Hi! So, this one is a bit longer than they've been so far and I hope you guys like it! Please leave me a review. I would really love to know what you think. Thanks!
The Doctor stood in the back room of the dank old tavern, rummaging through stacks of papers and bottles and bins, when he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder.
Oi, mate, what're you up to?" Asked a young girl, a serving girl judging by the stained apron she wore and the suspicion on her face.
"Oh, just, you know, pirate-y stuff." He shrugged, snatching up the nearest bottle like that had been his aim all along.
"Yeah, you can drop that act, right? I know you're not a pirate." She said, now sounding bored but still suspicious. Strangely the Doctor found her assumption insulting,
"What makes you think that?"
"well, to start you're a bit too um... what's the word...clean. I mean, it's right in the title isn't it? Filthy Pirate?" She snapped with a roll of her eyes.
"I could throw some dirt around if it helps." He was amused now. She was smart and not easily intimidated from the looks of it. It reminded him of a certain someone else.
"Funny. Look, I don't really have the time to be arguin with some lunatic, wannabe outlaw so here's what's gonna happen; I'm gonna turn my back and take a stupidly long time to gather up some things for the boys out there and you can just "borrow" whatever you came here for, yeah? So, just...get to it." The girl sighed, immediately turning her back on him and filling a large basket she held with anything she would reach.
"I'm not a thief!" The Doctor exclaimed, although technically...
"Oh, no? That's the second thing then. There's no such thing as a pirate that's not a thief. Weren't you trying to take something when I walked in? And don't even show me that bottle again. There's no good reason a proper pirate would want to steal a bottle of vinegar." She snorted.
"Well, yeah, I was. But, this is a matter of life and death. What would you say if I told you those "boys" out there are actually aliens?"
The girl raised her eyebrows, " Well, of course they are! This is a trading post, mate. No one is a native. Well, cept me."
"That's not what I- hold on, you? You're a- You were born here?" Good! He thought to himself, if she was from this tiny little planet there was no way she wouldn't know what he needed to know.
"Yeah, pity me later. Like I told you, I'm busy."
"No, but you could help me! I need to know where to dig." He told her excitedly. Finally. That certain someone was in deeper trouble every second he was delayed and that was unacceptable.
The girl laughed, "My word but you are stuck on the pirate theme. Rest assured, there's not any treasure on this rock. Hence, the pity."
"Not as you would consider it but it would be to me. I need a kind of mineral that is said to be found here. I was looking for a geo-survey just now." The Doctor held out his other hand, which clutched a pile of papers. So far he'd only found receipts and totally useless inventory lists.
"Why would you think you would find that in the backroom of a tavern on a trading post frequented by pirates? Real ones I mean, of course."
"Because giant poisonous insects and this tavern are the only things on this rock! Really, this is important. The mineral is called Grendium. Heard of it at least?"
The girl opened her mouth and snapped it shut again, shaking her head. "Nooo, no I haven't heard the name but- look, mister if your messin about I know some fellows who eat vengence for breakfast, got me?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got you. But what? What do you know? Seriously, this is life or death!" The Doctor rushed, the urgency in his voice giving away how desperate he really was.
"It's not talked about or anythin, but I think I've seen it's handiwork. Friend of mine was really sick from a Trazir bite, yeah? So, a bunch of men gathered round her and each one had a rock in his hand. Obviously they blocked the view but I saw a sortof flash and next thing I know, she's up and runnin' just like nothing ever happened." The memory still sparked a fearful wonder in the girl and she unconsciously stepped further away from the Doctor.
"I think you can find it, at least you can find those rocks, whatever they were, in the crater left of here. I know there's lots of craters but this is looks different. It looks a bit like a footprint."
"Thank you!" He exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders.
"Oi! Watch it, mate. We're not that well acquainted." She said, shrugging his hands away and turning back towards the exit.
"Wait a bit after I'm gone to leave. You don't want anyone here followin you to The Print."
Waiting. He hated waiting in general but he hated it even more when he was in such a hurry as he was now. Rose was waiting, growing sicker every minute that he was delayed and all he needed was a stupid piece of rock!
"Tell you what, I've got a better idea. I'll go and you wait a bit to leave after i'm gone!" He announced, not waiting for her to protest.
"And thanks!" He added, closing the door behind him and running.
"There's uh... worms in there. So, running..." He explained halfheartedly to the fierce, burly strangers that stared as he made his way to the exit at high speed.
It worked. Immediately those same fierce, burly strangers where squealing and jumping onto their chairs, searching the floor for squirming insects.
"Rose! I'm here! I've got the grendium. I just need to place it against the bite so be perfectly still."
"Heeeeey, Shareen!" Rose hummed with a lazy smile. Her eyes were unfocused, the pupils dilated and her skin was a brilliant red.
"No, Rose, it's me. It's the Doctor. I'm gonna make you better, I promise." He insisted as he emptied his pockets of the different sized stones he'd collected from the crater.
"Shaaaareen. You know what? S'over. Mickey's... S'nice but I'm...movin' on... Ha! Movin' on up! The Doctor, he's called. He's fun. He's grumpy and he's old. Ooooh he's old. But he's not old either. And he's handsome too. He's got ears on 'im though. I mean, he has really got ears! But... don't care... Can't say though... Shareen! Don't say! Don't tell 'im!"
The Doctor stood there beside her, dumbstruck as Rose rambled on in her dazed hallucination. Handsome? He'd never expected her to think him handsome. Course, he'd seen worse. He'd been worse! And then again, he'd been better. It really was a shot in the dark, regeneration. But apparently, this shot had hit the mark. Rose thought he was handsome.
"Shareeeen? Where's mum? I don't feel... 'S so cold here." Rose mumbled, weakly shaking her head and attemping to draw her arms around herself. The Doctor snapped out of his reverie, ashamed of wasting time.
"I'm going to make it better, Rose. Don't worry." He whispered, gently moving her arms back to her sides. He placed one of the mineral rocks on the insect bite on her collarbone and make a circle around her with the rest.
The moment the last stone was in place they all began to hum with energy and the one on the bite mark lit up. The Doctor watched in fascinated hope as the dark purple lines of poison running from the bite and up her neck began to recede. He could see that the formerly white stone was drawing the poison into itself as it too became dark purple and with a flash it fell from Rose.
"Doctor?" Rose called out, blinking rapidly and trying to sit up. "No, no. Shh, don't try to move just yet. You're okay but I need to move these rocks out of the way first." The Doctor said it a rush. He was completely elated and used that energy to quickly scramble around, picking up the rocks and putting them into a cushioned box.
"The girl was wrong; there is indeed treasure there." He said to himself, sealing the box and storing it underneath the grating for safe keeping.
"Can I get up now?" Rose asked, with just a hint of impatience in her voice. The Doctor laughed, grasping her hands and pulling her to her feet. He did not let her go immediately, but instead looking into her eyes for just a moment longer than he normally would have allowed himself.
"You're alive!" He grinned, impulsively kissing her forehead. Rose stumbled back and smiled shyly.
"Yeah. Why...uh...why wouldn't I be?" She asked, looking around for any kind of clue. She didn't remember anything since waking up that morning and then just now the Doctor saying something about a girl and treasure...
"Hold on, what girl and what treasure?" She asked, this time with more than a hint of jealousy causing his grin to grow even wider.
"A barmaid and a rock, respectively." He answered shortly, releasing her hands at the same time. "I'll fill you in later. You should get ready, we'll be at your flat soon."
"My- we will?" Rose was feeling dizzy, either from the residual effects of the bite or from the Doctor's sudden mood swings.
"You wanted to see someone called Shareen, remember? You had a lot to talk about." The Doctor answered with a sly look in his eye and a laugh.
Rose shrugged, letting herself fall into the jump seat. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, too dizzy to puzzle over his moods right then. "He's a bit mental." she thought making a note to add that to the list of things she wanted tell Shareen about her new friend.