"We're just tourists!" the Doctor called out, "Doing a bit of sightseeing, you know?"
"A thief has been stealing royal and historical artifacts," the voice echoed, "you need to be searched."
The Police officers crowded round the group and began their search.
"I haven't stolen nothing!" Rose protested as one ran her hands over Rose's sleeves, checking for concealed items.
She glared at the officer. They looked much like ordinary Earth police, with black trousers and white shirts, but these police also had chrome visors, black wings and laser guns.
"Just be glad it's not a strip search!" Jack said.
"Don't get any ideas…" Amber muttered, holding her arms out as an officer searched her. "Hey watch it!" she snapped as the guard roughly brushed over her wound.
She staggered slightly backwards. Jack stepped sideways away from the officer searching him and caught her softly, standing her upright, much to Amber's gratitude and the annoyance of the officers.
"Hey we have an invalid here!" Jack said, "Show some of the courtesy you are supposed to be renowned for!"
"Yeah, what's this about hey?" the Doctor asked, "I know you lot – you have the lowest crime rating in the galaxy! Zero percent for the last four hundred years!"
"Which would explain why they're suspicious of tourists…" Amber said dryly as the officer continued to search her, albeit a little more carefully.
The Doctor was having all his pockets routed through by one very thorough officer, who was pulling out impossible amounts of junk from within the confines of the Doctor's leather jacket. Among other things they found a half eaten packet of biscuits, a TV remote, a fancy light-up yoyo and, of course, his Sonic Screwdriver.
"What is this device?" the officer demanded.
"It's a Sonic Screwdriver," the Doctor said, "and it's mine!"
The officer examined it, then handed it back.
"What, done searching already?" Jack asked the pretty young female officer checking him for hidden, "Shame, I was just starting to enjoy myself."
The officer looked up at him warily through her visor.
"Hit him if it makes you feel any better, I do it all the time," Amber said.
The company were marched through the streets of Corfeil towards the center of the city, flanked at all times by large numbers of Police. Their searching hadn't pulled up and missing artifacts, but the Corfeil Police weren't taking any chances.
"Some holiday this is turning out to be," Rose said, "Why is it, that wherever we go we get in some kind of mess? All I want it a little bit of sun, sea and sand!"
"Thought you loved this place?" the Doctor asked a little defensively, "And besides, this is all just a misunderstanding – I'm sure as soon as we speak to someone of higher authority we will be found innocent and set free to do as we will."
"Who's higher authority?" Rose asked.
"Royalty of course!" the Doctor said, gesturing towards a grand palace that they had arrived at the gate of.
"Woah," Jack said looking at the grand building.
"What, now you see the beauty in architecture as well?" Rose asked, "Do you have no boundaries?"
"At least if he tries to chat up a building the only person he risks embarrassing is himself…" Amber said dryly.
"Hey, what's with the whole 'pick on Jack' thing?" Jack asked, folding his arms impatiently.
"You're just such an easy target!" the Doctor said.
The Police marched everyone down the sweeping driveway of the palace, through a grand archway and into an enormous entrance hall. The corridors were four times as wide as the average human corridor, and the high ceilings were painted with elaborate masterpieces, depicting scenes from history, myth and legend.
"The buildings have to be large," the Doctor said to Rose quietly, still intent on educating her despite the police presence, "so the Sertian's wings don't get in the way."
"It's beautiful," Rose breathed, looking up at the artwork all over the walls.
"Would be better without the armed guard…" Amber said.
"Well, you can't have everything," Jack said.
Rose, the Doctor and Amber all stopped, turned round and looked at him oddly.
"Since when have you taken that outlook on life?" Rose asked with a grin, though she felt she already knew the answer.
"Why, since the Doctor turned down my offer for a drink, of course…" Jack said with a wide cheesy grin.
"Keep walking!" an officer demanded curtly. They seemed to have left the echoing voice behind when they left the central square so the officer at the front had taken over, barking orders whenever he deemed it appropriate.
"Sorry!" Rose said, "Are you sure you didn't land in the wrong place Doctor?"
"Yes," the Doctor said.
"Oh yes, I forgot, Mr 'my history's perfect therefore time itself must be wrong', you never get anything wrong, do you?"
"Nope!" the Doctor replied with a cheeky grin. Rose punched his arm affectionately and took his hand again. It wasn't quite as exciting as when they were running for their lives, but the touch of his skin always caused her heart to beat a little faster.
"What's going on?" a drawling voice asked.
The Doctor and Rose looked up to see a stately middle aged man with sweeping creamy wings walking down some steps towards them. He was dressed in fine clothes, a priest like robe that trailed to the floor, golden in colour with ornamental decorations. He had an air of superiority and majestic calm that made the Doctor look like a manic idiot.
"Sir, we apprehended these tourists in the central square, they have been searched and no missing artefacts were uncovered, but we thought it would be best to bring them to you for questioning," the police officer in charge said, saluting.
"Very good, take them to the holding cells, I will question them when I get round to it," the man drawled.
"Excuse me, but whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?" the Doctor asked, "you can't just throw us in some cell!"
"I'm in charge around here, I will do as I like," the man said. He wasn't angry or petulant, just calm and forceful.
"You're not in charge!" a female voice said from the top of the stairs.
A younger girl with brilliant white wings that were almost blinding ran down towards them.
"Hi!" she said cheerily, addressing everyone.
"My dear, until you are of age, I am the ruling authority in this palace," the man said wearily, "Not a burden I expected to be bearing, but one I will do my best at, now until this thief is caught, it is important that all tourists are kept under close observation."
"Then I shall observe them!" the girl said, "come on, let's get you away from all the police! I'm Lola, nice to meet you all!"
"Is there a tempo control somewhere in your brain?" Amber asked. Lola spoke very fast.
"Do not speak to the Princess with such…" the man began, but Lola interrupted him.
"Somewhere, I just have trouble locating it! Come! I will find you some nice rooms in the palace to make up for this inconvenience."
"I'm so sorry about all that," Lola said as soon as they were away from the crowd of police, "my Uncle is very disappointed that the city is being troubled by a thief during his reign as Steward. I mean, I can't blame him really – it's been like four hundred years and no crime, and now, just as he is in the last few years of his reign before I take over, we get all this trouble, loads of artefacts missing, and no sign of the so called 'Twilight Thief'."
"The Twilight Thief?" the Doctor asked.
"How twee," Amber said.
"Yes, the Twilight Thief, named because they only strike during the fading light."
"Why?" Rose asked.
"Why not?" Lola replied, "Anyway, enough talk about our silly little problems, that's not what you want to hear when you are on holiday. I'll find you some nice rooms then you can go out wherever you like. I'll have to come with you because I told my Uncle I would observe you, but I wont get in your way. Or, I could just lie, I suppose, I don't think you are thieves, are you thieves?"
"No, we are a Con Man, Time Lord, Shop Assistant and Assassin," Amber said.
"Shop Assistant is so not a glamorous title," Rose complained.
"You can be the Glamorous Assistant then," The Doctor said.
"That's better," Rose said.
"So, what can I do for you guys? Anything you want? Anything I can get you? You know, the cooks here do some excellent food from all over the universe, I'll get them to make you a buffet lunch. What planet are you from? I'll have them cook you a delicacy. Unless you want to try something local – we have some really excellent dishes…" Lola garbled.
"Do you ever shut up?" Jack asked.
"No, not really," Lola said with a shrug.
"I feel a bit dizzy…" Amber said, squinting her eyes as if she couldn't quite focus.
She breathed slowly for a second, trying to regain her composure and focus. She thought she was going to be ok, then it hit her – what felt like a punch in the side of the head, followed by the room spinning violently round and out of focus.
"Perhaps you weren't as better as you liked to claim," the Doctor said as both he and Jack grabbed her by an arm and helped her stand upright.
"I think it's a result of all the harassment…" Amber said, grimacing slightly as she put a hand to her head."
"Oh, it's never your fault…" Jack said with a grin.
"I would think it was Damia's fault for stabbing me through the stomach with a shard of glass," Amber said.
"You're injured?" Lola asked, "Well, come this way! I'll have the palace doctors take the best care of you – they will have back on your feet in no time at all. All free of charge of course, no fees for tourists here."
"There is only one doctor I'm letting anywhere near me!" Amber snapped defensively.
"Flattering as that is, my dear, I think Lola is right – you need to see a professional, and as I'm sure Rose and Jack would tell you, I'm far from professional," the Doctor said.
Begrudgingly, Amber admitted defeat.
"You know, maybe this isn't so bad after all," Rose said as she stuffed her face on all the delicacies the palace chefs could provide.
"The way to your heart is through your stomach!" The Doctor said with a grin, "One bag of chips and your bought for life!"
Rose threw a chip at him.
"You have to do more than that to win my heart," she said, "You have to be someone really special."
"What, like Mickey?" the Doctor teased, ducking below the table as Rose pelted him with chips.
"Stop being mean!" she said with a giggle.
"But I'm so good at it," the Doctor replied.
"Now I know why your ears are so big," Rose said, "It's to keep that enormous head of yours in balance."
"Now that's just mean!" the Doctor said, holding his ears self-consciously.
"But I'm so good at it…" Rose said.
"Right, your turn for chips!" the Doctor said with a huge grin, throwing a whole plate over her head.
"You know, that little comment about the Doctor could be taken in many ways…" Jack said to Amber, sitting beside her hospital bed, leaning against it.
"I merely meant I trust him," Amber said placidly as the pink winged nurses used a variety of holistic medicines to heal the wound on her stomach and ease her dizziness.
"Good, because he's so hung up on Rose not even someone as gorgeous as you would stand a chance," Jack said.
"I'm not blind, Jack," Amber said with a smile, "I've noticed the puppy-dog eyes…"
"Any chance of puppy-dog eyes coming in my direction anytime soon?"
"You might get lucky with one of the nurses," Amber said.
"You know, that wasn't what I meant," Jack said seriously, "for once," he added, with a less serious grin.
Don't get ideas above your station," Amber said, but like Rose so often did with the Doctor, she pushed him almost affectionately with the beginnings of a smile on her face. Jack was surprised to find this small gesture meant much more to him than the suggestive eyes one of the nurses was giving him.
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