A/N: AGH! I haven't even written a WORD of the next chapter yet!

Chapter 19 – Digging A Grave

They hadn't counted on it starting to rain.

It was just a light drizzle at first, which the Doctor characteristically fobbed off. But then it started to hammer it down. Donna tried desperately to shield the Doctor from the worse of it, but the coat she put over him was soon soaked through and the Doctor was left helplessly trembling in the straw, the rain freezing his wounds inside out. Joshua curled up next to him under the coat in and effort to try and share body warmth, but when the Doctor finally gave up and slipped out of consciousness Donna resigned to herself and draped her body over his to offer warmth. His trembling minimised, but he didn't wake up.

It was hours before the rain stopped and even longer before the Doctor stopped trembling. The sun was beginning to rise and with it thankfully brought heat onto the travellers. The cart temporarily stopped to allow the horses a break, and in that time Donna and Joshua tried to get the Doctor warmed up. He made no progress to consciousness by the time the cart was moving again. Shortly after they gave up Joshua fell asleep, and the Doctor finally opened his eyes blearily, blinking up at Donna.

"I passed out again, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did," she replied, tucking his coat around him. "We've still got a few hours to go. Is the painkiller still workin'?"

"Yes," he lied, letting his eyes close again. "Ugh, I feel like I've done ten rounds with Tyson."

"Knowin' you, you probably have," Donna said, watching him carefully. They jolted over a bump, and the Doctor visibly refrained himself from crying out. She audibly sighed. This was going to be a long journey.

Flashback…

The Doctor woke up. That was a feat in itself.

He was moving, definitely. At first guess he'd think he was being carried over someone's shoulder, and knew from instinct that it wasn't Jack. He tried to move but his body felt completely numb… and then the memories came flooding back.

He should be dead. He had fallen into a healing coma completely involuntarily, but even with that, by rights he should be dead. He tried to open his eyes but even if he had managed to, his world was in darkness.

Suddenly he hit wet earth with a thud, giving a shock to his system. Something was holding his arms rigid behind his back, whilst he cold feel more cold binds winding up around his legs. Voices were distant and hard to understand, but he could just about decipher the gruff tones of what could only be bandits near him.

"Don't make it luxury, dig a hole and throw him in."

The Doctor stopped trying to move and instead went completely still, trying to comprehend what he'd just heard. Dig… hole… throw… him… No! He wasn't dead! He managed to shift slightly on the ground and to his great relief someone seemed to notice him, and he heard footsteps towards him.

"'E's still alive," a voice said, sounding surprised.

"Doesn't matter. Keep digging."

"Awright."

What? No! He tried to speak but his throat was so sore it was even painful to breathe. He was starting to get the feeling back in his limbs now – not that the restraints allowed him to move much anyway.

"Okay, that'll do." A pair of hands grabbed his bound arms and pulled him across the floor until the floor seemed to disappear from beneath him. The next thing he knew, he'd landed on more wet mud, this time in an enclosed space. He was struggling heartily now, trying in vain to slip out of his binds but the instant he felt something hit his chest, he knew he had no choice but to accept his fate.

He was going to be buried alive.


English weather was just as bizarre in the Middle Ages as it was in the 21st century, Donna noted. It had rained heavily on them for most of the night, but now she was gently sizzling in the hot morning sun. At least their clothes were now dry, she reasoned. She didn't want hypothermia and she was pretty sure neither the Doctor nor Joshua did either.

When the cart reached its final destination the boys were both sound asleep, looking just as adorable as each other. Donna reached out to shake the Doctor's uninjured shoulder, and groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.

"We're here," she announced. "Get up, you lazy bum."

He struggled upright, pushing himself up with his good arm, looking around his surroundings. "That was quick," he commented. Donna glared at him. "Point taken," he said, before reaching to shake Joshua awake.

The boy groaned as opened his eyes, staring up at the Doctor. His mouth spread into a wide grin. "Hi!" he said brightly.

The Doctor grinned back. "Hi."

"Are we there yet?" Joshua asked.

Donna laughed. "Yeah, we are!" She pushed herself off of the cart and onto the floor, holding out her arms to Joshua. "Down you get!"

Joshua obediently shifted forward into Donna's arms, who lifted him down off of the cart and onto both feet. He beamed up at her as she turned back to the Doctor, offering her arms to him too. He stared at her, eyebrow raised.

"C'mon!" she prompted. "If I leave you here you'll just find somethin' to blow up."

He sighed heavily, shuffling forward towards her. She supported him as he got down off the cart and onto both feet, trying not to scream as he clung desperately onto Donna. He attempted to numb the pain but even he couldn't block out the agony of his two individually broken legs, now trying to support his entire body weight.

"All right?" Donna asked.

"Fine," he squeaked. Joshua giggled at his voice and reached up to support him accordingly.

"So we're looking for a guy named Peter with a big blue box," Donna summed up, looking at the two boys. "Any ideas spring to mind?"

"Ask around?" Joshua suggested.

Donna smiled. "I like your thinkin'."

Flashback…

Rose Tyler sat in eerie silence in the tent with only her own breathing for company. She didn't have a way of telling the time, but she could assume that it had been at least twenty minutes since Jack had left her. She still held the gun he had given her in her right hand, her sweaty palm clutching the sleek black metal.

There was only silence outside. No one seemed to be around. She didn't know whether that was good or bad. She could only stare at the wall of the tent, listening, waiting, dreading. She wondered, not for the first time, if the Doctor was still alive. If the plan had gone without a flaw, surely they would be back here by now, whisking her away to run before they got caught? Maybe it was the plan? Maybe she was being needlessly paranoid?

Suddenly she heard two pairs of footsteps from outside. They were neither the footsteps of the Doctor nor Jack – too heavy, too slow – she took a quick breath, the gun still in her palm as she curled into the foetal position, trying to remain as quiet as possible. Gruff voices became louder. There were two of them, maybe three…

"In 'ere."

She instantly knew they were going to come into the tent. Hers eyes flickered to the place Jack had exited but before she could make a move, the entrance opened and two large bandits entered, evil grins on dirty faces as they began to walk towards her.

"St… Stay back!" she stuttered, backing across the mattress. "I'm warnin' you!"

"We only wanna play…" one said mockingly as they moved closer and closer. She was backed up as far as she could go, the gun still weighty in her palm but she couldn't bring herself to raise it. Travelling with the Doctor had made her aware of just how much damage such a small thing could do.

They were metres away now, and Rose was almost suffocated by the overwhelming stench of dung. Raise the gun, she kept telling herself, raise the gun Rose, just raise the gun!

She gripped it in both hands, trembling as she raised the firearm to point at the bandits. She could just imagine the Doctor's disappointed facial expression in her head. "Stay back," she commanded, "or I'll shoot!"

The bandits suddenly stopped, frowning at her in confusion. It was then Rose realised that they probably didn't have a clue what she was holding, or just what it was capable of. After a moment's consideration of the seemingly blunt knife in her hands, the bandits exchanged a shrug and began to walk forward once more.

She didn't have a choice. Her blood was pounding through her ears as she closed her eyes; the gun feeling like it weighed a ton…

"I'm sorry, Doctor," she muttered, and pulled the trigger.