WARNING: This chapter probably ought to be rated M for themes (not explicit contents, but stuff is implied. Shield your eyes if necessary. ;) )
This chapter may be a struggle for some of you. It may seem a bit cliche. I worked on it. It was the best way I could get what I wanted. Sorry if it seems too cliche. Just figured I'd give you a warning. It's also a short chapter, which is why I'm giving it to you all early. I'm currently writing on the twelfth chapter, so you guys are catching up fast!
Chapter 9
The Doctor wasted no time in bringing about another adventure. After making sure that Freya wasn't tired, he sent them spiraling into a new location.
He didn't even give Freya the chance to change.
And she'd tried. The moment he announced that they'd landed, she headed towards her room, only for the Doctor to grab her hand and pull her back to him.
"Where are you going?" he asked her, his grin nearly cracking his face.
"To change," Freya told him, glancing down at her outfit. She was still wearing one of his shirts and the short shorts the TARDIS had supplied her with.
And his shirt covered her shorts.
The Doctor's eyes followed hers and when they both met each other's eyes again, the Doctor looked…off. Freya couldn't quite catch what it was, but something about him seemed off.
"What about the alcohol? Are you still…buzzed?" Freya refrained from saying the word drunk. She didn't think the Doctor would appreciate it.
"Nope! Already out of my system!" the Doctor told her cheerfully. He took her hand and pulled her out the doors, Jack following them closely.
As soon as they went through the door, Freya felt the whisper of the TARDIS in her mind.
I'm so sorry.
The words were enough to freeze Freya in her tracks. She stopped, only exiting the TARDIS because the Doctor forced her out. The doors shut firmly behind them.
"I don't want to go. Doctor, let me go back. I feel bad. Something feels bad," Freya begged, trying to pull away from him.
"Nonsense. You didn't feel bad before," the Doctor said, but her words seemed to register to him a moment later.
"Why? What feels bad?" the Doctor spun, examining her.
"Everything. Something bad's going to happen. The TARDIS just told me she was sorry," Freya told him, glancing around. They looked like they were in the slums of some city.
A city with two rising moons.
"If she said she was sorry, then there's nothing we can do. The TARDIS can see everything. The past, the future, what can be, what shouldn't be, all of it. Just… stay close," the Doctor warned her, his grip tightening on her.
"TARDIS?" Jack asked, looking quite intrigued. The Doctor nodded.
"That's my ship. Don't get it in your mind to start flirting with her. I won't have it," the Doctor warned him. Jack's smile grew and he stroked the police box, eyes glued to the Doctor.
"I don't know, Doctor. I bet your box wouldn't mind me," Jack said suggestively. The Doctor stomped away from Freya and ripped Jack from the box.
"I'll leave you here if you touch my TARDIS inappropriately again," the Doctor warned him, his eyes dark. Jack laughed at him.
"So I'm not allowed to touch either of your girls? Where's the fun in that?" Jack asked, winking at Freya.
"Doctor, where are we?" Freya asked him.
"Looks like the planet Lytien. About six solar systems away from yours. Next door neighbors," the Doctor explained cheerfully.
"Not the most charming of places," Jack muttered, glancing around.
"Oi! I'll let you fly next time then!" the Doctor said indignantly.
"Is this a full adventure or a vacation? Cause it doesn't feel like a vacation," Freya observed. The Doctor started giving a full winded explanation, all while facing away from her.
Freya didn't hear it though.
Two hands grabbed her, one instantly covering her mouth and the other pulling her back.
Something was slapped on the side of her neck, hazing her vision over slightly. Freya tried jerking away, but a second set of hands pulled her back as well.
"She's still freaking out. Give me the second patch!" the person behind her urged as they tugged her backwards.
"But we only have one left!" the second voice protested.
"We've got enough for tonight!" the first voice said harshly. Another patch was pressed to her neck and her vision hazed over more, leaving everything in a light red, near pink shade. The Doctor, who seemed so far away, turned, eyes widening as they landed on Freya.
Him and Jack took off running as the men behind Freya dragged her away.
It was much harder for her abductors to get her away when Freya herself was struggling against them.
The Doctor spun around the corner, hand outstretched towards Freya. But Freya couldn't reach out to him. She could barely think.
His finger grazed her necklace. The new one he'd gotten her. He had her by the necklace. But the man behind her jerked her away from him so suddenly that the necklace snapped, all of the pretty pieces flying off as it came back with the Doctor's hand. Cool metal pressed itself against her head.
"Another step and we kill her," the voice behind her threatened.
"Let. My. Companion. Go!" the Doctor ordered angrily. The second kidnapper was out of sight. But she heard a van door sliding open. Her eyes widened.
"You'll get her back. She'll be just fine. We only need her for a few hours," the man behind her said.
And the second person jumped out, shooting both Jack and the Doctor with some sort of electrical ray. Freya gasped as both of them crumbled to the ground.
"Took you long enough. Get in the car," the first voice ordered. Freya was pulled away from the Doctor and Jack and shoved into a van. A van holding seven other girls. Each girl had a patch on their neck. A patch that, Freya realized, said Lust and Longing on it.
Freya was sat down next to one of them and the person that'd been holding her captive got in, sitting in front of the door. The other person got into the driver seat. The man who'd been holding her smiled at her.
"What's going on?" Freya asked, trying to keep her tears at bay. The girl next to her scoffed.
"What do you think's happening? If you were dumb enough to be wandering the streets, you deserve it," she bit out at Freya.
"I'm not from here. Please. This is a mistake," Freya turned to the man.
"Sorry. In a few hours, we'll release you. Until then, it's in your best interest to cooperate," the man told her with a grin, a grin that seemed less malicious than his words.
"Why? Are you going to kill me?" Freya asked, her throat closing up slightly as she tried holding back her tears.
"Kill you? Nah. We don't have to do that. If you don't do what we say, the chemicals in your body'll kill you," the man told her. Freya's hand went up to her neck instantly.
"Don't bother taking them off. They're already in your bloodstream," another girl told her.
"What are?" Freya asked, glancing around the van in a panic. The girls exchanged looks.
"She really doesn't know," one of them said softly. The girl across from her tentatively stood and stumbled towards Freya, settling next to her.
"You've got Lust and Longing in your system. If you don't have sex within the next six hours….oh, you have two. Within the next three hours, you'll die. It has to be complete and actual sex. The process of sex is actually the only cure for it. They're taking us to a night club where people will pay for us for the next few hours," the girl explained. Freya's eyes widened.
"So we're like…slaves?" Freya asked, feeling her lip quiver against her volition.
"Of course not. We were short a few prostitutes for the night. If you'd just obeyed curfew, you wouldn't have had any problems," the man told her lightly.
"We're running late. We don't have time to change them before throwing them onstage," the driver said, glancing at the clock.
"No problem. They'll take just about anything. Let's go!" the man said, bailing out of the van. The girls followed him out, one of them helping Freya. When she didn't move fast enough, the first man grabbed her arm and dragged her along behind the others.
His touch sent a tingling down Freya's spine. It terrified her. She winced away from him, only for the driver to frown.
"We gave her two patches and it's still not overriding her like it should," the driver complained.
"It won't be a problem. Some men enjoy a little fight in their women."
Back in the streets, the Doctor lurched upward, his head spinning. Jack groaned, still on the ground.
Freya's necklace was lying in front of him.
He scooped it up carefully, tucking it into his pocket before standing.
"Jack. Get up," the Doctor ordered, examining the streets coldly. Said man groaned once more before sitting up. After a moment, he shot to his feet unsteadily.
"Where is she?" Jack asked, wide eyes darting around.
"They took her. And we're going to find her," the Doctor said darkly. He'd promised her. He'd promised her she'd be safe, even though she didn't want to be there.
He wasn't about to let her get hurt because he'd lied.
The men shoved Freya onto the stage in a line with the other girls. Her hearing was fading in and out. Men were staring at her, pointing, laughing. She was still in her clothes, the Doctor's shirt and the hidden short shorts. She tugged down on the shirt nervously, not liking the feel of the men's eyes on her.
One man handed her captors money and grabbed her, pulling her away from the others. Freya stumbled, trying to find a way out, but the man's grip on her was tight, much too tight. She was suddenly in a room, a room with a door the man locked. Locked and slid the key into his pocket.
He made his way towards her, slowly cornering Freya in the room.
"They said you'd had two patches but you were still fighting it," the man said, his eyes gleeful. His hands caught her wrists and shoved them up, up against the wall. Metal encased her wrists, locking them in place. Her eyes went even wider as she struggled, struggled feebly.
"Please. Let me go," Freya begged. The man's smile grew as his hands traced her sides.
"Beg. Beg me for your freedom," the man said darkly as he pulled a knife out of his pocket. Freya jerked back, her head slamming into the wall. The man let out a gleeful laugh as he sliced through her shirt, dropping the ripped fabric to the ground easily.
Before he could do anymore, the door slammed open. The Doctor stormed into the room, eyes full of fury.
"Get away from her," the Doctor ordered coldly. Jack dove in as well, his sonic blaster aimed at the man. Freya closed her eyes tightly, suppressing her whimper. Someone grabbed her hands, causing her to shriek. Her eyes flew open as Jack covered her mouth.
"Sh. Calm down. Doc, where's that screwdriver?" Jack asked, turning his head. He was standing right in front of her, almost as if he were shielding her from seeing something. Or from someone seeing her. The screwdriver appeared in Jack's hands and he quickly undid the handcuffs before shrugging out of his jacket and wrapping it tightly around her. He turned around in time for the Doctor to appear, pulling Freya into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened," the Doctor murmured. Freya held back a whimper. Her vision was becoming even more hazy pink with the Doctor touching her.
"Let's get her back to the TARDIS," Jack suggested. Only to stop. He glanced at her neck, at the patches, and his expression dropped.
"Doctor, we have another problem," Jack said.
"We'll figure it out on the TARDIS," the Doctor said, scooping Freya up. The next thing Freya knew, they were in the TARDIS. She didn't remember them moving. Did they move? Of course they moved. They couldn't have gotten there without moving, right?
"Freya, stay with us. Did they mention any other way to counteract the poison?" Jack was asking her. Freya shook her head.
"They said there wasn't another cure," Freya said before flipping over, eyes closing. She was quickly shaken awake.
"Stay with us," the Doctor ordered. Freya's eyelids felt heavy. Until the Doctor's fingers absently touched her hair.
Her eyes were wide open then.
"Good. Keep petting her hair for the moment. She has two patches. That limits her time down to three hours. They should have banned those by this time. I thought they were banned everywhere by now," Jack was rambling.
"Okay. Do what you have to," the Doctor told Jack. Jack reached for Freya. Freya, catching what he was talking about, flinched away, towards the Doctor. Jack's eyes shot back up to the Doctor.
"Freya, it…it has to be done. We don't have another cure for it," the Doctor told her.
"I don't trust him," Freya murmured.
"Who do you trust? We can take you wherever, but you have to do it. You don't have much time," the Doctor urged her. Freya sighed as his fingers continued combing through her hair.
"I trust you," she murmured.
When she woke up, she was wrapped in a heap of blankets in her room. The lights were dimmed but still on, and Jack was asleep in a chair in the corner of the room. Her slight movement woke him up.
"You're awake! Good! The Doctor just left a few hours ago. I'll go get him," Jack said, heading for the door. He stopped in the doorway, glancing back at Freya.
"He's been really worried. Hasn't stopped tinkering since you fell asleep. Mainly on your necklace. Even when he finished it, all he could do was twist it around his fingers," Jack told Freya before leaving the room.
I'm really sorry.
The TARDIS's voice was the epitome of empathy.
"It's not your fault. It probably had to happen," Freya said with a quiet sigh.
"What had to happen?"
The Doctor was standing in the doorway, looking quite anxious. He glanced at her but stopped in the doorway, as if he were overstepping some sort of boundaries.
"You can come in," Freya told him quietly. It was all the permission he needed. He quickly entered the room, only to slow down as he approached her bed.
"I fixed your necklace," the Doctor said, holding the necklace out to her. Freya noted how it looked exactly like her original necklace now.
"Keep it. Eventually you'll go back and give it to me," Freya told him. He awkwardly tucked it into his pocket, staring at the wall behind her.
"What had to happen?" the Doctor repeated his previous question.
"What happened. The TARDIS was apologizing. But she wouldn't have let it happen if it didn't have to happen," Freya said quietly.
"Do you want me to take you home?" the Doctor asked her. Freya's head shot up at his words.
"Do you want to take me home?" she asked quickly, almost terrified at the thought. His own eyes widened at her reaction.
"No. But I want you to be where you want to be," the Doctor told her earnestly.
"I want to be here," Freya told him. The Doctor stared at her for a moment, as if he was trying to think of what to say. He shook his head after a moment and started to walk out of the room but stopped. He turned around and made his way back over to her, pulling out a ring from his pocket.
"Since I destroyed your engagement necklace, I figured I could give you an engagement ring. So next time we see your family, or we need to get out of some mess, you at least have a ring," the Doctor told her. He held the ring out to her.
Freya took it from him and carefully slid it onto her finger. It fit perfectly, something that confused her. How did he know what her ring size was?
"The TARDIS told me. I asked Jack, but he had no clue. He said women usually spout their ring size as one of their first statements about themselves, but I've never heard you say your ring size," the Doctor said, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Jack's used to women falling all over him," Freya told the Doctor, allowing a smile onto her face. The Doctor smiled as well.
"Yeah. I guess he is," the Doctor said, smile remaining on his face.
"Where are we going next?" Freya asked him, sitting up in the bed.
"We're gonna wait awhile. We've been drifting in the Time Vortex since we left Lytien. Figured we'd drift until you've gotten some more sleep. Then we have to take a pit stop to Cardiff to charge the TARDIS up," the Doctor told her.
"The TARDIS has to charge?" Freya asked in confusion. The Doctor nodded, looking quite excited to be able to explain something. He sat down on the bed before jumping back up quickly.
"You can sit," Freya told him, feeling slightly amused at how he was acting. The Doctor sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"Yes, well, the TARDIS can use the energy from the rift Gwyneth sealed. It bleeds the energy, so we can stop there for twenty-four hours and we'll be good for a long time!" the Doctor told her cheerfully.
"Why aren't we going there now?" Freya asked in confusion.
"I figured you'd want to call your friends and see if they wanted to drop by while we were there. It's been awhile. Well, since you saw your friend and her boyfriend. You saw Rose recently. I'll even let her come by," the Doctor told her, offering her a small smile.
He was still mad at Rose. Freya had thought he'd gotten over it, but it was obvious that he hadn't. But he was still willing to let her come. For her.
The Doctor stood and made his way to the door. In the doorway, he stopped and turned around, giving her a tiny smile.
"Good night," he told her before closing the door.
And she slept.
Yeah, I know it's a bit cliche. I know it may seem a bit OC. But here's how I look at it. I thought it was a cool idea. The concept. I know it's been done before (or similar...I searched my original few ideas and kept finding stories that had already done it and I wanted something relatively unique). And as for her reaction? It's Freya. She...well, you know. She still trusts him. Completely. He's probably the first person she's trusted so completely. So something like this...well, it wasn't like it was a passionate romp that occurred out of the blue. It happened to save her life. She knew it. He knew it. Jack...well, Jack ought to know it, but it's Jack.
I just wanted to defend myself. Review please, but if you have a lot of issues with what happened, keep it to a minimum please. I'd like to know if you didn't like it, but I don't want to have to shield myself from extreme negative reactions.
Sorry for the long note. I just sensed some nasty reviews. -A