#i am going to have to take a brief kitty detour before i get to the rest of my buddies to detox but thats life.

[questionable-doctor]

this thing tried to kill me several times

[storyofmychoices]

Plan B: Once a thief...

[Mal Volari x Daenarya Masterlist] [Mal’s Orphanage Series]

Characters: Mal Volari, Daenarya (F!MC, human), Rayden (OC), Lydo (OC), Vayne (OC); Threep, Loola

Warnings: brief allusion to child endangerment; some violence (adult/adult)

Setting: Mal tried to rescue Lydo through negotiation; Vayne, the leader of the Thieves Guild said no. This is Plan B.

This follows Welcome Home

(This is the fifth part of Rayden & Lydo’s story.)

Synopsis: After failing to rescue Lydo, Mal regroups and comes up with a new plan. With the help of Daenarya, Threep, and Loola, can he succeed?

☆  ☆  ☆  ☆   ☆   ☆   

“Wait!” Threep scoffed, holding his paw over his chest, feigning offense. “You invited me as… a distraction… As if I were bait?”

Mal pretended to consider it a moment longer, his fingers stroking his beard. “Yup! You’re really only here because we need your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Threep puffed out his chest. “And, I’ll have you know I—”

Mal cut him off. “Your girlfriend has ice magic, Daenarya has light magic, and I’m a legendary outlaw and hero who knows that complex better than anyone else. Remind me again what you do beside deliver mail.” He chuckled to himself, “drink milk?”

“Why you!” Threep hissed, the fur on his back standing up, his claws extending, ready to pounce. 

“KITTY!” Rayden popped in the room, rushing toward the nesper. 

Threep tried to move away from the child, but Rayden scooped him up, pulling him closer. “Hey, watch it!”

The light glistened off of Rayden’s widened eyes as his mouth fell open. “You can talk?”

“Of course! I’m a nesper, an ancient being of noble ancestry that should be worshiped and—oh, that feels quite nice. Oh!” 

Rayden scratched between Threep’s ears as the nesper’s eyes closed stretching into the child’s warm embrace. “Cute magic kitty!”

“I am quite adorable!” Threep nestled further against Rayden enjoying his pets, blocking out the Rogue’s deep guffaw.

“Can we keep him?” The boy turned to Daenarya hugging Threep snuggly. 

She knelt beside him. “He’s not a pet, sweetheart. He is a special creature who deserves to be free.”

Rayden’s lip quivered slightly as he looked down at his new friend. “But I love him.” 

“I know.” She caressed his cheek. “I’m sure Threep will come to visit some times, won’t you?”

The nesper purred contentedly, “It would be my honor.” 

“Oh, great! You mean we have to see more of the mangy cat?” Mal scoffed. 

Daenarya shot him a look, before turning her attention back to the child. “Rayden, we need Threep to go rescue your brother. So, I’m going to need you to put him down.”

“Aww,” the boy and the nesper whined almost simultaneously. 

“Oh, Threep. Have a little respect for yourself,” Loola rubbed her paw over her eyes. 

“Let him stay,” Mal shrugged. “We can do without him. Besides, babysitting sounds far more his speed.”

“Threep, what do you want to do?” Daenarya questioned.

“I’ll go where I’m appreciated. Since that is not with you lot, I’ll stay with the boy!” Threep shifted under Rayden’s touch. “A little to the left. Right there. Ahhh.”  

“Be careful! And, don’t let him leave the house,” Daenarya instructed.

“I think we will manage just fine,” Threep purred, looking up to Rayden. “Got any cream cakes?”

“Loads!” Rayden nodded, carrying his new favorite friend off to the kitchen.

☆  ☆  ☆  ☆   ☆   ☆   

The dim light they carried flickered against the rough, stone walls of the underground tunnel. The path turned and curled deeper into darkness, the cold of the earth prickling at their skin. Daenarya shuddered, her heart beating faster with each step they took. It wasn’t as though this was their first adventure, but they had been so focused on fixing up the orphanage, that adventuring sort of fell away. Her stomach tightened, hoping this plan would be enough, she couldn’t bear the thought of going home without Lydo, Rayden would never understand. He had already set aside some of his things for his brother. A smile crept across her face, hidden by the shadows. She hadn’t known Rayden long, but she loved him dearly. 

“Okay, this is it.” Mal held up his hand.

Loola fluttered softly landing on his shoulder. 

“Remember the plan. You find Lydo and bring him back here. Loola and I will buy you as much time as we can. You got this, Kit,” he reassured her, before turning out their only source of light. “Meet back here in 10 minutes!”

“Mal?” Daenarya questioned, stopping him for a moment. Despite the darkness, her lips found his softly, her fingers tangling in the hair at the base of his neck. “Please, be careful.”

“Always,” he brushed a kiss on her forehead before turning away. The old latch on the door creaked and clanked, the noise echoing through the abandoned tunnel behind them. “Good luck!” 

The door opened into a small room, stuffed with what could only be described as junk. They had to shove it, pushing away a pile of broken furniture, to even make enough space for them to slip in.

As they reached the next door, Mal motioned Daenarya to the left, as he and Loola turned right. 

Daenarya took calculated steps, careful as she turned corners, staying close to the wall in the unfamiliar space. She had memorized the directions Mal had given her, now she just had to hope the kids still stayed in the same room they did ten years ago.

“Vayne! I know you’re here.” Mal called, as he made his way through the building. He opened any door he passed by giving him multiple escape routes for his retreat, or at least, letting them think he could be in any one of them. It would buy him a little time. There was actually only one room he needed to make a quick detour to.

His voice grew louder and more urgent. “VAYNE! Come out and fight, old man.”

Loola fluttered safely above the Rogue, near the high ceilings, keeping watch and ready for his signal.  

The heavy footsteps of guards from all over the compound headed in their direction, exactly where he wanted them. 

“Come and get me.” Mal challenged, his fingers already flirting with the hilt of his daggers, ready for whatever awaited him. 

Daenarya drew in a sharp breath ducking into an alcove as a guard rushed by. She counted to three, steadying herself. She was starting to wish she hadn’t agreed to let Threep stay behind. She wasn’t used to not having back up. 

Swiftly, she swept through the long corridor peering in each open room, to make sure it was safe before proceeding. She found the place she was looking for near the end. 

The large room revealed more than a dozen children sitting or lying around the room on scattered piles of dingy blankets and pillows. All of the children darkened with dirt, faces worn and tired, desperately needing more than they were getting. They quickly averted their gaze from the stranger, moving closer together for safety.

“Lydo. Lydo?”

A boy with the same shaggy dark hair as his brother caught her attention. From Rayden’s description, she expected the boy to be closer to twelve or thirteen, this child was less than ten, possibly only a year or two older than his brother. She knelt beside him. “Are you Lydo?”

He quivered, shifting away from her. “Yes.”

She held out her hand to him. “I’m here to get you out of here.” 

“I can’t,” he cried, his eyes welling up in fear. “They have my brother. They said if I left, they’d kill him.”

“Rayden? He’s safe. Come with me and I’ll take you to him.”

“They said you’d say that. They said they’d kill him,” he whimpered. “He’s all I have. I won’t let them hurt him.” 

Daenarya could easily grab the child and carry him out, but that would risk causing a scene. Her fingers tapped nervously at her side as she thought of a way to convince Lydo of the truth. “When it rains and there’s thunder, you sing a song to make it less scary for Rayden.”

“How do you know that?”

“He told me.” Daenarya held out her hand again. “I promise, if you come with me right now, I will take you to him.”

“Is he okay?” His face lightened, as he breathed fully probably for the first time since being taken all those weeks ago.

“Yeah.” She took his hand. “He just misses his brother.” 

“What about the rest of them?” Lydo questioned, his gaze shifting to the other children, who still turned away from them, knowing the punishment for trying to escape. 

A tear fell from her eye, knowing that the hard choice was the right choice. For now, they were safer there. It wasn’t a good life, but Mal had always said it was better than living and dying alone on the streets. “We’ll come back for them. I promise. We don’t have enough time or resources right now.”

She took his hand and guided him through the compound heading back to their meeting spot.

“Now then.” Mal quirked an eye and twirled his daggers, eyes trained on the two guards closest to him. 

With a flick of his wrist, the smaller one sailed through the air behind him, landing with a thwack in the guard’s leg, causing him to fall on the spot. He lashed out quickly in front of him, the larger dagger clutched tightly in his fist, pierced the guard’s side between his armor; Mal immediately kicked his weapon away. As more guards headed his way, he let a few further blades shoot through the air, each one easily finding its target.

“LISTEN TO ME!” He whistled loudly to get their attention. “You and I are no different. I was where you are once. I served Vayne every day as you do. And what do you get for it? Huh? Nothing. He promises you a better life, but he takes everything you have. Look around. Is this what you want? I am proof that you can leave this place. There is a world out there waiting for you. Why serve a self-appointed king. Take a stand today, and be a pawn no longer. What do you say?”

The men looked at each other, their weapons holding steady toward him, but none advancing.

A slow clap echoed behind the guards as Vayne moved closer. “Nice try, Volari, these men will not accept your lies. Unlike you, they have loyalties. Now, I believe I made you a promise?”

“A promise to return the gold you took the other day?” He countered, reaching behind him to grab a bag of coins from his belt. “Because, I already helped myself to your treasury. You really think you’d change the location after the last time.” 

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” The old man sneered. “Kill him.” 

“Wait! Just one moment.” Mal held up his finger. “It looks like this bag of gold does not belong to me. I guess you’ll be wanting it back. He threw the bag into the air above the guards’ heads, gold coins showering around them. Each thinking the same thing. “NOW!”

As the guards clamored around the fallen coins, Loola’s eyes brightened, flashing white as the floor beneath the guards turned to ice.

“He’s getting away!” Vanye yelled. “After him.” 

As Mal and Loola made their escape, they heard the cacophony of armor clashing against armor as the men slipped and fell over the ice. Loola left a few other patches of ice along the way, just in case any guards happened to make it off her skating rink. 

“I can’t believe you got rid of the gold,” Loola marveled.

“As if I only took one bag,” Mal smirked. 

☆  ☆  ☆  ☆   ☆   ☆   

Lydo barely got in the door before Rayden ran, jumping into his brother’s arms, almost knocking the frail boy over. 

“I thought I’d never see you again,” Rayden cried. His little arms wrapped tightly around his brother, refusing to let him go. “I was so scared.” 

Lydo held his brother equally as close, his eyes swelling with tears. “I’m sorry, Rayden. I shouldn’t have left you. I’m so sorry.” 

“Don’t ever leave me again,” Rayden sniffled into his brother’s shirt. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I won’t,” Lydo breathed, burying his head in his brother’s hair. “I love you, Rayden. I’m so sorry.”

“I love you, too, Lydo!” Rayden smiled, happier than they had ever seen him.

Mal wrapped his arm around Daenarya as she held back tears of her own. She knew better than most the love of having a brother, and what being separated from them feels like. Luckily for both of them, they were reunited with their brothers.

☆  ☆  ☆  ☆   ☆   ☆  

Perma tags: @lilyoffandoms​​​​​ ; @raleighcarrera​​​​​ ; @mfackenthal​​​​​ ; @the-soot-sprite​​​​​ ; @virtuallytakenby​​​​​​ ; @zeniamiii​​​​​ ; @kaavyaethanramsey​​​​​; @choicesobsessed; @xjustin-ethansgirliex​​​​​ ; @caseyvalentineramsey​​​​​; @trappedinfandoms​​​​​; @anotherbeingsworld​​​​​ ;  @tyrils-star​​​​​​

Blades Tags: @princess-geek​​​ ; @brightpinkpeppercorn​​​ ; @missameliep​​​ ; @mvalentine​​​​; @walkerswhiskeygirl​​​ ; @nyastarlight​​

[littlesoufflecafe]

One For The Road | Chapter 11 Cut Scene: “A Bull Terrier, Code Names, and Pregnancy”

A/N: In the final cut of this chapter, The Doctor and Clara find a nice little creek in the middle of nowhere after leaving Westroads. In this version, they find a bull terrier, and things develop from there. I had my doubts about this scene since the beginning (my friend even told me it was a bit ridiculous), but I find it amusing, and maybe even better, when it stands on its own.

-----

The last thing she expected to see when she emerged from the sliding doors of the Westroads Mall was The Doctor on his knees in the middle of the parking lot, petting a dog. Their owner didn't seem to be anywhere nearby, so the young woman anticipated every possible explanation as she approached the pair with a wary look on her face.

"Did you get another companion while I was gone?" she asked amusedly, allowing the animal to sniff her palm before petting its soft grey fur. The man sat back on his knees, beaming in elation over his newfound friend.

"I didn't mean to! He just followed me when I came outside; he's the sweetest little guy, aren't you?" he cooed towards the dog, who licked his face happily in reply. "He likes to be called Tiberius Caesar, second emperor of Imperial Rome."

"And how do you know that?"

"I speak canine."

"Of course you do," Clara drawled, bending down to inspect the purple collar fastened around the animal's neck. A named was etched into the silver tag. VIOLET. "Well Doctor, Roman Emperors aside, this dog already has a name. And it seems as though she's lost." The young writer looked into the dog's friendly pair of black eyes. "Are you lost? Have you gone far away from home to go on an adventure?"

Violet panted back. Flipping the tag over, Clara found a phone number, which she input into The Doctor's phone and called promptly. They headed back towards the TARDIS, their new addition to the team trotting alongside them as if she had been a part of their trip this entire time. After two rings, someone picked up on the other end. It was a woman.

"Hello?"

"Hello! I'm here at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, and I think I might have found your dog. Your number was on the back of her tag?"

There was a brief respite. As if the woman couldn't quite believe the words she was hearing. "Violet? It she a Staffordshire Bull Terrier? Grey fur, eager around strangers?"

"Uh...I don't know much about dogs, but she fits the description fairly well."

She heard a sigh of relief coming from the other end. "Oh, you don't know how happy I am to be hearing from you; my family and I have been worried sick. The kids and their godparents had lost sight of her when visiting the city this past weekend—is she alright? Is she hurt?"

"She appears fine, but I wouldn't doubt she's eager to get home," Clara replied. Once The Doctor unlocked the TARDIS, she opened the passenger side of the vehicle and lowered the seat. Violet climbed into the small space between their suitcases without a moment's hesitation. The young writer smiled as she tossed her backpack inside. "My friend and I aren't too familiar with the area, but I'm sure if we had your address we'd be able to find it."

"Of course. My address is—" There was a loud crash somewhere off in the background. The sound of yelling followed it. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

The woman distanced the phone from her ear, but it didn't prevent Clara from hearing every word she said. "Tom—TOM! I told you NOT to use your sister's ballet bar as a hurdle! Leave it for track practice!"

She returned not a moment later. Her voice was drawn tight. "Sorry about that, could I message you instead?"

"Yes, definitely," Clara reassured the woman, getting into the car just as The Doctor began to crank up the air conditioning. "My name's Clara, by the way."

"Joy Gejelh," the mother replied. "Thank you for finding our Violet and bringing her home to us. Our family isn't quite the same without her."

"Of course. We'll be there soon," she promised, and hung up shortly afterwards. When she turned to hand The Doctor back his phone, she was met with his innocent, doe-eyed look. Glaring at him, she exclaimed, "We are not keeping the dog!"

He hung his head in defeat. "Not even for a little bit? What if we just took her with us to New York, let her see the sights? I promise to drive straight back here Thursday morning!"

"She has a family, Doctor! One that is worried sick about her." Clara frowned as Violet began sniffing the sleeve of her yellow blouse. "Get your own dog. Name him Tiberius Caesar, or any of the other hundred Roman Emperors. Or better yet—get a hundred dogs, and name them after each one!"

The Doctor's phone pinged not a second later with the address. Joy and her family lived about twenty minutes away in a suburb of Omaha, Clara wondering how Violet had managed to wander around the city so far from home. She ran a gentle hand down the animal's back, whose eyes were trained wistfully out the back window.

"It's not too far from our original route," The Doctor assured her, buckling his seat belt. "We should be able to make due. Phone call go alright?"

Clara nodded as they backed out of their parking space. "Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just worried."

"Don't be," he told her, taking her hand and squeezing it twice. "We'll make it there on time."

Violet began whining from her place in the trunk, The Doctor reaching back to pet her snout as she sandwiched her friendly face between the two travelers, front paws perched the center console. This day was just full of animal encounters, Clara thought to herself as they pulled onto the highway.

"I think she's hungry," she said after a while. The Doctor gave her a sidelong glance, for they both knew that another detour would cost them more time. Clara was more aware of that than ever, and yet as she looked at the canine and her wide droopy smile, she couldn't help but feel sympathy towards the family that had been without that smile for an excruciating few days. The young man beside her seemed to sense it, too.

"Google a pet store?" he offered, handing her his phone once more. Clara took it and punched in the pass-code.

"I'm on it."

-----

"It's our in-store policy that pets must be either leashed or appropriately confined for the safety of our customers," the blonde woman said behind a stiff smile. Clara fiddled with the TARDIS keys in her hands and tried to look over the attendant's shoulder, where a series of infinite aisles stood parallel to one another like a row of dominoes. She wondered how severe the consequences would be if they just darted past her.

"We can't just go in like this?" The Doctor tried. The attendant shook her head.

"Sir, cradling your pet like a newborn infant doesn't qualify as being appropriately confined."

He opened his mouth to protest, but Clara silenced him as she laid a hand on his forearm and watched as Violet thrashed around like a fussy toddler in his arms. Truthfully, it took every ounce of self-control not to snap at the attendant herself, but they needed to be the bigger people in this situation.

"I'll buy the leash, you wait out here," she ordered him, pushing past the worker without another word. She was trying her best not to lose her sanity over the overwhelming smell of kitty litter and dog food, or the five states they had yet to cross. But it was becoming more and more difficult by the second as she tried to locate a pet leash she didn't even need. By the time she finally returned, The Doctor seemed equally as fed up.

"Thank goodness," he muttered under his breath once they made it into the store. "The nerve of that woman—she was about to call security on me for loitering! Can you believe that?"

"It's probably just a ploy to pressure us into buying something," she drawled, eyeing a package of dog treats before tossing it into the basket she had procured. "Do you think she needs something more substantial? Like Purina Pro Plan or something?"

"What about this?" The Doctor suggested excitedly, holding up a miniature rain coat. Violet barked twice in approval, whereas Clara furrowed her brow in distaste.

"It's sunny."

"It's a preventative measure," he defended, gingerly setting it in the basket as he proceeded to scan the aisles. The young woman rolled her eyes, for she had little choice but to follow his lead as he continued to shop for the dog like a father might his own child. She found it rather endearing, to some extent. Not like she would ever admit that aloud.

"Clara!" he stage-whispered at one point, tossing a green rubber ball to her from down the aisle. She caught it haphazardly and shot him a glare, Violet circling her legs excitedly at the prospect of retrieving it. Not wanting to cause a ruckus, she instead tried to fit it in the shopping basket with their other items, only to realize that it had no price, no bar-code. Holding it in her hands, a small, disobedient part of herself urged her to just take it, as a sort of souvenir. Having never shoplifted before, she didn't know how to go about it.

"We'll use code names," The Doctor proposed when she revealed to him her idea. "You'll be Bonnie, I'll be Clyde."

"Sure, because no one will pick up on that."

"Oi! Don't be sassy with me. You're the one who wanted to steal it in the first place."

"It's got no sticker, no bar-code." She turned the ball over in her hands, feeling more childish by the second. "How do we even know if it's a part of the store?"

"Because it's in the store!" he hissed back matter-of-factly, running a hand through his closely-cropped hair. It flopped back into his eyes. "Look, just—just hide it under your shirt. No one questions a pregnant woman!"

"Excuse me? Doctor—!"

"Bonnie, darling," he drawled in a frighteningly convincing American accent, raising a finger to her lips to shush her. Clara's eyes widened to saucers as he relieved her of the shopping basket. "You really oughtn't strain yourself with those groceries."

She smacked him in the shoulder. "Stop that. You don't sound anything like yourself when you do that, and it's weird."

He didn't. "Maybe I'll keep it for the rest of the trip then, since you love it so much."

Shaking her head, she breathed, "You're impossible."

"And you're brilliant," he continued on in his normal voice, pressing his lips to her forehead in a quick kiss.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" the cashier asked as she scanned each of their purchases. Smaller than a beach ball but larger than her own fist, the inflatable children's toy sat right between Clara's stomach and the material of her yellow chiffon shirt. Violet barked ecstatically over her new possessions as they were organized into plastic bags. She should've just paid for it, rather than submit herself to this role. But it was too late to back out now as she smiled at her fellow traveler with an uneasy look in her eye.

"A boy—" Clara replied, just as The Doctor exclaimed, "A girl—!"

They looked at one another with blank faces, then back at the cashier.

"It's their decision," Clara finally quipped after an unbearable silence, gathering the plastic bags in her hands in a hasty attempt at escape. She wondered if pregnant women were capable of running this quickly. She also wondered if anyone who had previously seen her in the store would notice her sudden impregnation.

The expression on the blonde woman's face as they ran out of the store was enough of an answer.

-----

Read the full fic here!

FanFiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12799845/1/One-For-The-Road

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14986580/chapters/34731947