A/N: new chappie! enjoy!

Chapter 31: Thirty-one Grains of Salt

Olivia made her way through the train toward the kitchen. Her first thought was poison. If this had nothing to do with aliens, and it was just a hallucination, then maybe her food was poisoned. If she could figure out whether or not it was, then they could take their next step in the investigation. She dodged Captain Quell before reaching the door to the kitchen, pulling off her headband and gloves as she slipped through it when a waiter went through, not noticing her get through.

She ducked out of sight behind a rack of cook's jackets and rammed her things into one of the pockets before taking that coat and wrapping it around herself. She stepped out as she buttoned it and grabbed one of a chef's hat from a shelf and slapped it on her head. The disguise would have worked…if not for the fact that she was a woman in a kitchen full of men. She glanced around when everyone stopped and stared at her in absolute confusion before she thought quickly and grabbed a huge knife to use it while gesturing when she finally spoke.

"What are you buffoons looking at?!" she snapped in a French accent, making them all jump in fright. "Must I do everything myself in this kitchen?! Get back to work!"

She slammed the knife down on the cutting board on the counter next to her so hard that the tip of the knife stick in the wood and remained standing on its tip when she released it. The men all went bustling around without questioning her, making her give a sigh before she grabbed the knife and, with difficulty, yanked it out from the cutting board before stepping around the kitchen, inspecting what everyone was doing and deciding to mess with one of them when she tasted the soup he was making, saying it needed exactly thirty-one grains of salt in it. She took a bit of joy in the fear she'd instilled so quickly as she stepped up to another one of the cooks.

"Bonjour," she grinned, coming up next to him, making him jump and look to her in terror. "Ah, I know I frightened you with that display, but I just have a question about today's lunch."

"E-Everything went fine, ma'am," he sputtered, and she couldn't help but feel a bit of pride that he was afraid of her.

"Everything but one thing, no?" she began, making him frown in terror.

"M-Ma'am?"

"Mrs. Pitt's unfortunate demise. Now, my question is, was her food tampered with at all?

"No, ma'am!"

"Alright, it's alright. It was just a question—"

"What's that?" he cut in as the lights flickered, and he was looking past her.

"What?" she frowned in confusion and looked behind her before looking back at him, asking, "What do you see?"

"It's the mummy!" he shouted, backing away from her, but when everyone looked the same direction, they saw nothing.

He continued screaming, shouting and backing away, trying to put barriers between him and the invisible mummy. Olivia watched intently as his colleagues kept telling him there was nothing there, but he wouldn't listen. He grabbed a knife from one of the counters as he backed away toward the freezer, shouting that it was after him, that it was coming closer until he made it to the freezer and hurried inside. However, even inside he looked terrified when he looked beside him and backed up against the wall, screaming in agony before he passed out.

Olivia placed the knife in her hand down as everyone shouted that he wasn't moving, and grabbed the phone from the wall, yanking the chef's hat from her head.

"Get Captain Quell to the kitchen now!" she ordered before hanging up the phone and heading into a spot where she could hide and wait for Quell to show up with his guards.

She ripped off the coat and tossed that with the hat somewhere as Captain Quell and three of his guards marched into the kitchen to investigate. From her hiding spot she watched them pull the cook's body from the freezer and examine him as Quell lined up the witnesses to speak with them, getting their accounts of what they saw.

"It was a heart attack," Quell reported, obviously lying. "And if I hear anyone spreading rumors to the contrary, they'll be getting off at the next station, termination papers in hand. Are we clear?"

"Well, I'd say that's a bit harsh."

Olivia gasped and spun around to be met with Scotty watching the scene as well from behind her.

"Doctor, what are you doing here?!" she hissed.

"Investigating," he replied. "More importantly, what are you doing here?"

"I felt like a midnight snack, what do you think I'm doing here?" she retorted.

"It was your idea, wasn't it?" the Doctor shot back, making her frown. "That was why he egged me on to go investigating isn't it? You couldn't just leave well enough alone, could you?"

"I'll have you know it was his idea, and besides, we were trying to keep from ruining your time with Clara!"

His eyes widened at her in surprise before he blurted, "Oh."

She nodded before looking back to the scene as they cleared the body from the kitchen then grabbed his hand to pull him out of their hiding place once everyone was clear and they could sneak out without being seen. She pulled him out into the lounge car and composed herself before taking his arm and making it look like they were having a stroll, making him stare at her in wide-eyed shock.

"So what did you find out?" she asked as they walked toward a pair of empty seats to sit down for a moment.

"Well, I just had a lovely talk with Professor Moorhouse," he replied, sitting in front of her and leaning on the table between them, as she did. "Expert in alien mythology. We were talking about the Foretold. Heard of it?"

"I have," Olivia nodded. "Once it's seen by the victim they have about sixty-six seconds to live. Some have tried begging or bargaining for their life, thinking that could stop it, but rumor has it there's actually a word that will. No one's ever found out what the word is, though. It fits. So what's the plan?"

"Well, first of all, I've got a man working on getting everything we need to investigate," he replied. "Secondly, we need to get the captain to actually start investigating with us. Lastly, we need to find your boyfriend—"

"Husband," Olivia corrected, making him stare at her with wide eyes.

"Husband?" he echoed, and she nodded. "Well…that explains that ring you're wearing. Psychic spec allowing you to speak to each other telepathically?"

"Well, it's not just the ring that lets me do that," Olivia smirked, looking at her wedding band. "I have some telepathic abilities of my own. They were accelerated when I worked at Torchwood Cardiff, over the Rift. Not to mention Jack helped me hone my skills a bit better as well."

"Oh, Jack Harkness," he groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Captain Jack Harkness, Doctor," she smirked. "At least I know now that some things are the same in this world. What do we need to tell him?"

"Who?"

"My husband. Why do we need to find him?"

"To tell him what's going on so he can be of some use."

"I'm sure he's followed his own line of inquiry and come to the same conclusions we have. Not to mention, he was supposed to come and find me."

"Well, he ended up busy distracting Clara when he and I both left the room. He was keeping her from seeing that I'd gone. He's probably stuck with her."

Olivia frowned at him before glancing away from him, blurting out a hollow, "Oh."

The Doctor smirked and leaned forward to murmur, "Jealous?"

"No more than you, I'm sure," she shot back, glaring at him, and that seemed to shut him up before she recalled, something, "You still haven't told me—"

"We should go find Captain Quell," he cut in, standing and heading in the direction he saw Quell heading, making her sigh and roll her eyes before she stood and followed him.

Meanwhile...

Elvis growled as he smacked the Sonic on the heel of his hand before trying it on the wires of the panel. Clara and Maisie sat on a trunk against the wall, watching him work on the panel to get the door open.

"Does he know what he's doing?" Maisie wondered at Clara.

"I think so," Clara nodded, frowning in the Doctor's direction before looking back at her. "He is slightly more skilled than a high-heeled shoe."

"I heard that," he called, not looking from his work and making the girls laugh.

Maisie gave a tired sigh as she looked to the back of the car, wondering, "Do you ever wish bad things on people?"

"Oh, yeah," Clara nodded. "All the time."

"Right now I'd like to start with whoever designed this door," the Doctor growled in agreement, still working.

"She wasn't really my mum," Maisie confessed. "She just made me call her that. She was my gran. Do you know why I wanted to see her body?"

The Doctor stopped and slowly turned to lean back on the wall, folding his arms in front of him and watching the girls as Clara gave a wary guess.

"Because…you…loved her very much and were missing her?" Clara replied.

"You obviously never met her," Maisie laughed, sadly. "No…I just felt really guilty. Like I'd been picturing her dying for years. Like a daydream. Not really meaning it. At least, I don't think I did. But now…it just feels like I made this happen."

Clara instantly took Maisie's hand as the blonde began crying again as she looked up at her, the Doctor still watching them.

"Listen," Clara murmured to Maisie. "You didn't do anything wrong. Difficult people…they can make you feel all sorts of things, but you didn't do it. You didn't kill her. She just…died."

"Are you sure about that?" Maisie wondered, then looked to the back of the car again, now drawing everyone's attention in the same direction where a sarcophagus stood against the wall.

"Hello," the Doctor murmured in awe, shoving off the wall to head toward it. "How could I have missed this?"

"Is that…where the mummy came from?" Clara wondered as the Doctor used the Sonic on it.

"It does look like it could be," he muttered to himself, lowering the Sonic. "In any case, it's deadlocked, so there's no way of finding out right now. Clara, help me out with this panel, won't you?"

He turned and marched back toward the control panel, passing the girls again, and Clara patted Maisie's hand reassuringly before standing to head after the Doctor.

"What do you need me to do?" Clara asked him as he worked on the panel.

"Just stand there and look pretty," he replied, not looking at her as he began fiddling with the wires. "I work better when I multitask."

"You really are the Doctor, aren't you?" she muttered.

"Of course I am," he retorted. "But I'm not like the Doctor you know."

"Only in some respects."

"Oh, but he's far too grumpy. I'd like to think I'm a bit more laid back than that."

Clara gave a chuckle before asking, "Is Olivia really your wife?"

"Yes," he nodded before growling when his Sonic still didn't work and he tucked it away to fiddle with the wires. "Is that so surprising?"

"Not really," she admitted, then asked, "Has she seen you regenerate?"

"Yes. Twice now."

"And…was there ever a time when you two were apart?"

"Oh, yes. A few times, in the beginning. It was a bit complicated. As it is with me, I'm sure you know."

"Was it you leaving her or her leaving you?"

"Clara, if you're trying to justify to me why you're leaving my other self through reverse psychology, don't bother. If you're trying to justify it to yourself…then you might want to rethink the reason for your decision, unless you're dead set on it."

"Olivia told you."

"Of course she did. I'm her husband," the Doctor chuckled before looking to her and sighing as he released the wires to set his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye. "She only told me this was your last trip and she didn't want it ruined for you because of this mummy business. Well, I suppose that's failed. You're mixed up in it anyway. I had a point here. Oh! Right! The point is, whatever your reason is for stopping now is none of my business, and I'm sure it's the right decision. What you said to Maisie there about difficult people couldn't be more right. And this version of me seems far more difficult than I ever thought I was. Whatever it is, I don't blame you for calling it quits."

"Look, he's not—Well I'm mean, it's not as if we're never gonna see each other again," Clara replied. "We're friends, and he'll still come 'round. I mean…you would, right?"

"Well, of course I would," he replied, turning back to his work. "But you have to remember…I'm him, but I'm not."

Clara sighed and shook her head, folding her arms in front of her, muttering, "And just as confusing."

"Hush now, I'm trying to get this door open."

Meanwhile...

Olivia stumbled after Scotty as he marched through the halls of the train, her hand in his. His pace was so quick she barely kept up with him.

"Doctor, would you slow down and tell me where we're going?" she snapped, but when she noticed Quell and his guards cross their path ahead, realization dawned on her. "Ok, I see what you're onto now."

"Well, as long as you're not confused, Li—Olivia," he retorted.

She frowned at him when he corrected himself, wondering why he bothered when he'd called her that once before. She didn't have time to question him before they reached Captain Quell and came up behind him as he removed his hat, following his guards.

"I think we need to talk," the Doctor called to him, making Quell stop and turn to the two at the end of the hall.

"This matter does not concern the passengers," Quell dismissed and was about to walk away again.

"We're not passengers," the Doctor replied, pulling Olivia along as he stepped closer and held up the Psychic Paper with his free hand. "We're your worst nightmare."

"Mystery shoppers. Oh, great," Quell grumbled as he looked to the paper, and Olivia gave a small giggle before pursing her lips to keep herself silent.

"Really?" the Doctor frowned in confusion. "That's your worst—?"

"That's right, we're mystery shoppers," Olivia cut in, taking the Doctor's arm and nudging him to play along. "Tell him what we think so far."

"I could do with an extra pillow and we're very disappointed with you breakfast bar," the Doctor instantly began, glancing at Olivia a few times as he wondered why she was holding onto his arm before he added, "And…all of the dying."

Quell glanced over his shoulder at his guards before looking back to the pair in front of him.

"Come to my cabin and we can discuss that in private," he replied, turning to head down the hall, dismissing his guards.

They followed Quell toward his cabin, the Doctor glancing at Olivia as she held onto his arm the entire way. They said nothing else as Quell led them into his cabin and made his way around his desk to pull out a bottle of alcohol and three glasses.

"This is not exactly within your job description," Quell remarked as Olivia finally released the Doctor's arm to have a look around the cabin.

"Now where would we be if we all followed our job descriptions, Captain?" she smiled, charmingly before refusing the drink he offered, as did the Doctor.

"Good question. Glad you asked," the Doctor retorted, turning to Quell who was pouring himself a drink. "In your case, you'd be doing something instead of climbing inside a bottle."

"Being rude, Doctor," Olivia warned.

"I am? Good. I meant to be," he shot back.

"I've followed the procedure for accidental death to the letter," Quell defended.

"Yes, I'm sure you have," the Doctor agreed, mockingly. "I'm sure you do just enough of your job to avoid complaints."

Olivia sighed heavily as she bowed her head into her hand in exasperation at him, but said nothing. She could say something later. She had to let him do this his way since she was in his world.

"You don't know anything about me," Quell retorted.

"Wounded in battle. Honorable discharge. And this is just a guess: I think you had the fight knocked out of you. You expected this to be a cushy desk job where you could put your head down until you retired. Well, I'm sorry. As of today that dream is over."

"There is no evidence of any attack or other—"

"Let's just sit around and wait for the evidence while the bodies pile up. Or here's a crazy thought: We could do something to stop it."

Quell said nothing as he looked out the window, and Olivia looked to the Doctor, seeing his irritation at the captain's stubborn will.

"Why am I even talking to you?" the Doctor wondered in disgust, shaking his head and turning to march out of the cabin.

Olivia was about to say something but instead rushed out of the cabin after him, shutting the door behind her to find the Doctor waiting for her.

"Ignorant fool," he instantly blurted.

"Did you have to be so rude?" she demanded, making him look to her in wide-eyed shock. "You catch more flies with honey, ya know, Mr. Vinegar."

"If he's not going to listen then what's the point in being nice?" he shot back.

"You didn't even start out nice, you just went straight for the kill!"

"We don't have time for nice, Olivia. People are dropping like those flies you're so fond of."

"My God, you're immovable! No wonder Clara's had it with you!"

Olivia gasped at herself, slapping a hand over her mouth as her eyes went wide in terror and the Doctor stared back at her, blankly.

"D-Doctor I…I didn't mean—"

"Doctor."

They both looked down the hall to see a man in engineer's clothes with rolls of paper in his hands approaching them.

"Passenger manifests, plan of the train and a list of stops for the past six months," he explained, handing the papers over to the Doctor.

"Quick work, Perkins," he commended, then looked up at him warily. "Maybe too quick."

Perkins frowned in wonder before realization dawned on him and he played along, replying, "Yes, sir. I'm obviously the mummy. Or perhaps I was already looking into this?"

The Doctor resisted smirking at Perkins' humor before glancing at Olivia who'd remained silent throughout the exchange.

"Olivia, this is Perkins, Chief Engineer," the Doctor introduced. "Perkins, this is Olivia Felton, my…friend. She's being very quiet right now because she's feeling very guilty about something she'd said to me a moment ago."

"Doctor—"

"But we don't have time for that," he cut into Olivia's call as Perkins glanced between them in confusion, noticing Olivia's growing anger with each second. "Right now, we need to look these plans over. So, let's get on—"

"You are not going to dismiss me, Doctor!" Olivia snapped, drawing their wide-eyed gazes at her as she glared at him in rage. "If Perkins wasn't here right now I'd slap you for that. As it is, I might just do it anyway! I'm sorry I said it. I shouldn't have said it, but you have to admit that you're being insufferable, even for you, don't you think?!"

Olivia panted in rage as both men stared at her before the Doctor gave a full, toothy grin and took her hand with his free one to drag her after him back down the hall.

"That's my Liv," he murmured so only she could hear him, making her stare at him with stunned wide eyes. She would have said something if not for the fact that she was focusing on keeping up with him again as he called, "Come on, Perkins! Let's get to work."

A/N: reviews?