Nathan looked up to the hill and saw three figures sprinting down it. "At last." He remarked not seeing the slight panic on their faces. "Where've you been?"

"Get inside. Get them sitting down." The Doctor ordered. "Now then, let's have a look." He took the crystal in the metal plates.

"So what does that crystal do?" Christina asked.

"Oh, nothing. Don't need the crystal." The Doctor took it out and tossed the crystal in the sand behind him.

"Oh, I risked my life for that." She looked at him as the Doctor handed two of the clamps to her they both then moved around the bus placing one on each wheel. "No, no. You risked your life for these. The clamps." He said.

"But what are the clamps for?" Christina asked. "Do they turn the wheels?"

" Yeah, something like that." He muttered sitting in the drivers seat the Stone perched on the side of it. " I just need to fix this. Have you got a hammer in that bag?" He asked.

"Funnily enough." She muttered reaching into her bag.

"Can I have the phone please." He said to the Stone who brought it out pressing redial to call Malcolm then held the phone to his ear. "Malcolm, it's me."

"I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" The Time Lords both blinked in confusion the Stone then placed it on speaker. "What?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"We're going to try to get back but listen, there might be something following us. You need to close the wormhole."

"Would that be a compressed burst of feedback on a counter-oscillation, perchance?"

"Oh, Malcolm, you're brilliant." The Time Lords breathed into the phone.

"Coming from you, sir, ma'am that means the world."

"Doctor, Stone." They faintly heard Magambo. "What sort of something? That wormhole is now measuring ten miles and growing. I need to know the exact nature of the threat."

"Sorry, got to go." The Stone quickly replied ending the call and looking at the Doctor who was hitting one of the clamps onto the steering wheel. "Next time you can tell them."

"Done." He nodded then groaned as it began to spark. "It's not compatible. Bus, spaceship, spaceship, bus. I need to weld the two systems together."

"And how do you do that?"

"We need something non-corrosive." The Stone said.

"Something malleable." The Doctor described. "Something ductile."

"Something gold..." She looked at Christina.

"Oh no, you don't." She shook her head.

"Christina, what is it worth now?" The Doctor asked her as Barclay walked up holding out a wristwatch."Hey, hey, use this."

"She said gold." The Doctor repeated.

"It is gold."

"Oh, they saw you coming. Christina." Barclay winced then returned to his seat as the woman reluctantly took the goblet from the rucksack and held it.

"It's over a thousand years old, worth eighteen million pounds." She said looking at the Stone completely serious. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise." The Stone nodded and took the cup then handed it to the Doctor. before adding: "But he doesn't." The Doctor then started to hit the cup with the hammer making the Stone laugh as Christina half-heartedly winced looking at the Time Lord.

"I hate you."

----------------------------------------------------------------

"This is your driver speaking. Hold on tight." The Doctor warned as the Stone laughed wrapping an arm around his waist to keep herself beside him.

"But what for?" Barclay frowned. "What's he doing?"

"Do as he says," Christina said back before whispering to the Time Lords, "what are you doing?"

The Doctor then fired up the bus. "Come on. That's it. You can do it, you beauty." He said. "One last trip." The bus then slowly rose as the Stone laughed grinning at him before running to the window behind the drivers seat. "It's working!"

"Ah, you are so kidding me." Barclay gasped.

"We're flying." Nathan looked in shock and awe. "It's flying."

"He's flying the bus."

"It's a miracle."

"Anti-gravity clamps." The Doctor said as the Stone returned. "Didn't we say? Round we go." He sharply turned the bus making everyone almost fall to the floor.

"You know." The Stone straightened herself after she stopped almost crashing into the side of the bus. "If I knew you were going to fly the 200 just like you fly the TARDIS I would have done it myself."

"You failed your test as well." He protested.

"I still can fly her better than you, at least I am never twelve months off."

"You were three years off once if I remember correctly."

"And how would you know that?" She blinked at him.

"Lila did speak to me at the wedding you know? Jack, her and I shared some interesting stories about you."

"Great." She groaned. "Now you're never going to drop that are you?" She raised a brow at him.

"Of course not." He laughed.

"Doctor, Stone, they're coming," Carmen warned making the Time Lords focus once more.

"Do you think this thing will survive the journey back?" Christina looked at them.

"Only one way to find out." The Doctor said before the Stone shouted with him. "Next stop."

"Planet Earth!" Christina shouted as the Doctor dived the bus through the wormhole with the swarm closely behind them. Everyone screamed and started to shake before the bus flew out the tunnel back on Earth and into the air.

"It's London!" Barclay gasped.

"We're back home." Angela beamed.

"They did it. They did it!" Nathan cheered as the Doctor laughed the Stone running back and poking her head out the window looking down at London.

The Stone laughed meeting the Doctors eyes through the mirror the two of them beaming before the Stone shot her head inside at the gunfire. "We're not alone then." She muttered running back to the Doctor and redialing Malcolm. "Malcolm, close that wormhole." The Time Lords both said into the phone.

"Yes, sir, ma'am My pleasure, sir, ma'am." He nodded then hung up on the Doctor who held the phone.

"He's hung up on us." The Doctor looked at the Stone before redialing again. "Malcolm!"

"Not now, I'm busy!" He replied ending the call.

"He's hung up again." The Doctor muttered as the Stone took the phone from him redialing and placing it to her ear.

"Malcom don't you end this call or I swear I will come down there and shout at you faster than a bloody Dalek can scream exterminate." She said making the Doctor blink at her.

"It's not working," Malcolm told her.

"We need that signal. Right now we have got billions of those things about to fly through."

"Well, what do I do?"

The Doctor took the phone from her and spoke into it. "Loop it back through the integrator, and keep the signal ramping up."

"But by how much?"

"Five hundred Bernards." They both shouted the Stone then taking the phone from the Doctor. "Do it now!"

"Yes!" Malcolm cheered. "Yes!"

They continued to hear gunfire below as rockets started to fire actually killing the creatures. "Doctor, Stone." Nathan shouted. "It's coming for us."

"Oh no, you don't." The Doctor muttered violently turning the wheel and hitting the Stingray before straightening the bus.

"Did I say I hated you?" Christina looked at the Doctor. "I was lying." She leant in to kiss him as he ducked the woman missing him and kissing the air before she pulled away blinking as the Stone stood there rocking on the balls of her feet.

"What...?" She looked a little confused at the way the Doctor was looking at her with... Disappointment?

"I'm married." He said as Christina stepped back before he took the Stones hand as she raised her other showing her engagement and wedding rings.

"Don't look so ashamed." The Stone laughed before narrowing her eyes at the Doctor. "And be nice Doctor, I'm not having you being rude and not ginger because of you." She chuckled. "It isn't the first time women have thrown themselves at him because of his..."

"Great hair? Handsome face?" He cut in.

"I was actually going to say your massive ego" she laughed. "I guess they work though." She shrugged making him beam. "And now I'm going to regret that later." She shook her head. "The point is don't look so disappointed in yourself for not noticing, most of the time everyone thinks he's dating the companions." She snorted as he grumbled. "Oh hush." She lightly hit the back of his head. "Sometimes I wonder why I call him sweetheart."

"Oi!" He looked at her. "What do you mean I am brilliant and sweet just the other day I made you breakfast..." the Doctor suddenly shut up as the Stone pulled him in by his suit lapels for a deep kiss the Doctor gently snaking his arm around the Time Lady pulling her closer as the passenger cheered and clapped.

"Well..." the Doctor swallowed his voice a higher pitch than normal making the Stone chuckle and place a kiss on his cheek. He grinned straightened up and actually started to act like a bus driver, whether it was him trying to impress his wife or just because he was a child at heart was two completely different things. "Do not stand forward of this point." He announced to the passengers. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have reached your final destination. Welcome home, the mighty two hundred." He said slowly landing the bus on the ground as UNIT applauded the Doctor grinned stealing another kiss from the Stone before opening the doors the passengers all heading off before the Time Lords stepped off.

"...Welcome back. If you could step away from the bus, just to be safe. As fast as you can, thank you. It's standard procedure. We need to screen you and then you'll all be taken to debriefing."

"We don't count." The Doctor took the Stones hand flashing his psychic paper at the man before heading off.

"No, but Doctor, Stone?" Christina tried to stop them, they knew what would be coming next and they couldn't.

"Doctor, Stone." A man wearing a scientist lab coat walked up looking the happiest man in the world.

"You must be Malcolm." The Doctor beamed before looking a little shocked as the small man threw his arms around the two hugging them both before the Stone started to laugh. "Oh. Oh. I love you." He beamed. "I love you. I love you."

"To your station, Doctor Taylor." The woman they guessed from her voice to be Magambo stepped forward.

"Yes, ma'am." Malcolm nodded starting to walk away before he turned around pointing at them both. "I love you." The Doctor laughed and pointed back then wrapped an arm around the Stone.

Magambo then saluted the pair as they turned away never liking a salute. "Doctor, Stone I salute you both whether you like it or not." She said. "Now, I take it we're safe from those things?"

"They'll start again. Generate a new doorway. It's not their fault, it's their natural life cycle." The Doctor said.

"But we'll see if we can nudge the wormholes on to uninhabited planets." The Stone added shrugging.

"Closer to home, Captain." The Doctor turned around looking at Nathan and Barclay. "Those two lads. Very good in a crisis."

"Nathan needs a job." The Stone cut in.

"Barclay's good with engines." The Doctor added. "Nowhere near as good as my wife I'll have you know." He grinned enjoying able to say that. "You could do a lot worse." He looked at Magambo

"Privates Nathan and Barclay, UNIT's finest." The Stone grinned at the Doctor.

"I'll see what I can do." She nodded at them both then turned around. "And I've got something for you both." She said as the TARDIS was being unloaded from a truck.

"Better than a bus, any day." The Doctor grinned walking over to the blue box with the Stone who fondly patted the side. "Hello."

"Found in the gardens of Buckingham Palace," Magmabo informed.

"Oh, she doesn't mind." The Doctor shrugged.

"He convinced me to take a trip to see the Queen before we sorted all of this out. Wedding treat so he says even though that was yesterday." She looked over at the Doctor who sheepishly grinned at her.

"Now, I've got three dead alien stingrays to clear up." Magambo cut in. "I don't suppose you fancy helping with the paperwork?"

"Not a chance." The Doctor shook his head.

"Can't get anything done without him distracting me, it's worse than in my second body." She laughed.

"Till we meet again, Doctor, Stone."

"We hope so." He nodded glancing at the Stone who nodded in agreement. The woman then walked away leaving the Time Lords leaning against the TARDIS. "And I thought this was going to be a short little trip." The Doctor muttered to her. "Reason why I was looking at it when we were taking everyone home, I was going to do it after a couple of days."

"You wanted to stay in the TARDIS for a couple of days?" She raised a brow at him. "Don't tell me our marriage is making you go all domestic."

"Of course not." He scrunched up his nose at the thought. "I just wanted to relax with you."

"You seem to be wanting that a lot lately." She hummed at him.

"Who could blame me with a wife like you."

"Are you trying to flirt with me, Doctor?" She smirked at him.

"Is it wrong to flirt with my wife?" He grinned.

"Never said anything was wrong with it." She chuckled lightly kissing him. The two then Separated as Christina ran in front of them stopping before them both.

"Little blue box, just like you said." She looked at the Stone who swore she heard a slightly annoyed sigh out of the Doctor as she moved away from him. "Right then. Off we go. Come on, Doctor, Stone, show me the stars."

"No." the Stone blinked at the Time Lord. She knew he was hurting from Donna, they both were, of course, she didn't feel like having another face on the TARDIS right now but that wasn't her decision it was the Doctors and he said no.

"What?" Christina blinked at him.

"I said no."

"But I saved your life. And you both saved mine."

"So?" He raised a brow at her.

"We're surrounded by police." She said. "I'll go to prison."

"Yeah." He nodded.

"But you were right. It's not about the money. I only steal things for the adventure, and today with you. I want more days like this. I want every day to be like this." She said. "Why not?"

"People have travelled with us and we've lost them. Lost them all." He said sounding heartbroken. The Stone pulled him closer hugging his torso knowing how hard the topic was. "Never again."

"Lady Christina de Souza." The detective walked up looking quite smug. "Oh, I have waited a long time to say this. I am arresting you on suspicion of theft. You do not have to say anything, etcetera, etcetera." He said as a police officer cuffed the woman. "Dennison, take her away."

"Doctor?" Carmen looked over. "You take care now."

"You too." He grinned. "Chops and gravy, lovely."

"No, but you be careful." She said looking completely serious. "Because your song is ending, sir."

"What do you mean?" The Doctor looked at her the Stone looked at them seeing the worry in the Doctors eyes.

"Both of you be careful. It is returning. It is returning through the dark. And then, Doctor? Oh, but then he will knock four times." She then slowly walked off as the Stone frowned slightly. 'I've heard that before' she thought her face paling.

The Doctor looked at her worryingly. "I'll tell you later." She replied shaking her head before glancing at Christian. The Time Lord then winked at her and pointed his sonic at Christina's handcuffs. The Stone chuckled as the policemen placed her in the police car and shut the door. The Doctor and Stone watched as Christina slipped out the other side taking off and heading to the bus sprinting past the two Time Lords as everyone watched. "Stop that woman!" The detective shouted as everyone just stood and watched the Time Lords leisurely strolling towards the bus. "Stop that woman! Stop her. Don't just stand there, stop her." Christina ran on the bus closed the doors. "Open the door. I'll add resisting arrest."

"I'd step back" the Doctor warned as the Stone added. "If I were you."

"I'm charging you two." The detective pointed at the Doctor. "Aiding and abetting."

"Yes." The Doctor nodded. "We'll just step inside this police box and arrest ourselves." The Stone grinned at the Doctors comment taking his arm in hers the two linked together as they headed towards the TARDIS while the detective looked at them both oddly.

They stopped and turned around in front of the door seeing the bus stop in the air beside them. "We could've been so good together." She joked at them both.

"Christina, we were." The Doctor laughed as the Stone waved at the woman.

"Try to stay out of trouble, oh, of course, you won't, neither do we!" She chuckled as the Doctor shook his head not denying what she was saying before the bus took off and the Time Lords slipped inside the TARDIS pulling a lever and sending them into the Vortex before that detective did actually arrest them.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Stone slumped in the jump seat letting out a sigh as the Doctor strolled around the console to join her. "When I was human." She muttered as he sat down placing his arm around her shoulder letting the blonde rest her head on his chest. "I heard that before." She told him. "'Four knocks' I was told in my dreams." She quoted. "Do you remember?"

"I do." He blinked then slowly nodded. "Seems like so long ago.

"It feels longer to me." She hummed. "But what does it mean... why warn me that long ago?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "What use did telling the human me have. Why not tell you?" She tilted her head up to look at the Doctor.

"We may never know." He mumbled kissing her head. "At least it isn't to harm you."

"But it's for you. 'He will knock four times'" she quoted. "It worries me."

"When don't you worry?" He snorted. "You always are worrying about me."

"That's because it's you, sweetheart." She chuckled then stood up. "Come on I'm tired." She pretended to yawn grinning at him.

-----

So the Doctor and the Stone met Christina! I feel nice to here's a little teaser for the next chapter the Waters of Mars.

"Doctor." She gave him a warning look. "Please don't be an idiot."

Ooo a certain Time Lady looks like she is loosing patiants. I wonder how this will all go down ;)