This was not how the Doctor expected his night to go. Both hearts worked quadruple time. Whatever sedative Mary used was quickly metabolized. He then took in every detail seen, which wasn't much besides baggy blue overalls with the slight aroma of Jasmine. A small shuffle confirmed no sonic or psychic paper which only functioned when conscious. While escaping with hands tied behind his back would be interesting, curiosity anchored him.

The Doctor wanted to understand the woman doing terrible things with such sad eyes.

His nose helped sketch out a rough mental map based on the smells of greater London. They had been traveling for at least four hours. He could feel the warmth of sunlight gracing the car. The car turned in a way that demanded precision, so not fully away from civilization; the suburbs. Limited traffic implied this was also an environment for higher than middle income, fewer watchful neighbors since they too might have secrets.

In darkness, the Doctor wondered… why he had called himself that name?

The creek of a garage door opening implied they had finally arrived. Once gears helped to close the car inside, Mary took a long minute before getting out of the car. He sensed something else as she gathered her belongings. Something sharp jolted in his mind, hungry and biting. The Doctor barely stifled a grunt as she passed by the trunk. Panicked eyes could be felt even when not seen. Imagining or hoping the sedative was still in effect, she quickly went upstairs, sturdy hard-wood steps implied great care had been placed in this space.

Mary's home

The Doctor almost napped, not much else to do but wonder about his sudden abductor. Any speculation would only make things difficult, possibly loud, and he had no desire to draw attention from anyone for a while. Beyond a different face, younger than before but with welcome changes, it ultimately came back to all those little things thrust upon him recently. Facing sudden truths… brought up a question of who really lied more… Division… or himself.

A knock on the trunk.

"I made pancakes. Promise not to kick me and we can share. Deal?"

He guessed 'humans' would probably be awake by now.

"Deal."

The trunk opened a crack. No attempt to open it fully on the outside without risk of getting closer, he could respect caution. Deciding to be gentle, the Doctor squirmed onto his back and carefully pushed up with both feet. Nothing scratched outside or inside. Popping his head out, the Doctor saw Mary had changed. She wore dark purple silk pajamas, hair undone but carefully guided over one shoulder, barefoot, the tranquilizer pistol in one hand managed to not clash with her outfit.

She patiently waited as the Doctor swung his legs out of the trunk to more easily sit up and out. Mary walked over, feet barely making a sound. The Thief easily pulled him to a standing position. Carefully prodded by the pistol, he was led up the wooden steps.

Mary's garage had been plane, nothing too unique besides room for her BMW and gear to help maintain it. Upstairs was where greater personality shined. They came to a hallway where a rather risqué portrait of mermaids swimming alongside a very fortunate or unfortunate sailor depending on how one viewed her circumstances. One path led to the front door and small table with mail carefully organized in neat piles. Mary decided to give him a tour of her home's interior.

Past the hallway, her home opened up to a space where everything could be seen. To his left were several couches arranged for close conversation with nearby literature looked to be selected and read with great passion. More to the right was a large screen door leading to her veranda with hints of a garden further back. A kitchen resided in the furthest right corner of the space, the crisp smell of buttered pancakes with fruit filled the air. The Doctor could almost see a bedroom down another hallway before being less gently pushed towards the nearby table next to the kitchen. It had space for seating six but only two chairs were used, plates and silverware arranged so those eating would be face to face.

"Don't move." The older woman spoke firmly, but definitely not motherly. He did as commanded, not even flinching when Mary came back holding a knife. His bindings were cut, no real need to massage the wrists since they weren't tightly bound, only snug. She motioned with the weapon for him to take his seat, back turned to the kitchen. Once seated, the Doctor noticed how phenomenally far everything would be if he chose to run before taking another nap.

"You like syrup with your pancakes?"

"Not sure," he shrugged. "Sometimes my tongue feels new, haven't really gotten a chance to appreciate food yet. Hope I still like eating." The pause on her end was surprisingly quicker than expected.

"Well, I think this will be a good start then."

She carefully placed a plate with four pancakes laced in syrup with a some sliced strawberries on top. He waited, not even touching a fork until Mary came around to her side, facing him.

"It's tricky, carrying so many things at once."

Besides a similar plate, he could clearly see the pistol aimed at him no matter how she moved. Placing the weapon further away from his reach but still easily within snatching distance for her, she finally grabbed a dinner knife and fork. The Doctor did the same, a small nod and they proceeded to eat in silence. Between carefully cut mouthfuls, they studied every little detail each had, not saying what either saw but never taking eyes off the other. After every bite could be had, syrup covered strawberries enjoyed last, they moved the plates aside. Hands on the table, fingers locked, ready to properly chat.

"I enjoy a little dessert after finishing my jobs," Mary began. "It's been a while since I've had company."

"Might want to work on your method of picking up houseguests," the Doctor replied. "Heard there are some good apps for meeting people, no duct tape required."

Mary's thumbs pressed together while her face remained stoic.

"I'm not much for social media, especially these days, too much noise. You're right to be upset. I just wasn't expecting another Thief trying to take what I stole."

"…I prefer the Doctor."

"And I don't care what kind of nicknames teenagers go by these days. You still should learn to have some manners and not surprise someone in their car."

He chuckled, her irritation was more easily read.

"S-Sorry," the Doctor said. "I'm… definitely not a teenager."

I'm actually be older than most of the Earth's civilizations.

A sudden chill hit his gut. All those silly little guesses at how old he actually was… were now way off. Could he really put an age to being… timeless?

He caught her staring in that worrying way that the Doctor didn't need anyone doing, where odd questions would lead to problematic answers. With the face of youthful awkwardness, he smiled sheepishly enough to get a more relaxed expression of human annoyance.

"I'm a bit older, but you're right, I should have talked with you at the party. No need to interfere in your work. But I figured two surprise guests would have been problematic for both of us, so I counted on your skill to get the thing." Plus, I'd rather not have any cameras pick up me or my trinkets. Even the Tardis is on 'stand-by' mode, it won't come unless summoned. Too many had gotten used to recognizing Her.

Mary seemed satisfied, possibly amused she had indeed been trusted to be successful. But he could see another thought burning in her mind.

"You don't know what I picked up."

Both hearts thumped nervously. Luckily, she only seemed to guess one. Now, how to best explain around a psychic migraine that almost made him crash from the sudden strain, he thought.

"I-I get… gut feelings about jobs being done. Especially if something big is happening. Occasionally, I get curious and try to get a peek of the treasures. But I'm not competition, Mary, just a curious fan of rare things."

The woman nodded; head tilted up in a way the Doctor recognized. She thought he was an idiot. Someone too bold for their own good and easily gets into trouble. This detail actually had enough honesty to it that most didn't look deeper.

"How exactly does a blank piece of paper and electric toothbrush help with your 'curiosity'?"

The Doctor gulped.

"I've seen all kinds of gear, used some very strange tools, but yours are out of thi—"

"Hacking equipment!"

His outburst silenced her train but not in a way that didn't dissuade further investigation.

"T-They're used for hacking. My… 'toothbrush' can download data and then I make new IDs to fit whatever I need. Most don't look past a card."

This verbal dance was getting exhausting. Part of him really wanted to be honest, but… he honestly had no idea what 'the truth' was anymore. Odds are, whatever the Doctor could try to explain would only put Mary in greater danger. Playing the youth in over his head seemed the best move, at least until he knew what caused this sudden mental anguish and how to get it away. Luckily, the Thief's controlled posture radiated something that made being close more likely.

Mary was afraid. He wondered what would push her to take on this strange job. Odds were, because they had gotten too close, sticking together would be the best move.

"Okay," she said in a tone that heavily implied it wasn't. "I wish I cared enough to be smarter about this, but you seem clever enough to get it. There will be an exchange tomorrow night, I hand over my prize, get some money, and you get to catch that bus you missed earlier. Until then, you stick with me. Understood?"

Being your hostage/partner/meat shield, what better way to spend the weekend?

"Understood," he said. "I'll make up this for little surprise. Any way I can help, just let me know."

Mary gave him an amused grin. He wondered if she thought this was his attempt at flirting. Something made the Doctor worry if it could be.

"At least your manners seem to be improving with pancakes. Sadly, that's not enough to get a spare house key." Mary's hand found the tranquilizer gun without taking her eyes off him. Getting the idea, he stood, hands raised. Keeping a steady distance, she walked around the table to get into the kitchen. Once there, she pulled out a roll of silver tape.

"Really?"

"Well, your little joke brought up a good point about needing to make sure my 'guests' don't run off to the actual competition, even if they aren't working with them. I especially don't want my… appreciation for mermaids and sailors getting around, people might get the wrong idea." Tossing the tape, he caught it. "Take off the coat, I promise to put it in a good spot before washing the dishes. Don't want you getting too hot or cold tonight."

The Doctor obeyed the orders efficiently. He folded his recently selected attire, possibly wondering if this could be his new look but decided to see how things go before fully deciding. Unwinding the tape, Mary watched him carefully tape his hands together. She got closer once they were too stuck together to do anything and 'helped' bind them together more. The Thief then guided the Doctor towards her guest bedroom. Inside was a bed, nightstand, and mirror above an old grey dresser.

"Move closer to the bed, I'm getting your feet too."

"…You seem oddly experienced in doing this." He said while his feet were taped together.

Once too bound do more than hop, the aesthetically older woman stood tall with a knowing smile.

"Maybe I'll give you some pointers, before this is done." Mary said with a wink before gently shoving him back on the bed. She then pulled out two lengths of rope that had clearly been inside the guest room already. Tying the already bound limps to the head and footboard, Mary made sure the restraints weren't too tight to be a problem. Pulling out a nearby baby monitor, she turned it on, placing it on the nearby nightstand facing the Doctor.

"You call out if anything iswrong. I don't care if it's an itchy nose, need to use the bathroom, or worse. You shout my name and I'm here, okay?"

The Doctor nodded. Despite her desperate moves to ensure control, Mary never seemed cruel. It just made sense, despite the more extreme precautions. She also had an edge to making sure no harm came to him that didn't feel directed at him. One mystery at a time, he decided when the door close but wasn't locked.

"Wait," he called out. Mary practically knocked the door off its hinges with how fast she moved.

"…Thanks for the pancakes. They were the best thing I've had in a while, company included."

Mary's face twisted with frustration that eventually allowed a smile to be clearly seen. Satisfied, the Thief slowly closed the door and proceeded to bed. The Doctor leaned his head back on the pillow, both hearts making sure no lack of circulation occurred while restrained. It had been awhile since he had been part of a heist, and even longer since being a willing hostage. He told himself this would be a simple job, play the part until he had an opportunity slip between robber and buyer and get the strange source of his mental troubles far away.

Hopefully, he thought with a sigh, this situation doesn't really need a Doctor.