AN: Early post because I'm going out of town tomorrow. Here's the last installment of our original adventure! I would greatly appreciate feedback. Was it interesting enough? This chapter is mostly centered around Amy and Rory. Following will be a short interlude of introspection before the events of Hungry Earth and Cold Blood.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, nor do any of the characters recognizable belong to me. It's all owned by the BBC. ((the plot is mine however and I would please appreciate it if no one steals it. Or the original aliens, at least not without permission))

The Slaves of Barcelona—Part Two

"Arkytior? Please wake up," the Dreamer heard as though from the end of a long tunnel. She recognized the voice, but could not put a name to it. Her mind was chaotic and disorganized, and she felt very strange. Memories came slowly trickling back, and she shuddered inwardly as she recalled the Rijoraxi's violation of her mind.

"Theta," she whispered faintly. The Dreamer slowly opened her eyes and the world swam into focus. The Doctor's worried face hovered over her and she felt his arms surrounding her. "Theta, what…?"

"Shh, shh," the Doctor whispered soothingly. "It's okay, I've got you."

The Dreamer closed her eyes and nestled her head against the Doctor's chest, taking a deep breath. She felt sick. "Head hurts," she murmured. "I—can't think."

"He raped your mind," the Doctor said darkly, furious. "Something so…so inexplicable, and verboten."

The venom in his voice sent shivers through her body. "What 'bout you?" she asked. "Did he do—anything—to you?"

"Not yet," the Doctor said quietly. "I'm afraid he's not done with you. Arkytior…"

"I'll be okay. I don't… I don't think I can do it again, though," she whimpered, fear in her voice. "It hurts."

The Doctor's arms tightened protectively. "There is a way…to keep them out of both our minds," he said slowly, hesitantly.

"What is it?" the Dreamer asked. "Please, Theta, I can't—it was horrible."

"Neither of us have shields strong enough, but together…" the Doctor swallowed. "I could form a provisional bond. It wouldn't be like the full marriage bond; just enough to mesh our shields together. We wouldn't be able to communicate without skin-on-skin contact, and it would be breakable."

"Do it," the Dreamer said, her face still tucked against the Doctor's chest. "Please."

"I'll have to enter your mind," he said carefully, one hand moving to lightly stroke her hair. "Will you be okay with that?"

"I trust you, Theta Sigma, my Doctor. Always." She lifted her head a touch, allowing the Time Lord to see the sincerity in her eyes. "Always," she repeated, in Gallifreyan, using the variation of the word that would be roughly translated to: 'without end, through all of Time, no matter the form I am in'.

The Doctor took a breath, awed by the trust she had in him, then rested his fingertips on her temple and delved into her mind. It was a shattered mess. He felt the Storm rising within him as he looked at what had been done, the anger boiling in his blood.

Focus, Theta. It cannot be undone.

The Doctor smiled slightly at the gentle chastising, and returned to his task. It took just a moment to create the bond, but not to complete. He could already feel the tugging of the incomplete bond, driving him to finish it, but he would not do so.

The Dreamer sighed as she felt the incomplete bond slide into place. The dark blue of the Doctor's mind hovered just at the edges of hers, sending love and comfort, suffocating the pain. Without it, the Dreamer realized just how exhausted she was. The Doctor laid down, and she rested her head on his chest, curling into him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and hummed a Gallifreyan lullaby until, at last, she fell asleep.

OoOoO

Night had fallen, and Amy and Rory had gone back to the TARDIS, not wanting to spend the night on an unfamiliar planet without the Time Lords to guide them. Both were growing increasingly worried, especially with the TARDIS being so upset.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll ask around," Amy said firmly. "We have an unlimited credit stick; maybe we can use it to bribe people into talking? The Doctor said this planet is peaceful, but if there's anyone who'd know about the real going-ons, it'd be the homeless. We just have to find them and convince them to talk."

Rory nodded. "You act like this is all normal to you. It is, isn't it? You do this every day."

"Trouble just kind of… happens everywhere those two are," Amy acknowledged.

"Why'd you send them off on their own?" Rory questioned. "If they get into trouble so easily. Why not keep an eye on them?"

"Because she needed some alone time with him, stupid face." Amy grabbed Rory and pulled him closer to her. "Just like I need alone time with you." She pressed her lips against his and they spoke no more of the Doctor or the Dreamer that night.

OoOoO

The Dreamer awakened to the dark blue presence of the Doctor in her mind, radiating love and reassurances. Did she have nightmares? She didn't know. Typically, she did… but she didn't typically fall asleep curled against one Theta Sigma. With him in her mind.

I could get used to this, she thought. Shifting, she felt the scrape of the concrete—or whatever passed for concrete in the 44th century—beneath her and memories surged back. "Theta?"

"Shh," the Doctor whispered softly. He took her hand and reached for their unfinished bond. There are guards outside the cell. Other slaves, really. I spoke to them when they came in to check on us in the middle of the night. None of them really like what they're doing, but they've been conditioned so that they cannot disobey anyone who ranks above them.

How can the Rijoraxi do that? The Dreamer wondered. She could feel the Doctor's worry, as well as his annoyance.

I don't know, the Doctor admitted, his frustration echoing across their link at her. Arkytior, I'm afraid. I don't know how we're going to get out of this one. And Amy and Rory are stranded here.

The Dreamer sighed. The Doctor's fear—for her, for himself, for their companions—was a bright mauve cloud, rapidly overtaking his mind. She tried to sooth him, but it was hard when her own fear was beginning to skyrocket.

The door began to unlock, and both Time Lords tensed. The Dreamer sent the Doctor a rush of love and gratitude and calm. No matter what happens here today, Theta, remember that I love you.

And I you, Arkytior. And I, you.

OoOoO

"Rory, we can't just sit around and wait any longer. They could be hurt!" Amy exclaimed.

"So this is what the Doctor does," Rory said quietly.

"What?"

"He makes people want to impress him. So they don't want to let him down. And he has no idea how dangerous he makes people to themselves when he's around."

"Oh, shut up, stupid face. That's not true and you know it. The Doctor and the Dreamer, they show you a better world, a better way of living. Let you see the big picture instead of focusing on yourself. Rory, please."

"It's not safe, Amy!" Rory protested.

"Nothing ever is!" the Scottish redhead retorted. She sighed heavily. "Look, they're our friends, Rory. Without them we can't get home, either. We've got to help."

"Okay," Rory finally said.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

OoOoO

The Doctor was angry.

Very, very angry.

In fact, he was hard-pressed to remember a time in his—extremely—long life where he'd been this angry.

Calan was beyond cruel. Having entered to see their position on the floor, the Rijoraxi had smirked and ordered them dragged apart. The Doctor now knew that, for as long as they were in captivity, he would not be able to touch his Arkytior again. This, of course, was only the beginning. The partial bond had worked as it was supposed to, keeping the telepath out of both of their minds, but Calan did not like this at all. Mental abuse was impossible.

So the psychopathic alien turned to physical torture. And this, this was bad. It wasn't just the pain still lingering in his body—it was being forced to watch Arkytior endure such torment while he was powerless to stop it.

Meanwhile, the Dreamer had floated far away, isolating herself in memories of peaceful times back on Gallifrey. Oh, it was going to hurt when she woke back up, she knew. But immersing herself in her mind was the only way that she knew of to cope well with the pain.

Hours passed, with Calan alternating between the Time Lords, taking his rage out on both of them in more and more painful ways. At last, however, the Rijoraxi was called away to deal with other slaves, and they were left alone.

The Dreamer slowly crawled to the ends of the chains wrapped about her, the Doctor mirroring her movements. If they both stretched, their fingertips brushed against each other. The Time Lady sighed as she felt the Doctor's comforting dark blue presence in her mind once again.

I'm sorry you had to watch, she told him wordlessly.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. I wish I could take the pain away. The Doctor was angry, she noted, at their captors, but most of all at himself. His guilt shone clearly through their link.

It's not your fault, Theta.

I brought us here. I should've known better.

Hush. Don't focus on that. How are we going to get out?

I don't know, Arkytior. I really do not know.

OoOoO

The man in the thin brown rags devoured his meal frantically, as though he was afraid it would be taken from him. At last, he lifted his head for a moment and spoke. "Aye, if you be wantin' to know about the hidden city, I's your man."

"We have a couple friends," Amy started slowly. "They brought us here. We were supposed to meet them yesterday evening, but they never showed up. Which is not like them at all," the ginger hurried to add.

"Your friends. Be they telepathic? Talkin' wif their minds," the man clarified, greedily stuffing more food in his mouth.

"Yeah. Yeah, they are," Amy confirmed.

"Aye, that's it then. They be gone. They be sold on the black market soon as they be broke."

"The black market?"

"You be off-worlders. Everyone knows."

"Off-worlders, yeah, that's us," Rory interjected nervously. "And, as you can tell, we really don't know, so if you could just explain to us, that would be nice…"

"It be slave trade. Calan the slaver run it. I be told that once broke, slave must obey orders given to them. Your friends, be they red green woman in leather and brown green man with jacket?"

Amy frowned, trying to decipher the man's muddled speech. "Yeah," she said slowly, as his strange descriptions organized themselves in her mind.

"I see them be got. Red green woman ran against me in chase," the beggar said.

"The Dreamer," Amy whispered. "Please, they're our friends. They brought us here as a special trip, and we can't get home without them. Would you help us?"

OoOoO

The TARDIS searched anxiously through Her rooms. There was a sheet of psychic paper somewhere, She knew, as well as clothing that would closely approximate what She had seen the guards wearing, before Her Wolf had shut Her out. The Pretty One, the Water, and the Thin Man would need the outfits and the paper if they were going to rescue Her Thief and Wolf. She finally found the things She searched for, dropping them on the jump seat just as the Water entered.

"Hey, uh, I know you can hear me," the Water started slowly. Her eyes fell on the clothes. "Are we supposed to wear those? Flash the lights once for yes and twice for no."

The TARDIS flashed the lights a single time, Her hum tinged with admiration for the Water's brilliance. She was not as bad as some of the strays Her Thief had brought home before; very few of them had actually found a way to communicate with Her. The Water found the psychic paper and looked at it for a moment.

"Is this psychic paper?" she asked the ceiling. The TARDIS flashed the lights again and the Water smiled. "Thought so. Right. You, you said that the slaves have to obey orders given to them, right?"

"That be true, red girl."

"Right then," the Water said determinedly. "Here's the plan…"

OoOoO

Amy shifted nervously as she approached the building. Her new friend had led her straight here and was waiting to guide them back to the TARDIS when they'd finished the rescue. Biting her lip, the Scottish girl held the billfold of psychic paper up to the scanner on the door, praying to whatever deities were in existence that it would work.

After a second of charged silence, the door opened noiselessly. Amy strode in, followed by Rory, trying to act as though they belonged here. The plan was risky, but it was the best chance they had of rescuing the Time Lords. Stepping up to the first cell, Amy scanned the psychic paper, grinning when the door opened. A young man was curled inside, looking absolutely devastated.

"I don't wanna," he moaned, before catching sight of Amy. "Who're you?"

"I'm gonna free you," she whispered quietly. "But for now, you need to obey me. I rank above you. I'm a guard, see?" She showed him the psychic paper and the young man nodded.

"What must I do?"

"Wait until we get a few others free, then cause a massive distraction. As big as you can."

Amy turned and moved on to the next cell, repeating the process, until about ten slaves had been released. Then she began to search for the room where the Time Lords were being held. Amy was walking along another hallway, occasionally pausing to free slaves, when her mobile went off. She raised it to her ear.

"Rory?"

"Amy, I found the Doctor and the Dreamer's stuff. I'm going back to the entrance. Is it working?"

"Yeah," Amy said. "I think."

"Right, well. I'll see you—"

"Wait!" Amy exclaimed. "They might need the sonic. I need to get it from you. This is where I am, far as I can tell…"

OoOoO

The Dreamer lifted her head wearily when the door began to open, expecting to see Calan returning from whatever had called him away earlier. Instead, she was met with a familiar ginger's face. "Amy?" she whispered faintly.

"Oh my god," the Scottish girl exclaimed, taking in the blood and bruises. "D-Dreamer?" She turned and saw the Doctor sprawled against the wall in a sitting position. "Doctor? What happened to you?"

"'E got mad," the Dreamer managed through gritted teeth.

Amy stared for a minute, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the Doctor's sonic. She tossed it to said Time Lord, who immediately undid his restraints and hurried across the cell.

"We don't have very long. There's some prisoners making a diversion right now, but I don't know how long that'll last. We need to get back to the TARDIS," Amy informed them.

The Dreamer could hardly focus on her companion's words as pain overwhelmed her senses. "Theta," she got out "it hurts." She pressed her hands to her head in an effort to stifle the pain.

"Arkytior? Just hang on a minute. C'mon, love," the Doctor whispered, the term of endearment slipping out without him realizing it.

He gently unlocked the handcuffs and helped the Dreamer to her feet. She leaned heavily on him and sighed in sudden relief as the skin-to-skin contact made the bond flare to life, the Doctor's presence in her mind soothing the ache remaining from the telepathic assault and subsequent trauma.

"Okay. Let's get the hell out of here," the Dreamer murmured quietly.

The Doctor tightened his hands on her, and they followed their ginger companion through a myriad of corridors to the door.

OoOoO

"So there're space fish, and now you're telling me there's space rhinos?" Rory exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Yep. Now hush, and get back to… nursing," the Doctor answered him brusquely, gesticulating wildly with his arms before finally settling on a verb.

Rory sighed and dutifully turned back to the Dreamer, who was rather unhappily being subjected to the ministrations of the dermal regenerator, despite having refused to leave the console room while the Rijoraxi were still on the loose.

"Stop coddling me," the ginger woman snapped irritably. "Theta, have you made contact with the Shadow Proclamation yet?"

"I have. The Judoon are on the way," the Doctor replied. "I guess I know why the Old Girl put so much effort into landing us in this time period."

"I guess," the Dreamer agreed. "Theta, can we go somewhere relaxing?"

"Like where?"

"Rio!" Amy interjected. "I've always wanted to go to Rio. C'mon, Rory, let's go get dressed."

"But-I didn't—" the Doctor sputtered ineffectually. "Oh, alright, fine. Rio it is."