Ok, so I've bumped up the rating a little bit here, it's now M cause there's a little bit of violence in this chapter. So... yeah, consider yourself warned.

"Admit it! For god sake Doctor admit it!" Nate growled, slapping the Doctor hard in the face.

The Doctor's face snaps to the side from the force of the slap. He slowly brings it back to face Nate, his left eye is swollen and bruised, and several small cuts litter the Doctor's face. After two hours of questioning, punching and slapping from Nate, the Doctor sags in his chair, only held up by his chains that Nate put on him a while back.

Nate's eyes flash with anger and he moves to slap the Doctor again,

"I admit it" the Doctor whispers, barely audible

Nate freezes, his eyes going wide and he lowers his hand and leans down to look the Doctor in the eyes.

"What was that?"

"I admit it"

Nate stands up straight and grins, "well, the unbreakable Doctor finally breaks. What would you friends say if they could see you now?"

The Doctor hangs his head and closes his eyes, trying to take his mind off the pain. Nate grabs his hair and pulls upwards, forcing the Doctor to look up at him again. The Doctor winces in pain but doesn't make a sound.

"Doctor, Doctor" Nate mocks, "You must be in so much pain, and yet you still haven't made a sound"

Nate lets go of the Doctor's head and lets it fall forward. Nate moves off to the side and picks up a knife.

Turning the knife in his hands he walks back over to the Doctor, "You're too quiet Doctor"

Nate strikes out, his aim straight and true, and stabs the Doctor in the chest.

The Doctor screams out in agony, he strains against his bonds, making his wrists bleed.

Nate grins savagely and pulls the knife out slowly, watching the Doctor closely as he convulses and shudders.

Nate steps back and wipes the knife clean. Watching the Doctor pant and trying to breathe,

"n-no" the Doctor stutters, his chest starting to glow golden, "p-please"

Nate steps up to the Doctor again, aiming the knife for the second time, "one more hit to your heart and you'll be dead Doctor. Gone. Forever"

The Doctor shakes his head minutely, trying and failing to catch his breath as his body starts to regenerate.

"P-please… d-don't do this…" he pleads, his eyes wide and desperate, "please!"

As his whole frame is covered in bright, golden light, Nate strikes out again. And the Doctor screams.

River jolts out of her trance; she could have sworn she heard screaming.

Holding still and listening very carefully, she can hear someone's screams faintly from above.

River winces as she makes out words, "please"

The Doctor, River thinks, she makes a noise of frustration and tries to move around. The chains rattle and tighten around her wrists.

River whimpers quietly in pain as she stretches her arms back, trying to break free. As River stretches her arms as far back as they would go, the chain snaps and quickly slinks to the ground in a pile.

River brings her arms around to her front and massages her wrists, before leaning down to snap the chains around her ankles.

"Well, they weren't very strong" she said to herself

Her voice echoed around the room, as did her footsteps as River walked towards the door. Pressing her ear up to the door to try and hear anything outside, she tries the door handle.

Locked. No surprises there, she thinks and takes a step back, taking a deep breath and yelling as loud as she can, trying to make as much noise as possible.

Soon after, the sound of boots is heard outside the door, River quickly stands back against the wall and waits patiently.

Two guards open the door and rush inside, pointing guns and looking around. In a second, River slips out the door, grabbing the keys and a gun from one guard's pocket,

"Nice try boys" River says in a teasing tone and both guards turn towards her, shocked.

"Wha-!? How did you-!?"

River gives a little wave to the two guards and quickly reaches forward for the door, shutting and locking it before the guards realise what's happening.

"Hey!"

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"Let us out!"

River laughs to herself and walks quickly down the hall, pocketing the keys and holstering the gun into her belt.

Right, now to find the Doctor, River thinks as she hurries down the hall. She estimated that she has at least 10 minutes until someone noticed the guards were missing. She knew she could find the Doctor in less than 5, but getting both of them out and back to the TARDIS was going to take a lot longer, especially since River didn't know what sort of condition the Doctor would be in.

It won't be good, judging from the screams.

Finding a set of stairs, River takes them two at a time and quickly and quietly rushes through the halls, stopping short when she hears the Doctor scream again. She turns to the nearest door and tests the handle, unlocked.

Opening the door and stepping in she stops short at the sight of the Doctor, bound into a chair with Nate standing over him, wielding a knife.

River paled as she took in the scene, panic rising within her as she takes note of the bright, golden glow around the Doctor and the way the knife is pointed straight at his heart.

"Hey!" River yells, drawing her gun and pointing it at Nate, "Stop right there"

Nate freezes, having not noticed River enter and turns towards her, knife still raised,

"Drop the knife" River says sternly and calmly, the gun not wavering from Nate's chest.

Nate grins and, in one quick move, spins around and takes a stab at the Doctor,

Bang!

Nate's tall body hits the floor, the knife following a split second later.

Stone faced and appearing calm, River holsters her gun and walks over to the Doctor, kicking Nate's body away and ignoring the same golden glow that starts to surround Nate.

River leans down and unties the Doctor, catching him as he sags forward.

"Doctor? Doctor!? Can you hear me?" River says, a tiny amount of panic entering her voice.

"River" the Doctor whispers, "you came"

"Course I did, sweetie, I'm not going to let you have all the fun am I?" River says, sarcasm falling from her last few words.

Putting one of the Doctor's arms around her neck, River lifts him up and begins the slow and painful process of half carrying, half dragging the Doctor out the door. Pausing only to look back and shoot Nate a second time, stopping his regeneration and killing him.

"River…. You didn't…" the Doctor starts, but River cuts him off

"No, he tortured you and was going to kill you." River says sternly, "it's got to be breaking some sort of law"

The Doctor shakes her head and opens his mouth but River cuts him off again,

"Besides, it was self-defence" she says, "now shut up and concentrate on regenerating"

The Doctor nodded and the golden glow intensified. But suddenly it faded just as quickly. A few of the smaller cuts and bruises had healed but the gaping wound in his chest was still there.

"Dammit, we gotta get you back to the TARDIS don't we" River said, her voice straining from the Doctor's weight.

The Doctor nodded and pointed down the hall, "just get me to a room, I can bring the TARDIS to me"

"Not in your current state, you can't" River says, but guides the Doctor into a room anyway, sitting him down on a chair.

The Doctor tries to take a few deep breaths and winces, glancing down at the knife wound in his chest.

"Yeah, you're injured. Hurry up and call the TARDIS" River snapped, but her voice was laced with concern and worry.

The Doctor glanced up at River and his lips turned up in a small grin. Taking out the TARDIS key, he held it in his hand and, with the other, got out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the key and pressed the button.

After a few seconds, the TARDIS's engine could be heard and it started to materialise around them, putting them inside and at the control panel.

The Doctor dropped both his sonic screwdriver and the key as soon as the TARDIS had fully materialised, collapsing sideways.

River jumped forward and caught him before he hit the floor, laying him gently down and she steps back as golden strands surround the Doctor and glow strong and bright.

River shields her eyes until the light fades ad she walks over to the Doctor, looking down at him,

"How do you feel?" she asked her hands on her hips.

The Doctor sits up and starts patting himself down, "I'm fine! Really, fine!"

He springs to his feet and grabs River in a hug,

"Thank you River" he says, his tone turning serious and deeply grateful

"You're welcome sweetie"

The Doctor steps back from River and smiles widely at her. When River doesn't smile back, the Doctor looks concerned

"River…?"

"Elena" River answers and she watches as the Doctor pales

"Oh no…" he says and spins towards the door

River follows closely behind, checking her gun, "Doctor…"

The Doctor turns back to River and tilts his head questioningly, "yes?"

River debates for a few seconds whether or not to say anything.

The Doctor frowns in worry, "River…?"

River finally shakes her head and quickly grins, "Don't worry about it" she walks towards the door and stops in front of the Doctor, "Are we going or not?"

The Doctor ignores Rivers last comment, "what were you going to say?"

River grins and walks around the Doctor, opening the door and waiting for him,

"Spoilers" she says, before walking out.