Chapter Eight

The Doctor stood up and groaned, as he stretched his back.

"Oh blimey, I'm not as young as I used to be," he said.

He looked over towards the backstage area on his side. He started to walk towards it and then looked back towards the other side of the stage.

"No, I better tell Rose where I'm gonna be at, so she doesn't worry," he muttered.

He walked across the stage, into the backstage area.

"Rose, I'm gonna be on the other side of the stage. If you need me…"

He trailed off when didn't see Rose anywhere.

"Rose?" he said, looking around. "Rose!"

He sighed angrily and threw up his hands.

"I keep telling her and telling her. Rule one! Don't wander off! Rassilon, I'm gonna take that girl to a tattoo parlor after this and get that rule tattooed on her forehead, so she'll finally remember it."

Muttering under his breath, he headed through the backstage area, searching for her.

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Erik led Rose down the stone walkway towards the underground lake. He looked down at her walking by his side and once more marveled at her beauty.

"Yes, I believe I will train you how to become a great diva after the Doctor is dead," he murmured. "It would be a shame to kill a pretty flower like yourself."

He ran his gloved finger down her cheek and sighed when she gave no reaction.

"I will be glad when I have finished putting the hypnotic suggestions in your mind, so you will react to my touch," he said. "I shall enjoy kissing and having my way with you. Perhaps, I shall even make the Doctor watch as a part of his torment."

Finally, they reached the underground lake. Eric reached into a pouch handing from a belt around his robe and took out a small silver box. He pushed a button, there was a ripple effect, and a gondola appeared in front of them. Eric smiled at Rose.

"Is this what you and the Doctor were searching for earlier, my dear?" he said. "Perhaps if you had followed the Doctor's suggestion and jumped in the water, you might have found it."

He took her hand and helped her down into the boat. Rose sat down in front while he stepped down into the back. He picked up a long, wooden pole and used it to steer the boat away from the walkway, towards the other side of the lake.

"Your Doctor is a fool," Erik said. "If he had just jumped in and swam to the other side, he would have found my house. But then again, he would have to avoid my booby traps to get there, not to mention the little dandy would have gotten his suit wet, and I'm sure that would have been horrifying for him."

He laughed at his witty remark, a laugh that echoed off the concrete walls around him. Rose remained silent, as she sat in front of him, and he tousled her hair affectionately.

Soon, they came to the other side of the lake. Erik angled the boat so the right side was next to the walkway. He tied it off on a small metal ring embedded in the concrete and turned to look at Rose.

"Stand," he commanded.

Rose stood up, and Erik took her hand, as he helped her get out of the boat. They walked over to a nearby wall. Erik pushed on it, and a concrete door slowly slid open. He smiled at Rose.

"This is my home, Rose, and now it will be your home too."

He led her down some steps, into a huge concrete room that was lit by flaming torches.

"Interesting, is it not?" he said to her. "I found this room when I was exploring down here. I have no idea who built it, or what it was used for, but it is now my domicile since I am trapped on his planet for the time being."

He led Rose over to an organ beside the entrance. He sat her down on the bench and sat down beside her.

"Do you like music, my little flower?" he asked the unresponsive Rose. "Where I come from, music is as important to life as breathing. Everybody has some kind of singing ability, unlike the humans here. I was blessed because my voice was far better than all the others on my planet."

He smiled at her.

"Can you sing, my dear?"

Rose said nothing. Erik began to play a little melody on his organ.

"Sing," he commanded.

Rose began to sing. Erik listened closely. He could tell she was an amateur, but still, her voice was enchanting. With the right amount of training, she could be a true diva. All he needed to do was get her watchdog out of the way and then she would be his to do with as he wished.

He finished the melody, and Rose fell silent. He got up from the bench and took Rose's hand. Commanding her to stand, he led her over to a settee in the corner and sat her on it. He sat down beside her and lowered his cowl. His silver mask glimmered in the torchlight, as he turned Rose's head towards his.

"Now, my dear, I want you to listen closely to everything I say," he said in the otherworldly voice. "What you are about to hear, you will take into your subconscious mind. When you wake, you will not remember my words, yet you will obey everything that I have told you. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Rose said, in a monotone voice.

"Good," Erik said, nodding. "Then listen well, Rose. You will have no fear of me from this point on. I am your lover, not the Doctor. We have been lovers for awhile now. He means nothing to you, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"He will try to take you away from me, but you must resist. You belong here with me. If he tries to leave with you in his TARDIS, then you must convince him that you must stay here. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"If he tries to take you from me, you will do everything in your power to come back to me. If he tries to convince you I am a threat, you will not listen. If he tries to keep you from me, you will fight back. You must do whatever it takes to be with me, is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Now, for the moment, you must return to his side when I command it, so he will not suspect that you are missing. I do not wish the fool to realize what is happening until it's too late, but if you hear this melody…"

He sang a brief lilting melody.

"You will stop what you are doing and come to me without any hesitation, is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Excellent, now I am going to snap my fingers, and you will awake, refreshed and completely unafraid of me. And now, my beautiful flower, awake."

He snapped his fingers and watched, as Rose blinked and looked around in confusion. Her eyes settled on him, and Erik smiled when he saw no fear in them.

"What happened?" she asked him.

"You passed out, my dear; I brought you over here to the settee."

He noticed Rose's confusion while she tried to remember that happening.

"When did I do that? I remember being up in the backstage area."

"Yes, you were up there with me, and you felt faint and passed out in my arms. I brought you back down here," Erik said hurriedly.

He could tell Rose wasn't buying it completely, but she looked around the room and apparently decided that's what happened because she quickly changed the subject.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It is nearly midnight."

"What were we doing up above?"

"Just taking a stroll. Then…"

He paused a moment and decided to try a little test of his hypnotic influence over Rose.

"We saw the Doctor," he finished.

He stifled the smile that threatened to erupt on his face when he saw the fear in her eyes.

"What is the Doctor doing here?" she said, panicked.

"Shh, shh, it's alright, he was looking for us, but we managed to get down here before he could see us."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief, which delighted Erik more. She looked at him.

"What are we going to do? If the Doctor tries to take me away from you…"

"The Doctor must be stopped before that happens. We must lay a trap for him and get rid of him before he tries to separate us."

"How do we do that?"

Erik smiled.

"You must lure him to me, my dear. I will handle him, but for the moment, you must go back to him."

Rose gasped.

"No, I don't want to be anywhere near him. I hate him!"

Erik fought to contain his glee.

"I realize that, my dear, but in order to get him out of the way permanently, you must pretend to love him, so he will be lured into my trap."

"What…what are you going to do to him?"

"That is not your concern. I will handle him."

"Don't kill him."

Erik stared at her. For a moment, he saw her love for him pushing itself to the surface before it was suppressed again. Erik cursed inwardly. The child's love for him was stronger than he thought, he would have to go back and put a stronger suggestion in her mind, but it could wait, what he had done would hold for the moment. He needed her to get back up to the surface before the Doctor came down to look for her.

"I said that was not your concern, you just go back up to him and pretend to be his friend, and I will give you further instructions when you are ready. Do not be afraid, I'm watching over you, and I won't let him do anything to you. Now obey me!"

Rose nodded slowly, and Erik smiled.

"Excellent, now hurry, my flower, before the Doctor suspects you are here."