This week for me is really busy, but since I already had this chapter written I thought I'd just go ahead and post it. Especially as this chapter picks up directly where the last left off. There is a bit more of a break between this and the next.

"What do you mean you don't know where we're going?" Donna shouted.

Wherever the Tardis was going, it didn't take long to get there. Soon after suddenly taking off with its usual violent movements the ship was still.

"Is it always like this?" Buffy asked Donna.

"Yeah."

"Doctor, can you take me home?" Buffy asked.

He ran his hand through his hair. "No." He looked upset as he fondled some of the controls and looked for some explanation of what happened. "I put in the coordinates, but she just went somewhere else. But where?"

"But why?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. Oh… unless… the singularity's point of origin propagating a transverse spherical wave propels objects in the time vortex adversely from their coordinates. Yes! That's it!"

"Huh?" was Buffy's response.

"It's like… waves on the ocean pushing a toy boat to shore. That portal you jumped onto has caused waves in time to push out in all directions making time travel to that time and destination impossible."

"So I can't go home?"

"I could take you close, but who knows how close in tine it will be. It could be months after you left, a year or two tops."

The frown on his face brightened into an eager grin as he ran to pick up his coat and bounce over to the door. "So while you're here why not make the most of it? So many planets out there, so many things to see. You're going to love this, Buffy. Not knowing where or when might be right out that door. Worlds of possibilities just a step away. Gaw! What a feeling!"

"Like swallowing a hamster," Donna said just loud enough for Buffy to hear as they followed him out of the Tardis.

Buffy wanted to protest, to demand he take her home. To hell with his ridiculous alien yet somehow very British explanations. But then again… what could one adventure away from Sunnyhell hurt?

She turned around to look at the Tardis. It was a small blue box with "police" written on it. A small box. Her chin practically hit the floor.

"It's bigger on the inside," the Doctor called over his shoulder. Buffy shut her mouth, decided to question it later, and jogged a few steps to catch up with Donna and the Doctor.

"Has this happened before?" Donna was asking the Doctor, undoubtedly about the Tardis going somewhere on its own.

"Yes… not long ago actually. And forever ago. But that was… well, I had this friend, and he… long story. Very him. Ended up at the end of the universe."

"So where are we? Not the end of the universe?" Donna had a hopeful tone.

"Nawh! This…" He spun around to absorb the surroundings. Connecting hallways that looked like enormous metal tubes held several levels of shop fronts and stalls. Catwalks overhead connected the upper level shops. All sorts of people and aliens were walking around from shop to shop. There was the faint sound of engines underneath the babble of voices. "This is a 63rd century space station. Retail class."

"63rd century?" Buffy had wide eyes. The shock then melted into glee. "Is this a mall from the future?"

"Not from," the Doctor said. "You're in your future now. And yes, basically I think you could call this a mall."

"The future thing takes a bit of getting used to," Donna said, but Buffy wasn't really listening.

"Oh! Shoes!" She started wandering towards the shoes, Donna quickly following.

The Doctor sighed, rolled his eyes, and pulled out his sonic screwdriver while looking for some sort of ATM.

HXHXHXHXHXHXHXHXHXHXH

After a few hours of shopping with Donna and the Doctor (safely stowing the purchases in the Tardis) the three went to lunch. But all the way there Buffy's slayer senses told her they were being watched. It continued as they left what seemed to be a café and walked around just to enjoy the place. When they rounded a corner, Buffy stopped and leaned against the wall to wait for the one following them. Using slayer strength and speed she grabbed the person just as the Doctor and Donna were turning around to see where she had gone.

In her hands was one of the ugliest things she had come across. It was no bigger than a small child but had sharp teeth, horridly sweet breath, a flattened nose, and a spotted head that split into three curling horn thingies. If she didn't remember that she was in the 63rd century on a space station galaxies away from earth then she would have thought it was a demon. It struggled against her, but she was easily able to hold it.

"Oi! Put that graske down!" the Doctor shouted as he and Donna made their way back to her.

"It was following us," Buffy said. "Is there any reason why I can't kill it?"

The Doctor moved his head back and forth as if considering it, but decided against that. "Graskes may not be the best of creatures, but you can't just go around grabbing people because they followed us."

"That's a change," Donna said.

"Oi!" the Doctor shot back. He turned back to Buffy. "Put him down, but don't let him go. What are you up to?" he asked the graske.

"Nothing. Just minding my business."

"Oh no, because a graske means trouble. What is it this time, eh?"

"But if it's trouble, can't I just kill it?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, it's Leela all over again. No!"

"No! Don't kill me," the graske said.

"Then tell me why you were following us?"

The graske twitched its head from side to side, looking around the area for an escape. But Buffy's grip only tightened further. He suddenly moved his arm. The Doctor was reaching for his sonic screwdriver, expecting to have to use it to pull the graske back from where it wanted to teleport to, but the button the graske pushed on his wrist strap wasn't a teleport. Nothing happened.

"What did you just do?" the Doctor demanded.

"Sir, you need and your friends need to come with us."

The three travellers turned. Behind them were four tall men in security uniforms. Buffy knew she could fight them off; they were men and not vampires after all. But men—security men—carried guns. That was an element she didn't like to tangle with—fangs, yes; guns, no. So she waited for the Doctor to make the first move.

"All right, but I'll want answers," the Doctor said giving a slight shrug of surrender.

Two of the guards led the way while the other two followed behind. They were quickly taken from the main walks through a door to the hidden inner hallways. Buffy tried using her slayer skills as best she could to remember how to get back out again, but there were so many twists and turns and identical looking halls that she was soon lost. Soon they came to a sort of waiting room lounge but didn't stop. They were taken straight through to the chief's office.

The automatic glass door whooshed opened just like the doors on Star Trek. Buffy got a glimpse of the name written on the door: Antonio Buonarroti.

The office looked like it could have been any millionaire's office in her own time. Very Donald Trump. Soft carpets, very geometric décor, and a large desk made of a very shiny wood. Behind the desk was a large chair, its back to them. Behind the chair were dozens of screens showing images of different locations around the space station. Buffy noticed that one of the screens was focused on the Tardis.

The chair turned and a good looking man with dark hair smiled at them.

"So you are the mysterious travellers from the blue box," he said. He was still smiling, a sly sort of smile that didn't reach the eyes.

"Yup," the Doctor said nonchalantly. "That's us."

"And all of you were in that box?" The man raised an eyebrow, smile still fixed in place.

"Yeah," the Doctor dragged out the word as if it were no big deal.

"Lucky."

"Well…" The Doctor's head seemed to incline towards Donna.

"Oi!" she said to him, but then turned her attention to the boss in the chair. "So, Mr. Buonarroti is it?"

"Please, call me Tony."

"Thank you, Tony. Could you tell us why you've brought us 'ere? Have we done something wrong?"

"No, not at all, beautiful lady. Nothing wrong. I was just terribly curious. That's a curious travelling box you've got to just appear out of thin air. I wanted to see just who had come aboard my space station and what their intentions were. But now I've seen that you were just enjoying the shopping. I'm sorry if the graske disturbed you. I hope you enjoyed your time here, but I think it's time you leave. I'll have my men here take you back to your box and see you on your way."

The Doctor smiled at Tony and nodded. Buffy noticed that both men were thinking many things that were left unsaid. For the first time in her life, she also kept her thoughts to herself and stayed silent as well.

As they turned to the door, the Doctor shot a pointed glance at Buffy with the slightest nod of his head. They let the guards start to walk them out, but a few corners later the Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and rendered the blasters useless while Buffy used her slayer speed to knock all the men unconscious.

"What's the sitch?" Buffy asked the Doctor in full slayer mode. He was holding his screwdriver over a computer screen on one of the hall walls.

Donna interrupted first. "That chap was a bit dodgy, wasn't he? All that smiling and everything."

"Exactly!" said the Doctor. "And he saw the Tardis. Normally the perception filter diverts people's attention from the Tardis; they don't really notice it's there."

"But he noticed!" Donna jumped in, happy to come to the conclusion.

"And that means he's quite the observer," the Doctor continued. "He's looking for things out of place, meaning…" He turned to Buffy.

"If he's looking that hard at other people he's trying to hide something. And the armed guard to escort us out… bit mafia isn't it?"

"You're brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed. Pulling out his glasses he scanned the files on the screen. "Antonio Buonarroti, member of the Buonarroti Syndicate."

"The what?" Donna asked.

"Intergalactic mobsters. And like any accomplished mobsters there is never any evidence linking their crimes back to them. Until now!" He concentrated the screwdriver once more on the screen for a few moments until the screen popped and sparked. Buffy could hear more guards approaching. "Allons-y!"

Then the running started. While Buffy hadn't kept track of the way through the back corridors, the Doctor and his brilliant alien brain had. They were soon back out in the greater mall section and walking briskly back to the Tardis. Once inside, the Doctor threw down his coat and took the screwdriver to the Tardis controls and started messing about with the buttons and levers.

"So what are you going to do, Doctor?" asked Donna. "You aren't going to blow up the whole space station?"

"Aren't we worried about the guards getting in through the doors?" Buffy asked.

The Doctor sniffed. "Nah, they don't have anything strong enough. And no, I won't be blowing up the space station." He smiled his I'm-a-genius smile. "While hacking into the files I found evidence of the Buonarroti's involvement in the exploitation and enslavement of a couple planets, so I just anonymously sent the information the police. You take down one part of a mob they just pop up somewhere else. This should allow them to arrest the entire group."

"There's space police too?" Buffy asked. But then she was smiling with the Doctor.

"Let them do the cleanup," Donna mused. "I like it."

"So ladies, where to next?"

Normally I'll try to post a chapter a week if I can get them written that fast. It all depends on my muses… and my homework. Reviews keep things going smoothly, so go ahead and hit that button right below and leave just a few words about what you think of the story.