We move around the corner together and see four of the rebels standing together before two doors. The left is normal looking but the right is barred.

The Doctor doesn't pause and continues to tow me towards them.

I think he's irritated that I diverged from his nonexistent plan.

'Make them recognise us as fellow rebels,' he instructs and lets go of my hand.

I scramble to adjust my prompting as the men draw their guns on my companion.

'Hello there,' he beams, 'we're just here to check on the prisoners.'

They look confused for a second, their guns droop, and then false recognition lights their faces as I press harder.

'Check the prisoners, eh?' one of them mocks with a wink. 'You boys have fun!'

The Doctor blinks and looks confused,

'What…?'

I catch his elbow and tow him through the door with a wink to the guards. I feel him tense as their meaning reaches him but I've closed the door behind us now.

'They thought we…' he's looking a little pale and very angry.

'They'll be dead in a matter of hours,' I hiss at him, 'leave it!'

'But they…!'

'Yes, I know,' I tug his hand. 'Do you want to save the hostages?'

He catches my face in his hands and kisses me hard. I press my body to his and hum my approval.

'What was that for?' I ask quietly, our foreheads still pressed together.

'I love you,' he says simply, and the moves off down the corridor.

I close my eyes and suppress the shiver of pleasure at his words.

This isn't the time.

I follow him, but keep an eye on the exit in case we get company. My stolen gun is pointing down the corridor as the Doctor talks to the prisoners and starts sonicing the cage doors.

'Brief question, Doctor,' I says over my shoulder to him. 'On the way back out, what's the plan?'

'Ah… well, you'll… you can't shield this many people can you?'

'I was lead to expect five, not fifteen.'

'Right…'

I turn to look him in the eye,

'I can try?'

'You know it won't work.'

I do.

We need a hostage of our own.

The Doctor won't like it.

'Get them out of the cells,' I tell him. 'I'll get the guards from the door.'

'I good start,' he beams and starts ushering people.

I leave him talking soothingly to the now ex-hostages and go back to the door we came in through. The guards' minds fall easily under my influence and they walk, docile as anything, into cells after I've relieved them of their guns.

I don't follow them.

'Stay here,' I call to the Doctor, 'I'm going to check our escape route.'

'Right,' he looks suspicious.

I smirk and close the door behind me.

The corridors are mostly deserted and those who are around are easily dealt with.

Then things get a little more interesting.

An alarm must have been set off somewhere as I'm suddenly facing sixty armed rebels. They start firing without any additional warning so I throw myself down the corridor to my right.

'Master?!' I hear the Doctor call from somewhere behind me.

'Well done setting off the alarm!' I call back.

'Are you alright?'

'I'm fine,' I poke one of my guns around the corner and fire blind.

'I had to tell you Jenny contacted me; the soldiers are on their way,' he raises his voice over the volley of gun fire concentrated on my cover.

'Magnificent,' I mutter.

Time to go with plan B.

I follow the corridor away from the soldiers and reach out with my mind for my objective.

The soldiers I faced until I got this far were all very helpful and were all very certain on this one thing.

There, found him.

Hurry up.

I hear the Doctor calling for me when I get back to the corner,

'Master! Please…'

'I'm here,' I call back.

'Don't do that to me!'

'I had to fetch something.'

'What?'

I hesitate,

'It will make the soldiers stop shooting.'

'How?'

'They won't want to shoot it.'

'Master…' he knows he's not going to like this plan.

I turn to look when a presence arrives beside me. A human child.

The son of the base leader.

'Good luck, kid,' I mutter then catch him by the arm and push him out in to the main corridor.

One bullet flies at the sign of movement, but misses, and there's a collective gasp of horror.

'What have you done?!' the Doctor can presumably see my location.

'Let him go!' one of the soldiers demands shakily.

I pull the child back to me and loop my arm under his hold his head still as I lift him to cover my chest. I point my gun steadily with my other hand as I step out to view the soldiers.

'Weapons down!' I command, they hesitate so I tighten my grip on the child's throat, 'now!'

There's a great clatter of sound as they obey.

'Now move!' I gesture with the gun. 'Ahead of me! Out of the base. Move!'

I follow as they all keep their hands firmly on their heads and file down the corridor,

'Come on, Doctor,' I call as we arrive at the door to the courtyard.

There's a lot of noise from outside. I initially suspect an ambush is waiting for me, but then I recognise the feel of Jenny's mind.

'We were just in time,' I call over my shoulder. 'The soldiers have arrived.'

A squad bursts though the door. They're lead by one of the soldiers I quizzed in their command centre,

'Sir!' he salutes me and looks confused.

I grin at him,

'Carry on, Lieutenant.'

The soldiers rush around me and back to where the Doctor is shepherding the prisoners.

The Doctor matches up to me and snatches the child from me. He pushes him towards the door then turns back to me with a glare,

'A child?!' he waves his arms as he yells at me.

'If I hadn't done anything we'd be gassed right now!' I object.

'There are things you just can't do!' he shouts.

'No!' I snap at him. 'There are things you would prefer not to do! We are Time Lords. The Universe is ours!'

We bristle at each other.

'You can't…' he's trying to get control of his voice now; he's trying to believe he's the rational one.

'I saved our lives,' I snarl at him and cross my arms defensively.

He grabs my jacket in his hands and steps close to me,

'We are not worth more than them!'

'Yes we are!'

My words hang between us for a moment before he turns and walks away.

I follow him at a distance.

Jenny rushes to her father and they embrace. I don't hear what they say, but it doesn't take long and then he's walking again. Jenny looks confused and glances at me before falling instep with her father.

We return to the vehicle we arrived in and the Doctor gets into the back with Jenny and they wait silently. I take the hint and drive back towards the TARDIS.

He's really furious with me.

I don't understand how he thinks any of us would have survived if I hadn't disarmed the rebels and gotten them outside when I did.

What is one human child next to that?

I can't think of any way to make him understand.

Hours of silence later we stop beside the TARDIS. The Doctor wakes his daughter and they go straight inside. I sit down against the closed door and stare up at the sky.

It's barely three minutes later when the door is yanked open behind me and I drop backwards with a yelp.

The Doctor is staring at me, a little wide-eyed. He huffs a breath,

'You're still here.'

'Yes,' I grumble and avoid his gaze as I sit back up.

'Right. Good,' the door closes again.

I can relax; he forgives me.

Or he will.

I stand up and brush off my trousers. The door opens again and I eye my companion.

'Don't do that again,' he requests, quietly this time, and gazes at my feet. 'Please.'

I bite my lip,

'What should I have done?'

His eyes lift to me as his expression softens and he steps close enough to pet my hair,

'I don't know, but not that.'

The kiss he pulls me into is desperate and possessive. I press myself against him as he tugs at my hair and whine when he bites my lip.

'I'm sorry I shouted at you,' I can barely hear him when he buries his face in my shoulder.

'It's fine,' I clutch at his shirt.

'It's not,' he disagrees and presses a kiss to my neck.

He just doesn't understand.

As long as he let's me stay he can do to me whatever he feels I deserve.

Because I do deserve it.