#catharticone

"Woman!" [The burly man] shouted, his deep, gruff voice rumbling through the wind. His stride seemed to double in length.

Rose turned and began to run. She had gone only a few meters when his hand wrapped around her arm. His grip was like iron, and she was unable to tug or twist away from him.

"Let me go!" she demanded.

"Woman!" he repeated, and then his massive arms wrapped around her waist and he hoisted her over his shoulder. The coat fell from her hands.

Her head hung over his chest, and her feet dangled against his back. She kicked and pummeled him with her fists, but he seemed oblivious to the blows. He was walking again, and the arm he'd clamped over her back tightened.

Rose could barely breathe beneath the unrelenting press of his steely forearm. She gasped for air, struggling ineffectually against the forced constriction of her lungs. Finally her fists unclenched and her hands swung limply as consciousness slipped away.»

- Precious Metal, by #Catharticone (Chap.1)

"What's goin' on?" she whispered.

"Sshh. Don't talk. I'm gonna get you out of here, but it's gonna take a little time. We need to play along for now."

He slid his hand gently into her hair. His fingers brushed over a swelling on the back of her head, and his eyes fixed on her injured lip. As Rose's gaze drifted over his shoulder, he felt her entire body stiffen. He glanced back to see the nearest man tugging up his woman's skirt. His trousers were pooled around his feet.

"Don't," he said lowly. "Look at me, just at me."

"Oh my God," she breathed.»

- Precious Metal, by #Catharticone (Chap.5)

Behind it were several men, chasing the creature and calling out for it to stop. As the Doctor looked about, he saw that the ground was rough and rocky, with many deep indentations. If the animal ran through here, it would likely fall and break a leg. This must be what the men feared.

The Time Lord stepped directly into the creature's path. It was moving in a straight line, and it did not even attempt to veer away. It was very large, very strong, and the four tusks protruding from its snout likely mowed down anything and everything in its wake. It didn't need to alter its course.

The Doctor stood firmly, lifting one hand to his mouth. The beast was close enough for him to smell its musky odor and see the shaggy hair that flapped about with its rapid pace. It was coming straight at him.

He pushed two fingers between his lips and gave a low whistle.

The animal came to a sudden halt, its hooves sliding on the frozen ground. The Doctor reached forward and grabbed its thick forelock, steadying it before it fell.

"Easy," he soothed, scratching its ears as it regained its footing. "There you go. You're fine now."»

- Precious Metal, by #Catharticone (Chap.2)

"Rose."

The word, fuzzy and muted, filtered through layer after layer of haze, and at first was almost inaudible. But then she heard it again.

"Rose. Hang on, Rose. We're almost there."

Hang on. Yes, she could do that… if only she knew what to hang on to. Her fingers refused to grip, and her legs had turned to stone.

"Stay with me, Rose."

The voice seemed to rumble in her ear, and she let her head drop to rest against the solidity that surrounded her. A soft yet rapid thumping whispered to her—thumpthud, thumpthud, thumpthud—over and over again, and that was her anchor. She clung to it, pressing her ear against the Doctor's chest as he carried her through the storm.»

- Precious Metal, by #Catharticone (Chap.9)

The Time Lord took a step forward, forcing his eyes to move over Friya and the women closest to her. Then he took another step, feigning interest in a couple of other girls. The men watched him, offering crass commentary as he considered the poor creatures before him.

Finally he stood before Rose. She kept her eyes averted, but he could see some of the fear and tension melting away from her expression. He turned back to another young woman for a moment then pointed at Rose.

"This one," he said simply.

"She's new," Sagar commented. "She might not be broken in yet."

"Even better," the Doctor said as his stomach twisted uncomfortably.

"No!" Kuroq cried suddenly. "This one's mine!"

The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at Sagar. "Thought I got my pick."

Sagar addressed Kuroq. "He saved the animal. I told him he could have whichever one he wanted."

Kuroq shook his huge head. "No. I get her." Somewhat begrudgingly, he added, "He can have her when I'm done if he really wants her, but she won't be much good to anyone then."

The Doctor shook his head and looked straight at Sagar. "Thought you were a man of your word."

Sagar glanced at Kuroq, and the Doctor suddenly understood that these two men had vied for power. Sagar had emerged on top, but some opposition remained.

"I am," Sagar replied, standing a bit taller.

"Good. Then I want her," the Time Lord repeated.»

- Precious Metal, by #Catharticone (Chap.5)

"Doctor!" she cried, "what's goin' on?"

The Time Lord's close-cropped head popped up from beneath the open grating on the floor. "Oh, this isn't good," he replied, his expression somber.

"What? What is it?" Even she could sense that something was terribly wrong with the TARDIS.

He'd sprung to his feet and was now running his hands gently over the console. He paused every few seconds to press a palm more firmly against the vibrating surface, and two or three times he leaned in closely, listening intently. Then he studied two of the screens and tapped at several buttons. His frown deepened with each passing moment.»

- Precious Metal, by #Catharticone (Chap.1)

He nodded. "What else would it be from?" Then he understood what she wasn't willing to say. "Oh. Oh Rose, did he do something else to you?"

She shook her head. "No, 'course not. But you… Didn't you?" She seemed confused.

"Didn't I… what?" Suddenly comprehension hit him like a ton of bricks. "No! No, Rose, of course I didn't!" He cupped her cheek in his hand. "Never, never in a million years would I—"

"But you said it had to be real," she interjected.

"No, I said they had to believe it was real. There's a big difference."

"So you didn't…force yourself on me."

He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them to capture her gaze. "It was all a sham, just play acting. You know what I did while you were conscious—and I'm sorry I had to handle you like that; honestly, I am. But once you'd passed out, all I did was hold you and move my hips a bit."

"An' they believed that?"

"I'm a good actor," he tried to joke, but he quickly became serious again. "I'm sorry you thought that. I should've said straightaway what happened—or didn't happen."

"'S all right," she said.

He wrapped his arms around her to envelop her in a hug.»

- Precious Metal, by #Catharticone (Chap.6)

He extended his hand to the nearest man, who stared at it with some offense.

"Hmm," he amended, "suppose that's not customary here. Handshake's a common form of greeting in a lot of places I've been. 'Course in some it's an insult… Oi, I haven't insulted you, have I?"

The leader paused in his steps. "Insulted? Do you mean shown disrespect?"

"Yeah."

"The hand is a sign of power," the man explained briefly, lifting his own. "We raise our hands to the women when they forget their place. You showed your hand in that way."

The other men guffawed now, amused by his faux pas once they realized he hadn't meant it as an offense.

The leader's posture shifted. He thrust out his left foot, giving the frozen ground one solid tap with his heel before touching the toe of his thick boot to the Doctor's boot.

"I'm Sagar," he said by way of introduction.

"Sagar," the Doctor repeated. "Please to meet you." He mimicked the foot gesture, and the other men nodded in approbation.»

- Precious Metal, by #Catharticone (Chap.2)