After getting the heads up that Margret the Slitheen was heading North by the Doctor, Mickey and Aries ran down the corridor that marked their exit to try and cut the alien off.
Aries was quick to move around a cleaning lady and her trolley as the woman came out of one of the rooms, though Mickey wasn't as fortunate as he collided into both the woman and her trolley. The witch paused with the intent to go back and help her nephew, but Mickey shook his head.
"I'm fine," he told her as he managed to push himself up off the floor. "Just go and stop her," he added, helping the cleaning lady up as well.
Reluctantly Aries nodded before she was off running again, hoping that she would be in time to stop the Slitheen before she managed to slip through their fingers.
"Who's on Exit Four?!" Jack asked breathlessly when he appeared beside the Doctor and Rose as the pair watched the Slitheen run off. Well... tried to run.
"That was Mickey and Aries' exit," Rose huffed.
The Doctor frowned, not saying a word as he continued to watch 'Margret' as the Slitheen continued to try and escape them. He wasn't about the alien getting away, and his mind on his Nesdra, his body tensing at the thought that something had happened to Aries. Though the Time Lord was pulled from his thoughts when a familiar voice called from behind the trio.
"Here I am," Mickey called, the young man sounding out of breath as he approached the group; his foot stuck in a bucket.
The Time Lord's head jerked towards the man, his eyes narrowing. "Mickey the Idiot," he greeted snidely before snapping, "Where's Aries?!" as he took a step towards the man. If Mickey had let anything happen to her...
"I'm sure she's fine, Doc," Jack said carefully, stopping the Time Lord when he placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. "You know that she can look after herself," he continued when the Doctor turned his gaze onto him, though mentally added, And then some, knowing that Aries Prince could do far more than just 'look after herself'.
"And it's not like Margret's going to outrun us," Rose added, feeling once more annoyed that their attention had once again focused on the red head. Why couldn't she just disappear for good?
Continued to frown at Jack, the Doctor – along with the others – suddenly looked up when there was a piercing screech. Something shot out of the sky towards the Slitheen; diving towards the disguised alien that let out a scream as she suddenly thrust her hands upwards to cover her head. Though in doing so, the Doctor watched the bullet that he realised was a bird, snatch something clean out of the Slitheen's hands – right before 'Margret' found herself surrounded by a transparent wall that held a familiar red hue.
It was something the Doctor recognised immediately and the tension he had been feeling vanished as he watched Aries step into their view from the direction that Margret had been heading; her eyes locked onto the Slitheen as 'Margret' continued to bash against the walls in a futile attempt to escape.
"What was that?" Jack asked, his eyes trying to locate whatever had dive-bombed 'Margret' before his eyes landed on Aries. He may have seen a small part of her abilities when they had met a few months ago, but what he was seeing was something different.
Something familiar, though unable to pinpoint why.
"Aries," Mickey replied as he followed the American and Time Lord; the latter having started towards his aunt the moment Aries had appeared.
"Who cares," Rose muttered with an eyeroll as she followed.
As the small group approached Aries and the still trapped Slitheen, there was another cry that filled the air, and Mickey couldn't help but grin as his pace quickened when his aunty held up her arm and a hawk landed on her forearm, something clutched in his beak.
"What do we have here?" the witch asked as she accepted the item, finding that it was a matching set of two earrings and a brooch, though the brooch was hanging half clasped to the pair of earrings. Azure took to the air again as Aries moved to study the item, only to land seconds later on her shoulder. "Can't let you get away, now can we?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the Slitheen as she snapped the half-connected brooch away from the earrings, and there was a small spark that had her familiar letting out a squawk; his feathers ruffling in surprise.
"YOU!" 'Margret shouted when she heard the voice, turning to face the red head as the others reached them.
"Yes, me," Aries agreed as she studied the pieces of the device in her hand, giving Azure a soothing scratch as she did so.
"This is persecution!" the Slitheen hiss indignantly, her eyes going between the red-hued witch and the walls that surrounded her. "Why can't you leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?"
Aries finally looked up from the teleportation device she was holding and tilted her head at the alien; having to fight off a smile when Azure decided that her hair wasn't quite how he liked it and gave a few of the ends a nip. "Well for starters, you tried to kill me and destroy this planet," she said rather conversationally.
"Apart from that," 'Margret' said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
The Doctor stepped up besides his Nesdra when he noticed her empty hand form a fist; her knuckles turning white despite the fact that her face betrayed nothing. The bird on her shoulder gave him a curious look, though the Time Lord was surprised to see that once the hawk was satisfied with whatever he had seen in him, the bird turned his attention back to Aries and gave her ear a gentle nip, causing the red head's fist to relax.
"You are also wanted by your own people," Aries continued, "Having been found guilty of a number of crimes and exiled from Raxacoricofallapatorius with the threat of execution if you were ever to return. And that doesn't even cover the crimes you and your family have committed throughout the universe since then. All in the name of business.""
The Slitheen's eyes widened – caught. "Oh."
Mickey was looking to his aunty in surprise, not having known any of that, while Rose was looking wide-eyed between the red head and the 'cell' that surrounded 'Margret'. It was only Jack and the Doctor that were watching Aries, the American unable to help himself.
Jack couldn't say it for certain – seeing that he hadn't actually had the chance to speak to the red head since discovering who she was – but he was getting the feeling that there was something decisively off about Aries. Something that didn't seem to match up with what he had learnt in regards to her apparent association with the Alchemist. Even if he were to disregard her vast knowledge – which anyone could learn with the right teachers – and unusual abilities, Aries Prince was showing no traits of what her mother had been known for.
His gaze slid to the Doctor who was currently giving the hawk on Aries shoulder a finger scratch. No. None at all, the American thought, still surprised about the bond that the pair shared. And as his gaze returned to a still talking Aries, Jack frowned.
He needed to speak to the red head when the Doctor wasn't around, which he knew would be difficult with how protective the Time Lord was acting around her. But Jack needed answers, and he needed them soon.
The moment Aries stepped into the conference room that lay just beyond the Mayor's office, the red head was immediately drawn to the model of a nuclear power station.
"So, you're a Slitheen. You're on Earth. You're trapped," the Doctor said as he followed Aries, wanting to keep a close eye on her. He didn't trust the Slitheen not to try something. "Your family gets killed, but you teleport out just in the nick of time. You have no means of escape. What do you do? You build a nuclear power station. But what for?"
"A philanthropic gesture," the Slitheen replied as she sat down in her chair, "I've learnt the error of my ways."
"Yes, and I'm the boogie man," Aries snorted as she continued to study the model, ignoring the snickers she could hear coming from the others. Something about the station niggled at her; a feeling as though she should know something, though was unable to recall what.
More like the boogie man's daughter, Jack mused as he sent the red head a side-long glance. Though out loud he said, "And it just so happens to be right on top of the rift," as he turned his attention back to the disguised Slitheen.
"What rift would that be?" the alien questioned, feigning ignorance that no one was buying.
"A rift in space and time," Jack told her, "If this power station went into meltdown, the entire planet would go..." He made an exploding gesture with his hands.
His words had Aries pausing, her eyebrows knitting together as the missing piece fell into place in her mind. "This station is designed to explode the moment it reaches capacity," she stated.
"Didn't anyone notice?" Rose asked in surprise, looking to the Doctor for an answer.
"Yeah," Mickey agreed, though his eyes were on his aunty as he asked, "Isn't there supposed to be someone in London checking for this sort of stuff?" However when he caught Aries' eye, the red head shook her head, her expression troubled.
"It's true that London has people checking this stuff out," she begun, her gaze turning back to the model as a line appeared between her brows, "But I was informed that a localised... organisation had taken up the reins with any problems that may arise with the rift. My..." the red head frowned as she carefully chose her next words, "Duties were designated elsewhere. And after my supervisors found that the rift was as harmless as they'd first presumed, there was no need for me to stay in Cardiff."
"And what? They just let anyone become Mayor?" Mickey asked incredulously.
"London doesn't care," 'Margret' cut in with a huff, "The South Wales could fall into the sea and they wouldn't notice." A surprised look appeared on her face when she was done before the Slitheen suddenly exclaimed, "Oh. I sound like a Welshman. God help me, I've gone native."
"But why would she do that?" Rose asked, and Mickey nodded in agreement as he added, "A great big explosion, she'd only end up killing herself."
"She's got a name, you know," the alien in question huffed.
"She's not even a she, she's a thing," the young man shot back.
"Oh, but she's clever," Aries piped up, knocking the model over with a sweep of her arm and pulled out the middle section; flipping it over to reveal something that definitely didn't belong in a powerplant – let alone a model of one.
Both the Doctor's and Jack's eyes lit up the moment they laid on what she was holding. "Fantastic," the Doctor breathed as he stepped up beside his Nesdra to get a better look at the item while Jack asked, "Is that a tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator?" as he also stepped closer to the red head, although made sure that he didn't encroach on her personal space when he noticed the Time Lord stiffen; his gaze sliding to Jack with narrowed eyes.
As much as the American found the Doctor's reactions amusing, Jack knew full well that each came with a very real – though unspoken – threat. Having an overprotective, jealous Time Lord on his back was not something that Jack wanted. He rather liked the idea of living a long life.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," the Doctor replied, his posture relaxing slightly when he realised that Jack understood that after not having seen his Nesdra for so long, his protective and possessive urges to keep Aries close were far more profound than normal. And the Doctor hoped that he would get the chance to ask if Aries would like to travel with him after the TARDIS had refuelled; not wanting to part from her again. It was unnatural and unusual for soulmates to be separated after the initial touch. Not so they would finish the bond as soon as possible, but because distance puts strain on the already fragile connection. And when two Nesdra's who had been separated reconnect, the backlash from such distance can sometimes become too much.
Though it made him question once more why Aries was showing no signs of such a thing happening for her.
"Can I?" Jack asked Aries, holding his hand out for the extrapolator. He glanced to the Doctor as he did so, not wanting the Time Lord to think he was overstepping his boundaries and found the man watching his every move though made no move to stop him. When Aries nodded and handed the board over to Jack, she didn't notice the way the Doctor relaxed at her side when Jack turned away from her as he studied the device, the American's focus more on the extrapolator than Aries at that moment. "Ooo, genius!" he exclaimed not seconds later as he glanced to the Slitheen, "You didn't build this."
"I have my hobbies. A little tinkering," the alien stated off-handily, neither confirming nor denying Jack's words.
"No, no, no. I mean, you really didn't build this. Way beyond you," Jack continued, not believing a word the alien was saying.
"I bet she stole it," Mickey piped up as he moved to Jack's side to get a better look at the device that seemed to have everybody enthralled.
"It fell into my hands," the Slitheen muttered evasively.
"Is it a weapon?" Rose enquired as she turned to the Doctor, only to find that he was watching Aries as the red head wandered around the room.
"It's transport," Jack corrected, drawing the blonde's attention back to him as he continued, "You see, if the reactor blows, the rift opens. Phenomenal cosmic disaster. But this thing shrouds you in a force-field. You have this energy bubble, so you're safe. Then you feed it co-ordinates," he placed the device on the floor and stepped onto it, "Stand on top, and ride the concussion all the way out of the solar system."
"It's a surfboard!" Mickey exclaimed, his eyes alight with interest.
Jack nodded to the young man as he picked up the extrapolator, "A pan-dimensional surfboard, yeah."
Aries was still looking around the room, picking up the odd item here and there before returning it back to where it belonged before something caught her eye. A frown appeared on her lips as she moved further into the room and towards the back where a large banner hung on the far wall; eyeing the words written upon it. Though the witch grew startled when she translated what it said.
"And it would've worked. I'd have surfed away from this dead end dump and back to civilisation," 'Margret' stated, giving up on the pretence that that hadn't been what she'd been planning all along.
"You'd blow up a whole planet... just to get a lift?" Mickey asked her, aghast by the implications of just what the alien was admitting to.
The Doctor frowned, ignoring the conversation happening in favour of his Nesdra who he noticed was staring at something on the far wall. He made his way over to her, wondering what could have caused her to have the startled expression on her face. And as he placed a hand upon her shoulder, Aries jumped and turned to him, her eyes – which were slightly darker in colour - wide with fright. "Are you okay?" he questioned her in concern as that same fear promptly vanished the moment Aries realised who had startled her.
The red head swallowed down her fear and nodded, even though her heart continued to race inside her chest. "I'm fine," she reassured him, "Was just surprised, that's all," she continued, her gaze drifting back to the banner she'd been staring at – only to blink in surprise. "That's weird."
"What is it?" the Time Lord asked, his own gaze snapping to the banner before he frowned when he read the words.
"I... I thought it said something else for a moment," Aries told him, a line appearing between her brows, "But I guess I must have mistranslated it."
The Doctor looked to his Nesdra, knowing that it would be a cold day in hell before his Nesdra mistranslated a bit of Welsh. He'd seen her read languages that weren't even found on Earth – and wouldn't be for centuries.
"What did it say?"
"Well, that's the thing," Aries said as she looked to the Doctor, "I'm not entirely sure. It wasn't in any language I've ever heard of before, but I could have sworn it said..." she trailed off, shaking her head. For a moment the witch had sworn she had seen her name written on that banner, and was confused as to how she could have translated the meaning behind it in a language she didn't even understand. Could it be wishful thinking because I've been thinking too much about my past lately? she mused before shaking her head once more. "No, it's impossible."
"Aries?" the Doctor placed a hand on her arm, drawing her gaze back to him, "What did it say?" he asked gently, not wanting to push her but knowing that whatever Aries had seen had clearly disturbed her.
"I thought it said Ariakalur Ximukr. Eternal Wolf," she told him, her expression confused.
Neither noticed Jack's head snap in their direction in alarm, a quiet, "She couldn't have..." passing his lips as his gaze narrowed on Aries.
"But I don't even know what language that is. It doesn't sound or look like an old Earth language; however I don't have much experience with ancient or dead languages to be certain."
The Doctor's eyebrows creased in confusion, finding that he couldn't understand what she had just said. He looked to the banner, the frown on his face deepening before shaking his head. "I'm sure it's nothing. Sounds rather rubbish if you ask me," he said as he turned back to his worried Nesdra.
"If you think so," the witch muttered, not really believing him.
"I'm certain," he offered her a small smile and moved his hand to grab hers, giving it a squeeze. He hadn't liked lying to her, but the Doctor couldn't deny that there was something about those two words that unnerved him. Something vaguely familiar, but just out of his reach. Deciding to think on it later however, the Time Lord turned back to the banner – and the problem at hand – as he asked, "How did you think of the name?" before glancing to the Slitheen so it knew that he was directing the question to her. It didn't hurt that he knew refocusing Aries' mind back onto the Slitheen would be a good thing for the moment, not wanting her to worry about something that could potentially be nothing.
Jack was looking at the extrapolator as he tried to make it seem that he hadn't been listening in on the pairs' conversation. But he couldn't deny that what he had heard had confused him. Like the Doctor, the words Aries had spoken felt familiar, though Jack now understood why.
Why he had never been able to tell the Time Lord as to who he believed Aries' mother was.
Why he had never been able to utter a single word about the diary he had found inside the Time Lord's very library.
Somehow, some way, Aries Prince – the possible daughter of the Alchemist – had managed to get Jack to take a Vow of Silence.
And that complicated things far more than he had first thought.
"What, Blaidd Drwg?" the Slitheen questioned in surprise and drawing Jack from his swirling realisation, "It's Welsh."
"I know," the Time Lord roll his eyes, "But how did you think of it?" he questioned once again.
Aries looked to the Doctor; her eyebrows furrowing as she wondered why he now sounded troubled by the two words that were printed on the banner.
"I chose it at random, that's all," the alien shrugged, not seeing what the big deal was, "I don't know. It just sounded good. Does it matter?"
"Blaidd Drwg," the Doctor read the words out loud.
"What's it mean?" Rose asked, shooting a glare at Aries as she realised that the red head was once again beside the Doctor, her hand in his.
"Bad Wolf," the red head translated, a little perplexed.
"But I've heard that before," Rose remarked, now sounding rather startled and caused Aries looked to her in confusion, "Bad Wolf. I've heard that lots of times."
"Everywhere we go," the Doctor muttered, his hand tightening around his Nesdra, "Two words following us. Bad Wolf."
"How can they be following us?" Rose asked, her fear now creeping into her voice.
The Doctor glanced at his companion, hearing her fear. He then glanced at Aries who was looking between them in confusion. He was rather glad that those two words didn't seem to mean anything to her, though he did wonder why she had seen words in a language that even he didn't recognise. He shook his head, "Nah, just a coincidence. Like hearing a word on the radio then hearing it all day," he said as he turned to the others, "Never mind. Things to do. Margret, we're going to take you home."
"Hold on, isn't that the easy option, like letting her go?" Jack asked, looking at the Time Lord like he had grown another head.
"I don't believe it!" Rose exclaimed, her fears on the words having been comforted by the Doctor, "We actually get to go to Raxa," she paused, trying to get it right, "Raxacor..."
"Raxacoricofallapatorius," Aries finished, turning to the Slitheen with a hard expression, pushing away her thoughts on the banner for the time being, "And no. It's not the easy option. There she will be trialled for her crimes and deal with the consequences that they perceive as amendable payment."
"They have the death penalty. The moment I return, I am to be executed. What do you make of that? Take me home and you take me to my death," 'Margret' tried to sway the red head as she stared at the young woman.
Aries didn't even move as she replied, "You should have thought of the repercussions of your actions, then. The moment you were exiled, you could have changed your ways. But you didn't, did you? No. Instead, you've murdered in an attempt to make profit. You put an entire planet at risk not once, but twice. And if you really want to know what I think of the situation you are currently sitting in, I'd tell you that you should have stopped while you were ahead."
The Doctor glanced at his Nesdra, a small smile working its' way on his lips at her words. It reminded him that although Aries seemed so detached at time; so out of touch with the people around her, she still held onto the value of a life. She gave them a chance and only did what was needed to be done when there was no other option. And he knew that his thoughts were the truth, having seen it with his own eyes. He could still remember the power he had felt coming from her when she had stopped the Consciousness, and although he had no idea what she had done to the alien after she'd taken them into the TARDIS, Aries had first given it a choice.
She could have stopped it the moment she had seen it.
Just like she could have done with the Dalek, knowing exactly what it was.
The Time Lord's thoughts were broken when he noticed Jack watching Aries intently once more. He shifted closer to his Nesdra, causing the man's expression to change the moment he realised he had been spotted, though the Doctor wasn't certain that a smirking Jack was any better as the American went back to looking at the extrapolator.
The Doctor scowled.
He really was rather hopeful that Aries would take him up on his offer to travel with him again after they'd dropped the Slitheen off. This time without a limit. And he knew that he wouldn't be asking her to come not only to help with his instincts, but also as a way to get to know her better. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy seeing Aries and being close to her when they met up, but when his instincts kicked in, especially after not seeing her in so long, they drove every other thought that wasn't centred around her from his mind.
And to keep her safe at his side, he couldn't afford to be distracted.
By the time the group had stepped back inside the console room of the Doctor's TARDIS, night had fallen over Cardiff.
Aries walked up to the console, keeping an eye on the Slitheen that had accompanied them as she ran a gentle hand over the console in a way of greeting. She felt the buzzing in her mind grow; a warm hum reverberating welcomingly that had her lip twitching upwards. The witch still found it a little strange that she shared such a connection with the ship – and that it was able to communicate to some degree with her mentally – but felt that it had become almost like second nature.
Natural, even.
Whatever the link she had with the TARDIS was, Aries found that it was comforting... familiar.
"This ship is impossible," the Slitheen spoke up as she followed Aries inside. The awe was thick in her voice and it had the red head glancing her way with a frown. "It's superb. How do you get the inside around the outside?" she questioned the Doctor as she approached the console; far closer to Aries than the Time Lord was comfortable with and his eyes narrowed on the other alien.
"Like I'd give you the secret, yeah," the Doctor scoffed as he made sure to keep both the Slitheen and his Nesdra in his line of sight. He knew that he was tense, having the alien inside his ship. But felt that it was far higher than normal knowing that his Nesdra was also inside his ship, far too close to 'Margret' than he liked.
Rose and Mickey were standing by the entrance of the ship, wondering what they were to do seeing that neither the Doctor nor Aries had given them a task. It wasn't long however that Mickey made his way over to where Jack had started to go over the extrapolator once more, leaving Rose standing on her own.
"I almost feel better about being defeated," the alien continued as she stepped up beside the console; her gaze roaming around the ship idly, "I never stood a chance. This is the technology of the Gods." She went to touch the console, though quickly thought better when the ship let out an angry hum and an arc of electricity appeared from the spot she'd just been about to touch.
Aries raised an eyebrow as a smirk appeared briefly upon her lips. "I don't think that you should do that," she remarked as she rested her hand upon the console reassuringly; earning herself another warm hum in her mind.
Though she wasn't the only one to feel the TARDIS' appreciative hum; the Doctor looking to his Nesdra in surprise at the feeling – at the knowledge that his ship was acknowledging Aries as someone important to not only him, but his ship as well. The idea that she had formed a link with his ship that far exceeded what would normally be forged between a Pilot's Nesdra and their TARDIS was something that still sometimes baffled the Time Lord, knowing that Aries had no idea just how significant such a thing was. He knew that TARDIS would try and do anything within her power if Aries all but asked her, but also knew that his Nesdra would never ask such a thing.
In all the time he had known Aries, he had seen her put others before herself over and over again. She had even placed herself between him and a Reaper!
Shaking his head, the Doctor turned his attention – and thoughts – back to the Slitheen, not wanting to get distracted by thinking about his Nesdra like his mind seemed to want to do. "Don't worship me, I'd make a very bad god," he told the alien, "You wouldn't get a day off, for starters." He then turned to where Jack and Mickey were, the pair having already begun to hook the extrapolator up to the TARDIS. "Jack, how's it going, big fella?" he asked the American.
"This extrapolator's top of the range," Jack commented as he pointed at something for Mickey to do. He glanced at 'Margret' as he asked, "Where did you get it?"
"Oh, I don't know," the Slitheen replied with a dismissive wave of her hand as she made herself comfortable on the jump seat, "Some airlock sale?"
"Must have been a great heist," Jack remarked knowingly. He hadn't been a conman for all those years without learning a thing or two. "It's stacked with power."
The Doctor rolled his eyes at the man. "But can we use it for fuel?" he asked probably a little harsher than he had intended. But not only was the Slitheen a danger to his ship, but to his Nesdra as well, and the quicker the alien was gone, the safer both would be.
Aries frowned, though it wasn't in response to his tone. She rubbed her temple as she felt the beginnings of a headache start and wondered when she had some water recently. At the thought, a small glass of clear liquid appeared on the console before her and the red head looked at it, her eyebrows creasing. Well, that's new, she thought, picking it up and giving the contents a sniff – only to receive an unhappy hum in her mind from the TARDIS. Rolling her eyes good-heartedly, unable to stop her smile, Aries drank the water before placing the glass back down. It disappeared the moment she let it go and her smile grew somewhat as she murmured, "Thanks," as she placed her hand atop the console again.
"It's not compatible," Jack stated, looking up to the Time Lord understandingly. It hadn't taken him long to realise what was bothering the Doctor and quickly added, "But it should knock off about twelve hours. We'll be ready to go by morning," when the Time Lord's features didn't change.
"Then we're stuck here overnight," the Doctor muttered, not at all happy with the American's words. Though he could admit that twelve hours was far better than twenty-four.
"I'm in no hurry," the Slitheen 'helpfully' told the Time Lord, only to shrink back in the jump seat a little when he turned to her with a dark glare.
Rose was the only one that seemed excited by that titbit of information and was almost jumping on the spot as she exclaimed, "We've got a prisoner. The police box is really a police box."
"You're not just the police, though," their 'prisoner' reminded them coolly despite her current predicament, "Since you're taking me to my death, that makes you my executioners. Each and every one of you."
"Well, you deserve it," Mickey stated defiantly.
"You're very quick to say so. You're very quick to soak your hands in my blood, which makes you better than me, how, exactly?" the Slitheen asked as she straightened in the chair, "Long night ahead. Let's see who can look me in the eye."
Her eyes landed on Mickey first and the young man was quick to avert his gaze, unable to look at her. Rose was next, and she too turned away from 'Margret's' unwavering gaze; looking to the Doctor for help instead. The next was Jack, though he barely glanced up from his work, making out that he wasn't even listening.
When the Slitheen turned her gaze to Aries however, she was startled to find the red head staring right back at her. Before either could be named victor of the battle of wills, the Doctor stepped in front of Aries and blocked the alien's gaze on his Nesdra with one of his own. The Slitheen once again shrunk back, though this time it was in response to the anger she could see in the Time Lord's eyes. It made her silently wonder if there was a connection between the red head and Doctor, having noticed that the man never seemed to be far from Aries' side.
In the end, it was 'Margret' who looked away first.
No one noticed Aries once again rubbing her temples as her headache grew.
Not far from where the TARDIS was located, and rather conveniently concealed from prying eyes and camera's, a man with short brown hair came to a stop and looked up when he heard a screech. A smile appeared on his lips and he held out his arm, allowing the hawk that flown passed and was circling back around to land.
"Liask, alaurrim Azure, (Well, hello Azure,)" he greeted the bird, giving the hawk a quick scratch under its beak. Azure nipped at his fingers gently before the sound of the TARDIS door opening drew their attention and the pair watched as a young man stepped out.
The brunet's gaze shifted passed Mickey and the TARDIS until it landed on the water feature that towered over both and a small smile flickered across his lips. "Skiz'kya tamni prazark Javic elak vecikara, elkar skiz? (You're not giving Javic any strife, are you?)" he asked the hawk with a conspiratorially smirk, "Taim alaeyni elninekobec ink elkeevortilur kreurrec? (No heart attacks or accidental falls?)" Only to earn himself a whack across the back of the head that startled Azure and the hawk took off.
"Xir'kya tamni alakar nim prazar Jack el alaeyni elninekob, Ly, (We're not here to give Jack a heart attack, Ly,)" a curly-haired blonde stated in exasperation as she stepped up beside the man, causing the brunet to shrug, the smirk not disappearing from his lips.
"Skiz kelta'ni nirurr far nialni skiz allzarta'ni niamzpani elrizni van, Aly-briz? (You can't tell me that you haven't thought about it, River Song?)" the man questioned nonchalantly, though his eyes were sparkling with dark amusement as he watched the hawk circle nearby before disappearing once more into the night.
River just rolled her eyes, not rising to his bait. Instead, she asked, "Vecim, allzar skiz krapokaral imoni almxi skiz'kya primart nim jom niavec? (So, have you figured out how you're going to do this?)" trying to bring the subject back to why they were there. They really didn't have time to lollygag, and were already pushing their boundaries by having appeared far earlier than intended to scope the area out earlier. Neither wanted Jack to know they were there, and River had thought that Ly had blown it earlier when Mickey had spotted the man. Though thankfully the young man hadn't recognised Ly.
A frown appeared on Ly's lips as he watched a blonde step out of the TARDIS not that long after Mickey. "Javic nimujo far nialni niavec xilec grakikar alavec keletrar aldratal, (Javic told me that this was before his change happened,)" he replied, tearing his gaze away from Rose, knowing that he couldn't do anything to the blonde. Kylnary dranskart, vak Va fazecni vecesk, (Rather pitying, if I must say,) he thought before shaking his head. He ignored River's curious look before she saw what had caught his eye and rolled her own eyes.
"Skiz kelta'ni keletrar alakniavapr, Ly, (You can't change anything, Ly,)" the blonde warned him.
"Skavec, Va obamxi, (Yes, I know,)" Ly huffed, "Groni van jomavecta'ni fareta Va kelta'ni niavtob elrizni van. (But it doesn't mean I can't think about it.)"
"Skiz'kya ozninakysky vatemakavelruar, (You're utterly inconceivable,)" River muttered, shaking her head.
"Elal, groni skiz urmear nialni elrizni far, (Ah, but you love that about me,)" the brunet told her smugly, "Va obamxi skiz ximoujota'ni gryalob hizecni elakimar imoni imk Vinshalee, imilakyxiaecar skiz ximoujo allzar pritar nim nialni kylnary tavear elto jomkarar fazuivakriyfa vat niar tarini kerurr imzaky. (I know you wouldn't break just anyone out of Stormcage, otherwise you would have gone to that rather nice and docile multiform in the next cell over.)"
River glared at him, "Va vecivurr kelta, (I still can,)" she muttered and Ly chuckled darkly.
"Imal, groni skiz ximta'ni, (Oh, but you won't,)" he told her knowingly.
Shaking her head once again, River sighed. As much as she found Ly annoying at the best of times and downright terrifying at the worst, she knew that he was right. And she also knew that there was a reason she had gotten him out of Stormcage – and it wasn't for his good looks and charming demeanour. She nodded back to the TARDIS, trying once again to keep the brunet focused. "Joajo Veral nirurr skiz lialni tararjovec nim aldrata? (Did Vera tell you what needs to happen?)" she asked.
"Skavec, (Yes,)" Ly replied, rolling his eyes, "Elto Rakbaste xilec zerysk vecrakarake nim nirurr far nialni tiam falniirky almxi elatamskart Javic prini, Va xilecta'ni elurrixial nim vecamni alafa. Tamky nialni vatecorkraklruar grumajar, aranlaky, (And Sven was very specific to tell me that no matter how annoying Javic got, I wasn't allowed to shoot him. Nor that insufferable blonde, either,)" he replied, crossing his arms against his chest.
River almost laughed at seeing the man almost pout, but knew better. "Elto lialni elrizni niar Dretyr? (And what about the Charming Healer?)" she asked, looking at Ly with a smirk.
The brunet blinked, his eyebrows furrowing as he muttered, "Dretyr?" under his breath before realising what River had said. He glared at the blonde, "Nialni viec tamni alavec talfar! (That is not his name!)" he almost spat, glowering at her like she had said something foul and offensive.
"Vak skiz vecesk vecim, (If you say so,)" River said before nodding back to the TARDIS, ignoring Ly's glare, "Groni elakxilk, lialni elrizni alafa? (But anyway, what about him?)"
The brunet finally looked away from River, deciding that the task at hand was more important than the word she had chosen to call the Doctor. He frowned as his eyes landed on the TARDIS, knowing that the Time Lord in question was inside and his eyebrows creased together slightly. "Niar Urrartyr... (The Wandering Healer...)" he trailed off as his attention was drawn to Mickey and Rose as they stood up before is gaze was once again on the TARDIS.
River watched Ly closely, and although she had been joking with what she had called the Doctor, she understood the brunet's reaction and knew what he was thinking. She knew Ly, probably better than the man knew himself and understood why he had reacted as such after everything he had gone through.
"Alar viec... joarkrayatni, (He is... different,)" Ly admitted after a moment, letting out a slow breath, "Tamni lialni Va alljo arsdreni imk el Kille imk Fortai. (Not what I had expected of a Lord of Time.)"
River smiled, "Alar'vec vecifarniavapr aruecar, (He's something else,)" she agreed.
Ly nodded distractedly; his eyes unfocused. "Alar'vec...imgecakzetni. Vecifarnivarec nimm fazkal. Niamzpal Va ozajaky tamxi liask, Va joajota'ni greeb niarta elto van... (He's...observant. Sometimes too much. Though I understand now why, I didn't back then and it...)"
"Skiz joajota'ni obamxi, (You didn't know,)" River told him quietly, placing a hand on the brunets' shoulder.
"Taim, (No,)" he agreed, his lip curving upwards in a wry smirk as he turned to River, "Va joajota'ni, joajo Va? (I didn't, did I?)" Ly shook his head, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Mickey and Rose were walking away from the ship. "Skiz grannark prim, Aly-briz, (You better go, River Song,)" he told the blonde, shrugging her hand from his shoulder, "Va obamxi lialni tararjovec nim aldrata. Elto urrni Veral obamxi nialni Va'fa xiataart nialni grani. (I know what needs to happen. And let Vera know that I'm winning that bet.)"
River raised an eyebrow at his words, but didn't comment. She would have thought that Ly would have learnt by now not to bet against Vera and was rather afraid to ask what he had put down. Nodding at the brunet, she revealed her vortex manipulator and inputted where she wanted to go. Looking back to Ly, she said, "Grar kelyekour, Ly. Va'urr fararni skiz greeb elni niar Kytapejar liarta skiz'kya jomtar. (Be careful, Ly. I'll meet you back at the Renegade when you're done.)"
Ly didn't even glance at her, his eyes focused on the TARDIS and River shook her head one last time before disappearing. The moment she was gone, however, the brunet looked to where she had been standing. "Va xiaurr grar, (I will be,)" he murmured before turning and walking away from the TARDIS, trying to prepare himself for what he had to do.
Aries frowned as she watched Mickey talking with Rose on the scanner as the pair sat outside the ship. The red head couldn't help but worry about her nephew, though was also trying to distract herself from the ever-growing headache that hadn't left her alone since re-entering the ship earlier.
"Aries, are you alright?" the Doctor's voice cut through her thoughts as he stepped up behind her, and the Time Lord's gaze narrowed when he noticed that she was watching his companion and Ricky outside; unable to stop the spark of jealousy that had ignited in his gut at the possibility of there being something between Aries and the young man.
The red head nodded as she replied, "Yeah," only to wince when the movement caused her headache to flair. Pushing the pain away, she gestured to the scanner. "I'm just worried about him," she explained, though she didn't look away from the screen, missing the Time Lord's eyes narrowing further as he glared at Mickey.
"Why?" he questioned, barely keeping the jealousy he was feeling from his voice. He had to remind himself that Aries didn't know anything about their bond and that she did have some previous connection with the young man. He also knew that it was just a part of Aries' nature to care for the people around her and he wouldn't jump to conclusions. So with what felt less like an effort than he had expected, the Doctor pushed his jealousy away.
Thankfully, something else on the scanner caught his eye at the same time and he frowned.
"He's a really close friend and I worry about how Rose treats him," Aries continued as she looked away from the screen and towards the Doctor, only to stop at the expression on his face as he stared at the scanner. "Doctor?" she reached out to touch his arm.
The Doctor's gaze snapped to his Nesdra when he felt her hand upon his arm and his brows furrowed when he noticed that she was looking at him in confusion. "Sorry," he muttered sheepishly, realising that he hadn't heard a word she had said when he had thought he had seen someone familiar just beyond where Mickey and Rose. He tugged on his ear, "What did you say?"
Aries was quiet for a moment, a small frown tugging at her lips as she searched his eyes for something that she wasn't too sure of. She was still trying to figure out what her own feelings towards the Doctor were, but her headache wasn't helping at the moment and decided to brush it all aside for the time being. "I...I was just saying that I worry about Mickey," she said instead, her eyes going back to the scanner. "You..." her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out the best words to say. "You know about Sarah and Stewart's wedding?" she asked, glancing at the Time Lord, wanting to make sure that he had been there and wasn't accidently revealing something she shouldn't be.
It had always been a fear of hers whenever she spun back the days all those centuries ago, and it seemed as though the feeling still hadn't left her after all this time.
The Doctor grew confused for a moment before he remembered the couple he had met during the incident when Rose saved her father. His expression darkened at the memory, though was quick to relax when he felt Aries' hand tightening slightly on his arm and let out a calming breath before nodding, "You were there with Mickey and another boy. Luka, I believe," he said. An expression
flashed across Aries' face at the mention of Luka that was gone before the Doctor could name it, and the red head grimaced as she looked away. His eyebrows creased and he opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, however Aries spoke before he could question her.
"Yes. I... I've known Mickey since he was barely able to walk. And after his mother passed..." the red head frowned, swallowing heavily at the memory of when she had found Odessa before banishing the memory once more and continued, "He became somewhat of a nephew to me and I worry about him. I know that he loves Rose," she re-met the Doctor's gaze, "But from what I've seen, those feelings aren't reciprocated and I worry that she'll hurt him."
The Doctor frowned as he listened, realising that his earlier thoughts about Aries and Mickey sharing some kind of history had been correct; though thankfully not in the way he had first assumed. He had known that the young boy had referred to Aries as his aunt, and hearing her confirming that their relationship hadn't moved beyond that caused the Time Lord's shoulders to relax at the knowledge that Mickey wasn't a threat to his – somewhat non-existent – relationship with his Nesdra.
Though the Time Lord blinked when he found that Aries may not be as unperceptive as he had first imagined when it came to reading people. However, why she could clearly see the way Rose acted around both him and Jack and not around herself had the Doctor pausing, wondering how someone who noticed so much could miss something so significant. His mind went back to the way his Nesdra reacted to touch and that unsettling feeling churned his gut once more when the thought that Aries only included herself in others' lives to help them, but otherwise kept herself disconnected from them. The thought that something had happened to his Nesdra at some point in her past returned, and the Doctor placed his hand atop the one Aries' still had on his arm and caused her to look at him questionably.
He opened his mouth to voice this thought, but was interrupted before he could utter a word.
"I gather it's not always like this, having to wait," 'Margret' spoke up, causing the red head to startle and turn towards the Slitheen, missing the way the Doctor shot the alien a look. The alien just raised an eyebrow at the Time Lord as she 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?" she asked. "But not this time," her gaze drifted to Aries and the Doctor almost growled as he stepped partially in front of his Nesdra to block her from 'Margret's' view, "At last you have consequences," the Slitheen continued, meeting his glare levelly, "How does it feel?"
"I didn't butcher them," the Time Lord defended, his blue eyes sliding to his Nesdra when he felt her move to stand beside him; her hand that he was still holding against his arm tightening reassuringly.
"We all know you didn't," Aries murmured quietly to him, knowing how the Slitheen was trying to get a rise out of the Doctor. And once again the Doctor found that he had no time to speak as Aries had already turned her attention onto the Slitheen, her silver-grey eyes narrowing; and that disconcerting feeling continued to churn the Time Lord's stomach as he realised that he was watching his very thoughts play out before him. Aries had been looking for help to try and provide help for her nephew, and now she was pushing it all aside to come to his aide.
Just how often does she put the needs of others before her own? he thought as he listened to her speak.
"And what about you?" Aries asked the Slitheen, "You had an emergency teleport," she slipped her free hand into her pocket and pulled out the brooch and earrings that Azure had taken from her earlier, causing the Slitheen to scowl unattractively at the sight of them. "And yet, you didn't zap them to safety, did you?" she continued, raising an eyebrow to cover the pain she was feeling from the headache from appearing on her face. "No. You just left them behind to burn."
The red head took a step towards the alien, her hand slipping from between the Doctor's hand and arm. "How does that feel, Margret?" she asked coldly, only stopping when she felt the Doctor's hand enclose around hers.
"It only carries one," the Slitheen huffed, "I had to fly without co-ordinates. I ended up on a skip in the Isle of Dogs."
Jack, who had been covertly watching the trio as he continued to connect the extrapolator to the TARDIS console, couldn't stop the snicker from escaping him at the image the aliens' words provided him in his mind.
"It wasn't funny," the Slitheen snapped at him sharply, shooting him a glare. However
Jack just raised an eyebrow, the grin not leaving his lips as he said, "Sorry, but it is a bit funny."
Ignoring them, the Doctor led his Nesdra around the console and away from 'Margret', worried when he noticed her rubbing her temple with a slight wince. "What's wrong?" he asked her quietly when they were out of view of the Slitheen.
Aries offered him a small smile as she replied with a simple, "Yeah, just a bit of a headache," though her response only had the Doctor frowning.
He wanted to tell her that she should have told him sooner, but with the revelation he just had, he wasn't sure how to do so without feeling like he was pushing her. Instead, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and told her, "If it gets any worse, let me know, okay," his worry not leaving him.
"I will," Aries promised, and the Doctor nodded, knowing it was the best he was gonna get.
"Do I get a last request?" 'Margret' questioned to no one in particular, and the Doctor had to hold back a sigh when Aries moved back around the console and closer to the others before following.
"Depends on what it is," the red head stated.
"I grew quite fond of my little human life. All those rituals. The brushing of the teeth, and the complicated way they cook things. There's a little restaurant just around the Bay. It became quite a favourite of mine," the alien explained.
"Is that what you want, a last meal?" the Doctor asked in disbelief, his suspicions towards the aliens' intentions growing by the second. He really wanted the Slitheen out of his ship and away from his Nesdra, and soon.
"Don't I have rights?" the Slitheen asked a little sharply, her eyes narrowing on the Time Lord.
Aries frowned, knowing that given how slippery the alien had been in the past, that there was a high chance that 'Margret' would try and escape the moment she thought it would be possible.
"Oh, like she's not going to try and escape," Jack cut in, unknowingly voicing Aries' thoughts.
"Except I can never escape the Doctor," 'Margret' paused for a moment, her gaze sliding to Aries, "Or the red head for that matter, so where's the danger?" she admitted before looking back to the Doctor when he once again stepped in front of Aries. "I wonder if you could do it? To sit with a creature you're about to kill and take supper. How strong is your stomach?"
"Strong enough," the Time Lord said simply.
Aries opened her mouth to say something, but let out a silent hiss instead as her face twisted in pain when her headache flared again and she ran her fingers over her temples, rather glad that the Doctor hadn't noticed. She didn't know why the headache was getting worse, but she didn't want to worry him. They had more than enough to deal with without her complaining about something as simple as a headache.
Jack frowned as he glanced at Aries, noticing her rubbing her temples, and he raised a questioning eyebrow the moment she noticed he was watching her, but her hands quickly fell back to her side and she averted gaze.
"I wonder," the Slitheen pondered, "I've seen you fight your enemies, now dine with them."
"You won't change my mind," the Doctor replied firmly. Not after what you tried to do to my Nesdra, he added mentally, his eyes narrowing on the disguised alien.
"Prove it," 'Margret' challenged.
Fighting the urge to look to his Nesdra, the Doctor continued, "There are people out there. If you slip away just for one second, they'll be in danger." He knew full well that he was more concerned with the Slitheen harming his Nesdra.
"Except I've got these," Jack's voice cut in and the pair looked to see him holding up two bangles, "You both wear one. If she moves more than ten feet away, she gets zapped by ten thousand volts."
The Slitheen swallowed heavily as she eyed the bangles that the Doctor took from Jack before he turned back to her with an unnerving smile. "Margret, would you like to come out to dinner?" he asked, "My treat."
Aries frowned at the trio, a spark of jealousy forming in her gut at the Time Lord's question. It only grew and she felt a small growl rumble in her chest that she managed to cover by clearing her throat as the Slitheen replied with a smile, "Dinner and bondage. Works for me."
The Doctor turned to his Nesdra with a raised eyebrow, having heard her clear her throat before blinking when he noticed she was glaring at 'Margret'. "I want you to stay here with Jack," he told her, gently moving her head so she wasn't looking at the Slitheen but himself.
"Doctor, I don-"
"You'll be safer here with him, Aries," he cut her off, fighting off the smile that wanted to appear at the thought of his Nesdra being jealous; knowing that she had no reason to be. And even if he wanted her to be at his side, he knew that she was safer away from the Slitheen. He was certain that 'Margret' would try something and he didn't want her getting hurt.
"He's right, Red," Jack cut in before Aries could argue, causing the red head to shoot him a glare. "And anyways, I need some help with the extrapolator," he added with a shrug, ignoring her expression. It would also give him the perfect opportunity to talk with her without the Doctor being there.
Aries frowned as she turned back to the Doctor, feeling outnumbered. She glanced to the Slitheen who was watching – waiting for them to come to a decision – before she finally relented. With a sigh, Aries agreed, "Fine." She looked back to the Time Lord, "Just be careful. I don't trust her," she added more quietly.
The Doctor grinned, "Aren't I always," he told her before his expression softened. "I'll be fine," he told her quietly, seeing the concern in her eyes, "And if you headache gets any worse, the TARDIS should be able to give you something for it. I'll be back soon."
Aries was about to say something, but was rendered speechless when the Doctor pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple. As he pulled away, he whispered in her ear, "And there's no need to be jealous," causing her eyes to widened. But before she could regain her senses, the Time Lord was already walking away.
Jack smirked at her expression before clearing his throat, causing Aries to jump, her face heating up when she noticed he was smirking at her.
"Anything I should know?" he asked innocently, though there was a knowing look in his eyes.
"I- I don't know what you're talking about," Aries stuttered, silently cursing herself for doing so before moving to help him with the extrapolator; willing the warmth she could feel in her cheeks to disappear and her heart to calm.
Jack didn't say anything, but the smirk didn't leave his face as he continued his work; every so often pausing to show Aries what she needed to do next.