me," Freya finally said quietly, staring directly at the Doctor when she said it. The Doctor looked away quickly.
"I don't understand. Who's this guy?" Mickey asked, jerking his thumb towards Jack.
"Yeah. Who the hell is he? I mean, you're engaged to Dr. Big-Ears, and you have this handsome bloke running around?" Marie asked.
"Oi!" the Doctor said, his head shooting up.
"Look in the mirror," Marie retorted, unfazed.
"I am rather handsome, aren't I?" Jack asked, preening under Marie's appreciative once-over.
"I'd say cheesy," Mickey muttered under his breath.
"Early twenty-first century slang…is cheesy good or bad?" Jack asked, turning to Freya. He shot her a reassuring smile the moment the others turned to her. He was trying to make things better.
He was trying to get on her good side.
"Bad," Freya admitted.
"But bad means good, right?" Jack asked with a wink.
"Are you saying I'm not handsome?" the Doctor asked, appearing to still be hung up on Marie's comment on his ears. His hands were tentatively touching his ears, as if gaging just how big they were.
Marie merely waved him off.
"What're you doing in Cardiff?" Masen asked, appearing much more intrigued with that thought than anything else.
"We stopped by to refuel," Freya said, nodding towards the Doctor.
"Cardiff has this rift running through the middle of the city. It's invisible, but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions," the Doctor explained. Freya could tell he was dumbing it down for their benefit.
"It was healed back in 1869 by a servant girl named Gwyneth. She saved the world by keeping these gas-like creatures called the Gelth away after they tried using the rift as a gateway," Freya supplied.
"But closing a rift always leaves a scar, and that scar generates energy, harmless to the human race," Jack interjected happily.
"But perfect for the TARDIS, so just park it here for a couple of days right on top of the scar and…" the Doctor interrupted.
"…open up the engines, soak up the radiation," Jack jumped in once more, earning an exasperated expression from the Doctor.
"Just like filling up a car with gas. Then we fly off again," Freya supplied, hoping the comparison would make more sense to her friends.
"Into time!" Jack exclaimed.
"And space!" the Doctor cheered, holding up his hand as Jack high fived him. Freya couldn't resist smiling as well. She noticed that Jack didn't ask her for a high five.
He was trying to respect her almost-fear of him.
"My God. Have you seen yourselves? You all think you're so clever, don't you?" Marie asked.
"Yeah," the Doctor said with a shrug.
"Pretty much," Jack added in.
"They always think they're clever," Freya retorted with a slight grin.
Jack and the Doctor both beamed at her. They were thrilled.
Because she was already recovering. It hadn't even been a full day, and she was already recovering. The though sent joy through the Doctor's body.
She was going to be fine.
"Why don't we go grab some lunch?" Marie suggested. They had been sitting around on the ground due to the lack of seats, and Freya was certain Marie was suspicious of something. Freya had been trying to explain her adventures to them without making them sound dangerous.
She'd completely avoided their last adventure.
"It should take another twenty-four hours, so we've got time to kill," the Doctor agreed, grabbing his leather jacket. He slung it on and glanced at Freya.
She wasn't wearing a jacket.
"You probably ought to go get yourself a jacket," the Doctor recommended and Freya immediately got to her feet and took off for the wardrobe.
"What happened to her?" Marie asked the Doctor the moment Freya was out of earshot. The Doctor and Jack shot each other wary looks before their eyes slid back to Marie.
"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, hoping to divert some attention away from the Doctor.
"Something happened. Something bad. She's different. Good different, but her best changes have come from the worst events. From your actions, I'd assume it happened after your last trip. The one her necklace got broke on. What happened?" Marie demanded. The other three looked highly intrigued at the statement.
"She's right. She's acting different from even how she acted last time I saw her. Which was only a few days ago for you. And I got her killed," Rose pointed out.
"You what?" Marie asked, spinning on Rose.
"She came back to life," Rose said weakly, glancing back at the Doctor and Jack.
"She may or may not've been abducted for about an hour," Jack began, only for the Doctor to give him a hard look.
"Abducted? What happened?" Marie gasped.
"They snuck up behind us and drugged her," Jack answered, ignoring the Doctor's glare.
"They drugged her?" Rose asked in shock. Jack nodded and then closed his mouth, noticing the Doctor's death glare.
The Doctor stared at the door, waiting as Freya appeared. She had a tiny smile on her lips. And her jacket?
The Doctor was fairly certain it was a feminine version of his own. He was sure the TARDIS had something to do with that.
"Right! Let's go get lunch!" the Doctor said, bounding for the door. Everyone followed, Marie slowing down so she was walking next to Freya.
"That old lady's staring," Mickey observed, nodding his head towards a woman with wide eyes and a dog.
"Probably wondering what seven people could do inside a wooden box," Jack said, nudging the Doctor suggestively.
"What are you captain of, the Innuendo Squad?" Marie shot at him. Jack flashed what Freya assumed was a 'whatever' sign with his hands. Mickey started questioning the Doctor as they began walking, but Marie gripped Freya's arm, slowing her down a bit.
"What really happened to you? Jack let it slip you'd been abducted. And drugged. But what exactly happened? You're acting really weird," Marie complained, her voice quiet.
"Jack said that?" Freya asked, startled.
"I got it out of him. What. Happened?" Marie repeated.
"It was some sort of date rape drug, but lethal," Freya finally admitted quietly.
"Define lethal," Marie ordered.
"As in, if you didn't…do it…within a time limit, it would kill you," Freya supplied, her face almost painfully neutral.
"And they rescued you. They said they'd rescued you," Marie stated.
"They did," Freya agreed.
"So which one of them did it? Which one cured you? And yes, I mean it the way you think I do," Marie told her. Freya glanced ahead at the Doctor and Jack, both of whom were holding an overly joyful conversation with the other three.
It wasn't until Freya noticed the worried glance the Doctor shot over his shoulder that she realized it was all an act.
"Oh. I see," Marie breathed. Freya's head whipped to face Marie.
"And even after that, you still trust him. Completely. But you're scared of Jack," Marie assumed. Freya swallowed and nodded.
"Jack's just…wrong. He feels so wrong. I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see him. I don't know what it is," Freya admitted.
"You and the Doctor…you're not really engaged, are you?" Marie asked slowly. Freya shrugged.
"It doesn't matter," she said. Because it didn't. Not to her. And obviously, not to him.
"But you should be acting differently. Aren't things awkward?" Marie asked in confusion.
"Why would things be awkward?" Freya asked, completely confused at Marie's confusion.
"Because he….you two had sex! Doesn't that change your relationship?" Marie asked her.
"It was required. He did it to save my life. Like he said he would. He protects me, Marie. He truly protects me. And he hugs me. And holds my hand as we run. And he even kissed me, Marie. He gave me my first kiss. I don't understand how that would make things awkward," Freya explained. Marie's eyes widened.
"You love him!" she exclaimed. Freya's eyes matched hers and she shook her head.
"I don't even know what love is! How could I love him?" Freya asked. Marie shook her head, a grin on her face.
"You love him. And you look so much better. No shadows under your eyes. No nightmares? The two of you must be sleeping together. Not sex, at least, not before, I'd assume. But wow! I'm so happy for you!" Marie gushed.
"Oi! You two coming?" the Doctor shouted. Freya glanced up, grateful for the interruption. The Doctor gave her a smile as well as her and Marie walked quickly to catch up with the others.
"What's the plan?" Rose asked, looking positively gleeful to be part of the Doctor and Freya's world again. She shot Freya a smile before turning to face the Doctor.
"I don't know. Cardiff, early twenty-first century and the wind's coming from the east. Trust me. Safest place in the universe," the Doctor said as he started walking towards a tiny restaurant.
"That's a lie. Can't be the safest place in the universe. You're here," Freya pointed out, making sure that her smile remained on her face as she spoke. She didn't want the Doctor to think she was mad about that, or even upset.
The Doctor grinned at her.
"Ah. Well then, let's get some lunch before things go crazy," he said with his winning grin. He reached out and grabbed her hand, tugging her along as he walked quickly towards the restaurant.
Both of them missed the knowing smirk Marie gave them.
At the restaurant, Jack was telling them a story. A long story, one that only got more ludicrous with every word he spoke. Everyone seemed to be enjoying it though. Everyone except Freya. She got a feeling that something was wrong. She couldn't tell if something really and truly was wrong, or if it was just her worries over the Doctor's confidence of nothing being wrong.
In the middle of the story, Freya excused herself. She noticed a man reading a newspaper and worked up the courage on her walk over to him to actually say something to him.
"Excuse me, sir, but is there any way I could see your newspaper for a moment? I'm a bit out of date on current events," Freya said politely. The elderly man smiled at her and handed her the newspaper.
"Of course. Biggest news is on the front page. We're getting a nuclear power plant, as you ought to know, and the plans have been completed. All thanks to our new mayor," the man explained. Freya flipped it over to the front page, only for her blood to run cold.
On the cover was a picture of Margaret.
One of the Slitheen.
She was the new mayor.
"Mind if I borrow this for a moment?" Freya asked him. The man shook his head. Freya stood quickly and made her way back to the table.
"Safest place in the universe?" Freya asked the table, holding up the newspaper.
"And I was having such a nice day," the Doctor complained.
"Right. We should go investigate, right?" Rose asked. Freya walked the newspaper back over to the elderly man and thanked him before joining the group.
"What brought that on?" the Doctor asked her when she returned.
"Something didn't feel right. Nothing's always going perfect. I wanted to see the news," Freya explained.
"Fantastic. Let's go, before the others leave us in their excitement," the Doctor told her, his eyes gleaming.
He grabbed her hand and started pulling her along.
"Are you alright? I saw your friend talking to you earlier," the Doctor asked her. Freya nodded.
"I'm fine. She was just curious as to what happened," Freya said distantly.
"But are you really fine?" the Doctor pressed. Freya's smile grew, and while the Doctor could tell that it was very much so exaggerated, he could also see the truth behind it as well.
As they entered City Hall, Jack took a half step in front of them, almost as if he were taking in charge.
"According to intelligence, the target is the last surviving member of the Slitheen family, a criminal sect from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorious, masquerading as a human being, zipped inside a skin suit," Jack explained.
Freya resisted the urge to tell him that everyone already knew that bit. He seemed way too excited over it for her to ruin his fun. He continued talking, still staring straight ahead.
"Okay, plan of attack. We assume a basic fifty-seven fifty-six strategy, covering all available exits on the ground floor. Doctor, you and Freya go face to face. That'll designate Exit One. I'll cover Exit Two. Rose and Mickey, you take Exit Three. Masen and Marie, you take Exit Four. Have you got that?" Jack asked, glancing at everyone in turn. The Doctor shot him an indignant look.
"Excuse me. Who's in charge?" the Doctor asked him, sounding quite miffed. Jack rolled his eyes at Freya before snapping into a salute.
"Sorry. Awaiting orders, sir," Jack said stiffly.
"Right. Here's the plan," the Doctor said, leaning in towards the group, his expression complete and utter serious. He glanced at everyone's faces before the seriousness melted away to be replaced by his grin.
"Like he said. Nice plan. Anything else?" the Doctor asked Jack pleasantly.
"I'm gonna get whiplash from all these mood changes," Marie complained.
"Present arms. I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear you compare me to a hormonal woman," Jack said cheekily. Marie's eyes narrowed at him but she pulled out her cell phone anyway. Freya pulled out hers as well, wincing at the missed calls from her mother.
"Ready," Freya said, echoing the others.
"Speed dial?" Jack asked them.
"Got it. Let's go," Marie said impatiently.
"See you in hell," Jack said with a wink before stalking off. Marie and Masen headed for their direction and Rose dragged Mickey along behind her. The Doctor, still holding her hand, pulled her along towards a secretary desk. The man at the desk glanced up at them and smiled.
"Hello! We've come to see the Lord Mayor," the Doctor said cheerfully.
"Have you got an appointment?" the secretary asked him, his voice equally cheerful. The Doctor shook his head, smile still on his face.
"No, just an old friend passing by. Bit of a surprise. I can't wait to see her face. Can you?" the Doctor asked Freya. She shook her head, keeping a smile on her face as well. The secretary's smile faded.
"Well, she's just having a cup of tea," the secretary told them. The Doctor shrugged this off.
"Just go in and tell her the Doctor would like to see her. Just the Doctor. Tell her exactly that. The Doctor," the Doctor said cheekily. The secretary glanced at Freya but she shook her head.
"Oh, Margaret wouldn't remember me by name," Freya lied breezily. The secretary stood and nodded.
"Hang on just a tick," he promised as he slipped in between the doors.
Moments later, they heard the sound of a tea cup hitting the floor. Freya couldn't hold back her smile, nor could the Doctor. The secretary slipped back out, a nervous look in his eyes but a smile on his face.
"The Lord Mayor says thank you for popping by. She'd love to have a chat, but, er, she's up to her eyes in paperwork. Perhaps if you could make an appointment for next week?" he asked. The Doctor's smile never left his lips.
"She's climbing out the window, isn't she?" he asked. The secretary nodded.
"Yes she is," he told them. The Doctor grabbed the secretary before he could respond and Freya slipped past him, running into the room.
"Slitheen headed north," the Doctor said into the phone the moment he burst into the room after Freya.
"On our way!" Rose responded through the phone.
"Over and out!" Jack retorted.
"This is so exciting!" Marie gushed. Freya climbed out the window and started running after Margaret as the Doctor wrestled off the secretary once more.
"Hurry up! Down the ladder!" the Doctor shouted at her.
"Leave the mayor alone!" the secretary shouted at the Doctor and her. Freya made it to the ladder as Margaret reached the ground. She was trying to run off while pulling her earring out. Freya grabbed onto the ladder and didn't step onto the rungs, choosing to try sliding down it.
It wasn't as easy as the telly made it look. The metal stung Freya's hands and the sudden stop at the bottom jarred her, but she was down a lot faster than she would have been if she'd climbed down on her own.
She started running after Margaret as the Doctor made his way down the ladder.
Freya met up with Jack at the entrance just as Margaret made her way out one of the exits.
"Where's everyone else?!" the Doctor shouted as he ran into Freya and Jack.
Masen and Marie ran up, Marie appearing quite out of breath. A few seconds later, Rose and Mickey crashed in, Mickey looking worse for wear and Rose looking plain irritated.
"It's not like she's going to outrun us though, is she?" Jack asked scathingly as he straightened himself.
Only for Margaret to vanish from their sights. Jack's expression dropped.
"She's got a teleport! That's cheating! Now we're never going to get her!" Jack exclaimed, frustrated. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and, with a smirk, pushed the button.
Margaret reappeared, running towards them. Her smug expression vanished at the sight of them. She pushed her own teleport once more, vanishing. The Doctor's grin grew. He clicked the screwdriver and she reappeared, closer. Freya reached up and took the sonic screwdriver from him, wanting to try it. When she disappeared once more, Freya pushed the button excitedly. Margaret was much closer to them this time and stopped running, panting.
"This is persecution. Why can't you leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?" Margaret asked, irritated.
"You tried to kill me and destroy this entire planet," the Doctor told her, his humor gone. Margaret shrugged, as if that meant nothing to her. Freya had a feeling that it did, in fact, mean nothing to her.
"Apart from that," she sniffed.
The group of them escorted Margaret back to the room where her model for the plant was set up. Masen took up position in front of the only door, and Marie was across the room, blocking the window. The two of them were prepared.
The Doctor started questioning Margaret, with Jack jumping in. Freya ignored them, instead noticing that the banner with the name intrigued her.
The letters were in the exact same shade of gold as the particles from the TARDIS. It read Amser Aur. Amser Aur? What did that mean? Shouldn't the TARDIS translate it for her?
As she thought that, she watched the letters rearrange themselves. She glanced over her shoulders, but they were still arguing. They had destroyed the model, it appeared. But no one noticed the letters change.
"Golden time," Freya murmured, reading off the title. It reminded Freya of Gwen's words. The gold lights. And the gold particles that were always around her in the TARDIS. Her gold bracelet that partially dissolved when the nanogenes tried changing her.
"How'd you think of the name?" the Doctor asked from right behind Freya. She jumped at his sudden words, not having expected him to be right behind her.
"What, Amser Aur? It's Welsh," Margaret said absently. The Doctor shook his head, staring intently at Freya. He could sense that the words meant something to her. Were throwing her. Something about them wasn't right. And he wanted to know what.
"But how did you think of it?" Freya asked softly.
"I chose it at random, that's all. I don't know. It just sounded good. Does it matter?" Margaret asked, her tone getting more irritated now.
"What does it mean?" Marie asked anxiously from the window.
"Golden time. That's what it means. Golden time. That color is following me," Freya said, turning to the Doctor.
"Following you?" the Doctor asked, eyebrows shooting up. Freya nodded.
"Gwyneth mentioned golden lights. And the….the bracelet," Freya drifted off awkwardly, glad she'd caught herself before saying the particles. She didn't want him getting upset with her over them. She had no idea where they came from, only that they helped her.
"How can they be following her? Is that important?" Rose asked, glancing between the two of them worriedly. The Doctor glanced back at Rose before turning to Freya, his expression serious.
A moment later, the seriousness melted away as he smiled and shook his head.
"Nah. Just a coincidence. Like hearing a word on the radio then hearing it all day. It's just one word. Gold. Never mind. Things to do. Margaret, we're going to take you home," the Doctor said, changing the topic.
"Hold on. Isn't that the easy option, like letting her go?" Jack asked incredulously.
"We get to visit their planet. Raxacoricofallapatorius," Freya said the word slowly, recalling it from her memory and struggling through it.
"Raxacorico…." Marie muttered.
"…fallapatorius," the Doctor finished.
"Raxacorico…fallapatorius?" Rose tried. The Doctor beamed at her, seemingly forgetting his past irritation with her in that moment.
"They have the death penalty," Margaret interrupted. A heavy silence fell over the room as Margaret glanced up from the ground. Her eyes slid around the room, watching everyone carefully.
"The family Slitheen was tried in its absence many years ago and found guilty with no chance of appeal. According to the statutes of government, the moment I return, I am to be executed. What do you make of that, Doctor? Take me home and you take me to my death," Margaret said.
"Not my problem," the Doctor told her sharply. Freya felt a stab in her gut at the words.
The Doctor started ushering everyone out, Jack leading them with Rose and Mickey next, with Freya in the middle with Margaret. Marie and Masen followed closely behind and the Doctor followed, eyes glued to Margaret the entire time. The Doctor didn't seem to be willing to take any chances with Margaret trying to get away on their journey to the TARDIS.
"You can't be willing to let this happen. You looked upset at his words," Margaret murmured to Freya as they started walking. Freya's steps faltered for a moment as she regarded the alien out of the corner of her eye.
"I have no say in it," Freya whispered back, trying to ignore the feeling of guilt.
"You do. Your thoughts control him more than he'd like to admit. You can make him change his mind," Margaret retorted, her voice still low.
"What would I change it to? You're dangerous. You've killed people. Where could we take you that you wouldn't hurt people?" Freya shot back.
"I have other family members, distant family members. Please. Take me to them. We'll leave the planet alone," Margaret begged quietly.
"There's no point in trying to beg for your life," Masen interrupted her, glaring coldly at the alien. Freya's heart stuttered at the words. She lowered her head and walked with the rest of them to the TARDIS.
When they got there, Masen grabbed Freya's arm, keeping her back. The Doctor eyed him suspiciously.
"Freya and I need to talk. Won't take long. We'll be right here," Masen promised, his grip on Freya's arm not loosening. The Doctor's jaw set and he reluctantly stepped into the TARDIS, shutting the door.
But Freya could see it was cracked.
"He's listening," Freya pointed out. Masen nodded.
"He's not who I want to talk to you about. Take two steps back. She's probably at the door listening too," Masen grumbled.
"Marie?" Freya asked. Masen nodded, staring at Freya as he released her arm.
"Look, I know you don't know me. You don't know me, and you don't like me from the little you do know of me. But I need your permission," Masen begged. Freya stared at him, confused.
"Permission for what?" Freya questioned him. Masen dug around in his pocket and glanced at the TARDIS before holding his hand out to Freya. She tentatively pulled his fingers from his palm.
Sitting in the palm of his hand was a beautiful diamond ring.
Freya's eyes widened and her eyes shot back to Masen's. He nodded, pocketing the ring quickly.
"Best friend permission, I believe she called it earlier," Masen said awkwardly.
"And you…you need my permission? Me?" Freya choked, shocked at the sentiment. Masen nodded.
"She doesn't have parents to ask. And all of her other friends are…well, stupid," Masen admitted with a nervous laugh. Freya's own nervous laughter joined his.
"But you've only just been dating," Freya said, feeling at a loss. She hadn't seen this coming. She'd only met him twice now.
"We've been dating for a year and a half. You just haven't been here," Masen reminded her. His words stung, but they were true.
"Will you take care of her?" Freya asked quietly. Masen nodded. Freya's eyes searched his, looking for some hint of a lie. All she could find was earnest truth.
"I will always take care of her. I love her," Masen answered adamantly. And that was all Freya needed to know.
"Yes. Ask her soon," Freya said with a smile before going back to the TARDIS door. She pushed it open, only to notice the Doctor standing nearby with an overly innocent look on his face. An overly innocent, highly curious look on his face.
Everyone else appeared to be highly uncomfortable, except for Margaret. She looked quite pleased with herself.
"Freya, we thought we'd head home for the night. Come back in the morning before you take off?" Marie asked.
"Morning? I thought it'd take longer," Freya said, puzzled.
"We got an extra energy boost," Jack boasted. Freya nodded to them.
"See you in the morning then," Freya told them. Marie and Rose both hugged her and the guys gave her a half smile before they all headed for the TARDIS door.
"So what are we going to do til morning?" Freya asked Jack and the Doctor. Margaret was watching them, eyes glued on Freya. She shivered under the Slitheen's gaze.
"Cold?" the Doctor asked, shrugging his jacket off without waiting for an answer.
"I'm already wearing a jacket," Freya protested, but the Doctor ignored her as he helped tug her arms into the sleeves of his own jacket.
"We could always…have a bit of fun," Jack suggested, waggling his eyebrows at the two of them. The Doctor nailed him with a cold glare at his words and Freya forced herself to completely relax at his words.
He was just harmlessly flirting. That was what he did. Freya needed to get over whatever it was about him that set her off. He wasn't bad. The Doctor had accepted him.
With that in mind, Freya moved closer to him, tentatively touching his arm. She was instantly shot with the feeling that something was wrong, something with him was wrong.
But he wasn't. Freya probed the feeling for a moment. She couldn't identify where the feeling came from. It wasn't from her. Nor were her feelings of unease when they landed in a bad place.
Were they from the TARDIS? A hum of yes filled her mind. So the TARDIS knew Jack was wrong. But he wasn't wrong. Not yet. But he would be wrong. He would be wrong. And soonish.
But he wasn't now. Freya opened her eyes, noting that Jack was watching her carefully. Freya slowly removed her hand and hugged him lightly, hoping it would sufficiently tell him she was okay with him. He hugged her back, just as lightly as she was hugging him. When she pulled back, he had a genuine smile on his lips.
"Wasn't the type of fun I was suggesting, but it'll do," Jack said with a smile. Freya turned to the Doctor, noting his guarded expression. She held out her arms towards him and he all but ran into her arms, pulling her tightly into a hug. As if it were the last hug he'd ever give her.
"Careful. You'll suffocate her," Jack warned, but the Doctor ignored him.
"What changed? What makes you accept him now?" the Doctor wanted to know. Freya scrunched up her eyebrows, trying to think of how she could say what she meant. She unconsciously placed her hand on the TARDIS console for support.
"He was wrong. Will be wrong. And it was…scary. He shouldn't be wrong. But he will be. But he isn't. I think the TARDIS helped me straighten it out," Freya explained at the urging of the hum of the TARDIS in her mind.
"So the TARDIS is why you keep getting those feelings? Why? Why is she giving you those feelings? She doesn't even give them to me. Are you sure you're human?" the Doctor asked her critically. Freya nodded.
"You saw the sonograms from when I was a fetus," Freya pointed out.
"Sounds like an interesting story," Jack said with a wink. The Doctor glared at him but said nothing.
Freya's stomach rumbled, interrupting the silence. The Doctor smiled at her, and Jack just laughed.
"We just ate lunch a few hours ago," Jack commented.
"I didn't. I felt sick," Freya muttered.
"Come on then. Let's get you some food. Coming, Margaret? I'd rather not leave you with the Doctor as he focuses on fixing the TARDIS," Jacks said, after a glance at the Doctor. The Doctor glanced at Freya before staring at Jack, and Jack nodded in return.
"I won't. Come on," Jack ordered, giving Freya a light shove in front of before grabbing Margaret's arm.
He dragged the two of them to the kitchen where he whipped up sandwiches for the three of them. Freya started eating hers only to feel nauseous once more. She dashed out of the room to the bathroom, which became adjacent to the kitchen.
She was retching before she could even pull the door shut. Warm hands held her hair back and she heard Jack behind her telling Margaret to come closer to them.
"Looks like morning sickness to me," Margaret commented when Freya was done retching. Freya flinched at her words.
"Doubt it. It'd be too early for that," Jack shot back.
"Too early? How early?" Margaret asked curiously.
"A day. Considering they only did it a day ago, I think this would constitute as too early," Jack shot back.
"I can go get the Doctor. Tell him you're not feeling well," Jack offered, but Freya shook her head as she tried straightening herself out.
"No. I'm fine. Just must've caught a bug," Freya told him.
"Still, I'll go grab you some medicine. In case you get any ideas, the med-bay is in between here and the door. If you so much as look at her the wrong way, you won't have to worry about that public execution. I'll make sure you end up with much worse," Jack promised, a gleam in his eyes. Margaret scoffed at her.
"I'm still hungry. Go run along," Margaret told her as Freya stumbled back to her chair, shoving her plate away. The moment Jack left the room, Margaret sat down next to her.
"Are you really gonna let them take me back to my death?" Margaret asked Freya. She swallowed, not daring to look up at the woman.
"They are in charge. Not me. I'm just a companion," Freya told Margaret.
"I bet if you asked, he wouldn't do it," Margaret urged. But Freya shook her head, looking up at Margaret.
"How do we know what you say is true? What if we drop you off with your other relatives, only for you to go after the earth again? Or go after us? How can we be sure you're telling the truth? You haven't proven to be trustworthy," Freya shot at her.
"But how could I? You mentioned earlier that you get feelings. I can't pretend to understand them, but I want to know one thing. Do you get a feeling from me right now? A feeling of malice?" Margaret asked her earnestly. Freya wanted to shake her head but there was an inkling of suspicion to her.
"There's something off about you. About what you're saying," Freya finally said. Margaret's eyes widened.
"If you take me back to my relatives, I will not attack you or do anything," Margaret swore, and with her words Freya felt the truth.
But there was also what she wasn't saying. And that was what upset Freya.
"I'll talk to him. But I make no promises," Freya finally said as Jack entered the room.
"Talk to who about what?" Jack asked suspiciously. Freya merely glanced down.
"We were talking about her pregnancy scare that I induced," Margaret lied swiftly. Jack didn't appear to believe her but handed Freya the medicine nevertheless.
"Come on. Big ears is getting impatient," Jack told her as he helped her to her feet. Freya swallowed the pill quickly before allowing Jack to tug her and Margaret back to the console room. The Doctor was fiddling with a lever but jumped up the moment they entered the room.
"I've been meaning to ask you something," Jack began, staring straight at the Doctor. His eyes shifted towards Freya for a moment and he winked at her before his attention focused solely on the Doctor.
"What?" the Doctor asked, not really paying attention. Jack made his way closer to the Doctor, devious smile on his lips. Freya noticed his playful look as he shot her another wink.
"Considering Freya and my reconciliation, I thought we could give a threesome a go," Jack said swiftly. The Doctor jumped at his words, spinning around quickly, wide-eyed. He quickly made his way around the console, away from Jack.
"Excuse me?" the Doctor asked in disbelief. Jack started to follow the Doctor around the TARDIS console, only for the Doctor to dash away, stopping right in front of Freya.
"We'll leave your sorry arse here," the Doctor warned him.
"So you have been thinking about my ass," Jack said, scanning the Doctor's body with his eyes. Freya couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the Doctor so uncomfortable.
"Oi! Is this the two of you teaming up against me?" the Doctor asked, spinning to glare at Freya. She couldn't get the smile off her lips fast enough. The Doctor's own lips tugged into a smile as he hugged her.
Only to stiffen as Jack wrapped his arms around Freya and, consequently, the Doctor as well. The Doctor pulled back quickly, only for Jack to frown.
"We'll discuss this later," Jack said with a wink.
"I gather it's not always this, having to wait," Margaret spoke up. The Doctor stared at her, all amusement leaving the room. Margaret continued.
"I bet you're always the first to leave, Doctor. Never mind the consequences, off you go. You butchered my family and then ran for the stars. Am I right? But not this time. At last you have consequences. How does it feel?" Margaret goaded him. Freya's stomach dropped at her words.
"I didn't butcher them," the Doctor told her stubbornly.
"Don't answer back. That's what she wants," Jack warned him, but the Doctor shook his head.
"I didn't. What about you? You had an emergency teleport. You didn't zap them to safety, did you?" the Doctor shot back.
"It only carries one. I had to fly without coordinates. I ended up on a skip in the Isle of Dogs. It wasn't funny," she insisted as the Doctor let out a laugh. Him and Jack met eyes and they both let out a laugh.
"Sorry. It is a bit funny," the Doctor said, a small smile on his lips.
"Do we have to bring her back?" Freya asked, tugging on her ear nervously.
All eyes zoomed in on her.
"I mean, she said she has family members we could leave her with. And she wouldn't bother us. If we did that. She was telling the truth about it," Freya babbled.
"You weren't in here for that conversation. How did you know she had family members left? And what was she telling the truth about?" the Doctor asked her sharply. Freya immediately started running her now shaking hands through her hair. But the more she thought about it, the worse she felt about bringing Margaret to her death.
She just…couldn't.
"She talked to me about it. Twice. She swore if we left her with her family, she'd never come after Earth. Or hurt us. But if we didn't, she didn't promise she wouldn't try something," Freya quickly let the words spill out.
"She can't do anything to us, not in her condition," Jack pointed out, but Freya shook her head.
"No. She can. She can and she will. But she won't. Not if we take her to her family. We can't…we can't just let her die," Freya begged. The Doctor's eyes were cold on her.
"We can. We can and we will," the Doctor told her, his tone leaving no room for questions. His words shut Freya down. She nodded and moved to the seat, pulling her knees to her chest as she rested her head on her knees.
The next thing she knew, someone touched her shoulders. She jerked up, eyes wide, only to see Jack standing over her with a sympathetic smile on his lips.
"Margaret convinced Doc to go on a quasi-date with him. I figured we could make use of him being gone and use his fancy-schmancy lab to see what made you nauseous earlier. At least get rid of the pregnancy fear that Margaret was planting in you," Jack offered. Freya smiled at him and allowed him to help her to her feet.
"He's not angry at you, you know. He's just angry Margaret was trying to manipulate you," Jack told her on their way to the med-bay. Freya shook her head.
"She wasn't trying to manipulate me. She…she just wants a second chance," Freya stated, feeling shocked at how true the words felt. That was the complete and utter truth. Jack shook his head as he pushed the door to the med-bay open.
"Either way, let's get you checked out before they come blundering back in here. Then we'd really have a lot of explaining to do."
Jack helped her onto one of the examination tables and started flitting around the room, grabbing random things and bringing them over to her.
"Do you even know what you're doing?" Freya asked him, intrigued. Jack shrugged at her as he powered on a tiny rectangular device.
"Nope. But most of the stuff in here is close to what I used in the 51st century, so I have a general idea. This right here is probably the oldest thing in here, but I feel most comfortable with it. It'll take a bit of your blood and let us know if you're sick," Jack told her, gently taking her hand. The device, true to his word, pricked her finger and took a bit of the blood. After a moment, Jack frowned.
"Says your body is healthy. Well, healthy enough. Slightly dehydrated. The beginnings of the flu. That's probably it. The rest of it's in some weird circles, but if it were important it'd translate," Jack reasoned, powering the device off. He pulled open one of the bottles he'd brought to the bed and handed her a tablet.
"Flu antibiotics. Counters it before it really starts. Or gets worse, I suppose. I figured it was the flu, so I grabbed it already," Jack said, gathering the bottles to put them up.
"What else did you think it could be?" Freya asked, noting that he had quite a few bottles. Jack shrugged.
"Just a couple other common illnesses. Come on. I'm gonna work on getting the extrapolator better wired in before Doc gets back. Drink this," Jack said, tossing her a bottle of blue-colored liquid.
"What is it?" Freya asked before she could stop herself.
"Super-hydrating water. Come on," Jack said. Freya followed him out of the med-bay and to the main room where she settled herself on the captain's chair and took tiny sips of the banana-flavored water. It threw her, the first sip did. She had been expecting….well, water. But it obviously wasn't.
But the effects were almost instant. She started feeling better rather quickly.
"Going good?" Jack asked her. Freya nodded at him.
"Thanks for the help," Freya said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Don't mention it. We can check again in a few weeks to make sure you aren't pregnant, if you want to. And I'm sure we can take care of it," Jack told her. Freya repressed the shiver that went down her spine at his words.
"Take care of it?" Freya repeated hollowly. Jack nodded.
"Yeah. I'm sure the Doctor has some safe pills you can take that would get rid of it without harming you," Jack told her dismissively. Freya shook her head, biting back the horror she felt. She forced a small smile to her lips.
"We…we shouldn't have to think about that. I doubt I'm able to have children. My mother always told me I'd never be a mother. She had only been able to have one child, and she was barely able to have me, and look how I turned out," Freya said, glancing at the ground.
She remembered that day clearly. She'd been ten and cradling her only toy, a run-down doll her grandmother had given her five years before for her birthday. She'd been calling it her baby when her mother had yelled at her to put the toy away.
Her mother had told her that it was unlikely she'd ever have a baby. That was the first time Freya heard the entire story of her birth, of the doctors' test results, of her almost death in the first few days.
"Why didn't you say that earlier? It woulda kept the scare away," Jack complained, staring at her. Freya wiped her glassy eyes with the back of her hand.
"It wouldn't have been a scare," Freya finally admitted. Jack's eyes widened at her words but he didn't have a chance to respond. The TARDIS started jerking and the extrapolator started sparking. Smoke started rolling and the electricity went straight to the ceiling.
"What's happening?" Freya shouted over the noise.
"I don't know!" Jack shouted back, quickly trying to disconnect the extrapolator.
"Was it a trap? Margaret had it!" Freya pointed out, her heart sinking. That was what she had meant. If they'd just agreed to take her to her family, she would have taken the extrapolator out of the main setting. But they hadn't. So she was going to get to her family in her own way.
Freya winced as she heard the TARDIS scream in her head. The TARDIS was in a lot of pain. Excruciating pain. Freya was thrown out of the chair, slamming into the metal grate. Gold particles quickly flew up around her, hovering close to her skin, almost holding her as the TARDIS shook.
The door flew open and the Doctor ran in, eyes wild. Margaret was behind him, her expression positively gleeful,
"What the hell are you doing?" the Doctor shouted at Jack. The gold particles stayed around Freya, growing slightly in number. Margaret moved closer to Freya, eyeing the gold that hovered around her.
"It just went crazy!" Jack shouted back at the Doctor.
"It's the rift! Time and space are ripping apart. The whole city's going to disappear! It's the extrapolator. I've disconnected it but it's still feeding off the engine. It's using the TARDIS. I can't stop it!" Jack shouted in horror. The TARDIS gave another jerk and Freya gasped at the pain she felt. Margaret pulled her to her feet, looking as if she was helping Freya.
But Freya knew otherwise. She could feel it. The gold particles moved upward, quite a few surrounding her throat.
"Never mind Cardiff, it's going to rip open the planet!" the Doctor told them, looking quite lost as to what he could do. Freya glanced down at Margaret to see that she had taken her arm out of the body suit.
"Sorry," Margaret told her, her voice only tinging on regret as Margaret's claw clamped on Freya's throat, lifting her in the air.
"One wrong move and she snaps like a promise," Margaret promised, catching the attention of the Doctor and Freya.
"I might've known," the Doctor said bitterly, staring at her. His eyes widened slightly as they noticed the golden particles that were seeping into her skin around her neck.
"I've had you bleating all night, poor baby, now shut it. You, fly boy, put the extrapolator at my feet," Margaret ordered Jack. Jack glanced over at the Doctor, whose eyes were glued to Freya. Margaret squeezed Freya's neck a bit tighter, causing Freya's airwave to start closing. Freya's hands shot up to her neck, gripping the claw for leverage. The Doctor nodded to Jack, who quickly pulled the extrapolator up and placed it at Margaret's feet.
"How?" Freya choked out. How had Margaret tricked them with the extrapolator? Both Jack and the Doctor knew of them – that much Freya was certain. How was she able to trick them?
"The extrapolator was programmed to go into a second plan in the event of my capture. To lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rit. And what a power source it found. I'm back on schedule, thanks to you," Margaret said gleefully.
"The rift's going to convulse. You'll destroy the whole planet," Jack protested angrily.
"And you with it!" Margaret retorted cheerfully. She stepped onto the extrapolator, Freya still locked in her grip.
"I might even give you a second chance. Since you were willing to give me one. You alone," Margaret told Freya. Freya's eyes widened at her words. Because she would rather stay with the Doctor and die than go somewhere alone.
"Stand back, boys. Surf's up," Margaret told Jack and the Doctor. Freya glanced down at the TARDIS console, wishing something could be done. But the TARDIS was in pain. The TARDIS could do little.
Except….
One of the TARDIS console panels cracked open and a bright light hit Margaret in the face. The gold particles that had been around Freya before roared to life, lightly enveloping her body as Margaret stared, entranced, into the light. A wall of gold particles blocked Freya's sight of what was inside the light.
Not yet, the TARDIS whispered in her mind.
"Of course, opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart," the Doctor said coldly. Margaret, still in the trancelike state, shrugged.
"So sue me," she responded, eyes not leaving the light.
"It's not just any old power source. It's the TARDIS. My TARDIS. The best ship in the universe," the Doctor said, a hint of pride in his words.
"It'll make wonderful scrap," Margaret said absently.
"What's that light? And what's Freya surrounded in?" Jack demanded anxiously.
"The light's the heart of the TARDIS. This ship's alive. You've opened its soul," the Doctor said, ignoring Jack's second question.
"It's so bright," Margaret said in awe.
"Look at it, Margaret," the Doctor urged. Freya wished to see what he was talking about. But the TARDIS said no. And she trusted the TARDIS. Margaret murmured something else and the Doctor urged her on.
Then, Margaret's grip slackened. Freya crumbled forward, falling onto the console next to the open panel. The gold particles blocked her vision entirely, surrounding her in a haze of gold. She could feel some of them soaking into her skin. Some, but not all of them. They felt warm.
Only this time, they felt slightly intrusive. But they calmed down as well.
"Don't look at it! Freya, close your eyes!" the Doctor shouted. Freya's eyes stayed open, but it didn't matter; the gold particles still blocked her view. After a moment, two hands pulled her away from the TARDIS console. Freya jumped in shock and the gold particles slid away. Most of them dissipated, but some of them moved closer, as if they were being pulled into her.
"Freya, what were those?" the Doctor asked her seriously. Freya shook her head.
"I don't know. The TARDIS does that sometimes," Freya admitted nervously. The Doctor looked borderline angry.
"Freya, this is serious. Those particles…those are part of the TARDIS's soul. She's putting her soul in you. That's dangerous. That can kill you. That will kill you," the Doctor told her. Freya shook her head, glancing at the console.
"It…it won't. She won't let it. I don't know why, but she wants me to be surrounded by them. I've had them around me since I got on the TARDIS," Freya admitted nervously.
"So you've been absorbing them all this time?" the Doctor asked incredulously.
"They make me warm. And safe," Freya whispered.
And she was pulled tightly into the Doctor.
"We'll do some sort of scan on you later. Make sure they aren't harming you," the Doctor told her.
"No need. I scanned her earlier cause she felt sick. We got her some medicine and she's fine. Oncoming flu and dehydration. But she's good now," Jack told them. The Doctor nodded into her shoulder.
"What happened to Margaret? Did she burn up? Carry out her own death sentence?" Jack asked, pulling their attention back to what was going on. The Doctor pulled away from Freya and bent down over Margaret's body suit.
"I don't think she's dead," Freya said quietly.
"Me either. She looked into the heart of the TARDIS. Even I don't know how strong that is. And the ship's telepathic, gets inside your head. Maybe the raw energy can translate all sorts of thoughts," the Doctor mused as he reached into the body suit. He pulled out a large egg with odd looking tentacles…things…sticking out of the top of it.
"She's an egg," Jack said, not sounding amused. The Doctor nodded.
"She only wanted a second chance," Freya recounted.
"And now she can have one. We can drop her of on Raxacoricofallapatorious in the hatchery and she'll have a second chance at life," the Doctor said, sounding quite glad of that face.
"But she's an egg," Jack repeated.
"She's an egg," Freya agreed.
"We're all powered up. We can leave now, unless you want to wait til morning?" the Doctor asked Freya. She shook her head.
"I'll send them a text saying we had to leave. Let's go," Freya said, pulling out her phone and sending the text. She could sense the Doctor's eagerness to leave, and Jack didn't seem too far behind him.
It was time for another adventure.
What do you guys think? I liked this chapter a lot, and I hope you do too. I have a few things I wanted to address:
1. Marie. Marie's got an Amy-like personality to her. We see that here. She really does care about Freya, but she has a hard time expressing it. She isn't the best at expressing how she feels about important things.
2. Masen. Yes, he's important. Yes, there is a purpose for him being in the story. No, I can't tell you yet. :) It'll take awhile, and he may seem sort of pointless, but he's important.
3. That chase scene after Margaret. It may seem out of character at the moment to you, but it is not. Trust me. Spoilers. ;)
I know this chapter probably left you with a ton of questions, but just go with it. I have these things planned out. I am actually starting on writing chapter 14 today, so I know what I'm doing, to an extent. ;) And as for Freya's reactions now, understand that she really doesn't understand love. She hasn't truly seen it before. Therefor, having sex doesn't complicate things with her and the Doctor, in her mind. She only sees it as him saving her life. She doesn't have any real preconceived ideas and expectations. She just sees it as him being there for her and protecting her, like he's said he would.
I just felt like I had to explain that before I got questions. :) I hope you guys liked it. Please leave me some reviews if you have more questions about things you didn't understand and I'll do my best to explain them!
-A