Buffy: The Space-Time Anomaly Slayer Chapter 6: The Grey Bride, a doctor who fanfic

Whew... this chapter was irritating to write. It's much grittier than the first five... as in there is kind of a tone change.

I would also like to note that I am fully aware that this Chapter is kind of rushed. It ended up being a lot longer than I wanted and would've been even longer if I hadn't just kind of shoved it together.

And if I accidentally name something after a real thing or something that's already been used... it wasn't intentional... I was just making up crap as I went along.

WARNINGS: DEATH. STRONG LANGUAGE. VIOLENCE. GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS. MILD SEXUAL REFERENCES

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Chapter Six: The Grey Bride

~0~0~0~

I quivered in fear as the Grey-skinned man twirled a strand of my red hair in fascination, his black painted teeth shining an inch away from my face as his blue lips peeled back into a disgusting grin. His breath reeked of rotting meat and wild onions and his bare grey chest was tattered and streaked with scars and warpaint.

The Grey male traced his free hand around my ear, down my jaw, caressing my neck with a single finger before it plucked at the collar of my shirt, just dipping down at the edge of my cleavage.

I had to press my lips together hard to keep from whimpering. With my back pressed against the rough bark of the tree, there was nowhere to run.

"Don't touch her!" The Doctor snarled. He sounded tough, but I didn't have to see him from around the Grey Man to know that he was in no position to help me, knocked to the ground beside the decapitated corpse with a spear at his throat.

"Pretty pretty girl," a woman voice cooed from somewhere to my left.

I turned my head slightly to see a middle aged woman peering over the shoulder of the male, sporting the same dark ratty hair, ragged clothing, and black smile as her male companion.

"I've never seen hair of that color," a voice echoed from somewhere on the other side of the man that had me pinned to the tree.

"Or skin so pale," the woman added. I bit my lip and screwed up my eyes as she reached out to stroke my cheek.

"A fine Chweepch she would make," the man murmured, his smile changing from malevolent to what he must have thought to be flirty.

"An outsider Chweepch?" The woman scoffed, irritation overcoming her curiosity. "Don't be ridiculous, Maheach. Outsiders have their purposes. Bonding is not one of them."

"That's not what Kahpreench thinks," the man, Maheach, retorted. He backed a few steps away from me and jerked his head at one of the other men in the group. "Take them."

I was grabbed roughly by my upper arms and half carried, half dragged deeper into the jungle. I heard the sounds of a struggle and craned my neck around to see the Doctor receiving similar treatment. Once upright, he walked, being tall enough to keep his feet on the ground. His eyes were fixed and cold; the seriousness etched into his face brought out by the trickle of blood that ran from his temple and down his cheek. His eyes met mine briefly and softened slightly.

"It'll be okay," he mouthed, though I was too far away to hear.

~0~0~0~

When I had woken up from my first night on the TARDIS, I had been refreshed and mentally prepared to deal with whatever questions, tests, or explanations that the Doctor had prepared for me.

I had eaten a bagel that I'd found in my apartment's small kitchen, showered, and tripped over one of the numerous plants that decorated the room. I even took a moment to marvel at the ceiling again, and noted that the sky seemed to change according to the stage of my sleep cycle. As in, evening stars were just starting to wink into a periwinkle sky when I had been getting dressed for bed and by the time I'd laid down I had been able to look up into an infinite expanse of stars. Then, when I woke up, the 'sun' was just starting to edge over the 'horizon' and by the time I left the room, the ceiling overhead was a deep, clear mid-morning blue.

But instead of acting like I thought he would and restarting our conversation from the night before, the Doctor had simply looked up from his place underneath the console, made a snide comment about how long I slept, and began pulling levers, sending me sprawling to the floor.

"Where are we going?" I gasped when I had gained a grip on the railing.

"There's something I need to check," he answered curtly, punctuating every other word with the push of a button or pull of a lever.

The TARDIS jolted and jerked about for another minute or two before landing with its trademark thud. The Doctor was immediately out the door. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if he wanted me to come too. Well... he'd left the door cracked.

I stumbled to the doors, still a bit dizzy from the ride, stuck my head outside, and was immediately blinded by bright light and hit by a wall of hot, humid air. I squinted against the light and waited for my eyes to adjust. After a moment, I was able to see the hot white sand, outlined on one side by an unrealistically turquoise sea and a thick, leafy jungle on the other.

I stepped out of the safety of the TARDIS and onto the sunny beach, already sweating. I wished that I had worn something lighter, having dressed in jeans, a long sleeve button up, and an army green jacket. Before I closed the TARDIS door, I shrugged off my jacket and threw it back inside carelessly.

The Doctor was already a ways down the beach by the time I caught up with him. His dark, leather-clad form stood out starkly against the snow white sand.

"Where are we?" I breathed, taken aback by the sheer beauty of the tropical shore.

"Irrodious Prime," he said simply, still gazing down the beach. "Third planet of the Solonc Sector. 'Bout a million light years from Earth."

"This is another planet?" I squeaked, gazing around at the scenery with newfound wonder.

"No. Kansas," he huffed sarcastically. "It's a spaceship. It goes to other planets."

I chose to ignore the snarky remark. I was on another planet. THIS WAS ANOTHER PLANET. What must've been an embarrassingly excited grin stretched across my face. My heart was about to beat right out of my chest because I WAS ON ANOTHER PLANET.

"Why're we here?" I inquired, far too caught up with the scenery to really care about the answer.

"Somethin' I want to check."

"Yeah, you already said that," I retorted, not taking my eyes off the endless horizon. "Check what?"

"You wouldn't understand," he shot back, starting to walk up the beach and toward the jungle.

"Probably not," I admitted as I skidded after him. "But I can try."

The Doctor froze, every muscle rigid like a dog on alert. "Shut up."

I immediately froze as well, knowing perfectly well that when the Doctor was serious, it was for good reason. I pressed my lips together tightly and tried to quiet my breathing, straining my ears and scouring the tree line for whatever had set off my six foot tall sniffer dog.

For a moment, there was only the sound of the ocean breeze gently stirring the jungle leaves. Then I heard it. Muffled shouts and screams. Breaking branches and footsteps.

The Doctor tensed up even further and I could see that he was about to take off toward the sounds. I braced myself as well, ready to follow. I did NOT want to be left alone on an alien planet; especially one where shit was going down.

There was no need. A half second later, figures broke through the trees. The Doctor reached out and dragged me behind him. From my place cowering behind his shoulder, I could see the figures were running, aliens, plainly terrified, and headed straight for us.

As they got closer, I could see that instead of the human variety of skin tones, they ranged from magenta to cotton candy pink. Other than that, they looked human; pink humans with long brown hair and slightly too-long arms. There were about ten in all, all wearing dark green uniforms similar to the jacket that I had abandoned in the TARDIS.

"Run!" One of the frontrunners, a lanky female, shouted at the Doctor and I.

"What is it?" The Doctor called back. But before she could answer, a red tipped spear came streaking out of the trees like a bolt of lightning, piercing the female's skull from the back, the tip peeking out from the center of her forehead.

As she crumpled to the ground, one of her companions, a burly male, let out a strangled cry of anguish and stopped to crouch over her body. He pulled at her for a second, trying to get her back to her feet but was stopped when another spear pierced his throat.

I watched in shock and horror as he crumpled beside his companion, gurgling as his lifeblood spurted from the hole in his throat.

The group was on top of us now. There surviving members streamed around us, skidding as their feet hit the sand. The Doctor hesitated for a moment, trying to see what they were running from. More figures were melting out of the trees. They were shaped much like the group that had just passed, but instead of green uniforms, they wore ragged bits of clothing, their bare skin dark grey and streaked with war paint. They carried spears and bows.

A spear thudded into the sand less that foot away from us, snapping the Doctor out of whatever thought process he was in.

"Run!" He ordered, shoving me back down the beach. "TARDIS!"

And we took off at a sprint. For once, I was glad of my new body; it was lean and quick, allowing me to keep pace with the Time Lord. Though, I was running faster than I usually might because I was fucking terrified.

Spears and arrows thudded on either side of us, scattering sand every which way. How far had we walked? We hadn't gone that far. But now the TARDIS seemed miles away, sitting innocently at the shoreline in the distance.

Suddenly, the group of pink aliens skidded to a stop and started stumbling over each other in panic. Up ahead, I could see what had spooked them. Another group of grey-skinned natives were flowing out of the trees and onto the beach from the other direction, cutting off their escape route and, consequently, our path to the TARDIS.

The pink group scattered as the natives swarmed around them, slaughtering the pink people mercilessly. A few pink aliens managed to slip away and darted back toward the Doctor and I.

"This way!" The Doctor growled, grabbing me by the arm and swinging me around bodily towards the treeline, where there was a gap in the assaulting aliens.

We sprinted into the trees, dodging spears and tripping over vines, followed by one of the pink aliens, who had been hit in the shoulder by an arrow. It didn't seem to be slowing him down though. He ran well enough despite the broken shaft protruding from his shoulder and blood soaked shirt.

I have no idea how long we ran, just that by the time the shouts and screams of the natives had started to fade and the Doctor started to slow, I was out of breath and aching.

The Doctor spun around and faced the pink alien, finally winded but in much better shape than I was.

"You," he snapped at the wounded alien. "What's happening? Who're you lot and why're you being chased?"

"I'm Chanclerig," the alien rattled off in response to the Doctor's militaristic tones. "Member of the Interstellar Anthropological Team."

"Anthropologists," the Doctor echoed, stepping forward to take a look at Chanclerig's shoulder. "Space Anthropologists. I'm the Doctor, by the way. An' that's Buffy."

I didn't bother to extend the greeting. Leaned over with my hands on my knees, I struggled to catch my breath. I really wish I had, though, because just as the Doctor reached out to tend to Chanclerig's shoulder, a rock blade slashed out from the bushes behind the Space Anthropologist, hitting him at the base of his neck.

A strangled scream ripped from my throat as Chanclerig's head slid off of his shoulders and rolled to the ground, his final expression of shock and fear plastered to his face forever, glassy eyes turned to the sky.

The Doctor, ever ready and fresh from a war zone, managed to knock the blade out of the Grey Native's hands. But before the Time Lord could make his next move another native sprung from the undergrowth, cracking the butt of his spear against the Doctor's head.

The Time Lord stumbled to the ground, dazed. I staggered backward, hand over my mouth. My mind was screaming at me to run, but my muscles wouldn't obey. One of the natives, Maheach, as I would learn, lunged, pinning me to a tree with his spear hovering menacingly over my heart.

~0~0~0~

I was struggling not to cry and beginning to hyperventilate as we got closer to the grey native's camp. Grey figures were poking out from the trees, close enough for me to get a good look at the crude bone piercings, elaborate skin paintings, tattoos, and startling green eyes.

One of the natives passed by me and my captors, carrying Chanclerig's head. A horrified squeak escaped my mouth when the native roughly shoved the head on a spike. I'll never forget the crunch it made; the sound of wood cracking bone as the dead alien's skull was mounted up beside others, some fresh and pink from today's attack; others rotting, dripping decayed flesh and maggots as they spoiled in the tropical sun.

I screwed my eyes closed and gagged. Chanclerig's head would look like that soon.

The spiked heads formed a barrier around the alien settlement; a kind of grotesque fence to frighten off any who may dare to enter. It was effective, though. If I had any choice in the matter, I wouldn't come anywhere near this place.

Beyond the rotting heads was a large clearing, easily twice the size of a football field, decorated with a variety of huts made from logs and dried jungle leaves. The smaller huts surrounded a much larger structure, the larger one being made of mud and clay so that it resembled an oddly spherical hill.

The Doctor and I were taken to what appeared to be a large wooden cage, where the few surviving members of the Anthropological team had already been stored.

The aliens that were escorting me opened the cage and shoved me in. One of the anthropologists, a magenta woman, caught me and held on as the Doctor was thrown in beside us.

I buried my face in her shoulder. I hadn't realized it before, but I was trembling. She tightened her grip and rubbed my back soothingly while the Doctor found his footing. I peeled myself away from the magenta woman and watched as the Doctor strode over to the cage door. He rattled it experimentally, gave up, and paced back over.

"All right?" He asked, his eyes roving over the rag tag group to finally settle on me.

"If you can call watching our friends die 'all right', then yeah. Amazing," a sour voice sliced through the hot air. "Peachy."

It belonged to a coral colored man with stormy grey eyes who looked as sour as he sounded. He shot a challenging look at the Doctor, who glared back unblinkingly with his piercing blue eyes.

"Wasn't talking to you," the Time Lord growled. Suddenly he switched moods, or masks, again and was overly cheerful. The Doctor clapped his hands. "Right then. I'm the Doctor an' that's Buffy. I think introductions are an order. Who wants to go first?"

There were four Anthropologists in the cage. The coral man, the self-appointed leader, introduced himself as Healrig. The magenta woman that had helped me was named Plumkig, and she introduced her friend Fealrig, who was almost purple. The other member of the party, a plump cotton candy colored man, shyly stated that his name was Glagig.

Over the next few minutes, we established that the Interstellar Anthropological Team, or IAT, was from Irodsor, a planet two star systems away. They had originally numbered twenty and had set up a cloaked camp in the trees when a storm had caused catastrophic systems failure, exposing them to the elements and the angry natives. The natives, known as the Irawachch, where a relatively undocumented tribe; but they were considered violent and unpredictable.

Several times during the discussion, I thought I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Shadows flickering in and out of view. Except when I turned to seek out the source, there was nothing there. Nerves, probably. I was completely freaked and bordering hysteria.

"... not to mention there have been some accounts of cannibalism when they encounter other tribes," Healrig finished with a weary smirk.

A slightly hysterical laugh bubbled up from my throat.

"It's not funny," Fealrig snapped.

"No, it's not," I admitted, feeling extremely lightheaded.

Much to my surprise, the Doctor reached out and rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"We're going to be fine," he soothed before returning his attention to the anthropologists. "Have you got a ship?"

"Not anymore," Plumkig responded. "It was what we built our base around. There's no way to get it airborne without repairs."

The Doctor nodded. "We've still got my ship, that little blue box on the beach. That's our ticket out."

"A wooden box?" Healrig sneered, curling his lip distastefully. "I saw that thing on the beach. It's four feet wide and doesn't have engines. What sort of ship doesn't have engines?"

"A fantastic one!" The Doctor retorted. "And if you haven't noticed, it's your only way off this planet at the moment. So unless you have anything helpful to say, shut it."

"That's enough," Plumkig interrupted sharply. "It doesn't matter what kind of ship it is, as long as it can get us out. Though we still have the problem of…"

"We're in a cage," Healrig sighed, "and the box is on the beach. See? Still hopeless."

"You're not helping." Plumkig growled and rubbed her face stressfully. "But he's got a point. A ship is no use if we can't get to it."

The Doctor walked back over to the cage door and tested it again. "It doesn't have any real sort of lock. They're using a pulley system to keep it closed." He spun around and scanned the top of the cage. "Up there." He pointed to a platform in the trees behind the cage. "That's where they're controllin' it. Wood system. So the sonic's no use."

"Exactly," Healrig snapped, "we're stuck, so if you'd like to get with the program…"

The Doctor bristled and opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the returning Irawachch. A large group of them swarmed over to the cage, adults and children alike, grinning and snapping excitedly, even going as far as reaching through the bars to snatch at our clothes. We all quickly clumped up in the center of the cage, just out of the Irawachch's reach.

I found myself squished in between the Doctor and Glagig, not that I was complaining. I would much rather be squished than groped by the Irawachch.

Suddenly the alien natives outside went silent. If I peered around the Doctor I could see the grey aliens parting to create a path to the cage door. Three terrifyingly impressive figures made their way to the front, led by a tall muscular male Irawachch.

Clearly the leader of the tribe, the large male was the most decorated. Beads, feathers, and even pieces of bone were braided into his dark, wiry hair. He was covered head to toe in tattoos and paint with only a few ragged pieces of cloth covering the areas I had no desire to see. Behind him was an ancient looking woman with a cane of leather and bone and an equally old man that had a beard to his knees.

"Bring them," the younger male instructed. "The three."

"What do you mean, the three?" The Doctor demanded. He must've known what they meant, though, because one of his hands curled around my upper arm.

Four armed guards with spears opened the cage, menacing us with the deadly tips while three other large Irawachch charged in to grab Plumkig, Fealrig, and me.

"Oi!" The Doctor snapped, trying to stand between us and the guards. "Don't…!"

He was pushed back roughly and forced to stand out of the way, a spear tip an inch away from his nose.

"Doctor!" I cried out as I struggled against the guard in blind panic. I kicked and fought, but was much smaller than the man half pushing, half carrying me away. "Doctor! Please!"

"It's alright, Buff. You're going to be fine," the Doctor called back.

The last thing I remembered was struggling to turn to look at the Time Lord. He was the Doctor. He could save us. But when I looked to him for reassurance, he was gazing out at me from the cage, his hands clasping the wooden bars with a frightened, helpless expression. Plumkig and Fealrig were struggling along side me, and together we were forced into the giant clay hut.

No, the last thing I remembered was the shadow figure, hanging around the edge of the hut.

~0~0~0~

Fire.

~0~0~0~

Mud.

~0~0~0~

Screaming.

~0~0~0~

Blood.

~0~0~0~

Smoke.

~0~0~0~

Flesh.

~0~0~0~

Death.

~0~0~0~

Everything was dark.

Why was it dark? Was something wrong with my eyes?

I turned my head to the side.

No. I could see the fires. The torches burning in the distance. My eyes were fine.

It was night.

How was it night?

It had been around noon.

There was pressure on my arms.

I was being carried.

Carried between two shadowy figures. Too dark. Can't tell who.

There was grass under my feet.

And mud.

What happened to my shoes?

Bare feet. No shoes. Oh well.

Carried where, exactly?

In front of me, I could just make out the grassy slope leading to the cage. It was so dark, the only light that was doing any good was the torchlight coming from the platform behind the cage.

The light illuminated the silhouette of a man. Standing at the cage door with his hands on his hips.

"Buffy?" The man called. I knew that voice. The Doctor. He sounded strange.

The cage door opened with a creak and I was shoved in. I staggered, uncertain how to stand without the aid of the two people. Suddenly, I found myself circled by two strong arms and got a faceful of leather.

"Buffy." The Doctor tipped my head back gently so I could see up into his face. I could just make out the blueish gleam of his eyes and the mole on his cheek in the faint light. "What happened?'

I blinked. Happened. Something had happened. There was a gap. I went into the hut and…

"I don't know," I answered blankly. There was nothing there. A gap filled with smoke and fire. Panic started bubbling up in my chest and my muscles seized with fear. "I can't remember…"

"It's alright. Doesn't matter," the Doctor said firmly, tightening his grip and tucking my head under his chin.

~0~0~0~

I woke up to a bright light. Someone was shaking my shoulder. I grumbled in protest and buried my head into my hands.

"Buff. Wake up," a familiar Northern accent accompanied the ceaseless shaking. "They brought food. It's not half bad."

Against my better judgement, I forced my eyes open. My head was pounding. With a groan, I pushed myself into a sitting position, the leather jacket that had been balled up under my head sticking to my cheek. I blearily looked over at the Time Lord, who was sitting beside me with his back against the bars, sipping at what appeared to be some kind of soup.

He passed me what looked like half of a blue coconut, eyeing his jacket warily. "Hope you didn't drool on it. I'm quite fond of that coat."

"I don't drool," I grumbled tiredly, staring into the alien coconut dully.

The Doctor cast me a doubtful glance. "If you say so. Eat up."

"What is it?" I mumbled, swishing around the chunky orange liquid with my finger while trying to discern through the fog in my brain if it was actually worth eating.

"A mix of the local fish and fruit," he answered meekly, taking another sip. "I scanned it, it's not toxic or anythin' too strange. Just tastes a bit funny."

I sniffed the fluid and chanced a sip, only to wrinkle my nose at the taste. Warm, sour, and savory. Definitely like fish. Salmon and sour strawberries. I was about to put it to the side, but then my stomach growled and I realized how hungry I was. The last meal I'd had was the bagel on the TARDIS, however long ago that was. I screwed up my face and tried another swallow. Disgusting.

When I had finished most of the lukewarm berry and fish smoothie, I glanced over at the Doctor, who had been unusually quiet, to discover that he was watching me eat with an unreadable expression.

"What?" I asked, the alien slop having cleared my head somewhat, and my sinuses.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, his voice strangely gentle. His eyes met mine, flickering over my face intently, like he was searching for something.

"Okay, I… I think." I was in one piece. Sore and stuck in a cage. But not currently dying.

"Sure?" He murmured, holding my gaze. "You don't look alright."

"Huh?" I tore my gaze away from the Time Lord and looked down at myself. My shoes were gone, like I had noticed the night before. My clothes were torn and tattered, but more or less in one piece. I looked like I had been put through a blender and then rolled through the mud. I reached up and tried to rub some of the dried mud from my forearms, which were exposed now, as my long sleeves had been torn off at the seams. "Oh."

The Doctor hummed in acknowledgement. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh…" I shook my head, trying to piece together the bits and pieces of memory. "The hut. We.. uh… went inside… and then the next thing I knew we were outside again. At night. When they brought me back here."

The Doctor nodded. "That's what you said last night, right before you passed out."

"I passed out?" Not exactly a surprise.

"Yep," the Doctor confirmed solemnly. "Spent the rest of the night kickin' about and crying out in your sleep." His voice was so soft, like a concerned parent trying to get a child to settle and open up. "Sure you don't remember anything?"

I shook my head in bewilderment. "No. Just… flashes." I did a jellyfish-like gesture to indicate flashing. "Fire… and… and… screaming…" A sense of dread washed over me. "What happened to the others? Plumkig… and… " ...names…

"Fealrig didn't come back," The Doctor said slowly, "and Plumkig…" He jerked his head to the other side of the cage.

I glanced over to see Glagig squatting beside Plumkig, trying to coax her to eat some of the same stuff the Doctor had given me. The pink man wasn't having much luck, though. The magenta anthropologist was curled up in a ball, her hands twisted up in her disheveled hair, eyes wild and empty, like she was looking at something terrible very far away.

"She was brought back before you," the Doctor said, answering my unasked question. "Hasn't spoken a word. Just sits there, staring." I turned back and met his gaze again. "Maybe it's best you don't remember."

I felt sick. "What could do something like that to a person?"

"Loads of things. I have a few ideas, though."

I furrowed my brow. "Like what?"

"Doesn't matter." The Doctor redirected his attention to some of the people outside the cage. I had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly what had happened, but didn't want to tell me. I elected not to press and followed the Doctor's gaze to the bustle of activity beyond our confinement.

The large Irawachch man, the chief, or leader, or whatever they called him, was having a morning stroll through the camp. If you could call it that. It was more like he was having a strut, based on the way he puffed himself up, flexed, and strode across the clearings between the houses like he was the most important alien in the universe. When he got within thirty yards of the cage, he started helping a few of the other tribe members move rocks and logs.

"What are they doing?" I asked, having just noticed the construction project.

"Building a platform. Looks like they're preparing for some sort of ceremony." The Doctor stretched up a bit, trying to get a better view. He snorted in amusement. "Looks like you've got an admirer."

"Huh?"

"Big bloke. Kahpreench, they call him. Healrig says he's the leader of the joint."

I returned my attention to the Irawachch man in question. Sure enough, Kahpreench kept glancing in my direction. I watched as he single handedly moved a large log and set it into place, but not before looking sideways to make sure I was watching. I sighed and rubbed my temples while the Doctor snickered.

"It's not funny," I groaned, swatting at the Time Lord. "Stop acting like it's a good thing."

The Doctor dodged my hand easily. "Actually, it's perfect. Get on the boss man's good side. That's our ticket out."

I looked at the Doctor in horror. "What?"

"You heard me. Me an' Glagig discussed it while you were asleep."

"You discussed it? Without me?" No. No way. I was not going to be responsible for everyone's lives. "I… I can't!"

"Why not?" The Doctor pressed, still grinning; plainly not seeing my terror.

"I'm… I'm…" My mouth opened and closed frantically, like a fish out of water as I tried to find a way to explain that I was terrified and horrible on the spot. If this was up to me, we were all going to die. "I'm not… qualified…"

The Time Lord gave me a look that was equal parts confusion and amusement. "Qualified? You're the most qualified person in this cage."

I did the gaspy fish thing again, trying to find an excuse. "How do… how do you even know that'd work? What if he's not actually that into me? What then?"

Glagig had given up on trying to feed Plumkig and had meandered over to where the Doctor and I sat. "Don't worry. He is."

I turned to him with a questioning look.

Glagig pointed to Kahpreench's head. "I've been studying their rituals. Look at his hair."

Sure enough, braided into the Irawachch chieftain's hair, right above his ear for all to see, was a streak of bright red. A lump formed in my throat. The way the red streak glinted in the sunlight was too natural looking to be paint. It was hair… and it was extremely obvious as to who's it was.

I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to figure out where he'd taken it from.

"Don't worry," Glagig offered, "it's not noticeable."

"It's a courtship ritual," Healrig cackled from his spot in the corner. "Suitors take a lock of hair from the person they want to bond with, so everyone else knows their intentions."

I groaned again and buried my face in my hands, dread washing over me. Then I looked back up. "Wait… courtship ritual?"

The Doctor nodded. "Exactly. You're in a position to earn trust. He wants to impress you. We can use that to our advantage."

Bile rose to the back of my throat and my heart fluttered fearfully. "This is a bad idea."

"Nah," the Doctor said with a grin. "You'll do fine."

"But do what, exactly?"

"He's probably going to stop by soon," Glagig offered. "So if you play your cards right, you might be able to get him to let us out."

"But play them how?"

"We don't know exactly how the courtship process goes," the Doctor explained, "so you're just gonna have to make it up as you go along. But whatever happens, we'll play along."

"Still a bad idea," I whined. I flopped back down against the bars of the cage in anxious defeat. Glagig ambled back over to where Plumkig still sat, not having moved once during the whole exchange. The Doctor sat back down beside me.

~0~0~0~

We sat in silence for a while, neither of us having anything to say, me drowning in nerves and him lost in thought. Eventually, movement caught my eye.

It was the same as it had been before; something shifting around in the corner of my vision. This time, however, I was able to direct my full attention to the shadow. Paralyzing fear prickled down my spine, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. Now that I was looking directly at it, I could tell that it wasn't a shadow at all. It wasn't really anything at all. Just a mass of… of something. Something that was clear and essentially invisible. I could sense it's presence more than I could see it. The only visual confirmation I had of its existence was that the air around it positively vibrated, like I was standing right next to a huge engine.

I watched it cross the cage silently, moving through the air like something would just below the surface of the water; light and air distorted around it like some weird, living photoshop error.

The Doctor, who hadn't been great at recognizing my fear before, made up for it now.

"What is it?" He asked urgently. He leaned forward so that he could see into my face, and turned to scour the place I couldn't tear my eyes away from. "What do you see?"

He couldn't see it.

"I… I don't know…"

The Doctor retrieved the sonic from his coat pocket. He scanned the cage and checked the readings.

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly feeling extremely nauseous.

He put the sonic away. "It's alright, Buff." The Time Lord reached out to turn my face towards him gently. "I know what you're seeing. It's alright, it can't hurt you."

"It was there…" I whispered, tears of fear and grief welling up in my eyes. "In the hut…"

"I know." The Doctor tenderly placed a finger in front of my lips. "Don't think about it. Clear your mind, we'll talk about it later. I'll explain when we're safe on the TARDIS. But until then, promise me you won't think about what happened, not yet, at least. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded and wiped the tears away quickly. It wouldn't be hard to not think about it. The memory that had floated to the surface was disjointed and vague. He was right; later. One scary thing at a time.

Thankfully (I guess), scary thing one chose that moment to make his move, forcing me to stop paying attention to scary thing two. Kahpreench strutted over to the cage, accompanied by two guards armed with spears.

Remembering the Doctor's request, I took a deep breath and steeled myself as the guards signalled for the cage to be opened. The others backed away to the far edges of the cage while I stepped forward, approaching my (sort of) fiance as confidently as I could (not that that was saying much), making sure I made no movements that suggested I was about to run or fight.

Kahpreench smiled eagerly as I came to stand in front of him, closer than I was comfortable with, but hey… who the hell cared about my comfort in this situation. I tried not to gag at the smell or cower at the alien's height. He must've been about seven feet tall, every inch of him muscular and painted.

I returned the smile despite the fact I felt like crying. "Hi."

He puffed out his chest. "Hello." His voice was low and booming. He must have a set hidden away under those rags.

I forced myself not to shudder at the thought. Hopefully I would never find out for sure.

"You wear my hair well," I cooed, hoping I was better at this than I thought.

"Anything that comes from your head is handsome," he returned with a smile.

Says the man wearing bones as ornament. PLEASE don't mean that in the 'I'm going to wear your eyeballs on a necklace' kind of way.

"Come, we have much to discuss," Kahpreench instructed, extending an arm for me to take.

I accepted. As we walked off towards the clay mound, I glanced back to my friends in the cage. The Doctor nodded, Healrig scowled, and Glagig gave me a smile and two thumbs up.

~0~0~0~

The inside of the mound was extremely familiar, like an extreme case of deja vu. The inside was dark and muddy, the only light coming from a circular hole in the ceiling, through which a decent amount of sunlight trickled through. In the center of the circular room was a stone platform, approximately ten feet tall, like a huge altar, directly under the hole in the roof.

I pushed away the memory of climbing the altar, gazing down at the cheering crowd below as the air buzzed and rippled all around me.

Around the edges of the room were several deep pools of water, reflecting the light from the ceiling on the walls in complex, living patterns.

Waiting for us inside was the old man and woman from yesterday. The old woman smiled in greeting as we approached. The man might've smiled too, but it was hard to tell what his mouth was doing behind his ridiculously long facial hair.

"Welcome, child. Sit, sit. Join us," the old woman instructed with a gummy smile.

Kahpreench and I took our places on the smooth stone base of the altar beside the elderly couple. The old woman reached out to pat my knee.

"Now, child," she began, her voice warm and friendly, "I trust you know why we are meeting…"

"Bonding," Kahpreench interupted. "I wish to make you my Chweepch."

The old woman shot him a glare. "Yes, bonding. You have been chosen over all the females of our chieftain's preferred. You displayed strength like none we've seen before in the trial."

"Is that what happened last night?" I asked, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice. "The trial?"

"Yes," Kahpreench responded bluntly, irking the old woman again. "So we would make a good pair, you and I. If you agree, you will become the queen of the Irawachch. The first outsider to rule the Blood Isles."

"We need fresh blood," the old man piped up in a husky voice. "Our children our born sick. The Royal Lines must remain strong. We must toss aside our purity in favor of strength."

"We are still pure," the old woman snapped. "The Spirits chose her. They want her as our next queen. The match is holy."

Spirits… that must be the distortions I had been sensing ever since we arrived. Not spirits, though. The Doctor said he knew what they were. Science that looked like magic.

"But first, you must agree to the ceremony," the woman continued, "and then we can prepare."

"Think about it…" Kahpreench urged, "all the world will be yours. The Irawachch are uncontested among the twenty tribes of the Isles. You will want for nothing…"

"Okay," I said simply, taking them all by surprise.

"You… wha…?"

"I'll do it."

"Excellent," Kahpreench leapt to his feet, his eyes glittering with success. "Iraminch, make sure she is prepared. I must go see to the ceremony. It will take place tonight, when the moon is at its highest."

"But… wait…" I called after my 'fiance', "If we are to… bond… we need to talk about… my culture… I need…"

"We will attend to your wants after the ceremony," Kahpreench replied curtly. "Your culture is irrelevant here." And with that, he was gone.

There would be time to convince him to do what I needed. No, I wasn't procrastinating. It would be okay. I was doing what I was supposed to. Everything was going to plan. I could convince him to let the others go later. Perhaps during the ceremony… or after. I shuddered at the idea of a wedding night. There would be plenty of time before that to convince him to let them go. Fear trickled back through my bones.

~0~0~0~

The next hour or so was spent bathing in the pools… or being bathed, much to my discomfort. The old woman, Iraminch, and a young female, spent ages scrubbing me with white sand and foul smelling 'soap'. Weird animal fat was spread over my skin and through my hair until it was perfectly sleek and shining. Great moisturizer, if you ignore the fact that it made me smell like lard and death.

Everything had been perfectly silent between the three of us, the sounds of the trickling water of the crystal clear pool and the scrubbing sand had been enough to allow me to push my nerves aside and even get a little bit sleepy. I might have fallen asleep, too, if it weren't for the screams that suddenly cut across the still air.

I very nearly jumped out of my skin. It was easily the worst sound I had ever heard, a thousand times worse that the roars of the Nestene or the cries of the Anthropologists as they were slaughtered on the beach. This was one person screaming.

They screamed.

And screamed.

For what seemed like forever.

Iraminch and the young girl didn't seem in the least bit concerned, only saying 'it's part of the ceremony' and that it 'wasn't anything to worry my head over'. I demanded to go outside and see, but they would only cluck their tongues and say that it was 'bad form' for a Chweepch to be seen in the first part of the ceremony, and that they would call the guards if I attempted to leave.

Iraminch must've felt bad, because she promised me that I could go outside after the bathing was complete.

So I sat.

And I waited.

The worst part was the cheering.

And how much louder it got when the screams stopped.

I wanted to vomit.

I knew that I should've run out anyway. Tried to see what was happening, maybe even stopped it.

But I didn't.

I was too scared.

Too scared of fucking up.

Because that's what I was, wasn't I? A fuck up.

So I just sat there, buck ass nude in a pool of holy water until I was told that I could go outside to investigate, on the condition that I would come straight back to finish preparations.

Iraminch dressed me in a long woolen robe and I went outside, knowing, deep in my gut, that I wasn't going to like what I found.

And I didn't.

~0~0~0~

I passed through the village pretty much unnoticed. The few people that did bowed deeply and stood out of the way. I saw the newly built platform before I saw the cage. My heart sunk and the vomit that I had been trying to keep down all day rose to the back of my throat again. The platform was covered in blood. Soaked with it. The once pale boards were now crimson and drying russet brown in the sun. I swallowed hard and pushed past it, not daring to take a second look.

I broke into a run at the sight of the cage, relieved to see a familiar dark shape sitting in the corner.

"Doctor!" I gasped, skidding to a stop just in time to keep myself from colliding with the bars. "What happened?"

He didn't look up, just kept staring straight ahead. The Time Lord looked old, every single one of his nine hundred odd years were traced on his face despite the fact that there were no new wrinkles or lines than there were when I'd seen him a few hours ago.

"Doctor?" I asked again, my heart sinking even further than I thought possible.

After a long moment, he responded.

"Glagig's dead," he said flatly, still not looking up at me. "They killed him."

"Wha… what?"

"Cut 'im to bits while he was still alive. Your future husband had a lot of fun." The Doctor finally turned his head. I blanched at the look on his face. It was the same look he had given me back in the alleyway, back when he thought I had watched the Time War for entertainment. All the pain and anger was there, except this time instead of raging hot, his fury was cold. "It never stops, does it? All the death. It never ends."

Tears started leaking down my face. "I… I'm sorry… I tried to talk to him… and… and ask him to… you know… but… he brushed me off and I didn't try harder because… because I thought…"

"Doesn't matter," the Doctor cut off my desperate attempt at an explanation. "You were right, it was a bad plan." He turned his head back to stare straight ahead, away from me, clearly indicating that he was done talking.

"I… I…" I looked around the cage. Plumkig was still in her spot against the cage wall, condition unchanged. Healrig sat in the corner opposite of the Doctor, head in his hands. "I'm going to fix this. I'm going to get us out of this. I promise."

I spun around and ran back towards the hut, not waiting for an answer. Someone had died because I couldn't do my damn job. Tears streamed down my face, this time out of pain and anger instead of fear. Someone had died, and I was to blame. I killed Glagig. My resolve steeled.

No one else was going to die today.

~0~0~0~

"What do you mean you won't go through with the ceremony?" Iraminch screached.

I was standing in the clay mound, my arms crossed and my mouth set in a firm line. Blissfully numb… that's the emotional state I was in.

"I mean it. I won't bond. I won't be your queen." I raised my chin determinedly. "Send Kahpreench. I wish to speak with him in private."

Iraminch stared at me for a moment, mouth gaping in shock at my sudden change in attitude. Then she nodded and scrambled out the mound entrance.

I tapped my foot while I waited. I was so tired… so emotionally exhausted that… I… couldn't feel anything. All I wanted was to go home. Only I didn't have a home anymore. No one would miss me if I failed, because if I failed… well… I had no intention of remaining a Savage's Queen. My hands were shaking, but my mind was made up. No one else was going to die because I was incompetent.

Kahpreench came bustling into the mound, angry and confused.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded, coming to tower over me. "I recall that just a few hours ago, you agreed to bond eagerly. What has changed?"

"I took time to reflect," I answered smoothly, my mask breaking up a bit under his angry gaze. "You see… in uh… my culture, a couple does not marry if one member is unhappy." Not entirely true, but close enough. "I'm unhappy."

"What does unhappiness have to do with bonding?" He raged. He tangled his fingers in his wiry hair. The streak of red flashed in the sunlight. He sighed and dragged his hands out of his hair and down his face, giving in. "Fine. Why are you unhappy?"

"I can't enjoy a ceremony when my friends sit locked up in a cage like… like.. Uh… common animals," I growled weakly, narrowing my eyes. "Free them. Let them enjoy the festivities."

Kahpreench looked horrified at the suggestion. "Outsiders? Among us?"

"In case you've forgotten, I'm an outsider," I snapped. "If the people are to accept an outsider queen, they should learn to deal with others." I had been rehearsing this conversation in my head for the past ten minutes. It was coming out a bit quick, but at least it seemed to be working.

"Do you realize how difficult it was to keep your friends alive?" Kahpreench snarled. "They all should have taken part of the ceremony's first phase, but I disagreed, so they live."

Nevermind. It wasn't working. Time to change tactics.

I pouted and came forward slowly to rest my palm on his bare chest.

"I understand your troubles," I said silkily, tracing the muscles in his chest slowly. "But the people will listen to a powerful leader." My hand drifted lower to trace his abs. He was built, I'd give him that. At least I had gone nose-blind to the stench. "And it would make me so happy if they were free."

I knew I was on the right track when I felt his abdominals stiffen.

I went a bit lower so that my hand was resting flat on his lower abdomen. I heard him gasp and saw his eyes dilate a bit. I smiled up at him sweetly and even went as far as nibbling at my lower lip.

God, I really had no shame, did I?

"Can you keep them safe please? For me?" I thought about going lower, but I found that my hand was frozen in place.

"Okay," Kahpreench murmured. "I want to make my future queen happy."

"Happiness has its payoffs," said lamely, thinking quickly as to what else I should try to get out of him. "You know what would make me even happier?"

"What?" He grunted.

"On the beach, there was this thing… a blue box…"

"The wooden hut that we could not enter. What about it?"

"Could you have it brought here for the ceremony? It's so pretty."

"I will have it brought here," he said immediately.

I smiled and stepped away. He let out a grunt of protest, but didn't try to make me continue. Instead, he nodded and started back out the mound.

"I will see to your requests," he called over his shoulder. "I will make you happy… and trust that later, you will make me happy as well."

As in fuck him after the wedding. Great. I went over and tried to wash off my hand in one of the pools. There wasn't anything on it, but I felt disgusting. Hopefully, the Doctor would be able to slip inside the TARDIS and get the rest of us out long before Kahpreench tried to call in on the 'happiness' I owed him.

~0~0~0~

It must've been sometime around midnight… whenever that was on this planet, and the ceremony had just begun. Well, it wasn't so much of a 'ceremony' as it was a party. A huge bonfire had been built in the center of the village, right in front of the clay mound. Kahpreench and a bunch of the other men were busy brawling around the fire, trying to throw each other into it. Everyone was laughing and dancing, save for me and my 'attendants.'

I made a strange figure, covered, literally, head to toe in thick, white clay. I mean LITERALLY. That stuff was caked on thick in places I didn't know clay could go. You couldn't even see my tattoo anymore, or the bruise that was still on my wrist. If I stood still too long, I was worried that I would harden and become a statue. Weeping Angels, here I come.

Other than the clay, which was just about thick enough to be considered clothing on its own, I had on a sorry excuse for a bikini. Made of dried vines that had been twisted into barely-there clothing, the outfit sort of covered everything that I wanted covered. I would NOT feel comfortable wearing this to the beach, with or without the clay.

I glanced over at the only other figures that weren't joining in on the festivities. The Doctor, Plumkig, and Healrig were sitting a ways away, just inside the shadow the mound was casting. They were under armed guard, but the Irawachch were becoming increasingly more interested in the party than they were about their charges. Not to mention that there was some kind of drink being passed around. I hadn't tried it, but I was certain that it was some kind of alcohol.

I knew it was alcohol because Kahpreench was completely wasted. The more he drank, the more raucous he became, and the more nervous I got.

I glanced at the Doctor again. He was staring across the clearing at the TARDIS, which was nestled in the shadows between a hut and the recently constructed platform. He was waiting, watching. I knew he wouldn't try to make a move until he was certain he would go unnoticed, but I really wished he would hurry up. My new 'husband' would be wanting a 'wedding night' before long.

The Doctor cast a glance in my direction and caught me staring. I must've looked frightened, because he gave me a small grin and mouthed 'nice outfit'.

I tried a smile back, which hard due to the solid quarter inch of clay on my face.

The smile was wiped away when a dark shadow loomed over me, blocking the light from the fire. Kahpreench grinned maliciously and dropped something at my feet. It landed with a sickening thud.

"For you, my Chweepch."

I had to bite back a scream. The object he had dropped was large, round, and cotton candy pink. Blood streaked down the cheeks, still oozing from the empty eye sockets and tongueless mouth. Glagigs head wobbled a bit on the uneven ground before settling, dirt sticking on the wet spots.

It was so hard not to cry out. Kahpreench wandered off chuckling while I glanced back over at the Doctor. It was hard to tell in the faint light, but I was sure he had gone extremely pale.

"It's okay," he mouthed.

I screwed my eyes shut, doing everything I could not to look at the severed head. I wouldn't open them again until after I had instructed one of the attendants to get rid of the offending object and I was sure that it was well out of sight.

When I opened my eyes again, the Doctor had moved. A quick glance told me that he had left his seat by Healrig, who seemed to be attempting to cover for the missing Time Lord by taking up as much space as possible. It seemed to be working, because I was the only one that noticed the dark figure creeping around the edges of the light to the other side of the gathering. He reached the box and groped around in his jacket for the key.

He shut the door and I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

Everything was so loud that no one even noticed the noise the TARDIS made when it dematerialised. Only a couple noticed when it rematerialized on top of Plumkig and Healrig, but their cries of shock were drowned out in the general chaos.

Everyone noticed when the machine started settling around me though. I could hear their shouts and see them running about in panic as the familiar console room edged into existence around me.

The room solidified and I inhaled deeply, relishing the scent of metal and singed wires.

I was sitting crossed legged on the TARDIS floor, dizzy and lightheaded. I leaned forward and buried my head in my hands, the clay on my fingers squishing unpleasantly into that on my face.

Footsteps vibrated the metal grating. The Doctor was talking to Healrig, probably explaining the ship to the aliens and promising to take them home. I couldn't really hear them, though. It was like I was listening to them from underwater. I didn't want to hear them. I just wanted to melt into the floor. The numbness I had forced myself into was wearing off, leaving me feeling raw and exposed.

"Buff?"

The pressure of the Doctor's hand on my shoulder, squishing into the clay, startled me back to my senses.

I whipped my head over to look up at him. He was standing over me, his expression soft and… and worried. "You alright?"

I immediately sprung to my feet. "Yeah of course." My voice was strangely high pitched. "Why wouldn't I be?"

The Time Lord didn't answer the question, just kept gazing at me with that same concerned look. I wanted him to stop. Tears were already threatening to spill. That expression was only making it worse.

"I'm taking Healrig and Plumkig back home," he said slowly. "Want to come out and see?"

Go outside? Go outside? I was never going outside again. Outside was where people cut off heads and gouged out eyes. Outside was where people stuck others in cages and jammed heads on spears. I was never leaving the TARDIS again. Maybe...if I asked nicely… the Doctor would take me back to my apartment in London. It was safe there. I wanted to be safe. I … I wanted…

I wanted to go home.

Despair washed over me. I couldn't go home. Not ever. I wouldn't sleep in my own bed again or play with my cats. I would never curl up on the couch and watch movies with my family ever again… or race my brothers through the woods to play in the creek. I wouldn't listen to my grandparents' stories or exchange presents on Christmas Eve. It was all gone. And I was stuck here. I would never be safe like that again.

"No… no…" I squeaked hurriedly. Tears were starting to leak out onto the clay. I stared at the ground, hoping the Doctor wouldn't notice. "I'm… umm… going to chizzle myself out before I dry…"

With that said, I made an escape, pushing past the concerned alien toward the corridor I knew would lead to my room.

"Okay," the Doctor agreed. I knew that he was watching me leave. "Sure you don't need any help?"

"Nope. I'm good." I tried hard to sound cheerful but failed miserably.

"Course. And Buff…"

I think he said something else, but I was already speed walking down the hall. Once I knew I was out of sight, I broke into a sprint. I didn't think about where I was going, but I somehow found myself in the musty hallway of bedrooms, leaving a tail of white footprints in my wake.

Just in time, too. No sooner than I had slammed my door closed, I collapsed on the floor in front of the door, and started to sob.

~0~0~0~

Responses to Comments:

That's BalderdashLol yeah it's like he's accepted her existence but still doesn't really know what to make of her :) Thanks for reviewing!

time-twilight : Guess you'll just have to find out :P Hope you enjoy!

scarlet rose white : Their relationship should start developing more soon. Hope you like it!

IAmMurphy'sLaw : OMG I cannot thank you enough! It's so freaking awesome to know that my story is going good. And yeah... the most editing I do is rea over it 2 or 3 times, so plenty of mistakes go unfixed. It is incredibly encouraging to hear that I'm writing something that stands out. Makes me want to keep writing! Hope you like this next chapter :D