AN: Hello again. Here's the next one, and this time, it's been beta read. Hope ya like. Don't forget to review, last chapter I had like 4 reviews out of 30 readers.

Disclaimer: If I owned then I wouldn't be needing my parents to get me through university.

Bria led the companions through to the back section of the warehouse and ushered them through a door. They came out onto a viewing platform which stood above a large room. Jack thought the room was empty until he saw the rack of weapons on the far side. There were several different types of swords, various crossbows, long wooden staffs, and an assortment of other blades including several pairs of the sai blades favoured by Bria. The Doctor noticed that several of the weapons had black ribbons trailing from them, he was about to ask why but Rose beat him to it. "What are those for?" She asked pointing to the ribbons.

"It's a tradition to mark the weapons of those who died with black cord or ribbon." Bria did not elaborate, but instead turned to Jack. "You still up for practice?"

"Definitely, but hand to hand only, right?"

"Sure." Bria stripped off the jumper she was wearing, revealing a simple black strap top. She had exchanged her jeans for loose, grey combat trousers earlier. She walked down the stairs to the large room. Jack, having removed his jacket and shirt, followed her. "Doctor would you be so kind as to give us a starting call?"

"Yup" came the reply as Jack and Bria moved to stand opposite each other in the center of the large room. Jack assumed a classic fighting stance, his weight balanced, his hands raised in front of him. Bria stood facing him full on, her hands hanging loosely by her sides.

The Doctor called down to them, his voice echoing in the huge room. "Ready?" Both Jack and Bria nodded. "Fight!"

Rose had expected them to fly at each other and was a little disappointed when, instead, Bria began to circle Jack. As he turned to face her, Bria's eyes moved over his body. "What's she doing?" Rose whispered to the Doctor.

"She's forcing him to move so that she can pick out any weaknesses." The Doctor looked like he might elaborate when Jack suddenly attacked Bria.

She ducked under his hand and attempted to deliver a swift kick to his stomach. Jack, having seen her use this method in the alley way was ready for her and knocked her leg away.

The Doctor watched as blows were exchanged and blocked. Suddenly, he began to grin. "What's so funny?" Rose queried.

"She's playing with him; she could have taken him out at least three times already."

Jack had managed to gain the upper hand, he had grasped Bria's wrist and forced it up between her shoulders. "Are you holding back?" He asked.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yup."

"What do you say we stop playing and go for real?"

"Sounds good." Jack let go and jumped back as Bria spun to face him, he had just regained his fighting stance when she flew at him. He managed to block several blows although some hit home.

On the viewing platform, Rose watched with a mixture of fascination, admiration and slight fear for Jack. She knew he was strong and could handle himself, but he was being forced backwards under the apparent fury of Bria's assault.

Jack knew he had to come up with something fast, although this wasn't a fight to the death; he was still going to come out with some bruises. Her attack had caught him by surprise. As if by magic, he saw an opening and took it, forcing Bria to her knees. As he moved towards her, she rolled away, ending up in a crouch. They clashed together again, this time more equally matched until, somehow, Bria managed to kick Jack's legs out from under him and wrap an arm around his throat.

Jack nodded, exhausted. "OK, you win." Bria stepped away and offered Jack her hand which he clasped and pulled himself upright. "You're good." He said, holding on to her hand.

"Thanks, you're not bad yourself." She grinned at him then turned to face the Doctor and Rose, gently removing her hand from Jack's as she did so.

"Well done, flyboy. You managed to hold out for longer than I thought you would." The Doctor grinned.

"You do better then." Came the retort.

"OK."

"What? You?" Rose was incredulous.

"You think that in nine hundred years I haven't learned to fight?"

"You just never struck me as the sort of person who would, well you know, fight like this."

"She has a point, Doctor; I've never seen you fight." Jack interjected.

"Fighting someone I can beat by other means is one thing. Showing flyboy that I can do better is another." He turned to Bria. "You up for it?"

"Sure, why not?" She moved towards the centre of the room. The Doctor removed his jacket and jumper and handed them to Rose who returned to the platform with Jack.

"Weapons or hand?" Bria asked.

"Both."

"Which order?" The Doctor surveyed the weapon racks carefully before making a decision.

"Staff, sai, hands?"

"Sounds good." Bria moved to the racks and removed two pairs of sai blades which she laid carefully on the floor. Next she removed two long, wooden staffs and tossed one to the Doctor.

"What are they doing?" Rose whispered.

Jack shook his head in reply. "Um, what's going on?" he called down.

Bria smiled before replying. "Well I guess you could call it a kind of training game. You pick a sequence of weapons and when your opponent disarms you, you move onto the next."

"Someone give us a starting call." The Doctor said, readying the staff in his hands. Rose nodded in reply.

"Ready?" She called. They nodded. "Fight."

Both Rose and Jack had expected Bria to circle the Doctor as she had Jack; therefore they were a little surprised when the staffs clashed together almost instantly. Blows were blocked with the resounding clash of wood on wood, and several hit home with the dull thud of wood on flesh.

This time there was no question of holding back.

"Why aren't they testing each other this time?" Rose asked.

"They've fought each other before." Jack winced as the Doctor managed to land a blow to the top of Bria's thigh. Although the staff came into contact with solid muscle, Bria was still knocked down by the force of the blow.

The Doctor managed to knock the staff out of her hands and sent it clattering across the floor. As Bria righted herself he swung at her, forcing her to drop, she landed on her shoulder and rolled towards the sai blades on the floor. Picking them up, she spun them and launched herself towards the Doctor.

Now the sound of metal on wood reverberated around the room as the Doctor only just managed to block the swinging blades.

Glancing sideways at Jack, Rose smiled to herself. He was watching Bria, almost hungrily. She could see his eyes devouring her slim but powerful body as she moved back and forth across the floor. Little did she know that moments before, Jack had seen her doing exactly the same thing with the Doctor.

Bria had managed to catch the staff in the blades and twist it away, causing the Doctor to dive for his blades before she swung at him again. A sharp ringing sounded as the blades clashed together. Before long, Bria had managed to clash one of her blades against one of the Doctor's, sending the impact up his arm and causing him to drop the blade. In turn, he managed to hook one of hers away. Now only armed with one blade each, they threw them down and flew at each other again.

As he watched, Jack was relieved that he had not had to fight Bria with weapons, or for this long.

Both the Doctor and Bria were starting to tire. The Doctor had not fought like this for years, he had forgotten how tiring it was. Bria had not had two all out fights with experienced fighters for a long time, silently she berated herself for not keeping as fit as she once had been.

The Doctor had managed to get an arm around Bria's neck and was slowly choking her. Jack was confused, she didn't seem to be about to yield. Bria appeared to be relaxing in the Doctor's grip as he cut off her air. Both the Doctor and the spectators were unprepared for Bria as she suddenly pushed off from the ground, throwing the Doctor off balance. She executed a perfect back flip, using the Doctor as leverage and landed in a crouch behind the Doctor who was lying flat on his back.

"OK, you win. But I still did better than flyboy."

AN: So what did ya think? all reviews except flames welcome, even single lines or words.