A/N: Thanks again to everyone who's commented, fav'ed, and/or followed!

Oswin should've been disgusted at the amount of grease currently trickling down her fingers, but she bit in ravenously instead. The fried crust was pure heaven.

"Woah! You really were starving, weren't you?" Ben said in awe. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Don't remember," Oswin said between bites.

"Ah. Workaholic then. I know the type when I see them."

Her mouth was too full of food for a reply. It was an easy enough explanation though and one that she wouldn't argue. Oswin simply nodded, her cheeks protruding slightly with half-chewed food. She covered her mouth with her hands and swallowed.

"Thanks again," she managed.

"No problem. Anything to help a damsel in distress," he said with a grin. It faded slightly and he suddenly looked anxious? Apprehensive? He cleared his throat softly. "Which, by the way, I know you travel with the Doctor and he's… well… but if you are from around here, I wouldn't suppose you'd… That is… if you're interested, I'm free Friday night."

Oswin stared at him. She blinked.

"Are you inviting me on a date?" she said blankly.

Her chest felt sort of… giddy at the invitation.

"Well, yeah," Ben said He scratched the back of his head. "You seem like a really cool person and I… Oswin?"

She'd stopped listening to him. Her full attention was on a point past his shoulder, her face falling quickly into dismay. The Doctor was standing by the entrance of the UNIT facility looking positively murderous.

Her lighthearted outing, it seemed, was at an end.

Refusing to be the one who took full blame, Oswin stuck a chip in her mouth and tried to look as innocent as possible as he stormed over towards them. Ben took one look at the new intruder and peeled off. So much for chivalry.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor hissed, one eye on the nearby throngs of tourists.

Apparently he didn't want to cause a scene. That was good for her.

"Eating," Oswin said, holding up her basket of fish and chips. She raised an eyebrow at him. "My first time in over a year, you know."

"One rule. I gave you one rule."

"I had an escort the entire time," she said. "A military escort even."

The Doctor let out a snort of laughter. "Because one human with a gun is really enough to stop a Dalek."

Something snapped in Oswin at that. With her free hand, she grabbed the Doctor by his lapels and yanked him close. A couple tourists paused briefly to stare; Oswin tried to ignore them.

"I am not a Dalek," she viciously hissed.

The Doctor was not convinced.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't lock you back up in the TARDIS right now," he whispered.

Oswin stared at the alien she was currently holding from the throat. His brows narrowed, his dark eyes piercing straight through her. There was a defiance in them that matched her own. She used to be quite good at winning battles of wills, but something told her this would be a wholly different game.

She let the Doctor go, practically shoving him backwards as she did so. He stumbled slightly before regaining his balance. As he straightened his purple bow tie with an affronted air, the image of a stodgy, overgrown peacock came to Oswin's mind. Another personality trait to take note of for later.

"Because people make mistakes?" she finally said, popping another chip halfway into her mouth. As she chewed on the end, she considered certain things. "Plus you need me."

The Doctor gaped at her.

"I need you?" he asked.

"Yeah," Oswin said. "Otherwise you wouldn't have remembered I existed."

He glared at her. "I never-"

"Yes. Yes, you did!" Oswin snapped. "You promised me a fun first outing. My first outing after months and months of physical and pychological torture! And what do you do? You take me to some godforsaken military complex - an underground complex, I might add - and then abandon me in some corner! So yes! I admit it! I was hungry! I wanted to feel the actual sun again! I'm sorry that's such a terrible thing!"

She was breathing heavy now. The Doctor was staring at her, stunned.

"Umm…" came a hesitant voice.

Oswin whipped her head around to see Ryan the soldier wringing his hands nervously.

"Not that I want to get in the middle of anything," he said. "But if you're going to continue to yell like that… Could you please take it inside?"

He nodded his head in the direction of several tourists who had stopped and were actively staring now. Oswin felt her face grow flush.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Oswin, I…" The Doctor trailed off, and then his face grew dark. He took a deep breath. "I'll forgive you this once. But if this ever happens again. Ever happens again-"

"Alright! Alright!" Oswin cried in exasperation. "Next time I'll just starve to death. I've got it," she quipped, letting her bravado mask her fear.

The Daleks feared the Doctor.

It was an entirely reasonable fear.

Oswin used to think she understood it because she'd immersed herself in the Dalek's centralized unit database. She'd wormed her way in, had sifted through the entire Dalek and Doctor history, and then had deleted it from existence. There'd been countless battles… countless deaths… It was only reasonable that one be affected while in the moment.

But now she had an unpleasant thought. The fear she currently felt… Was it really her own fear? Or had a bit of the database rubbed off on her? Had it crept beneath her mind and altered her thoughts, altered her feelings, even as she thought she'd been the one doing the alterations?

There was an unease between the two of them. An unease that had settled in the second the Doctor had realized who she was and - even now - clung to them like a sticky fog.

What if everything she did… What if it was never enough?

In front of her, the Doctor's mouth twisted. It was clear that, at least on the outside, Oswin wasn't taking the situation seriously enough for him. For a moment he looked like he was about to start arguing again, and then he shoulders slumped.

"You're right," the Doctor said. Exhaustion seeped through his words. "I need you to take a look at a couple of firewalls. As for you-" He walked towards Ryan. When he was barely a foot away, he leaned in, towering over the poor guard as he looked him up and down. His own personal, detailed inspection. Then the Doctor simply shook his head and walked back inside.

Ryan looked at Oswin, seemingly for either some kind of help or explanation.

If only she had anything to give.

She shrugged in apology, ate another chip, and then followed the Doctor back underground.