The Frozen Planet II

Byatt led them through the tunnel with ease. Due to her superior night vision, she was able to call out when there was a rock embedded in the hard dirt, or a hole that Callie was about to trip in. It made the journey much more smooth, for which Callie was grateful. Before long, Byatt came to a stop.

"This is it," she said. "Starlight Farm."

"Um," Callie said awkwardly. "We're still in the tunnel."

"The Farm's on the other side of the wall there," Byatt explained. "This is where we pack the dirt back up when it starts to crack. See, right here is the marking for the Farm." She raised the hand holding Callie's and pressed Callie's palm against the dirt wall. Underneath her fingertips, Callie felt an indentation. It felt like a starburst of some sort, but she couldn't see anything so she wasn't sure.

"Well, that's not very helpful," the Doctor said blandly. "Can't get through a wall."

"Doctor," Callie admonished. "There has to be a way, if they took Donna here."

"We're just assuming they took Donna here," the Doctor reminded her.

"It's the only lead we've got," Callie said forcefully. Sweeter, she said, "Byatt? Is there a way to get to the Farm from here? Perhaps undetected?"

Byatt was quiet a moment. Finally, she said, "Press the marking."

Callie pressed inside the starburst. The dirt wall vibrated and, in the dark, Callie saw a doorway appear. In the back of her mind, Callie wondered how that could work, but there wasn't time to ask. Her questions would have to wait.

On the other side of the doorway was dozens of neat little rows of stars. Each star was roughly the size of a marble and emitted a white light.

The Doctor stepped in, but Byatt made an unhappy noise. "What?" he asked, offended.

"Not you. I don't trust you," Byatt insisted. "Callie, you go first."

Callie noticed how much warmer Byatt's voice was when she spoke to her.

"You hardly know me," she said, "so why do you trust me so much more?"

"You asked for help," Byatt responded simply. She smiled. "And you took my hand."

"Oh," the Doctor muttered to himself. "Filla. Right."

"What?" Callie looked to the Doctor. With the filtering starlight, she could almost make out his face.

"Nothing. We need to move," he said. Callie nodded. He gave her a little nudge when she didn't move. "So, lead the way."

"Oh, right. I'm the leader," she said, speaking more to herself. "Right."

She dropped the Doctor's hand and walked forward into the Starlight Farm. The room was brighter than anything she'd seen on Murtaxi One so far. The white light was enchanting, giving the room a pleasant glow.

Beside her, Byatt flinched. "It's so bright." Her eyes were clearly accustomed to a much darker setting, and they couldn't take even the dim lighting. She covered her eyes with her hands to protect them.

"Doctor, don't you have some sunglasses?" Callie asked. The Doctor pursed his lips, but produced a pair of Ray Bans from his suit pocket. Byatt, whose eyes were watering a lot already, took them gratefully and put them on. Her nose wasn't quite shaped like a human nose, so the glasses slipped some, but they seemed to help.

"Thank you," she breathed.

As if to remind them of what they were doing, voices started shouting nearby. Donna's was clearly among the mix. Callie cursed under her breath and they ran.

The rows of starlight seemed endless, but eventually they hit another wall. Byatt was quick to press the marking on the wall this time, and a new door opened. To the left, they saw people standing.

"I don't know what you think you're doing," Donna was screeching, "but get your hands off me! That bloody hurts!"

"Don't be stupid, the starlight doesn't hurt!" Someone snapped at her. "You'll do as I say or-"

"Or what?" The Doctor cut in dangerously. Callie dropped Byatt's hand to rush to Donna's side.

The starlight gave enough light for her actually be able to see what was happening, with the help of her night vision glasses. Donna sat on the floor, coat ripped up and filthy. There was a couple balls of starlight littering the floor around her. Next to her was a definitely human-ish person. He must have been from a different colony- his skin was a similar shade to Donna's, and his nose was more human than mole, but his eyes were too wide and watery. He was too alien to be human.

Their captors stood over them and cocked a weapon when the Doctor spoke.

"Who are you and why did you kidnap my friend?" The Doctor asked darkly.

"Your friend's a thief," one of the captors, who looked to be of the Filla colony, insisted. "She'll do well with stealing us some starlight. The Nurata colony is shit at collecting, and they'll pay handsomely to anyone who can get them some."

"The Council always helps the Nurata colony with their energy needs," Byatt cut in.

"The Council sucks the Nurata dry in exchange for starlight," the second captor sneered. "They'd much prefer to pay credits than work as slaves."

"You're lying," Byatt insisted, balling her hands into fists.

"Doctor, the starlight burns," Donna said. Callie sucked in a sharp breath. Donna's palms were covered in nasty red welts.

"You're human, you can't handle starlight like the Murtaxans," the Doctor told her. He handed Callie his screwdriver. "I'll handle these two. Setting eighty should take most of her pain."

Eyes wide, Callie stared at the silver screwdriver. She had no idea how to change settings, but she didn't have time to waste. The Doctor wormed his way between them and the captors. Callie flinched as one of them shoved the Doctor. Their weapon never strayed from his torso.

She took one of Donna's hands and held the screwdriver over it. She prayed that it would magically switch to setting eighty and pressed the button. The blue light engulfed Donna's hand, and she sighed.

"Does that help?" Callie asked. Donna nodded. She'd lost her glasses somewhere in the scuffle, but otherwise seemed okay. Callie's gaze turned to the man next to her. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head. "No, starlight doesn't hurt me."

"Did they hurt you in any other way?" Callie pressed. He hesitated, then shook his head.

"I'm fine, ma'am."

"He's Nurata," Byatt said, kneeling next to Callie. She glared at the man. "Are you a part of this?"

"No, I was here visiting friends," the man insisted.

"Murtag is telling the truth," Donna said. "We were just talking and he was showing me a necklace-" with a pointed look to Murtag, she added, "a stolen necklace- when those thugs showed. They tried to make me grab actual stars, Callie! Stars. They're hot as hell and sting like a bitch."

The redness in Donna's hand faded and they switched to the other one.

"Why do you need others to do your dirty work anyway?" The Doctor was asking. "You lot, you can collect starlight just fine. Why grab random people off the street?"

"People who clearly aren't from this colony," Callie pointed out. The Doctor waved a finger.

"Ah, there we go," he mused.

"You were trying to frame the Nurata," Byatt accused. Her face was twisted with anger. "They're good people, hard-working people, and you were going to blame them for the theft!"

Callie winced as her head throbbed painfully. A bit of fear struck her- she had better not be jumping already. She couldn't handle it if she jumped before they finished this adventure. She hadn't even gotten to see the bazaar yet!

Hell, she didn't know what she would do if she wasn't able to ensure that the Doctor and Donna got out of this mess safely.

"The Nurata are to blame! They want change, and we're here to help start the change," one of the captors said. "But I'm not taking the fall, oh no. If this goes sideways, they can cover their own asses."

"It's already gone sideways," captor number two said grimly. He gripped his weapon tight, ready to shoot. Or stab- or both? Callie wasn't sure how the weapon worked, but had no doubt it would be dangerous and painful.

"So you'll force innocent people to do your dirty work and you get rich from it?" Callie asked. Her grip tightened on the sonic screwdriver. She stood, the others following suit. "You're disgusting."

"And you're in my Farm," captor number two said. Oh, so it was an inside job. Great.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted. Byatt grabbed Callie's hand and they bolted left. Callie cried out, barely able to grab hold Donna's wrist. Byatt led them through twists and turns, shouting when to duck or jump.

Callie almost tripped, but Byatt's grip helped her remain upright. It wasn't long until they were back in the tunnel, and Byatt was slapping the wall to shut the door behind them. The Doctor and Murtag barely made it through, and the captors were stuck on the other side.

"Any chance either of you know their names?" The Doctor asked. Byatt shook her head.

"The taller one was called Poura," Murtag said. "I heard the shorter one use his name."

"Poura runs the Starlight Farm with his brother," Byatt said. "I've never met them, though. The brother is called Vortun, I think."

"Byatt, get these three somewhere safe," the Doctor ordered. "I'll take care of this."

"Uh, no you won't!" Callie said, stepping close to him. Harsher, she added, "You're not doing this alone."

"It won't be hard. I just need to lock down the Farm and alert the authorities," the Doctor said. "Easy peasy. Sonic?"

Callie placed it back in his hands. She didn't like how blasé he was acting. "You have thirty minutes before I come after you," she told him.

Even in the dark of the tunnel, she saw him wink.

Byatt's home pod wasn't far from tunnel G's exit. She led the three others there with ease. Donna was clearly grateful for a moment of peace, and Murtag just wanted to leave.

"Then leave," Byatt said, "and let the stars and moon guide you home."

"Don't get kidnapped again," Donna said seriously. They shared a look, and Callie became keenly aware that she only knew half of the story. Donna and Murtag had clearly been through more than they'd said. Callie made a mental note to ask Donna about it later.

Murtag nodded and left with a quick thanks. Donna sighed, burying her face in her hands. She winced and dropped them a second later.

"They still hurt?" Callie asked. Byatt began bustling around. From the sound and smell of it, she was cooking lunch.

"Yeah," Donna answered. "But not bad. The sonic helped."

"I didn't know it could do that," Callie admitted. "Take away pain, I mean."

"I think it's the heat it took away," Donna said. At Callie's questioning look, she added, "He put out a fire with it once."

"Ah."

They took a seat at the table. Callie's head hurt again, a pressing sort of pain.

"Are you okay?" Donna looked worried.

"My head. I'll survive," Callie said.

"Are you about to leave?"

"I don't know. I'm not really sure how to tell a jumping headache from a normal one," Callie replied. The pain ebbed a little as she rubbed her temple. "I'm not seeing gold yet, so that's a good sign."

She sighed. Now that they were out of immediate danger, she suddenly felt exhausted. Probably from all that running.

God, that was her life now, wasn't it? Just an awful lot of running.

"Here," Byatt said softly. She placed a bowl of… something in front of Callie, brushing her knuckles on Callie's cheekbone after. It was a surprisingly tender gesture. "You should eat."

"Oh, thanks," Callie said, sitting up.

"Can I have some?" Donna asked. Jokingly, she added, "I mean, I'm the one who got kidnapped."

"There's only enough for one," Byatt answered shortly, giving Donna a weird look. Callie scooted her chair closer to Donna.

"We can share," she decided. She pushed the bowl so it was between the two of them. "You don't mind sharing a spoon with me, right?"

Byatt didn't look pleased, but she didn't voice any complaints. Callie took a bite of the food and- wow!

"This is amazing," she said. It was creamy and thick, sweet and salty, and vaguely nutty. She'd never had anything like this before. The texture, to start, was a little off-putting, but as she ate more she found herself really enjoying it.

Donna moaned in delight as she took a bite. The two women went back and forth eating until the bowl was scraped clean.

"Thank you," Callie said earnestly. "That was delicious."

Despite herself, Byatt gave her a small smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said honestly. "There will be lots more where that came from."

That struck Callie as a bit odd, but she didn't have a chance to say something, as there was a knock at the door. The Doctor let himself in, looking a little worse for wear.

"Four minutes to spare," he said smugly. Callie glared at him, but pulled him into a tight hug anyway. "We'd best be off soon."

There was a clatter behind Callie. Turning, she saw the bowl and spoon- Byatt had clearly picked them up to clean them- were on the floor. She was looking at them- no, at Callie- with a stricken look on her face. Like her heart was breaking right in front of their eyes.

"You can't leave!" she cried.

The Doctor held Callie tighter by his side. Callie looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"We can stay for a little bit longer, can't we?" she asked. "I didn't get to see much of the bazaar at all."

"We can have a look on our way out," Donna said, standing. She took a deep breath. "I think I need a lie down."

Callie nodded, a little disappointed. But Donna had been through more than she knew, and she didn't want to keep her from a good night's sleep. The Doctor rubbed her back comfortingly.

"But," Byatt started.

"Culture difference," the Doctor told her, surprisingly gentle. "It didn't mean the same to her as it did to you. She didn't know what she was implying."

"What?" Callie asked. Byatt looked devastated. She wrung her hands together so tightly it must have been painful, but she finally gave a nod. "Wait, what's going on?"

Byatt didn't speak. Finally, the Doctor just said he'd explain later.

Back in the TARDIS, Callie felt a little wistful as they left Murtaxi One behind. The engines wheezed and groaned before the TARDIS settled comfortably in the Time Vortex. Donna was down the hall and into her room with a passing, "good night".

Callie felt exhausted. It felt like she hadn't slept in days. It couldn't have been more than twelve hours since she'd left the bookstore through the crack, but it felt more like twelve days.

But, like always, she had questions.

"What was that? With Byatt?" She asked finally. The Doctor sighed, flipping a switch on the console.

"Different species have different mating customs," he told her. "On a planet like Murtaxi One, customs can differ by colony, though not always. Certain behaviors you displayed towards Byatt… to you, you were just being your friendly self. To her, you were promising marriage."

Callie laughed once, though it was anything but funny.

"How?"

"Hand-holding is typically the first sign of someone's intentions to the Filla," the Doctor said. His brown eyes were sad. "The other reciprocates in a few ways, though the most common is by making food for their new partner. By eating it, they agree to a life together. And most Murtaxans mate for life."

Callie was quiet, thinking of the delicious meal. It had been weird that Byatt only gave her some and ignored Donna, but she'd shaken it off. She should have asked.

"There are loads of traditions and customs, and most of the Filla probably don't even remember where they all came from," the Doctor continued. He slipped his hand into Callie's, rubbing his thumb up and down. "But eating together, cooking for your partner and having them enjoy their meal… It's extremely intimate for them."

"Damn," Callie sighed. She felt like garbage. "I lead her on without even knowing."

"If I had been paying attention, I would have told you," he replied. "It was a mistake on both our parts. We'll both be more careful in the future."

Callie nodded. Her eyes drooped and she leaned into the Doctor's side. He was warm and sturdy. Constant. That was definitely something she needed right then.

"God," she whispered. "What a day."

"You should get some sleep," he said. "With all your jumping, it can be hard to come by at times."

She nodded, but didn't move. She stared at their hands, still joined together. Wishful thinking, she thought.

Finally she let go of his hand and wished him a good night. He watched her go, his eyes sad and old. She didn't even have to ask the TARDIS for help; the ship immediately lit the way for her.

She curled up in her bed, and was sad that she didn't have anything to remember Murtaxi One or Byatt by.

The Doctor sighed and trudged out of the console room. Callie, he mused dryly, always getting into trouble.

It was odd, seeing her so young. So green, as they say. But it was also kind of wonderful, seeing how fully she threw herself into an adventure. How kind she was, even in the face of danger. She was young, but she was still his Callie.

Mentally, he reached out to her, like he always did when he wanted company. Even if she was already asleep, just feeling her mind made him feel at ease. It was extra lonely when she wasn't around. But he couldn't reach her, not yet. He hadn't realized that her mind wasn't open to his from the beginning. He'd have to ask next time he saw an older version of her.

The lights in the console room flicked off as he walked down to the library, hoping to kill some time while the two women slept. Callie had so much to come, she wasn't even ready for it.

Poor Callie, so upset over a phone when there was so much more the Doctor was keeping from her.

A/N: I am LOVING the reviews, you guys! Please keep them up! They really help me- they make me feel like you all want me to keep writing. Also, please let me know what you think of this little original adventure! It's not as in-depth as later ones will be, but I thought it was a good starting-off point. :)