So I redid this chapter, I really didn't like the other one much after I read it a couple of times because it was just to obvious and not very helpful to the story.

But this one seems nicer, and actually sets up the story for where I want it to go

So enjoy!

The fire blazed, crackled orange with hazy after trails –glorious in its intensity - eating wooden dwelling after dwelling. The wood, old zinc sheets and mud did not stand a chance against the angry element; the angry licks of flame ate them, turning them to smoldering cinders. The nearby forest burned as well. The smoke was thick in the clearing sky. The morning star winked out as the sun came out of its hiding place, and suddenly everything was afire in light. The village burned and the villagers screamed, as the made mad attempts at putting it out.

The wells and water stores were plundered and gave up their meager contents.

"Dry?" was echoed in shocked echoes, "Dry!"

Then the hysteria broke out.

The Doctor hadn't gone back to his TARDIS after all, he choose to spend the night in a seedy looking inn that was at the back of a courtesan's court – a place that was a few notches down from a full brothel. He laid down in his room with its makeshift shrine of a idol, flowers, and flame, a bottle green satin curtain - listened to the high peals and chimes of laughter, and bracelets and gongorus – counting the beats and keeping the rhythm in his head.

Da Din Da

Humans seeking thrills, romance, excitement – the soft, graceful motions of a pretty girl, drawing intoxication from the neem leaves - to drink and pretend that the night lasted forever, with fragrance of incense lightly lulling them, and the perfume of smooth, tempting skin. He could almost see the swirls of silk, and gold – and sighed. Since when had he become so familiar with humans and their culture – so simplistic yet so complex?

Many a man would come here to seek comfort – He wondered about the last time he sought pleasures of flesh?

Certainly when he was young and just out of Galifrey, a runaway from a regime that strictly forbid what was deemed unnecessary, in that thrilling blur of freedom he might have tasted what the universe had in store. He hadn't lived for nine hundred plus years, without doing his fair share of dancing, but he was no Jack Harkness who could drop, or be the one dropping trousers or skirts at an alarming rate. But dancing with human's was so much more intricate, so many emotions and outcomes – so fussy a species when it come to love and procreation; and yet they were so very close to his own that he felt at home with them. It was like looking in a mirror with a slightly different tint – the reflection was the same but with different colours.

Perception was ought to agree with him – funny thing that was.

The sun was leaking light and pushing shadows back from his room before he realized it. And he stretched and made his way back to the village which wasn't far. He wanted to pop up with a bright "Hello" just to see the sleepy, annoyed expression of Jenny's hostess and maybe end up teasing them. And spend the day in the village, or the week – because he knew that the lost in time girl had no intentions of leaving this day or the next. She would leave but not tying up loose ends – saying goodbye. He would do things like that as well. As he neared the village, he felt an alarming wash of foreboding. There was an unearthly silence, there was no one in the fields feeding cattle or clucking over crops. There was an absence of everyday chatter and domestic sounds

The village felt like the shadow of death hung over it.

He quickened his steps, feeling in his gut, knowing something was wrong – and then ran.

The nearby village burned to the ground faster than anyone could believe, and the news had spread quickly – far quicker than it seemed humanly possible to the nearby villages. It reached them shortly and left them fearing for them selves.

The Doctor found Jenny on the edge of the village, gazing into the distance numbly.

"I heard what happened - Jenny." He looked into her wide eyes, she cast them down - looking at him hurt in a vague way she didn't like.

"We could see the fire from here," she whispered, "We could see the sky turn dark."

"Did you hear what caused it?" The Doctor asked, "Did they say?"

"Arson – someone set the fire, and people got hurt, and someone died saving their child." She sounded upset.

"But that's not what your scared of is it?" He sensed something more, had seen it almost plain on the unaffected villager's faces, "You're afraid of it happening here?"

She nodded, a tear running down her face, then another to join the first, "There's been so many fires lately, and I know that I could leave anytime, but until yesterday this was where I was going to live forever, and everyone's afraid that Sindoor will be the next to burn down, and that we'll have no water when it does and… and then …" She sniffed.

"Are then what?" He crooked an eyebrow.

"Then they won't be able to pay the land tax, and they'll be sold out as slaves to the new world." She shouted and covered her mouth in surprise at her own boldness, "Sorry."

The Doctor waved away the apology airily, and smiled, "No need for it." She let out a sigh of relief, she was glad he hadn't gotten angry at her shouting.

"You're worried and justifiably so, eighteen hundred India can be rough – putting it mildly, but I'm here and why don't we see if we can get to the bottom of this mystery?"

"Mystery?" She echoed.

"Yes, mystery as in who killed the butler, except now it's a game of 'Who's been playing with matches!'" Or if there were any matches involved at all. He grabbed her hand, "Alon-si!"

Right, reviews in order, how did you like that? any complaints? Anything at all? Author likes reviews, Author likes them very much.