Chapter 2: Heavy Hearts

Shock went through her system and she clutched her chest. Tess fell back. Something was going wild in hear head, images flashing madly, something roaring in her ears. Her sweaty palms came up to her head, her eyes screwed up tight and she gritted her teeth. The images became clearer and suddenly Tess was seeing creatures and events beyond her wildest dreams.

Then she was hearing screams. Terrible screams, pitched high and yells, orders, saying something in some language which she couldn't understand. She felt cold, as though she was lonely, completely alone. No one was there.

There was a large crack and something soared through the air, hitting the trapped time loop. There was a pause and everything around it seemed to freeze. It was as though the whole vent was being watched, pausing and fast forwarding before finally playing at normal speed. The man and his dog were released from the time loop, but still unaware of what had been going on.

Tess whipped round, her heart beating. It was drumming irregularly in her chest, as though there was 2 hearts racing. Unsure of what to do she placed a hand on her chest. She felt the familiar pump going on and on, as though being squeeze and released rapidly by some toddler. Then, her hand beginning to shake violently, she moved it to the side. There was a second beat.

Her eyes wide, she peered from the trees and at the blue box with its driver and passenger looking around worriedly. Nothing was making any sense. She felt weird. Her head was in practical agony and her vision was beginning to darken at the sides. Before she knew what was going to happen, she crashed onto the floor beside, loosing all consciousness before her head thudded at the ground.

The time loop had been undone. Now the man and his dog walked past, the man looking wildly at the Doctor and Rose, his eyes travelling over the blue police box and flicking back to the pair before turning away, a slimy grin plastered on his sweaty face.

The Doctor now was beginning to walk further away from the TARDIS, looking for some sign, some slither of hope. Rose too stood by him, looking around, not entirely sure of what she was supposed to be looking for. An alien with some jacked up time mess thing? But right now she was staring at the Doctor's back, glancing at his face when he turned this way and that and saw strain there, like that night after he had been regenerated. Pain, sharp pain, tearing at his hearts and creating such a look of worry on his face, such a worried expression that Rose had only seen when they were both or just her in danger. It scared her deep down. The Doctor was someone she learnt from, someone who would be there for her when things went wrong. But, the mighty lion seemed now to only be a small defenceless kitten, crying out to something.

The Doctor scanned every inch of surrounding of him and spotted the small band of trees that lay near by. It was worth a shot.

"Rose, stay here for a moment. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." He said, his arm outstretched behind him, his hand in the 'Stop' position. Rose did what she was told. This seemed to be important to the Doctor, she didn't want him getting upset. So she stood firmly where she was.

The trees looked foreboding. It was early evening in summer, but they still held great shadows in their bony fingered branches, giving the effect that they would swallow the Doctor whole if he stepped among them. But for all he cared, if one even creaked, he'd blast it. This wasn't really a time for him to be eaten. There wouldn't really be a time for him to be swallowed by a bunch of mossy trees. All that he had time for now was finding this Time Lord.

His two hearts raced as he stepped into the cool shadows, his eyes dark in the sudden shade. He looked round, checking slowly behind each tree trunk. He knew that he could scare most people. Hell, he'd scared the newly elected Prime Minister with just 6 words.

He heard the sound of something being dragged. He turned to his right, as though he was closing in on the noise. The sound waves led him away from the catches of sunlight and deeper into the bunch of trees. The Doctor admitted silently to himself. Trees can look small on the outside, but when you're around them and behind the first few trunks, they can behold a large area of space.

Shaking his admittance to the side, the Doctor inched toward the sound. He hid badly behind medium sized trunk of a tree, but he was unnoticed. Slowly he turned his head and peeked out from behind the tree.

Two great figures walked along, their footsteps like distant thunder as they thudded heavily on the ground. Their backs were high, their shoulders grazing on the high reaches of bark on the trees. Thin waves of hair lapped on the red skin of the creatures while a pair of heavily set horns curled from their skulls. The sound of their heavy breathing could be heard from where the Doctor hid. But he wasn't focusing on the horned beasts. He was looking at what they were dragging.

A girl. Young, and in pain. The Doctor could tell. Though she was obviously unconscious, her eyes were screwed up tight and a mark on her lip showed where she had bitten it. Her arms were the pulling implement for the creatures, tucked tight between the crooks of their muscled arms, while her legs were pulled behind.

The Doctor noted one thing. It was not the fact that the girl had a complete opposite style of clothes to Rose, nor was it the fact she had deep brown hair or the fact she was wearing a tatty pair of black Converse shoes. It was the fact that the tips of her fingers were glowing. Glowing a soft, gentle gold, which seemed to dim then brighten in a mesmerising pattern. This caused a sudden itching sensation in the Doctor's own hands and his eyes flicked to them. They looked fine; they certainly weren't looking like a pair of Fairy Lights. He turned them over so his palms now face the sky. Nothing. But, as the Doctor looking closer at his palms, he saw, what the human race supposed was his life line, was glowing slightly.

His eyes wide at this, the Doctor looked up. Only to be face to face with one of the creatures that had carried of the last of his race.

Do you ever get the dreaded feeling that you've repeated an ending twice on the very next chapter? Well, that's what I have done here. Also, be aware, if you a new reader of my fanfic's, that most of my chapters ends with cliffies. Oh what joy, some of you ar erthinking, and yes, I do understand that it is highly fustrating and annoying, but hell, that's the way I am. A pain in the rear.

Please do review my story, it helps me loads, not only becuase everytime I sign into my email accound it comes up with liek billions of emails and review alerts, but because your reviews mean alot to m and my overridden imagination.

So please R&R, say anything, but try not to flame me. Too badly at least.

Thanks, TheNextTitan