Nomad Chapter 2, a doctor who fanfic

And more and more...finally getting closer to the more exciting bits, where Fayden thaws out a bit.

- Three Years Later -

'Screw men.' Fayden grumbled into her palm as she scrubbed her face with her fingernails, in a seemingly hopeless attempt at making herself look cleaner than she really was. It was hard to feel clean after spending two nights in a row sleeping in the street on top of a trunk. Especially if, during one of those nights, it started raining and she'd had to stay awake, keeping the rain from soaking through her trunk by covering it with her own body. That was the first time she'd started to wonder, if maybe her quest to reclaim her old home had morphed into full-on obsession.

The prevailing thought on her mind at the moment though was that she was terribly hungry. It had been three days now since Aldon Blue had left the planet Mareshka, leaving his girlfriend with the rent unpaid. He'd also robbed her blind, aside from the clothes she was wearing, a busted old gun, and her deadlocked trunk. He'd even nicked a few gold coins she'd had hanging from her dreads while she slept. With no credits, no home, and nothing she was willing to sell, Fayden feared she may have, in fact, gotten herself into a jam.

Not that it was completely her fault, she mused, rising from the city street and glancing about. For all anyone could see, Harry Blue's oldest son Aldon had seemed a perfectly respectable fellow, considering. This just helped prove her theory, that even nice people moved on when they couldn't use you anymore. That was fine with her, she did the same thing, didn't she? Leaving behind Ananda and the friends she'd had there, when she'd robbed everyone on her list? Besides, Aldon had snored like a beast.

Tucking her trunk behind some waste bins, Fayden set out for the more populated market streets. She'd find a food stall, steal some breakfast, and then see about formulating a more long-term plan. Stepping out into the morning crowd she had to marvel, as she had every day since coming to this temperate planet, at how much better everyone smelled on such populated worlds. Sure there was a lot more pollution, but people actually bathed on a daily basis! Water wasn't exactly readily available on desert worlds, and not many people there could afford sonic cleaners. It was nice not to be surrounded by the constant perfume of BO, but then, it did make Fayden stand out, even in the diverse market crowd. She looked like the homeless bum she was.

"Well, can't help that," Fayden mumbled to herself, refusing to let her dignity take any hits. Not even here, at the end of her rope. She walked with her head up, her eyes sharp, and her empty stomach screaming.

"You were brilliant!"

'Of course I was! No help from you, mind." Rose Tyler, dressed vaguely like a native in a red-and-gold sari-type thing, was practically skipping through the galactic market. Walking just slightly behind her, The Doctor was, for once, without a come-back.

"Well, now, I did do the….with the thing…and then the…yes, well." He cleared his throat, "Really didn't do much of anything, did I?"

"I'm sure you would have done plenty," Rose grinned back at him, "If you hadn't been locked in the cellar."

"Still, you're gloating…" The Doctor paused, side-stepping a rather large alien with vastly protruding blue shoulder-horns, "…over what essentially equates to fetching a kitten out of a tree."

Rose's eyebrows raised in disbelief, with a touch of amusement also crossing her face, "Kitten, tree, riiight," She nodded slowly, "If the kitten were a small child and the tree were a room full of cannibalistic cult members. Yup, sounds right." She paused by a stall that was selling various gadgetry, none of which looked any kind of familiar.

"Oh fine, you win," The Doctor sighed dramatically, nudging her with his shoulder. Rose smiled up at him, "Defender of the innocent and almost-eaten."

"That's me," Rose murmured, pulling a credit stick from a hidden pocket of her robe and inspecting it ruefully, "Still not sure what I'll do with the rest of my reward, though." She'd already spent a miniscule portion of it on a gift for her mother, after all, what else was there?

"I'd say you've got enough to buy yourself a house and a small shuttle with that," The Doctor informed her with a grin, and Rose just laughed.

"Yeah, I guess," She nodded, putting the credit stick away, "But it would only work here, now, 51st century, yeah?" He nodded, and Rose shrugged, "Why would I want any of that? The TARDIS has everything I'll ever need in it, in any century." She smiled brightly up at him, and The Doctor was without a voice for a moment or two.

"Still," That came out an octave higher than normal. He cleared his throat, and then turned to another nearby stall, "Would be a shame to let the Widow Florg's gratitude go to waste, eh? Buy yourself something pretty…maybe a few more presents…" He tagged on innocently, glancing back at the stall full of fun, weird, extremely intriguing gadgetry. Rose just laughed, and started looking through some jewelry. Not that she'd ever been much of a jewelry person, at least not the expensive kind, but the stuff on some planets was just so different. She found a ring with a stone that glowed blue when she put it on, and immediately thought of her girlfriend Shareen. They hadn't spoken in a while, for obvious reasons, maybe a little gift would help patch up the strain being away had put on the friendship, Rose thought. It was expensive, but she could more than afford it now.

Something else caught her eye then, in the same stall. "Sea glass!" She exclaimed, plucking up a bracelet made out of sea glass beads. Noting the look of disbelief on her face, The Doctor chuckled,

"All this time you've been with me," He mused, "And you're still surprised that they've got oceans on other planets?"

"It's not that," Rose rolled her eyes. "It's like," She paused, licking her lips and gathering her thoughts, "It's one thing to see other places, to see things like…other oceans, other constellations, and the people there always live so differently than they do back home," She looked at the bracelet again, grinning at the way the light shone through the different colors, "But then I'll see something like this! I mean, sea glass! Mickey'n me used to comb all those dirty beaches back home when we were kids, looking for shells and sea glass. Bits of beauty in all the filth. Three thousand years later, and we're still doing it!"

"My enthusiasm for the human race is clearly catching." The Doctor fixed her with an affectionate grin, as she paid for her purchases. He looked so at ease and so pleased, you wouldn't guess that he was indeed very aware of someone watching them from across the market square.

They were walking through the crowd again, The Doctor suggesting that they take in some of the local cuisine (this was a crossroads for over 300 worlds, there were food combinations at that market you wouldn't be able to find anywhere or any-when else), when Rose felt someone brush against her arm. She would have thought nothing of it, they were in a moving crowd after all, were it not for the fact that The Doctor abruptly stopped talking, and almost before Rose could blink he was three steps ahead of her, grabbing that someone by the arm.

"Bit old to be picking pockets?" He glared at the girl in front of them, which, Rose thought, had to take an inordinate amount of balls. The girl was about as tall as The Doctor, with a glare and a mane of knots that made her look like an Amazon. Or like she'd just left Soho. But upon second glance she also looked sickly-skinny, and was swaying on her feet.

"I don't know what…" She started, but The Doctor stopped her, pulling the bracelet Rose had just bought out of the girl's sleeve and dangling it in front of her face. The girl shut her eyes, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I just…I'm starving here, okay, and…"

"What I don't get," The Doctor went on conversationally, so as not to draw attention from the crowd, while still keeping a firm grip on her arm, "Is I watched Rose here tuck away that jewelry, and know for a fact that you did as well, and that in her same pocket is a credit stick with oh, about 2 million on it. And hey, if you missed that, there's always the ring she just paid 3 hundred credits for…" The girl closed her mouth tightly, her expression becoming very guarded, "You're either a very stupid pickpocket, or very good at picking out exactly what you want." He handed the bracelet back to Rose, who noticed the hungry look that passed over the girl's face. There wasn't anything alien or malicious about it, either. Rose could read her expression perfectly.

"This…" She said slowly, holding out the shining sea glass. "This is yours?" The Doctor frowned. He was thinking more along the lines of her really being a tentacle-d entity from Sarlaac displaced and in human disguise, as they got their nutrition mainly from the glassy deposits in their ocean caves, but as per usual, Rose was coming from the human angle.

"It's…" Fayden shut her eyes, sighing. "I am sorry, it was very stupid of me, it's just," She opened her eyes, and once again that longing expression was there, "It was made on my home planet, and there's not much left, and…"

It clicked for The Doctor then, and he let her go, looking back at the bracelet. "Ahh, sea glass," He murmured, "They had craftsmen like that on Robeck, didn't they?"

"Had." Fayden affirmed, flatly.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor sighed.

Rose glanced between the two of them, not making the same connection The Doctor had, perhaps, but getting the picture clearly enough. He had that look on his face, the one that he got when something happened that was not only sad, but it was sad and hit close to home. The girl was trying to look as if the whole situation wasn't bothering her in the least, even though she looked about ready to fall over. So she was starving, but instead of going for Rose's money, she'd gone for a piece of her home.

"Right then," Rose said brightly, handing the bracelet out to the girl, "I'm Rose Tyler, this is The Doctor, and we're taking you to breakfast." The Doctor looked surprised, but then he just smiled. How very Rose. Fayden, however, paled, her eyes wide for a moment, before they narrowed, her chin lifting.

"Fayden Amorisha," She replied quietly, crossing her arms, "And I'm not looking for charity."

"Oi, who said anything about charity?" Rose scoffed dramatically, still holding out the jewelry, "I'm giving you back what's yours, and in return for breakfast you're going to tell me everything I want to know about your planet. That all work for you?"

There was a pause, during which Fayden bit her lip and weighed her options, and The Doctor just leaned back on his heels, enjoying the moment of seeing his Rose at her very best. Finally Fayden sighed, relenting as her stomach chastised her loudly. "Yeah all right," She nodded, holding out her palm. Rose dropped the bracelet in her hand, and Fayden managed a tight smile, "Thank you…"

"Don't mention it," Rose locked arms with The Doctor, looking up at him, "Now, take us somewhere with food."

"This really is your day, isn't it?"

"It really is…"

Fayden was unaware that breakfast could taste that heavenly. It wasn't the most complex meal that she was served, eggs spiced with something blue from Alpha Centauri, and a cup of tea. But it would remain in her memory as the best meal she'd ever eaten, probably because it marked the last time in her life that she was ever starving. After that meal, everything took a good turn for her.

"Robeck was one of the first planets in this galaxy to be colonized," The Doctor was explaining to Rose, giving their new acquaintance time to eat her breakfast, "But it didn't take to being made hospitable very well, lots of odd gasses, the only places that stayed consistently safe for humans were in the Northern Hemispheres, close to the sea."

"And the Boeshane Peninsula was the only settlement that flourished," Fayden clarified, having cleaned her plate in under five minutes. Now she sat back, savoring her second cup of tea. "Even if it didn't advance much. Only poor folk went to the colony on Robeck, the rich could afford less dangerous planets. The people of Boe kept on living in the massive unified housing project the original settlers had been provided with, for generations," She smiled then, a real smile, "For a thousand years. Poor as dirt and living in what most civilized people would consider a dump, but it was paradise."

"I can see that," Rose smiled back, "Didn't exactly grow up in the Ritz myself." At that found kinship, Fayden relaxed even more, and started to actually look as young as she'd said she was, not that much older than Rose.

"The settlers came there to mine and live off the land," She went on, "But the planet didn't really yield to farming technology, at least not far from the ocean. So they became craftsmen." Another smile, "My dad was a miner, and my mum was a weaver. Merchants from all over would buy Boe fabric, jewelry, the like. And we kids would have the run of it. After school we'd run along the dunes, swim in the sea, play cricket and tag…" Her smile faded then, and she took a long drink from the mug in her hands before speaking again, "It all ended when I was about eight. Or started to end, anyway…"

"They came." The Doctor stated simply. Fayden nodded, looking down at her plate, the spark gone from her eyes.

"Who came?" Rose asked, glancing between the two of them.

"Creatures," Fayden said slowly, "Cruel things…evil things…"

"Not the Daleks…?" Rose looked at The Doctor, who shook his head.

"These creatures didn't have the resources or the intelligence of the Daleks," He replied, "It's one of the many reasons Daleks rank one spot higher than them on my personal list of the most unpleasant things in existence. Still," He took a deep breath, his eyes on Fayden, "They were nasty work. Some people say their nests still survive out there, somewhere, even if the animals are dead."

"Nests?" Rose was utterly lost now, "What were they called? What did they do?"

"They have no proper name," Fayden said, her gaze moving from her empty plate to a window that looked out on the market, "Just names from superstitions… Fell Beasts, Death Bringers, Shades. They were beasts with black leathery wings, they fed on agony and suffering, literally." Her pale blue eyes shut, "Our planet of Robeck, swathed in gasses and fumes. Unimportant. Not soon missed. They started flying over the peninsula when I was eight years old. They would come, and kill many, and carry off others, likely for later." She opened her eyes. "When someone was carried off, you never saw them again. My father was carried off."

"I'm sorry," Rose told her, earnestly. Fayden blinked, forcing a small smile.

"Life went on." She shrugged, "After a while the attacks stopped. We found out later that their mother nest had been destroyed, somewhere on the planet Rhône…"

"The fourth moon of Rhône, actually," The Doctor clarified for her, "Got a nasty sting in the process. Met a nice man in a red hat, though." The two women both looked at him for a moment, Fayden with raised brows and Rose with an impressed smirk.

"That's a story I'll hear later," She murmured.

"Too many people were gone already," Fayden went on, "And most everyone who was left had too many bad memories. So they escaped, one by one," She swallowed, "When I was 16 it was only my mother and I left, and the mother of a friend of mine…the looters came, my mother was killed, we were robbed blind. My friend's mother was sick." Fayden shrugged, "After she died, I left. I've been hunting down the remains of The Peninsula ever since."

"You know," The Doctor spoke into the silence that followed, "After something like that, most people would spend their time running away from home."

"Most people did." Fayden agreed, a bitter bite sneaking into her tone, thinking of one person in particular. "I've been running after home. I mean," She shrugged, "What else is there?"

"Well…" The Doctor was about to suggest something along the lines of a job and a house and carpets, Rose could tell. But one raised eyebrow from his traveling companion stilled that suggestion on his tongue, "There's…stuff. Plenty that's more productive than thievery, that much I know for sure." He fixed her with a stern look, "And I know you're not a thief. Bit pirate-y, maybe, especially with all that Cap'n Jack hair going on. But you're not a thief." Fayden looked down at her lap, nodding.

"Suppose you're right…"

"…Cap'n Jack?" Rose queried, after a moment.

"The buccaneer, not our old mate the con man," The Doctor clarified.

"So where are you lot from?" Fayden changed the subject as soon as the chance presented itself, "You know this area, you've got money and you're both as pale as bed sheets, and I'm guessing with the accents…Woman Wept?"

"Been there, lovely ice gardens, but nope!" The Doctor replied brightly, "Very good with the deducting though! Nah we're from all over…"

"I'm from Earth, originally." Rose added, and Fayden's expression softened further,

"I've always wanted to see Earth," She murmured, "So far off, though…maybe someday, when I've found as much as I can…one home planet at a time, you know."

"Well I do wish you luck," Rose told her earnestly, as all three of them finished their meal, "And it's like he said, you're not a thief."

"Just a bit desperate," Fayden grinned, standing up and following the two of them out of the restaurant, "But I suppose, if anything, you've convinced me not to turn my nose up at a bit of charity." She took a deep breath, standing there in the crowded street, "Thank you for breakfast."

"More than welcome," Rose surprised the other girl by reaching out and giving her a hug. The Doctor just smiled.

"What are you going to do now?" He asked. Fayden tilted her head to the side, considering.

"Not sure," She replied, "Probably find a shelter somewhere in the city. See if I can get a job on the loading docks, they're always looking for people."

"Good a plan as any," The Doctor approved, "I do hope you find all the scattered bits of home, Fayden."

"Thanks," The girl from Boeshane smiled, turning and melting into the crowd. Rose watched after her for a few minutes, until she couldn't pick Fayden out of the market any more. Turning back to The Doctor, she realized he was staring at her, thoughtfully.

"What?" Rose asked, innocently.

"I saw that," He took her hand as they walked through the market together, toward the spot in town where they'd parked the TARDIS. "I suppose this means our shopping trip is over?"

"Now that we're both broke again?" Rose giggled, leaning against his shoulder as they walked, "Yes I suppose it does."

"Rose Tyler," He surprised her by stopping, turning and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You are a singular being," He murmured into her hair. She grinned.

"And don't you forget it."

On the other side of the square, Fayden stopped walking, feeling an unfamiliar weight in the pocket of her old desert poncho. She reached in, and pulled out a shining new credit stick. Her eyes bulged, and she looked around wildly for any sign of the two strangers who'd just randomly bought her breakfast after she'd tried to rob them. But Rose and The Doctor were nowhere to be seen. Fayden looked back down at the stick in her hand, and swallowed the lump in her throat.

She smoothed her hands over the shining chrome of the console, a huge grin splitting her face. It was all hers, bought and paid for. Bending down, Fayden looked out the window at the port outside, at the man who'd just sold her his cargo ship as he walked away, counting his credits. Her cargo ship. Paid for in full, completely legal, all the papers signed and filed away. Not too big, not too small. Not brand new, but not that old either. It was perfect.

Fayden hadn't wasted any time. After a shower and a clean set of clothes, she had gone ship-shopping. A much better investment than a house, she rationalized. It was a home that flew, and she could start making money right away. She still had plenty of start-up left over.

After a few more minutes of looking out over the galactic market, she wandered back down the corridor from the console room, into the small room that she'd claimed as her cabin. A proper bedroom, a fixed spot in the universe. Fayden hadn't had one of those in years. It wasn't much, but it had a real bed and a real bit of living space, and room for her to scatter her pieces of home without fear of loss. The trunk was now mostly empty and tucked under her bunk. Glass beads hung over her bed, a rag rug woven through with bits of gold thread lay on the floor, a jar of sand stood magnetically fixed on her metal bed table.

Pulling her poncho off, Fayden laid down on her back on her new bunk, grinning up at the metal bulkheads. It wasn't exactly the home she was trying to put back together. There were still some key pieces missing. But it was a big step closer. And it was a fresh start.

Author's Notes: Aww. All right enough fluff. Next chapter! Aliens! Skelletons! Violence! Guns! Ferrets! And memories of everyone's favorite letch. I've been up too late...