Fic: Hands off the blonde! (2/5(?), Teen)

[carly21]

Title: Hands off the blonde!
Author: carly21
Characters/Pairings: Nine, Rose, Jack
Rating: Teen
Beta: naughtybunny23 from Teaspoon
Summary: While Jack still tries to fit into the team and solve the mystery that was the Doctor and Rose's relationship, Rose and him are getting kidnapped and thrown into a harem. Vanishing virgins, an alien far from its home and an interesting secret of the Doctor's soon put a test to their relationship...

A/N: Warning from the first chapter still stands: There are themes of rape (well, sort of...) in this chapter but I tried to keep it as lightly as possible. There won't be any in the next chapters, though.
My betareader is going to be out of town next week, so no update then, I'm afraid.

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters.

Chapter 1


(Note: Image not to be taken seriously... I just played around a bit :P)




Chapter 2

Rose stirred. The soft smell of flowers and honey filled her nostrils, almost leading her back to sleep. Soft cushions lay under her fingertips, the smooth surface reminding her of silk. She heard voices nearby and slowly opened her heavy eyelids. Her vision returned steadily, the black giving way to the sight of a colourful room, full of cushions and scarcely clad people.

She looked beside her and saw Jack lying there, completely still.

“Jack! Wake up!” she said, shaking his shoulders desperately, fearing the worse when he didn't respond. She didn't remember anything. Not where they were, not what had happened or even where the Doctor was. Panic spread through her at the unknown situation, her heart skipping several beats in the process.

Relief washed through her body when Jack finally groaned and held his head. “What the hell have I been drinking?!” he said, his eyes slowly cracking open. “Worst headache I've had in... well, three weeks if I'm honest. Where are we, Rosie?” he asked her, his gaze shifting to her. “And what are you wearing?”

Her eyes dropped down her body, realising only then that someone had changed her clothes. She was now wearing a light pink dress that could count as a negligee at most, showing her underwear beneath the see-through material. She pushed her embarrassment away, however, knowing the situation demanded a cool head.

“Dunno... but your clothes changed, too,” she mentioned blushing, trying not to let her gaze wander over his naked, well-built chest.

Jack stood up to look at his new, wide and transparent trousers, obviously pleased with his attire. “Not bad... not as sexy as my leather pants but a close second. And talking about not bad...” His gaze wandered over the other occupants of the room and he gave a low whistle. “I think we died and landed in heaven. Look at that eye candy!”

Rose rolled her eyes as she too looked at the numerous barely dressed women and men in the room. “Not really the right time to ogle, is it? We should try to find out where we are!”

Jack waved her off. “No need, I know exactly where we are!” he said, grinning brightly at her. “The harem of Prince Sharan V.”

“A harem? But there are women and men here...”

Jack shot her one of those looks that always made her feel stupid. “53rd century, Rose. The prince is batting for both teams.”

She felt her face grow hot at his words. Despite homosexuality becoming a normal thing in her time, it was still strange for her to hear things like this.

Her eyes shot to Jack when another thought occurred to her. “But, Jack... when we are inside a harem, don't they expect us to... to sleep with the prince?” She looked fearfully up at him, the thought of being forced by a stranger scaring her to death.

Jack smiled gently at her. “It's your first time, isn't it?” When her eyebrows rose, he added, “Being in a harem, I mean.”

Rose nodded and closed her eyes when he touched her cheek. “It happened a lot to me in the past... Guess it has to do with my charming self,” she heard him chuckle and she refrained from rolling her eyes. “I went with the flow whenever it happened. Made the most of it. You probably noticed, I'm not a stranger to sex.” She looked at him and he winked at her, causing Rose's face to flush again. “But know this, Rose: I would never let anyone touch you against your will.”

She didn't know why she trusted Jack that much, having known him for only a few days, but she believed his words at once. She smiled widely at him as her nerves calmed down. “Thank you, Jack,” she said before looking around. “Now we either have to find a way out or wait for the Doctor to rescue us.” Rose grimaced. “He would never shut up about this.”

“Oh, I don't know. Pointing out every single time you had to come to his rescue might make him hold his tongue.”

She grinned. “Jack Harkness, I love your way of thinking.”

~*~

The Doctor stared down at the man who intended to scam him. Him. The most intelligent man on this whole planet... and that was modestly expressed. Ten thousand credits for a neutron compensator that didn't even have enough power left to build up a decent extraction shield. Of course, he was able to recharge it without problem but for every human buyer it would be completely useless.

“I know you think I'm one of your stupid apes... not smart enough to change a light bulb or to look through a silly scam like this... but I'm not,” the Doctor said with a pointed glare that made the other man squirm. “I'm the Doctor, last of the Time Lords and way smarter than you can ever imagine to be. So, stop embarrassin' your species and give me a price that's actually worth this piece of junk.”

“S-Seven hundred credits, Sir,” the man answered shakily, wiping his sweating forehead with his handkerchief.

The Doctor's face broke into a manic grin. “That's more like it! Take a thousand. Here,” he said, handing over his credit card. The salesman looked at him in surprise. “Honesty pays off, see?”

the Time Lord said, taking back his card and his new neutron compensator after he had been charged.

He walked on, feeling decidedly smug and only regretting that Rose wasn't there to see him. He knew exactly how she would have reacted... calling him stupid for paying more money than was necessary and cursing the salesman who ripped off other people.

He would have told her then that his little gesture gave the man something to think about and he probably started being an honest man. The Doctor could see her clearly rolling her eyes at his smirk inside his mind and began to miss the feeling of her hand in his.

Damn that Jack Harkness, stealing her away from him! The warning should have been clear enough,and yet, the 'Captain' was insolent enough to take her shopping. Shopping!

That playboy was probably making her try on skimpy clothes, letting her pose for him while devouring her beautiful, innocent (well, almost) body with his eyes.

The Doctor made a sudden turn, startling several people who walked behind him.

Couldn't hurt to look for them, now that he had what he came here for...

~*~

“So, what's the plan?” Rose asked, looking nervously around. Jack had to grin at how conspicuously inconspicuous she acted.

“How about 'lying back and enjoying the view?'” he said, his eyes following the butt of another attractive inmate. He suddenly understood why his ex-partner and lover from the Time Agency liked to become part of a harem for his holidays.

Rose groaned. “Can't we at least try to find a way out?”

“Look around you, Rosie. There are at least two guards at every door, guards who look like they can crack your skull without even trying.” He shrugged. “In no more than two hours, the Doctor will be here, flashing his psychic paper and insisting that we are his personal concubines or something. Well, he’ll say that you are. He will probably try to leave me here... would be nice if you could say I'm your pet or playmate or whatever then.”

Rose looked away, trying desperately to get the pictures of a leash and collar out of her mind. “He wouldn't leave you here, he isn't like that.”

“Well, he sure doesn't like me much,” Jack said with a playful smile but unable to hide the bitter tone inside his voice. “He sees me as a rival, Rose. Someone who might steal you away-”

“That's rubbish, Jack. He might feel a bit threatened by another bloke stealing his spotlight but you can't seriously think that-”

“He is in love with you.”

“Stop it, Jack. We are friends!”

Jack sighed. “Are you trying to fool me or yourself, Rosie?”

“I-”

“Hello! I'm Claire!” a brown haired girl suddenly said, startling them both and letting herself drop next to them onto the cushions. “You’re new, aren't you? Prince Sharan will be so happy! You are quite the lookers, both of you!” She talked with an amazing speed, reminding Rose of the Doctor caught up in technical explanations. “So, what brought you here? Debts? Ill parents? Fun? The prince is a very generous lover, but you surely know that... No, don't tell me,” Claire said, holding up a hand when Rose made to speak. “Ill parents, right? You are brother and sister, aren't you? Or a couple searching for new excitement in bed? What is it? How long did you sign up for?”

“Sign up? We've been kidnapped!” Rose said, annoyed by the girl's behaviour.

“Ah, so you are one of those people.” Claire dropped her happy attitude and looked at them with disdain. “We've had a lot of your type lately. You really shouldn't blame others when you two are getting cold feet! You knew what you signed up for, didn't you?”

Jack silenced Rose with his hand on her knee before she could say something undeniable unfriendly. “Yeah, we know. Thanks for your opinion. Can you go now, please? Rose and I would like to have some privacy...”

Claire frowned but stood up. “You will come around anyway... everyone does. At first, they are afraid and then by the very first night with the prince, they can't wait to get to him,” she said quickly before stalking off without looking back.

“Why did you do that?” Rose asked when she was gone. “We have been kidnapped. Why does she-”

“Rose, didn't you hear what she said?” She shook her head and Jack continued, “She is convinced that everyone enters the harem out of free will. Which doesn't surprise me... From what I've heard about this place, people would kill just to enter it.”

“But... why?” Rose asked. “They can't seriously enjoy this! I mean... they are getting used, aren't they?”

Jack shot her a small smile. “Different century, different culture, Rose. Prince Sharan is considered a god here. Everyone wants to be with him.”

She frowned, tilting her head when another question formed inside her mind. “But that doesn't make sense... why are they kidnapping people then?”

“And that's exactly what I've been asking myself. They shouldn't have to, not really,” he said, rubbing his chin. “There is another thing Claire said, though...”

“People suddenly changing their mind?” Rose asked and Jack looked proudly at her.

“Exactly! And that's strange, isn't it? Especially because they’re changing their mind just before the night with the prince... After it, alright,” he said, grinning. “But before? Why would they do that?”

“Because they are threatened or...”

“Or drugged, yes. There exists several drugs in this time and area that alter your views. They make you believe you've got feelings for someone you haven't even met yet. So, better not drink or eat anything they offer you,” Jack explained, scanning the room for abnormalities. He was beginning to get a bad feeling about this. “I've heard a lot about the prince, too and everyone describes him just like Claire did: a generous lover. Even if he has trouble getting new lovers, I can't see him agreeing to drug his harem members.”

“Someone else does it then...” Rose mentioned thoughtfully.

“Seems that way,” Jack replied.

An identical grin spread simultaneously on their faces.

“The Doctor is going to take some time until he finds us...” said Rose, her voice trailing off at the end.

“...and there is certainly something strange going on here...” Jack continued her sentence.

“...probably alien...”

“...probably dangerous.”

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Jack?” she asked him, her eyes glittering with the thirst for adventure.

“Investigation?” he asked.

“Investigation!”

And with big grins on their faces, they went off in different directions to question the people.

~*~

“The girl is blonde, brown eyes. The man, dark haired, muscular. Both have a knack of gettin' into trouble... and love to flirt with pretty boys.” The Doctor huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at a spot behind the poor man he described his companions to. “Humans... I give them the universe, show places to them mankind could never even dream of reachin' and how do they thank me? Wanderin' off and right into trouble, no doubt. Or snoggin' in a corner... Despite rule number one. Both of them!” He huffed again, staring down an invisible enemy. “Don't know why I even bother... It's not like I need them, anyway. Perfectly fine on my own, me. Course ‘tis better with two... well, was before Captain Fancy Pants joined in. Nothin' but trouble that guy is, I tell ya... And why are you starin' at me? Don't ya know that's rude?”

The man blinked and shook his head before answering, “I'm very sorry, sir, but you are holding up the line. This is a supermarket. Maybe you should go to a police station to report your missing friends?”

The Doctor frowned and looked around. Several people stood behind him, glaring and ranting about him stealing their time.

“What are you people complainin' about? It's not like you got anythin' important to do!”

Under loud curses and badmouthing, he left the supermarket, eating the banana he came in to get in the first place. Tossing the banana skin behind him and ignoring the cry of the person it landed on, the Doctor went down the street, looking for his two companions.

They were only twenty minutes late, but that was still enough to worry him. Rose was never late when she promised to meet him somewhere. And the Captain... as an ex-Time Agent, he ought to know the importance of being punctual. No, there was definitely something going on...

~*~

“Got any clues?” Rose asked Jack when they met up again. The last thirty minutes they had spent talking to people about the supposedly kidnapped harem members.

“Nothing. Nothing new, anyway. They all say the same thing as Claire. People claim to be abducted and when prince Sharan asks for them, they are suddenly at peace with their fate. How about you? Anything useful?” he asked, wiping his forehead. Even inside the palace, it was damn hot.

“I found one of the 'abducted' ones. He- it was a 'he' by the way- said he was reluctant at first but quickly changed his mind. When I asked him what changed his mind, he just shrugged, meaning he doesn't have a clue. He seemed clear-headed enough, though, not confused, disoriented or anything,” Rose said, dropping down on one of the giant pillows.

“Well, as long as we stay here, we had better act like everything is alright. I don't really fancy being drugged here,” he mentioned, sitting down beside her.

“Me neither... Think the Doctor is going to find us soon?”

He glanced at his vortex manipulator and answered. “Think so. It's thirty minutes past our arranged meeting time.”

“That thing can teleport, right?” Rose said, eyeing his wristband. “Can't it get us out?”

“It could, but it has been dodgy lately. We could end up in the wrong time and trap us there. Then the Doctor could never find us.” He put an arm around her and pulled her close. “Don't worry. I'm sure, he will be here soon.”

“I hope so. I don't really like this place. It's pretty and all, but... a bit like a brothel,” Rose said, wrinkling her nose adoringly. He had to grin at her cuteness and cursed himself silently when she looked strangely at him. “What? You’re staring at me!”

“Sorry... Sorry!” Jack replied, holding up his hands. “I'm just admiring your beauty.” He winked at her and enjoyed the blush his words elicited.

“Excuse me, Miss.” They both looked up when they heard an unfamiliar voice. One of the guards, a tall, strongly-built man with a bald head, stood in front of them, eyeing them uncertainly. “Prince Sharan wishes your company tonight.”

Seeing all colour leaving Rose's face, Jack quickly said, “My... friend isn't feeling too well today. She threw up just this morning, you know.”

The guard frowned as he scrutinised him. “The prince wishes to see her. I'm sorry to hear that she isn't feeling well, but I can't possibly-”

“You don't want her to puke on Prince Sharan, do you?”

The man looked shocked at the mere thought. “Of course not!”

“Well, then you had better tell him that Rose won't be able to accompany him tonight. I will go in her stead.” He felt Rose gripping his hand tightly and he squeezed it reassuringly. “I can assure you, the prince will be more than satisfied with my service.”

The guard looked at him for a long time and then nodded. “Alright. But you take the responsibility! Prince Sharan hates nothing more than not getting his way.”

“Of course,” Jack answered, nodding as he began to follow the guard's lead. Rose's hand stopped him. She bit her lip as he looked at her.

“You don't have to do this, Jack... Not for me,” she whispered, tears brimming inside her eyes.

He cupped her cheek as he looked into her eyes. “I have done this countless times and don't mind it at all. Don't worry, Rosie.”

“But-”

“No buts,” he said with a wink. “And now hush! We don't want them to think we don't enjoy our stay, do we?” He grinned at her before turning to the impatient looking guard. He didn't appear to have heard them. “I'm ready now.”

“Alright. We will send your friend to a doctor... just to be sure. Don't want the other harem members to become ill...”

The guard signalled with a wave, and from across the room another guard came. He smiled at Rose when he approached. This one looked a bit younger and friendlier than the other one at Jack’s side.

Rose looked uncertainly at Jack who, in turn, smiled and nodded at her. With one last look, she followed the young guard while he went after his own. He could only hope she would be alright.

~*~

The doctor's office looked no differently than the ones, Rose knew from home, but yet it was still different. It was completely white and smelled of disinfectants but the charts of not only human but also alien bodies reminded her quickly of how far away she was from home. A grey-haired man turned around in his place in front of a big desk as they entered.

“Doctor? I've got a patient for you...” Despite her situation, Rose had to grin at the title. “She is one of our new harem members and not feeling well.”

“New member?” the doctor repeated, nearly dropping the medical instrument in his hands.

“Yeah, but she settled in quite well,” the guard said emphatically. Rose's eyes narrowed at this. Whatever was going on here, guards as well as this doctor seemed to know about it.

“She did? Good, good... Come here, my child. Let me have a look at you,” the doctor said kindly to Rose.

The guard turned around and said, “I will wait outside.” He quietly closed the door behind him.

“Not feeling well, are you? Well, you look a bit pale... what symptoms? Fever? Nausea? Dizzy spells?”

Rose mustered the doctor for a moment. For all she knew, he looked like the average kind, old man. Feeling especially brave for a moment, she dared to answer, “Well, I'm a bit under the weather... Might have to do with being anaesthetised and kidnapped.”

Now the doctor did drop his instrument. “I... You... What?!”

“You understood exactly what I said,” she said with a small smile on her lips. “And you know what's going on here, don't you? You know that people are kidnapped and then drugged to accept their fate.”

The old man's face turned deep red and Rose regretted for a moment being that straightforward. “How... How do you know all that?” he asked her in a quiet voice, looking around like he expected the walls to eavesdrop.

“The normal way: I asked around. Now then, doctor... What exactly is going on here?” she asked, trying to look intimidating. She had seen the Doctor talk like this countless of times, after all.

“I can't tell you. I'm sorry, my dear, but... I promised not to say anything,” he said, picking up his instrument again. It looked a bit like a stethoscope to Rose, but with two chestpieces instead of one. She wondered briefly how many species in the universe had two hearts, like the Doctor.

“Who did you promise that to?” Rose asked, frowning.

The old man kept quiet, fiddling nervously with his alien stethoscope.

“Look,” she said, laying her hand on the doctor's. “We, my friends and I, we can help, yeah? That's what we do. Travelling through the universe and helping people with problems they can't solve on their own. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

The old man sat down in his chair and held his head with his hands. He looked so miserable that Rose laid an arm around his shoulder. “I...” he began, his eyes searching hers. “I didn't want to do it. I really didn't, but... I had no choice. You have to know, it is seen as a privilege to enter Prince Sharan's harem. Everyone dreams about it! Well,” he said, burying his head in his hands again. “Not anymore...”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“People went missing. Virgins... five of them. They wanted the prince to be their first, but... on the way to him, they vanished. One by one. The guards who escorted them were knocked out. They didn't notice anything... just a strange green mist before they lost consciousness,” he explained without looking up. His voice sounded strangled, hurt. Rose's heart went out to him.

“But why kidnap people then? What has that to do with everything?” she asked, petting the old man's arm.

“Word got around. People thought it wasn't safe anymore to become part of the harem. Prince Sharan normally got three new concubines a week... if he were to notice...” The doctor swallowed. “He is generous to his lovers but his servants...?” He shook his head. “He would have had us beheaded.”

“But it's not your fault!” Rose exclaimed, shocked by his words.

“Doesn't matter. In his eyes it is.”

They went silent, both lost in their own thoughts.

“So... you drugged the abducted harem members?” Rose asked after a while.

He nodded, so she went on, “And you have no idea what happened to the virgins? Are there... creatures on this planet who could have done it?”

The doctor frowned. “You really aren't from around here, are you?” After Rose shook her head, he continued. “No creatures, animals or anything I know of... But... you said you could help us? You and your friends?”

She smiled gently at him, putting as much reassurance in her words as she could. “Yes, we can.”


Chapter 3