"So, what's on the agenda for today?" I asked.
"Paris!" The Doctor cried and I laughed.
"Should we take bets on whether or not we're actually going to make it there?" I asked and he pouted at me.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean."
"How many times have you actively tried to take me to Paris?" I asked as I tapped my chin to think about it. "Although you are probably off the hook since we went there with Lillian."
"Well my motives have changed since then," he said. I quirked an eyebrow up at him in question. "Previously I was trying to take you to Paris to apologize, now I am taking you to Paris for a date."
"You charmer," I said as I smiled and bounced up to him to throw my arms around his shoulders and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Should I wear something nice?"
"The opera in the Parisian Opera house followed by New Year's Eve to ring in the new decade after World War One," he said.
"Do you think the TARDIS can find that green dress I wore before?" I asked because I knew that the matching shoes were in my room, but I'd dropped the dress off in the wardrobe for safer keeping. "Although that might not be opera worthy."
"Anything you wear will be opera worthy," he said, and I laughed.
"Now you're just trying to flatter me," I said.
"Judging by your face its working." He had a soft smile on his face as he tipped his head to nudge me gently. I smiled and fluttered my eyelashes innocently. "And I already spoke with the TARDIS so there should be an outfit for you in the bedroom."
"You're the best!" I gave him another peck on the cheek before scuttling off. I slipped the dress on without issue before I turned to the mirror and fiddled with my hair. I wished I had payed attention to what Lola had done with my hair last time because it had looked amazing, but I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to replicate it. I idly considered straightening it and then sweeping it up in an updo before just deciding to skip the straightening part. I came back to the console room with a mouthful of pins and several fistfuls of hair falling in front of my eyes.
"This was easier when my hair wasn't this long," I mumbled, and the Doctor laughed at my predicament before he reached over and moved my hair into position.
"You could have just left it down," he said as I started sliding pins in.
"Not historically accurate and leaving my hair down probably would have presented other problems," I said after we both lowered out hands and I gave my head a few testing shakes. He reached up to gently tug a small clump of hair out of a pin and twirled it around his finger before releasing it so that it framed my face.
"Next time could you leave it down? I think it would look beautiful flying behind you while you dance," He said as he cupped my cheek and smoothed his thumb over my cheekbone.
"Well for something like that I suppose I could be convinced." I flashed him a brilliant smile before I reached up to straighten his bowtie and smooth my hands down his lapels. "Is this your cursed tux?"
"I'm hoping to get some good karma into it," he said with a wry grin. I hummed as I leaned back to take in the full picture.
"I don't know about good karma, but you look really good in it," I said with a wink. He pulled me into a kiss.
"You look amazing," he said as we landed. I tilted my head towards the door.
"Paris?"
"Go take a look," he said. I bounced towards the doors, threw them open and stepped out with a dramatic arm flair before I started laughing.
"I would have won the bet," I called over my shoulder as I took in the tiny village that was decidedly not Paris.
"What?"
"WITCH!" The cry seemed to echo from everywhere and I jumped in alarm as three men stepped towards me with rifles out. I sighed deeply as I took in their Pilgrim style clothing and the man in the middle who I was guessing was a priest judging by the size of the bible he was holding. "A box appeared out of nowhere and a woman stepped out! It must be witchcraft!"
"Doctor I am going to kill you," I said as he stepped out of the TARDIS behind me and took in the scene.
"Emma what on Earth happened?" He asked as he smoothly stepped in front of me.
"I stepped out of the TARDIS and they took offence to that," I said sarcastically, and the priest gestured pointedly towards the Doctor.
"See the man she keeps in her thrall! Her unnatural speak and disobedience. And her clothes are of abnormal style!"
"Thrall?" The Doctor repeated incredulously.
"I think the clothes thing was a bit of a reach," I muttered, and the Doctor shifted to look at me over his shoulder. I shrugged before a shot rang out and we both ducked instinctively as a bullet buried into the TARDIS. I shared a terrified look with the Doctor as one of the men cocked their rifle again.
"Order your man to step away from you." The Doctor shook his head at me minutely, but I looked at the rifle pointed directly at the back of his head and nodded.
"Doctor please," I said as I reached up and wrapped my hand around his wrist. His jaw clenched before he stiffly stood up and moved away from me with great reluctance. The rifle men moved forward before they were stopped by the priest holding a hand in the air.
"Wait! Don't get too close lest she enthrall you as well!" He thrust the bible out towards me while crossing himself. "Swear to not enthrall us."
I placed my hand on top of the bible and considered making sizzling noises for a half second before I decided not to risk it.
"I swear to not enthrall you," I said as evenly and sincerely as I could manage. He nodded before jerking his head forward and I was surrounded by rifles.
"We will hold her in the basement of the church until tomorrow morning," he ordered, and I was led away without the opportunity to make eye contact with the Doctor. I made a mental note to have a serious word with the TARDIS about why we couldn't manage to make it to Paris despite all the Doctor's attempts.
I wasn't sure what I had been expecting from the church's basement, but when the priest opened the door to a glorified wine cellar it was decidedly not that. I raised an eyebrow up at the priest and he waved at me impatiently.
"Don't get many witches in these parts, do you?" I asked as I stepped through the door before I could really think about it. I spun on my heel with just enough time to see all the men cross themselves in tandem. I sighed just as a woman came down the stairs with a bundle in her arms. She flinched and crossed herself as soon as we made eye contact before she threw the bundle in my general direction without looking up from the floor.
"Should I ask?" I bent to pick up the bundle and realized that it was a plain nightgown. I held it up and raised an eyebrow up at the group clustered around the door. The priest made an awkward gesture.
"Remove your clothes so that we may inspect you for the Devil's Mark. Then you can put on something appropriate."
"Hell no," I said immediately even though I shouldn't have because all five of them flinched simultaneously. I squinted at them before I decided to play dirty. "I would hate to make a man of the cloth sin with lustful thoughts."
He went pale immediately and tried to stammer out an excuse, but I simply grinned at him with a tiny feral edge to my smile until all the men slammed the door in my face and locked it. I breathed out a sigh of relief once I heard them go up the stairs and settled down to sit on a nearby sack of flour.
I waited stubbornly in my dress for several hours until the cold was starting to get to me, and I threw the nightgown overtop of everything else I was wearing. Then I went sorting through the wine bottles to see if I could find one that had a long enough neck for me to use as a bludgeoning tool, not that I was planning on getting out, I was more concerned with people coming in. I had just found one when there was a scraping at the door, and I moved as quickly as I could to get into what would probably be the best position. I raised my hand up and brought it down as soon as the person stepped into the door frame, but they caught my wrist gently before I could brain them.
"You are getting more violent," the Doctor whispered as he lowered my hand while studying my face. "You okay?"
"Oh, I am just dandy. How the Hell did you get down here?" He pulled out the psychic paper and held it out to me. I looked at him in disbelief. "Really? Expert witch hunter?"
"I was pressed for time," he said as he tucked it away before pulling me into his arms. "I wish we had risked a strategic retreat to the TARDIS."
"I was still focusing on not getting shot again honestly," I said and rested my head on his shoulder. "Why do I get the feeling that you're about to tell me that you aren't here to spring me?"
"I wish I were. The townsfolk might be stupid enough to forget what my face looked like with a little psychic suggestion, but there's no way that trick would work with you. And they have a fourteen strong armed guard surrounding the TARDIS."
"You really owe me Paris after this nonsense," I muttered, and he laughed.
"I'll get us there or die trying."
"Well don't go tempting fate you fool," I said. "Do you have a plan?"
"Parts of a plan." Then his brow furrowed as he looked down at me. "Emma what happened to your clothes?"
I lifted the nightgown up so that he could see the dress underneath.
"I got cold. They were kind enough to leave me with my original clothes after I threatened the priest with one of the seven deadly sins," I said, and he groaned though there was pride flickering in his eyes.
"Not exactly helping your case."
"In my defence I told him that I would hate to cause him to have lustful thoughts." The pride grew in his eyes.
"Sounds like something you would say," he said as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"I'm taking that as a compliment." He chuckled and I decided to go for the hard question. "So, have they started building my funeral pyre yet?
"You aren't funny Emma." I shrugged. "And no, they haven't, they want to test you first."
"Ah the ever-popular drop them in a lake and see if the completely innocent woman drowns," I said lightly as I shook my head. "I should have know that these people would have no sense of panache."
"You still aren't funny. But yes." He paused to smooth a hand over my hair. "I'm hoping to do some sabotage, but just in case of worst-case scenario how long can you hold your breath?"
"You know I have to be honest I've never counted," I said dryly. "Still really enjoying that all our plans come down to hope by the way."
"Well if you have a better idea."
"How am I supposed to concoct a better idea in a root cellar?"