Hello!

Here's the next chapter - The Runaway Bride. A gift to you all from me.

Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think (and what should be next - I haven't decided)

Have a great Christmas or holiday if you celebrate. Even if you don't have a great day and remember you are not alone.

Thank you

Robyn

The group took the brief moment of quiet without a video playing to take a breath. The last set of videos had been a major emotional rollercoaster, and they were nervous to know what the Tardis was going to show them next.

The peace was broken by the screen lighting up with the newest title.

"The Runaway Bride." Amy raised an eyebrow, "Interesting title."

Donna groaned, having a strong suspicion about what this video was going to be about, the Doctor shot a look at her.

"This one of yours Donna?" Martha asked, Donna's reaction very telling.

"I think it might be." Donna replied, returning the Doctor's gaze, "Which means we get to see Pinstripes again."

"This will be fun." Mickey remarked, hoping for once it would be true. Or at least, if not fun, less of an emotional mess than the video they'd just watched.

[St Mary's Church]

(The bride's father has his arm linked through hers instead of the other way around. She changes it.)
GEOFF: Sorry.

"Dad." Donna blinked; she'd almost forgotten that her dad would be there. It'd been so long since she'd seen him like this. She offered a weak smile at the concerned look that the Doctor sent her way.

(The organist strikes up the Wedding March. The bride and her father begin to process down the aisle. There is a strange sound, the bride screams and then zooms up through the roof and away in a golden sparkle.)

"Well, that's a way to escape a wedding." Clara remarked, confused by Donna's disappearance.

"I wouldn't really call that runaway." Yaz argued, the disappearance didn't exactly look planned.

WOMAN: Where'd she go?

"Good question." Rory muttered with a curious look at Donna.

[Tardis]

(The golden energy flies into the Tardis and solidifies back into the bride.)
DOCTOR: What?

"For once I'd say that's a fair question." Jack chuckled at the completely bewildered expression on the Doctor's face. A random woman in a wedding dress appearing in the Tardis in a golden sparkle was odd even for them.

DONNA: Who are you?
DOCTOR: But
DONNA: Where am I?
DOCTOR: What?

"Loquacious Doctor." River teased her wife, grinning widely at the continuously bamboozled expression on the Doctor's face. This was already a nice change of pace from the last few videos. The Doctor just rolled her eyes.

DONNA: What the hell is this place?
DOCTOR: What? You can't do that. I wasn't. We're in flight. That is, that is physically impossible! How did

"Cleary it's not." Bill grinned, enjoying how off-kilter the Doctor was by Donna's appearance; just like the rest of the group.

DONNA: Tell me where I am. I demand you tell me right now where am I?

"You get him Donna!" Martha grinned, glad to see her friend hadn't remotely changed; she was as fiery as ever. The Doctor really had met their match in Donna Noble.

DOCTOR: Inside the Tardis.
DONNA: The what?
DOCTOR: The Tardis.
DONNA: The what?
DOCTOR: The Tardis!

"That really doesn't explain anything, Doctor." Rose shook her head fondly at her old Doctor.

DONNA: The what?
DOCTOR: It's called the Tardis.
DONNA: That's not even a proper word. You're just saying things.

"We're all just saying things." The Doctor crossed her arms, a pout on her lips (though she'd absolutely deny it if asked).

DOCTOR: How did you get in here?
DONNA: Well, obviously, when you kidnapped me. Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh my God, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it.

"You vanish into a golden sparkle of lights and end up with a stranger in a weird place, and you blame Nerys? Just makes me want to know what Nerys has done." Mickey chuckled.

"Oh, don't get me started!" Donna threw her arms up in the air in frustration.

DOCTOR: Who the hell is Nerys?
DONNA: Your best friend.

"I'd argue against that." The Doctor protested.

"Well, I know that now Spaceman!" Donna huffed.

DOCTOR: Hold on, wait a minute. What are you dressed like that for?

"Only just noticed, really?" Amy asked, shooting the Doctor a look full of disbelief.

The Doctor put her hands up in surrender. "In my defence, I was more distracted by how she got into the Tardis!"

DONNA: I'm going ten pin bowling. Why do you think, dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle! I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away, and then you, I don't know, you drugged me or something!

"Never change Donna, never change." Jack chuckled, shaking his head fondly.

DOCTOR: I haven't done anything!

"For once." Clara grinned teasingly.

The Doctor huffed, "Is this video just an excuse for everyone to bully me?"

"Nah Doctor, we don't need a video for that." Martha countered, the rest of the group chuckling away beside her.

DONNA: I'm having the police on you! Me and my husband, as soon as he is my husband, we're going to sue the living backside off you!
(Donna runs down the ramp to the doors.)

"That may not be such a good idea." Ryan winced at seeing Donna run for the doors.

DOCTOR: No, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Don't!
(She opens the doors and looks at a pretty gaseous nebula.)

"That's a bit harder to explain away." Nardole said.

DOCTOR: You're in space. Outer space. This is my space ship. It's called the Tardis.
DONNA: How am I breathing?

"Important question. You've got your priorities straight." River nodded approvingly at the redhead.

DOCTOR: The Tardis is protecting us.
DONNA: Who are you?
DOCTOR: I'm the Doctor. You?
DONNA: Donna.

"Good, a civil conversation might get you answers quicker." Rose said, it was rare for these things to be in a situation that wasn't immediately dangerous (excluding however Donna got into the Tardis).

DOCTOR: Human?
DONNA: Yeah. Is that optional?
DOCTOR: Well, it is for me.
DONNA: You're an alien.

"I don't think this conversation has ever gone this calmly." Rory mused.

DOCTOR: Yeah.
DONNA: It's freezing with these doors open.
(The Doctor slams the doors shut and goes back to the console.)
DOCTOR: I don't understand that and I understand everything. This this can't happen! There is no way a human being can lock itself onto the Tardis and transport itself inside. It must be

"You don't know everything Doc." Jack countered. The Doctor just waved him off, very aware of that now; Pinstripes was just like that, struggled with humility a bit.

(He grabs an ophthalmoscope and uses it to look into Donna's eyes.)
DOCTOR: Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic
(Donna slaps the Doctor.)

"Seems appropriate." Martha conceded with a happy nod at Donna, ignoring the Doctor's protests in the background.

"Only way to get him to stop blabbing science gobbledygook and get me home!" Donna agreed with a grin. It was a bit fun reliving some of the glory days of her time in the Tardis, and entertaining to see her first encounter with the Doctor and how far she'd come, but she was also aware this video didn't stay so low intensity and cheerful.

DOCTOR: What was that for?
DONNA: Get me to the church!
DOCTOR: Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway! Where is this wedding?

"You're like a pair of toddlers." Graham shook his head fondly.

DONNA: Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System.

"Very specific." Amy remarked with a growing grin, "Not sure you're going to end up there though, with the Doctor's driving."

(Donna grabs a blouse that is hanging over the railing.)

Rose's eyes widened at the sight of her old blouse abandoned on the railing. "Hey! That's my shirt." She glanced at the Doctor who was suddenly avoiding eye contact, she narrowed her eyes. "Doctor, when is this video set?"

The Doctor bit her lip and mumbled something under her breath.

"Doctor." Rose pleaded, staring at the side of the Doctor's head until she met her eyes. "When?"

"Right after I said goodbye to you." The Doctor admitted. "For what I thought was the last time."

Rose's expression saddened, despite having kind of expected something like that it didn't make it any easier to hear. "No rest for the wicked." She muttered. Apparently, the Doctor didn't even get a chance to grieve her leaving, he was immediately thrown into something else.

Donna's own expression had fallen; a lot more of the Doctor's actions and attitude that day making more sense. "Doctor ..."

The Doctor offered her a small smile, "It's okay Donna."

DONNA: I knew it, acting all innocent. I'm not the first, am I? How many women have you abducted?

"Technically she's not entirely incorrect Doctor." River teased her wife, "There has been quite a few."

DOCTOR: That's my friend's.
DONNA: Where is she, then? Popped out for a space walk?
DOCTOR: She's gone.

Donna winced. She'd really pushed the Doctor down a path that was very open and painful. While maybe she'd been right to worry at that point, seeing as she'd ended up in an unknown place with an unknown man; she hadn't known what she was getting into.

DONNA: Gone where?
DOCTOR: I lost her.

"Doctor..." Rose protested, shaking her head unable to verbalise anything else.

DONNA: Well, you can hurry up and lose me! How do you mean, lost?
(The Doctor takes the blouse from Donna and throws it through a doorway.)
DOCTOR: Right, Chiswick.

"You have a wedding to crash." Yaz grinned, glad for the change of topic.

Ryan frowned, "Isn't it more like saving a wedding, as they're returning the bride?" Yaz just waved him off.

[St Mary's Church]

(The bride's mother is on her mobile phone.)
SYLVIA: No, she didn't run away. We're not talking jitters. She literally vanished. Now, go and check the house and see if she's there. Oh, Angelica, that's not helping, is it? Now, smarten up.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone is going to believe that she disappeared in a golden sparkle." Mickey laughed, that would be a fun one to think.

"You have no idea how hard this whole thing was to explain to everyone!" Donna huffed.

ANGELICA: Right, sorry.
SYLVIA: Lance, any sign?
(Lance is the groom.)
LANCE: I've looked all around and I can't find her. Where the hell did she go?

"So, he's the lucky man, huh?" Clara grinned, though her expression dimmed at Donna's frown; and the confused glances that Martha was sending Donna. Martha knew Donna's husband, and that was not it.

"Not in the end." Donna grimaced, all for the best honestly with what was really going on but still. Despite the confused glances and questioning looks she refused to expand on her comment.

SYLVIA: Showing off, that's what she is! First day at school, she was sent home for biting.

Several people in the group didn't even bother to hide their laughter at that, it was a very Donna thing. Donna just rolled her eyes, not ashamed. It was typical of her mother to bring something like that up in the moment.

GEOFF: Well, it's a bit more serious than that. She's never disappeared before.
SYLVIA: She didn't disappear, it's a trick! It's one of her silly little look at me party pieces. But what if she's dead?

"Oh, so she is concerned really." Rory muttered more to himself, having struggled a bit to get a read on Sylvia.

GEOFF: Oh, don't say that.

[Courtyard]

(The Tardis has landed in an area surrounded by buildings.)
DONNA: I said, Saint Mary's. What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?

"Right, everyone. Mark Doctor can't steer the Tardis, and lands in the complete wrong place off your bingo cards." Bill grinned.

"Oi! At least I landed in London, and on the right day and time too!" The Doctor protested. Her words falling on deaf ears as the rest of the group laughed.

DOCTOR: Something's wrong with her. The Tardis, it's like she's

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: Recalibrating! She's digesting. What is it? What have you eaten? What's wrong? Donna? You've really got to think. Is there anything that might've caused this?

"I think she's a bit busy, Doctor." Jack smiled fondly at the familiar sight of someone really seeing the Tardis for the first time. Donna may have done it the opposite way round than normal, but she was still going to have a reaction; and knowing Donna it was going to be entertaining.

(Donna is making the traditional circuit of the Tardis.)
DOCTOR: Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off. What if you're dangerous. I mean, have you, have you seen lights in the sky, or did you touch something like something, something different, something strange? Or something made out of a, box of metal or. Who're you getting married to? Are you sure he's human? He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he? Donna!

"Oh Doctor." River shook her head fondly at the Doctor's little rant, completely oblivious to Donna's little crisis going on in the background.

[Courtyard]

(Donna cannot cope with the reality of dimensional transcendentalism and is walking away.)

"Sensible reaction." Graham nodded in approval, glad to see another sane person.

DOCTOR: Donna.
DONNA: Leave me alone. I just want to get married.
DOCTOR: Come back to the Tardis.
DONNA: No way. That box is too weird.

"I think Donna officially wins the most sensible reaction to the Doctor's nonsense." Mickey gave a little play bow to Donna who just snorted, it hadn't lasted.

DOCTOR: It's bigger on the inside, that's all.

"That's all, says the alien about the time travelling dimensional mess of a spaceship." Martha shook her head.

DONNA: Oh! That's all? Ten past three. I'm going to miss it.
DOCTOR: You can phone them. Tell them where you are.
DONNA: How do I do that?
DOCTOR: Haven't you got a mobile?
DONNA: I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting at Chez Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me pockets!

"Major problem with al women's clothing, the serious lack of pockets." Rose nodded in agreement, grinning.

"It's terrible!" The Doctor eagerly agreed. Her current regeneration had certainly been enlightening on the state of women's clothing.

DOCTOR: This man you're marrying. What's his name?
DONNA: Lance.
DOCTOR: Good luck, Lance.
DONNA: Oi! No stupid Martian is going to stop me from getting married. To hell with you!

"You tell him Donna." Amy laughed, proud.

(Donna runs away.)
DOCTOR: I'm, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not from Mars.

"That's your only issue with that?" Clara just sighed, though it was tinged with fondness.

[Street]

DONNA: Taxi!
(It drives past.)
DONNA: Why's his light on?
DOCTOR: There's another one!
DONNA: Taxi! Oi!
(Another drives past with its For Hire light on.)

"Your outfit may be a bit off putting." Ryan reluctantly pointed out.

DOCTOR: There's one!
DONNA: Oi!
DOCTOR: Do you have this effect on everyone? Why aren't they stopping?
DONNA: They think I'm in fancy dress.
DRIVER: Stay off the sauce, darling!
DONNA: They think I'm drunk.
MEN IN CAR: You're fooling no one, mate!
DONNA: They think I'm in drag!

"It just gets worse and worse." Yaz grimaced.

DOCTOR: Hold on, hold on.
(The Doctor does a very piercing whistle and a taxi does a quick U turn to pick them up.)

[Taxi]

DONNA: Saint Mary's in Chiswick, just off Hayden Road. It's an emergency. I'm getting married. Just hurry up!
DRIVER: You know it'll cost you, sweetheart? Double rates today.

"Ooh, no pockets and the Doctor's useless. This isn't going to go well." Jack whistled lowly with a frown.

DONNA: Oh, my God. Have you got any money?
DOCTOR: Er, no. Haven't you?
DONNA: Pockets!

[Street]

(The taxi driver dumps them back where he picked them up.)

"You're not getting back to this wedding any time soon." Bill grimaced in sympathy for Donna's plight.

DONNA: And that goes double for your mother! I'll have him. I've got his number. I'll have him. Talk about the Christmas spirit.
DOCTOR: Is it Christmas?

"Christmas eve 2007." Donna nodded, with a bit of a bittersweet smile at the reminder. It had been the start of everything.

Yaz, Ryan and Bill all shared glances at the reminder of how old some of the people in the room were – they'd all still been kids back in 2007.

DONNA: Well, duh. Maybe not on Mars, but here it's Christmas Eve. Phone box! We can reverse the charges!
DOCTOR: How come you're getting married on Christmas Eve?
DONNA: Can't bear it. I hate Christmas. Honeymoon, Morocco. Sunshine, lovely. What's the operator? I've not done this in years. What do you dial? 100?

"Strategic, but expensive season." Mickey mused.

(The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver and gets a dialling tone.)
DOCTOR: Just call the direct.
DONNA: What did you do?
DOCTOR: Something Martian. Now phone. I'll get money!

"You're giving in to Donna's charm." Martha laughed.

(The Doctor joins the queue at a cash machine.)
DONNA: Oh, answer the phone!

[St Mary's Church]

SYLVIA: Hello? Oh no, the battery's gone dead. Has anyone got a charger?

"This is a mess." Rose shook her head in fond amusement, but a much more fun chaotic mess than the last one.

LANCE: Have you tried the hotel? Hello? Hello? Vicar, is your phone working? Mine's run out!
(The Vicar is using his phone.)
VICAR: I've got one wedding about to arrive and another wedding refusing to leave, so yes, I do think it's a police matter.

"He's not going to be much help." Graham chuckled.

[Street]

DONNA: Mum, get off the phone and listen. I'm in. Oh, my God, I don't know where I am! It's a street, and there's WH Smith but it's definitely Earth.

"She's just going to think you're crazy." Clara raised an eyebrow at Donna's phrasing.

Donna snorted, "More than she already did anyway."

(The Doctor gives the London Credit Bank ATM the sonic treatment, and goes straight to Please Take Your Cash without the rest of the preamble. Donna accosts a woman in the street.)
DONNA: Excuse me. I'm begging you. I'm getting married, I really am and I'm late and I just need to borrow a tenner and I'll pay you back I promise and it's Christmas.

"Two very different approaches to getting money." Bill laughed at the pair.

(The Doctor takes the money from the ATM then spots a trio of Santas playing God Rest Ye Merry on brass instruments.)

Donna and the Doctor shared a look, they hadn't realised the Santas had been following them for so long. It did explain how they found the wedding though with all their yelling about where they needed to go.

Rose and Mickey shared their own look, recognising the Santas from their own unfortunate Christmas adventure with the Doctor. "Doctor, are those ...?" Rose trailed off but the Doctor understood what she meant giving the pair a grimace and nod.

DONNA: Taxi! St Mary's Chiswick. Thanks for nothing, spaceman! I'll see you in Court.
(Donna gets into the taxi, which is driven by another Santa.)

"I'm getting the feeling they're not your normal jolly Santas." Amy raised an eyebrow at the Doctor and Donna.

The pair exchanged another look, "That's one way of putting it."

DOCTOR: Donna!
(Donna drives away. The Santas point their instruments at the Doctor, so he zaps the ATM, which sends banknotes flying across the street. Lots of people rush to grab the money and he runs away.)

"Nice distraction." Rose nodded.

[Taxi]

DONNA: I promise you, mate, I'll give you the rest when we get there. Oh, I look a mess.
(She takes off her veil)
DONNA: Hurry up.
(The Doctor returns to the Tardis.)
DONNA: Hold on a minute. I said Chiswick. You've missed the turning. Excuse me, we should've turned off back there. We're going the wrong way!

"Your day just keeps getting worse and worse." Martha sighed, shaking her head.

(The Doctor starts the Tardis going as the taxi pulls onto the flyover, missing another car by inches.)

"Risky flying." River pointed out to her wife who gave an unrepentant grin.

DONNA: What the hell are you doing? I'm late for the wedding. My own wedding. Do you get that?
(The Tardis is tracking Donna.)
DONNA: Turn around! Turn this cab around right now! Are you deaf or what?
(Donna tugs at the Santa's hood and its mask falls off to reveal that it is a robot.)

"A very bad day." Rory muttered in sympathy.

DONNA: Oh, my God.
(She tries to open a window.)
DONNA: Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me! Help me! Get me out! Help me! Help me! I'm being driven by a robot!

"That's going to raise some eyebrows, but not sure anyone's going to be able to do anything." Clara reluctantly pointed out.

[Tardis]

(Sparks are flying. The Doctor hits the console with a hammer.)
DOCTOR: Behave!

"Be nice to the Tardis, Doctor!" River playfully nudged the Doctor who raised her hands in surrender.

[Taxi]

(The Tardis swoops down and bounces off the tarmac.)
DONNA: You are kidding me.
(The Tardis weaves through the traffic as the Doctor ties a piece of string around a control lever. It comes alongside the taxi. The Doctor opens the doors holding the other end of the string in his teeth.)

"This would have been a sight to see." Ryan pointed out, just trying to imagine what the people in the other cars must have been thinking.

DOCTOR: Open the door!
DONNA: Do what?
DOCTOR: Open the door!
DONNA: I can't, it's locked!
(The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver. Donna gets the window open.)

"The two of you are such a chaotic duo." Jack shook his head, chuckling fondly. It was always entertaining watching the pair interact.

DONNA: Santa's a robot.
DOCTOR: Donna, open the door.
DONNA: What for?
DOCTOR: You've got to jump!
DONNA: I'm not blinking flip jumping. I'm supposed to be getting married!

"You've mentioned." Mickey grinned teasingly, earning a roll of Donna's eyes in return.

(The robot accelerates away. The Doctor pulls on his string, there are more bangs from the console and the Tardis gives chase, bouncing off the roof of a car. When it is close enough, the Doctor tries the screwdriver on the robot driver. It clamps its hands onto the steering wheel.)
DOCTOR: Listen to me. You've got to jump.
DONNA: I'm not jumping on a motorway.

"Love the reasoning." Rory chuckled; the whole situation would be unbelievable to anyone that didn't know the Doctor.

DOCTOR: Whatever that thing is, it needs you. And whatever it needs you for, it's not good! Now, come on!
DONNA: I'm in my wedding dress!
DOCTOR: Yes, you look lovely! Come on!
(Donna opens the door. The Doctor reaches out for her. The kids in the Range Rover ahead shout jump!)

"See Donna! Even the kids were saying to do it!" The Doctor grinned.

Donna huffed, "A group of kids shouting aren't exactly a good reason to jump out a bloody car!"

"But a killer Santa driving you who knows where is!" The Doctor argued.

DONNA: I can't do it.
DOCTOR: Trust me.
DONNA: Is that what you said to her? Your friend? The one you lost? Did she trust you?
DOCTOR: Yes, she did. And she is not dead. She is so alive. Now, jump!
(Donna launches herself out of the taxi and lands on top of the Doctor. The children celebrate. The Tardis doors slam shut and it zooms upwards.)

The group in the room also cheered as Donna trusted the Doctor enough to finally jump, safely making it away from the robotic Santa and into the Tardis. Rose only winced a little at the mention of her, feeling that it was going to come up a few times if it was so recent for the Doctor.

[Shoe Lane rooftop]

(3.30. The Doctor is emptying a fire extinguisher in through the Tardis doors. A lot of smoke is coming out.)
DOCTOR: The funny thing is, for a spaceship, she doesn't really do that much flying. We'd better give her a couple of hours. You all right?

"Ooh, she won't have liked that." River winced in sympathy for the Tardis, that had been some rough flying from the Doctor.

DONNA: Doesn't matter.
DOCTOR: Did we miss it?
DONNA: Yeah.

"I'm sorry Donna." Graham offered apologies; the sight of the normally fiery red head so sullen not one anyone enjoyed.

"Don't be. It worked out for the best." Donna gave him a small smile. Graham was reminding her more and more of Wilf, they'd get along if they were ever introduced.

DOCTOR: Well, you can book another date.
DONNA: Course we can.
DOCTOR: You've still got the honeymoon.
DONNA: It's just a holiday now.

"Still a pretty good one, and it just means you get another holiday soon." Amy tried to offer, looking on the bright side. Donna just shrugged, not wanting to spoil the events about to ensue on screen.

DOCTOR: Yeah. Yeah. Sorry.
DONNA: It's not your fault.
DOCTOR: Oh? That's a change.
DONNA: Wish you had a time machine, then we could go back and get it right.

Several people chuckled at the Doctor's reaction, with Donna just rolling her eyes. She understood why it would have been a bad idea (for several reasons looking back), and if he'd told her then she wouldn't have been reasonable about it, but still it was the principle of the matter.

DOCTOR: Yeah, yeah. But even if I did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently.

"You're not fooling anyone Martian." Donna shook her head exasperated. The Doctor just gave her a grin, not even having to say anything for Donna to know what she meant.

(Donna sits on the edge of the roof, looking towards St Paul's Cathedral and the City beyond. The Doctor takes off his jacket and puts it around her shoulders.)
DONNA: God, you're skinny. This wouldn't fit a rat.
DOCTOR: Oh and you'd better put this on.
(A gold ring.)

"I'm hoping there's an actual reason for the ring Doctor." Martha gave the Doctor a pointed look, it was a bit too insensitive if not. The Doctor threw her hands up in surrender, nodding to the screen to answer for her.

DONNA: Oh, do you have to rub it in?
DOCTOR: Those creatures can trace you. This is a bio-damper. Should keep you hidden. With this ring, I thee bio-damp.
DONNA: For better or for worse. So, come on then. Robot santas, what are they for?

"I mean if you're involved in the mess, you may as well know what's going on." Clara grinned, understanding Donna's train of thought (minus the misery over the missed wedding).

DOCTOR: Ah, your basic robo scavenger. The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. I met them last Christmas.

"What a fun time that was." Mickey snorted, earning an elbow to the side from Rose.

"It wasn't that bad." She protested.

Mickey gave her an incredulous look, "Seriously, the Doctor spent most of the time in a coma after regenerating, we were hunted by robot Santas and then the Doctor had a sword fight with aliens for the planet, in which he lost a hand. What about that wasn't' bad?"

Rose pursed her lips as the rest of the group's eyes widened at the summarised tale from Mickey, "Okay, I'll give you this one."

DONNA: Why, what happened then?
DOCTOR: Great big spaceship hovering over London? You didn't notice?
DONNA: I had a bit of a hangover.
DOCTOR: I spent Christmas Day just over there, the Powell Estate, with this family. My friend, she had this family. Well, they were. Still, gone now.
DONNA: Your friend, who was she?
DOCTOR: Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the Tardis? I don't know. What's your job?

"Bit too sensitive, Doctors not going to talk that easily." Bill shook her head. It may be a different face, but she could easily recognise the deflection tactics for what they were. Donna had hit a sensitive topic and the Doctor clammed up.

DONNA: I'm a secretary.
(The Doctor scans her with the sonic screwdriver.)
DOCTOR: It's weird. I mean, you're not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important.

"I'm sorry Donna." The Doctor immediately spoke up, turning an apologetic face onto the red head before anyone else got a chance to interrupt.

Donna just offered a slightly bittersweet smile, "It's alright. I'll let you off this once." They'd both grown a lot in their adventures together.

Amy couldn't help but glance at the Doctor thoughtful. Her Doctor had been so pushy about everyone being important; maybe Donna had something to do with that. Regardless if she did or not, it just went to show the Doctor could still grow and learn just like any of them.

DONNA: This friend of yours. Just before she left, did she punch you in the face? Stop bleeping me!
DOCTOR: What kind of secretary?
DONNA: I'm at HC Clements. It's where I met Lance. I was temping.

"I'm getting the feeling Lance is behind some of this." Yaz narrowed her eyes at the screen, her police raining at the front of her mind.

"Five points to Yaz." The Doctor awarded, less cheerful than normal. It was enough that Yaz didn't protest the return of the point system.

[Memory - office]

DONNA [OC]: I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought I'm never going to fit in here. And then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee.

[Shoe Lane rooftop]

DONNA: And Lance, he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me. But he was nice, he was funny.

"Sounds like a nice guy." Rory smiled.

Amy narrowed her own eyes suspiciously, "Or he was planning something."

[Memory - stairwell]

LANCE: She's not that bad!
DONNA: She is!

[Shoe Lane rooftop]

DONNA: And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him. One cup of coffee. That was it.
DOCTOR: When was this?
DONNA: Six months ago.

Nardole blinked, "Blimey, that's a bit quick is it not?"

Donna shrugged, frowning. "I thought it was love." No one commented on that, sharing concerned looks. Maybe this video wouldn't be so cheery after all.

DOCTOR: Bit quick to get married.
DONNA: Well, he insisted.

[Memory - bar]

DONNA: Will you marry me?

[Shoe Lane rooftop]

DONNA: And he nagged, and he nagged me

[Memory - stairwell]

(Lance is trying to run away.)
DONNA: Go on, just think about it. We'd make a great couple. And I'd get rid of the dog, and we could do up that back bedroom.

A few people chuckled as they watched the complete opposite happen in Donna's memories to what she was saying. Donna blushed slightly, but the Doctor only offered a gentle smile, understanding how this video was going to be difficult to relive again even if she'd moved past it a long time ago.

[Shoe Lane rooftop]

DONNA: And he just wore me down. And then finally, I just gave in.

[Street]

DONNA: Please? Oh, please? Please? Please, please, please, please, please.

[Shoe Lane rooftop]

DOCTOR: What does HC Clements do?
DONNA: Oh, security systems. You know, entry codes, ID cards, that sort of thing. If you ask me, it's a posh name for locksmiths.
DOCTOR: Keys.

"That's hit something in your memory, hasn't it?" Clara asked, recognising the look on their face.

DONNA: Anyway, enough of my CV. Come on, it's time to face the consequences. Oh, this is going to be so shaming. You can do the explaining, Martian boy.
DOCTOR: Yeah. I'm not from Mars.

"Priorities, Sweetie." River laughed.

DONNA: Oh, I had this great big reception all planned. Everyone's going to be heartbroken.

[Reception]

(Everyone is bopping to Slade, under a big disco ball, and having a great time when the Doctor and Donna enter.)

"Never mind then." Jack winced at seeing everyone so happily celebrating despite not knowing if Donna was okay. That can't have gone done well with Donna herself.

"Well, that's just rude." Martha crossed her arms, offended on Donna's behalf.

NODDY: Does he ride a red nosed reindeer, does he turn up on his sleigh? Do the fairies keep him sober for a day? So here it
(Her entrance stops the fun.)
DONNA: You had the reception without me?

"This isn't going to be pretty." Mickey winced, kind of excited despite himself to see Donna deal with her family.

LANCE: Donna, what happened to you?
DONNA: You had the reception without me?
DOCTOR: Hello. I'm the Doctor.

"Not the time Doctor." Bill muttered.

DONNA: They had the reception without me.
DOCTOR: Yes, I gathered.
NERYS: Well, it was all paid for. Why not?
DONNA: Thank you, Nerys.
SYLVIA: Well, what were we supposed to do? I got your silly little message in the end. I'm on Earth? Very funny. What the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick, because I'd love to know.

"I think we all would." Ryan pointed out. Donna's incredible appearance in the Tardis still hadn't been explained.

(They all start talking at once.)
LANCE: Where were you the whole time?
(They finally shut up with Donna bursts into tears. Lance hugs her and everyone applauds, except Nerys. Donna winks at the Doctor. Later, as Lance and Donna are dancing together, all happy again.)

"Oh, that's clever!" Martha grinned approvingly at Donna. They all panicked briefly upon seeing Donna burst into tears, but her little wink to the Doctor revealed the perfect act.

SINGER: I have wandered, I have rambled, I have crossed this crowded sphere. And I've seen
(The Doctor gestures to a man holding a smart phone, and borrows it to look up HC Clements.)
SINGER: Oh, my girl, my girl, my precious girl, what is this man to do. So reel me in, my precious girl.
(HC Clements, sole proprietor - Torchwood.)

Jack perked up at that, raising an eyebrow and glancing the Doctor's direction. That was suspicious and likely in no way a coincidence. So far, they had Donna's teleportation, HC Clements and Lance, and the robot Santas, and Jack was betting they were all connected. How, he wasn't sure yet.

SINGER: Come on, take me home. Cos my body's tired of travelling and my heart don't wish to roam.
(The Doctor hands back the phone. As he watches the dancers, he remembers the fun times with Rose.)
SINGER: Well, you took me in, you stole my heart, I cannot roam no more. Cos love it stays within you, it doesn't wash up on a shore. Then a fighting man forgets each cut, each knock, each bruise, each fall. But a fighting man cannot forget
(The Doctor spots the man making the video record of the wedding.)
CAMERA MAN: Oh, I taped the whole thing. They've all had a look. They said sell it to You've Been Framed. I said, more like the News. Here we are.

"The Doctor's in full investigation mode." Rose smiled; a bit softer as she saw her Doctor back to their normal antics.

(He watches the replay of when Donna turned into gold energy and flew off.)
DOCTOR: Can't be. Play it again?

"You recognise it?" River asked curious, she'd been going through her own memories and mental library but couldn't work out what it had been or what has the ability to send Donna to the Tardis like that.

The Doctor just nodded with a grimace, waving to the screen in answer.

CAMERA MAN: Clever, mind. Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping.
DOCTOR: But that looks like Huon Particles.
CAMERA MAN: What's that then?
DOCTOR: That's impossible. That's ancient. Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years. So old that it can't be hidden by a biodamper!

"Which means they can still find you." Clara immediately recognised, sitting up a bit straighter in concern. It wouldn't be hard for the robot Santas to track them down.

(The Doctor runs outside to see robot Santas approaching.)

"Time to run." Amy exclaimed with wide eyes. So much for a peaceful wedding reception, Donna really wasn't catching a break.

DOCTOR: Donna! Donna, they've found you.
DONNA: But you said I was safe.
DOCTOR: The bio-damper doesn't work. We've got to get everyone out.
DONNA: My God, it's all my family.

"Fire alarm." Ryan immediately suggested, "Always works."

Graham raised an eyebrow at his grandson, "And you know that how, son?"

Yaz grinned as Ryan rolled his eyes, "I mean it does in movies, I've not actually done it before!"

DOCTOR: Out the back door!
(There are robots out there.)

"You're surrounded." Nardole commented.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious Nardole." The Doctor rolled her eyes, earning an elbow in the side from her wife.

DOCTOR: Maybe not.
(They look through the French windows.)
DONNA: We're trapped.
(A robot has a remote control.)

"I'm scared to ask what that does." Rory muttered with wary eyes on the screen. The look Donna and the Doctor exchanged was in no way reassuring either.

DOCTOR: Christmas trees.
DONNA: What about them?
DOCTOR: They kill. Get away from the tree!
DONNA: Don't touch the trees!

"They're going to think you're mad." Rose said.

Donna huffed, "Madder than they already thought we were."

DOCTOR: Get away from the Christmas trees! Everyone get away from them! Everyone stay away from the trees! Stay away from the trees!
SYLVIA: Oh, for God's sakes, the man's an idiot. Why? What harm's a Christmas tree going to. Oh.
(The plastic baubles are floating off the trees, which are real. Then they start to zoom at the people and go Bang! when they hit something. Panic, the presents go tumbling, and one man gets thrown into the air and lands squarely on the wedding cake. Donna and Lance hide underneath a table. The Doctor looks up over the DJ's sound desk to see six Santa's all lined up in front of the bar.)

"Quite a bit of harm actually." Mickey winced. These Santas weren't any friendlier than the ones from last year, though what they wanted might be different.

DOCTOR: Oi! Santa! Word of advice. If you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver, don't let him near the sound system.
(He jams the screwdriver into the deck, and the resulting harmonics shake the robots to pieces.)

"Time to get out of there." Jack nodded, "They likely have back up on the way."

GEOFF: It's all right, Stan. You'll be all right. It's all over.
DONNA: Michael? Connie? Oh, Senita, do something useful.
LANCE: What is it? What were they?
DONNA: Just stop wittering. Just help them.
DOCTOR: Look at that. Remote control for the decorations, but there's a second remote control for the robots. They're not scavengers anymore. I think someone's taken possession.

"So, question is who's in control?" Bill asked the question they were all thinking.

"And what do they want?" Yaz added on.

DONNA: Never mind all that. You're a doctor. People have been hurt.
DOCTOR: Nah, they wanted you alive. Look.
(He throws a bauble to Donna.)
DOCTOR: They're not active now.
DONNA: All I'm saying, you could help.
DOCTOR: Got to think of the bigger picture. There's still a signal!

"Doctor!" River exclaimed disapproving. She understood it, but that doesn't mean she necessarily agreed with it. The rest of the group was also giving her disapproving looks.

The Doctor winced, holding her hands up in surrender. "There wasn't much I could do! Actual medics were on the way, Donna was still in trouble, and we were running out of time to track the source and work out what was going on!"

SYLVIA: Donna, who is he? Who is that man?

[Outside the reception hotel]

DOCTOR: There's someone behind this, directing the roboforms.
DONNA: But why is it me? What have I done?
DOCTOR: If we find the controller, we'll find that out. Ooo! It's up there. Something in the sky.

"Always is." Mickey sighed, once again thinking back to their own Christmas adventure.

[Spaceship]

(A large red claw touches the screen showing the Doctor looking upwards.)
EMPRESS: Clever, clever, clever boy. Eat you up all snicker snacker, travelling man. He shall come to me, and the beautiful bride. Such secrets to unlock! I shall descend this night. I shall descend upon this Earth and shine!
(The spaceship is a seven pointed star, with spiders web accessories, and the Empress looks like a giant spider.)

"A giant alien spider?" Ryan asked, eyes wide and expression grossed out. He groaned, "Oh come on, I thought our own spider mess was bad enough!" His comment on spider adventure drew a few glances but most knew better to ask at this point – if it was important, it would be shown eventually.

"Doesn't sound like they're friendly either." Rory grimaced, not liking the sound of the alien-spider wanting to eat them.

[Outside the reception hotel]

(The ambulances have arrived.)
DOCTOR: I've lost the signal. Donna, we've got to get to your office. HC Clements. I think that's where it all started. Lance! Is it Lance? Lance, can you give me a lift?

"I still think Lance is involved in this." Clara crossed her arms, only getting more suspicious of Donna's former fiancé. The look Donna and the Doctor shared only made her more confident in her theories.

[HC Clements office]

DOCTOR: To you lot this might just be a locksmiths, but HC Clements was brought up twenty three years ago by the Torchwood Institute.

"Torchwood? Jack?" Martha turned her attention to Jack, very aware of where he worked (or used to).

"Not my branch." Jack shook his head, eyes on the screen wary of what Torchwood were up to this time. He wasn't blind to their mistakes by any stretch.

DONNA: Who are they?
DOCTOR: They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf. Cyberman invasion. Skies over London full of Daleks?
DONNA: Oh, I was in Spain.
DOCTOR: They had Cybermen in Spain.
DONNA: Scuba diving.

"Water. Only place safe from them." Yaz conceded.

Rose gave Donna a considering look, "How do you keep missing everything? It feels too off for it to be a coincidence."

The Doctor and Donna shared a look, "Long story."

DOCTOR: That big picture, Donna. You keep on missing it. Torchwood was destroyed, but HC Clements stayed in business. I think someone else came in and took over the operation.

Jack shook his head, "Torchwood wasn't destroyed. They just took some time to recover, and used the cover to stay hidden."

"Annoyingly." The Doctor muttered; she wasn't exactly Torchwood's favourite fan. Jack's old team may be the only exception to that, even if she didn't always approve.

DONNA: But what do they want with me?
DOCTOR: Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem, because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark Times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the Tardis. See? That's what happened. Say, that's the Tardis. (He picks up a coffee mug.)
DOCTOR: And that's you. (A pencil.)
DOCTOR: The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetised and whap.
(He shakes the mug and the pencil, then drops the pencil into the mug.)

"Like calls to like." Amy summarised her understanding, nodding at the explanation for Donna's amazing teleportation finally, "The Tardis was the closest source so the particles took her to the Tardis."

"But was that on purpose?" Rory asked, "Or an accident?"

Donna and the Doctor shared a knowing look but didn't offer any answers.

DOCTOR: You were pulled inside the Tardis.
DONNA: I'm a pencil inside a mug?
DOCTOR: Yes, you are. 4H. Sums you up. Lance? What was HC Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Do not enter?

"Why dose a secretary with the particles though?" Mickey asked, "No offense Donna."

"Maybe it's a result of something HC Clements was doing?" Martha offered a theory. The whole group was in full theorising mode, trying to piece together the clues they had.

LANCE: I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel. I wasn't project manager. Why am I even explaining myself? What the hell are we talking about?
(The Doctor gets a computer screen to work. It shows a plan of the building.)
DOCTOR: They make keys, that's the point. And look at this. We're on the third floor.

"And that makes sense because ...?" Bill raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, not understanding what the Doctor was getting at yet.

[Lift]

DOCTOR: Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes? Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked lower basement? There's a whole floor which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?

"Secrets." Ryan declared, confident. If there was a floor not on the plan, then HC Clements was definitely hiding something.

LANCE: Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?
DOCTOR: No, I'm showing you this building's got a secret floor.
DONNA: It needs a key.
DOCTOR: I don't.

"Any excuse." River smiled fondly; the Doctor loved their sonic.

(He sonics the LB button.)
DOCTOR: Right then. Thanks, you two. I can handle this. See you later.
DONNA: No chance, Martian. You're the man who keeps saving my life. I ain't letting you out of my sight.

"You tell him Donna!" Martha grinned, glad to see Donna step up instead of focusing on the horrible day she'd had. Though she couldn't deny she was curious what happened, because if this video happened when they said it had, it was before she'd met the Doctor but she knew she'd travelled with the Doctor before Donna. Things weren't quite adding up in her mind.

DOCTOR: Going down.
DONNA: Lance?
LANCE: Maybe I should go to the police.
DONNA: Inside.

"Weak willed." Yaz shook her head with narrowed eyes at the screen. She didn't trust Lance remotely, and he seemed very weak willed, and not a great match for Donna in general.

(Lance gets in the lift.)
DOCTOR: To honour and obey?
LANCE: Tell me about it, mate.
DONNA: Oi.

Donna shot a playful glare at the Doctor, while River nudged her in the side.

[Spaceship]

(The Empress watches the lift coming down.)
EMPRESS: The bride approaches. She is my key.

"That doesn't sound good." Nardole muttered.

[Lower basement corridor]

(Lit in eerie green.)
DONNA: Where are we? Well, what goes on down here?
DOCTOR: Let's find out.
DONNA: Do you think Mister Clements knows about this place?
DOCTOR: The mysterious HC Clements? I think he's part of it. Oh, look. Transport.

"Everything is a big conspiracy." Graham rolled his eyes.

Ryan shrugged, "To be fair it usually is, remember Jack Roberston?"

"Hard to forget!" Graham conceded.

(Those weird two wheel electric stand up jobs. Donna can't help laughing. They arrive at a bulkhead door labelled Torchwood. Authorised personnel only. The Doctor turns the wheel to open it to reveal a ladder.)
DOCTOR: Wait here. Just need to get my bearings. Don't do anything.

"When has anyone ever listened to that?" Amy snorted, fully anticipating Donna to blatantly ignore the Doctor's words.

The Doctor sighed, "I can dream."

DONNA: You'd better come back.
(The Doctor starts up the ladder.)
DOCTOR: I couldn't get rid of you if I tried.

The Doctor and Donna couldn't help but share an almost bittersweet smile, both thinking back to the better days and then their unfortunate separation.

LANCE: Donna, have you thought about this? Properly? I mean, this is serious! What the hell are we going to do?
DONNA: Oh, I thought July.

"Not quite what I think he means." Rory offered quietly.

(The Doctor climbs up to another sealed cover operated by a wheel, like in a submarine. He opens it and climbs out onto the top of number 8 in the Thames Barrier. Back with Lance and Donna -)
DOCTOR: Thames flood barrier right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath.

"Lots of space, little traffic." Jack mused, "Perfect secret base. Sounds about right for Torchwood."

DONNA: What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?
DOCTOR: Oh, I know. Unheard of.

The group all turned raised eyebrows and narrowed eye on the Doctor, very suspicious about how he'd said that.

"I'm guessing you've seen a lot of that?" Martha queried.

The Doctor grinned, "Like you wouldn't believe." Aliens often liked showing off (like humans) and nothing was better than a secret base under a key landmark.

[Laboratory]

(Lots of bubbling tubes.)
DOCTOR: Oo, look at this. Stunning!

"Not what I'd call it." Bill argued.

DONNA: What does it do?
DOCTOR: Particle extrusion. Hold on. Brilliant. They've been manufacturing Huon particles. Course, my people got rid of Huons. They unravel the atomic structure.

"Oh lovely!" Rose's voice was higher in pitch than normal, full of sarcasm and a bit startled at the causal way the Doctor mentioned that. These things really weren't good.

Martha's eyes widened, darting to Donna in worry, "What about Donna?" That didn't sound like a good thing to have in you.

The Doctor smiled at the concern and shook her head, "All okay, no lasting effects."

LANCE: Your people? Who are they? What company do you represent?
DOCTOR: Oh, I'm a freelancer. But this lot are rebuilding them. They've been using the river. Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result, Huon particles in liquid form.

A few people smirked at the Doctor's evasion of Lance's question. In a way he wasn't really lying, though he certainly wasn't saying everything.

DONNA: And that's what's inside me?
(The Doctor turns a knob on top of the container, and the liquid glows gold. So does Donna.)

"A regular lava lamp." Jack grinned teasingly at Donna who crossed her arms with a glare at the man.

"Oh, don't you start, Mister!" Jack just laughed in response to Donna's annoyed words.

DONNA: Oh, my God!
DOCTOR: Genius. Because the particles are inert, they need something living to catalyse inside and that's you. Saturate the body and then. Ha!
(The Doctor jumps backwards.)
DOCTOR: The wedding! Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle. Oh, your body's a battleground! There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine. Wham! go the endorphins. Oh, you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven. A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away. The particles reach boiling point. Shazam!
(Donna slaps him.)

People didn't even bother containing their laughs and snorts of amusement at Donna's very understandable response at the Doctor's excited realisations.

"Okay, I may have deserved that." The Doctor offered; hands raised in surrender.

"May have?" Donna raised a pointed eyebrow. The Doctor's sheepish smile depended.

DOCTOR: What did I do this time?
DONNA: Are you enjoying this? Right, just tell me. These particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?
DOCTOR: Yes.

"Which question are you answering?" Clara asked with a raised eyebrow and suspicion clear in her voice. The Doctor just turned back to the screen.

DONNA: Doctor, if your lot got rid of Huon particles, why did they do that?
DOCTOR: Because they were deadly.

"Not the best way to break the news." Mickey grimaced, glancing in concern at Donna despite the Doctor already telling them she was safe (and her being in the room okay). Things really could only get worse and worse for poor Donna today.

DONNA: Oh, my God.
DOCTOR: I'll sort it out, Donna. Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it. I am not about to lose someone else.

The group was silent, all exchanging looks at the stubborn declaration from the Doctor. They had lost many people, and were likely to lose ore in the future, regardless of what they did.

EMPRESS [OC]: Oh, she is long since lost.
(The wall in front of them slides up to reveal a tiered hole descending into the earth.)
EMPRESS [OC]: I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!
(Lance runs away. Black robed robots turn their guns on the Doctor and Donna.)

"Troubles finally arrived." Bill frowned.

"It's been here for a while." Ryan countered.

Bill shrugged, "You know what I meant."

Several people glared at Lance who had immediately made himself scarce at the first sign of trouble; even if he didn't turn out to be evil or involved in this plan directly, he was still a weak willed coward and underserving of Donna.

[Drilling site]

DOCTOR: Someone's been digging. Oh, very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?
EMPRESS [OC]: Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth!

"Impressive." Amy reluctantly admitted with a frown.

"And dangerous." Rory grimaced, he didn't want to imagine what the creepy and clearly evil giant alien spider wanted with a hole to the centre of the Earth. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure they were about to find out.

DOCTOR: Really? Seriously? What for?
DONNA: Dinosaurs.

"Dinosaurs?" Martha blinked, confused at Donna's declaration.

DOCTOR: What?
DONNA: Dinosaurs?
DOCTOR: What are you on about, dinosaurs?
DONNA: That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs. Trying to help.

Donna's comment was successful in undercutting the tension building in the room, a few chuckles escaping various people as she was eager to help with limited success.

DOCTOR: That's not helping.
EMPRESS [OC]: Such a sweet couple.
DOCTOR: Only a madman talks to thin air and trust me, you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?
EMPRESS [OC]: High in the sky. Floating so high on Christmas night.

"Riddles. Typical." Nardole commented. What was it with evil masterminds and riddles?

[Spaceship]

DOCTOR [on screen]: I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom. Come on, let's have a look at you!
EMPRESS: Who are you with such command?
DOCTOR [on screen]: I'm the Doctor.
EMPRESS: Prepare your best medicines, doctor man, for you will be sick at heart.

"She doesn't know you then." River remarked in consideration, "Probably for the best."

"Oi!" The Doctor protested, not quite sure what that meant but feeling offended anyway.

[Drilling site]

(The Empress transports herself in.)
DOCTOR: Racnoss? But that's impossible. You're one of the Racnoss?

The Master blinked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. He'd been quiet the whole time, secretly curious to get the Doctor's side of the story on the Christmas star incident (as he'd been pretending to be Saxon back then). "I thought they were all gone?"

"So did I." The Doctor nodded, not really an answer but the video would explain.

EMPRESS: Empress of the Racnoss.
(Lance climbs the ladder, then runs.)
DOCTOR: If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss? Or, are you the only one?
EMPRESS: Such a sharp mind.
DOCTOR: That's it, the last of your kind. The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago. Billions. They were carnivores, omnivores. They devoured whole planets.

"Friendly lot then." Graham grimaced. This just kept getting better and better.

EMPRESS: Racnoss are born starving. Is that our fault?
DONNA: They eat people?
DOCTOR: HC Clements, did he wear those, those er, black and white shoes?

"Why's that important?" Rose asked warily. The Doctor just grimaced and gestured to the screen in answer.

DONNA: He did. We used to laugh. We used to call him the fat cat in spats.
(The Doctor points to a pair of feet sticking out of the web across the ceiling, wearing black and white shoes.)
DONNA: Oh, my God!

Several people in the room echoed her sentiment, other grimacing as Mr Clements fate became very clear very quickly. Donna and the Doctor were in some serious trouble.

EMPRESS: Mmm. My Christmas dinner.
DOCTOR: You shouldn't even exist. Way back in history, the fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss. They were wiped out.
(Lance is on a balcony above the Empress. He makes the shush gesture.)

"Is he going to help?" Bill asked, still not quite trusting him but hopeful he was coming back to save Donna. Maybe they'd forgive him a bit if he at least tried.

In answer, the Doctor and Donna shared a knowing look. Donna was watching with a careful eye, trying to see the signs she'd missed the first time.

EMPRESS: Except for me.
DONNA: But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing. Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles? Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me.
EMPRESS: The bride is so feisty.

"Oh, that doesn't even begin to describe her." The Doctor smiled fondly. None of them blinked an eye at Donna's courage, not doubting her for a second.

(Lance is sneaking up behind the giant Empress with a fire axe.)
DONNA: Yes, I am! And I don't know what you are, you big thing, but a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!
(Lance starts to swing the axe. The Empress turns and hisses at him. Lance laughs, and the Empress joins in.)

"That -." Martha cut herself off with a scowl, not even able to find a good word to describe her feelings about Lance. "God Donna, I'm so sorry."

Donna shook her head, not meeting anyone's eyes. She hadn't anticipated quite how hard that would hit her even after all these years and finding her real happy ending.

"I guess that answers shoes side he's on." Clara grimaced; it was the ultimate betrayal on an already terrible day for Donna.

LANCE: That was a good one. Your face.
EMPRESS: Lance is funny.

"Lance is a lot of things." Amy frowned, "But funny isn't one of them."

DONNA: What?
DOCTOR: I'm sorry.
DONNA: Sorry for what? Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!
LANCE: God, she's thick. Months I've had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map.

"Ignore every word he says Donna!" Rose crossed her arms, a determined look at Donna.

DONNA: I don't understand.
DOCTOR: How did you meet him?
DONNA: In the office.
DOCTOR: He made you coffee.

"Which is when he doused you." River sighed as she made the final connection.

DONNA: What?
LANCE: Every day, I made you coffee.
DOCTOR: You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months.
DONNA: He was poisoning me.
DOCTOR: It was all there in the job title. The Head of Human Resources.

"Knew they were evil." Mickey tried to joke, but it fell flat all of them still reeling with the betrayal.

LANCE: This time, it's personnel.
DONNA: But, we were getting married.
LANCE: Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I had to say yes. And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap yap yap. Oh, Brad and Angelina. Is Posh pregnant? X Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me. Dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia. I deserve a medal.

"Well, he's just the worst." Yaz stated flatly with a scowl at the screen.

Donna was still not meeting the group's eyes, even as the Doctor tried to sneak her looks, worried.

DOCTOR: Oh, is that what she's offered you? The Empress of the Racnoss? What are you, her consort?
LANCE: It's better than a night with her.
DONNA: But I love you.

The group's hearts went out to poor Donna who'd had the absolute worst day imaginable.

LANCE: That's what made it easy. It's like you said, Doctor. The big picture. What's the point of it all if the human race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to go out there. To see it. The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor?

The Doctor scowled, she certainly understood that feeling but she didn't understand Lance's choices or hatred.

EMPRESS: Who is this little physician?
LANCE: She said Martian.

"Might be helpful, them not knowing what you are." Martha sighed. Lance's lack of information might lend some favour to Donna and the Doctor.

DOCTOR: Oh, I'm sort of homeless. But the point is, what's down here? The Racnoss are extinct. What's going to help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?
LANCE: I think he wants us to talk.
EMPRESS: I think so, too.

"Well, your type typically loves to share their plans." The Doctor answered the pair on screen for their past self.

LANCE: Well, tough! All we need is Donna.
EMPRESS: Kill this chattering little doctor man.
DONNA: Don't you hurt him!

"Oh Donna." The Doctor smiled sadly. She's still been willing to try and protect him despite having only met him that day and having to deal with everything she'd gone through. He missed all the companions he'd lost but Donna would always hold a special place in their heart.

DOCTOR: No, no, Donna. It's all right.
DONNA: No, I won't let them.
EMPRESS: At arms!
(The robots point their guns at the Doctor.)
DOCTOR: Ah, now. Except.
EMPRESS: Take aim!

"Might want to think of something quickly Doctor." Bill muttered worriedly; things were getting a bit too tense for their liking.

DOCTOR: Well, I just want to point out the obvious.
EMPRESS: They won't hit the bride. They're such very good shots.
DOCTOR: Just, just, just, just, just hold on. Hold on just a tick. Just a tiny little, just a little tick. If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my spaceship. So reverse it, and the spaceship comes to her.

"That's a decent plan." Jack grinned; it was a rare occurrence but occasionally the Doctor came up with a decent plan. The group all perked up getting more hopeful to see the pair escape unharmed.

River pursed her lips, "Can't they just reverse it to bring Donna back?"

The grimace that Donna and the Doctor shared was all the answer the group needed.

(The Doctor turns the knob on the Huon container.)
EMPRESS: Fire!

[Tardis]

(The Tardis builds itself like smoke around Donna and the Doctor.)
DOCTOR: Off we go.

[Drilling site]

EMPRESS: My key! My key!
(The Tardis dematerialises.)

"You're on limited time, Doctor." Rose declared, shooting concerned glanced at the pair. "Hope you know what you're doing."

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: Oh, do you know what I said before about time machines? Well, I lied. And now we're going to use it. We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet's core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene. I've always wanted to see this. Donna, we're going further back than I've ever been before.

"The birth of the planet." Amy's eyes widened in a bit of awe.

[Drilling site]

EMPRESS: If a key is lost, then another must be cut. At arms!
(The robots turn their guns onto Lance.)

"Turning on Lance." Rory sighed, "Can't say I'm surprised." Or that he didn't deserve it.

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: We've arrived. Want to see?
DONNA: I suppose.

"Absolutely." Bill leaned forward, very eager to witness it even on screen.

DOCTOR: Oh, that scanner's a bit small. Maybe your way's best.
(He goes to the door.)
DOCTOR: Come on. No human's ever seen this. You'll be the first.

Donna smiled softly, it had been one of the very few good moments of that day and something she'd thought back to on many occasions since that day (before she lost her memories).

DONNA: All I want to see is my bed.

"Mood." Ryan muttered quietly.

DOCTOR: Donna Noble, welcome to the creation of the Earth.
(Lumps of rock floating around a dust covered sun.)
DOCTOR: We've gone back four point six billion years. There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas. That's the Sun, over there. Brand new. Just beginning to burn.

"This is incredible." Martha muttered, the tension in the room easing slightly as the group was distracted by the sight in front of them.

DONNA: Where's the Earth?
DOCTOR: All around us in the dust.
DONNA: Puts the wedding in perspective. Lance was right. We're just tiny.

"But incredible." The Doctor smiled at the group, taking time to glance at each person in turn.

"Annoying more like." The Master argued, promptly getting ignored.

DOCTOR: No, but that's what you do. The human race makes sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed.
DONNA: So I came out of all this?

"We all did." River muttered in awe. Despite having done all of her own travelling and seeing everything she'd seen, things like this was still awe inspiring to witness.

DOCTOR: Isn't that brilliant?
(A large rock drifts past.)
DONNA: I think that's the Isle of Wight.
DOCTOR: Eventually, gravity takes hold. Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in. Everything, piling in until you get
DONNA: The Earth.

"A beautiful mess." Jack smiled fondly; it may not have been his original home but it had come to be one of his favourite places. He could understand all too well why the Doctor kept coming back to the Earth time and time again.

DOCTOR: But the question is, what was that first rock?
(A seven pointed star spaceship comes out of the dust cloud.)
DONNA: Look.
DOCTOR: The Racnoss.

"They've been here the whole time." Yaz realised, the thought a bit terrifying. It wasn't a nice thought that a giant spiders web of carnivorous aliens lived at the centre of their planet.

[Drilling site]

EMPRESS: Now I have measured the bride's catalysis, I can force feed it.
(A robot pours Huon particle water down Lance's throat.)
EMPRESS: Drink the particles. Become the key!

The group grimaced at the sight, as much as they hated Lance, he didn't deserve the fate they were all anticipating. The Empress wasn't a friendly alien, and wasn't going to give him any mercy.

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: Hold on. The Racnoss are hiding from the war. What's it doing?
DONNA: Exactly what you said.
(The rocks and dust are attracted to the spaceship.)
DOCTOR: Oh, they didn't just bury something at the centre of the Earth. They became the centre of the Earth. The first rock.
(Bang!)
DONNA: What was that?
DOCTOR: Trouble.

"Right on time." Amy sighed. They'd run out of time.

[Drilling site]

EMPRESS: My wonderful key. Now, my servants, bind him.
(Lance glows gold.)

[Tardis]

(The Tardis is throwing them about.)
DONNA: What the hell's it doing?
DOCTOR: Remember that little trick of mine, particles pulling particles. Well, it works in reverse. They're pulling us back!

"I hope you have a plan." Rory said, concerned. "The viewing was stunning but doesn't help you escape."

DONNA: Well, can't you stop it? Hasn't it got a handbrake? Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?
DOCTOR: Backseat driver. Oh! Wait a minute! The extrapolator!

"So, I was right." Donna gave the Doctor a smug grin at the reminder her so called 'backseat driving' was actually helpful.

(The surfboard device from Boom Town.)
DOCTOR: It can't stop us, but it should give us a good bump!

"What kind of bump?" Mickey asked curious how a bump may help them.

The Doctor grinned in response, waving to the screen in answer.

[Drilling site]

(Lance is ensnared in web when the Tardis appears.)
EMPRESS: The bride shall join her groom. What a wedding there shall be.

"This is twisted." Martha grimaced, shaking her head.

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: Now!
(The Tardis dematerialises.)

[Lower basement corridor]

DOCTOR: We're about two hundred yards to the right. Come on!

"Ah, okay." Graham nodded, realising what the Doctor had managed to do. Not being exactly where they were expected to be could be helpful, they just had to be quick and smart as it wouldn't take them long before they'd be found out.

[Drilling site]

EMPRESS: She is close, the holy bride in white. Find her. Find her!

[Lower basement corridor]

DONNA: But what do we do?
DOCTOR: I don't know. I make it up as I go along. But trust me, I've got a history.

Jack snorted, "That's one way to describe it." The Doctor's tactic of not really having a proper plan till last moment was famous between the group.

(The Doctor uses a stethoscope on the Torchwood door.)
DONNA: But I still don't understand. I'm full of particles, but what for?
DOCTOR: There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth, but my people unravelled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist but the Racnoss were stuck.

"They want to use the particles to bring the web out of the centre of the planet." Rose summarised as she made the connection. She wasn't entirely against that, but the trouble wouldn't be worth it.

(A robot grabs Donna from behind.)

"Donna!" Several people exclaimed worried at the sudden attack.

DOCTOR: They've just taken hibernation for billions of years. Frozen, dead, kaput. So you're the new key. Brand new particles, living particles! They need you to open it and you have never been so quiet.
(He realises she is gone.)

"About time, Spaceman!" Donna huffed playfully. It had taken him some time to stop jabbering and realise she was gone.

DOCTOR: Oh!
(He sonics the door open to reveal a robot pointing a gun at him.)

"More trouble." Rory sighed.

[Drilling site]

(Donna is ensnared in the web, next to Lance, directly over the hole.)
DONNA: I hate you.

"Understandable." Martha muttered. That was putting it lightly after everything he'd done.

LANCE: Yeah, I think we've gone a bit beyond that now, sweetheart.
EMPRESS: My golden couple, together at last. Your awful wedded life. Tell me, do you want to be released?
DONNA + LANCE: Yes!
EMPRESS: You're supposed to say, I do.

"She's really invested in the wedding thing." Mickey grimaced; the reminder can't have been nice for Donna after the day she'd had.

LANCE: Huh. No chance.
EMPRESS: Say it!
LANCE: I do.
DONNA: I do.

"Threats of death make you do things you wouldn't think you normally would." Amy snorted.

EMPRESS: I don't. Activate the particles. Purge every last one.
(Donna and Lance glow.)
EMPRESS: And release!
(The Huon particles zoom straight down into the hole so kindly dug by Torchwood.)

The group got tenser and tenser as the Empress's plan was coming into fruition with the Doctor no where in sight and without a plan to stop it.

EMPRESS: The secret heart unlocks, and they will waken from their Sleep of Ages.
DONNA: Who will? What's down there?
LANCE: How thick are you?
EMPRESS: My children, the long lost Racnoss, now reborn to feast on flesh! The web star shall come to me.

"Lat thing on my Christmas list, a space ship full of hungry man-eating spider aliens." Rose commented.

Bill raised an eyebrow at that, "It's not even on my list."

(The spaceship starts to move towards the Earth as lots of somethings start to climb up the hole.)
EMPRESS: My babies will be hungry. They need sustenance. Perish the web.
LANCE: Use her, not me! Use her!

"Slimly little snake." Jack glared, still trying to save his own skin.

EMPRESS: Oh, my funny little Lance! But you are quite impolite to your lady friend. The Empress does not approve.
(The web releases Lance, and he falls into the hole.)
DONNA: Lance!

The group winced, Lance was a horrible man who's betrayed and hurt Donna but that was still a rough fate to have. Donna glanced away from the screen, unable to watch it twice.

[London]

(The spaceship comes down over the city, shining like a star.)
LITTLE GIRL: It's Christmas!

"Not a friendly one." Rose frowned, the star was free to cause trouble and destruction.

[Drilling site]

EMPRESS: Harvest the humans! Reduce them to meat.

"Please don't." Rory asked frowning.

(Energy lances out from the spaceship's lower four arms, wreaking havoc in the streets. The little girl screams as one beam cuts through the road until someone snatches her out of its way.)
EMPRESS: My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them.

"I'm pretty sure the Doctor's going to disagree with that." Amy raised an eyebrow, hopeful that it was true. The longer they didn't have a plan, the more destruction the Empress rained down on London.

(A robot walks up the steps.)
EMPRESS: So you might as well unmask, my clever little doctor man.
(The Doctor removes the robot mask and robe.)

"Ah, the old dress up as the robot." Jack nodded in approval. Despite it not working, it suggested the Doctor actually had part of a plan, "Classic."

DOCTOR: Oh well. Nice try. I've got you, Donna!
(He points his sonic screwdriver at Donna, and the web starts to give way.)
DONNA: I'm going to fall!
DOCTOR: You're going to swing! I've got you!

Rose watched the screen, unable to help thinking back to her own first adventure with the Doctor which had also taken place under a London landmark and involve swinging on a rope like object.

(Screaming, Donna swings across the hole, past the Empress and stops underneath the landing where the Doctor is standing. The strand of web was just six feet too long. She drops to the ground with a clang.)
DOCTOR: Oh. Sorry.
DONNA: Thanks for nothing.

"At least you're not still hanging from the web?" Ryan offered in consolidation.

EMPRESS: The doctor man amuses me.

"And me, honey." River snorted.

DOCTOR: Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you and your children a place in the universe to co-exist. Take that offer and end this now.
EMPRESS: These men are so funny.
DOCTOR: What's your answer?
EMPRESS: Oh I'm afraid I have to decline.

Several members of the group, especially those that had travelled with Pinstripes, shook their head in disapproval of Empress' choices. This Doctor was not the most merciful, and with Rose's recent loss this was bound to go darker.

DOCTOR: What happens next is your own doing.
EMPRESS: I'll show you what happens next. At arms! Take aim! And
DOCTOR: Relax.
(The robots slump.)

"You have a plan." Yaz grinned, glad to see it even if it had taken a while. The Doctor didn't offer their normal grin though, expression a bit more solemn as they recalled what they'd done.

DONNA: What did you do?
DOCTOR: Guess what I've got, Donna?
(A robot remote control.)
DOCTOR: Pockets.

"You don't have to rub it in Spaceman!" Donna huffed for her past self.

"I miss those days." The Doctor sighed fondly, "This coat is great but most woman's clothing is ugh." She shook her head.

DONNA: How did that fit in there?
DOCTOR: They're bigger on the inside.

The group all spoke in time with the Doctor on screen, laughing fondly as they realised what they'd done. The Doctor just smiled fondly despite the teasing.

EMPRESS: Roboforms are not necessary. My children may feast on Martian flesh.
DOCTOR: Oh, but I'm not from Mars.
EMPRESS: Then where?
DOCTOR: My home planet is far away and long since gone. But its name lives on. Gallifrey.
EMPRESS: They murdered the Racnoss!

"She didn't like that!" Mickey whistled lowly. It was an occasional occurrence that they met someone that knew the Doctor for his species (and not themself) and was always a mixed bag of reactions.

DOCTOR: I warned you. You did this.
(He takes some Christmas tree decorations from another pocket.)
EMPRESS: No! No! Don't! No!
(The Doctor throws the baubles into the air then uses the remote to direct them. He uses some to blow holes in the corridor wall to let the Thames in, whilst the rest surround the Empress. Fires break out, and manhole covers burst under the pressure. Water comes flooding into the lair and down the hole. Alien screams come upwards.)

The group watched in silence; expressions grim. It was a cruel ending for the Racnoss but none of them could think of another plan, plus the Empress had denied the Doctor's offer. That's not to say they approved ... more that they understood the Doctor felt pushed into a corner and was already in a darker place with Rose's departure.

The Doctor turned away from the screen, ashamed of her past decisions. River squeezed her arm in comfort. No one saying a word, unsure what to say. She also ignored the pointed look she knew was being directed her way from the Master, but thankfully he didn't make a comment.

EMPRESS: No! No! My children! No! My children! My children!
DONNA: Doctor! You can stop now!

Several members of the group gave Donna thankful glances, very glad she was there to tell the Doctor enough and make sure they both got out in time. They didn't want to think about what would have happened otherwise. All Donna could thin about, however, was what would could have happened. Along with her memories of her travels with the Doctor, came the memories of the alternative reality she had experienced. The memories had always been fuzzy but the Tardis had brought them to full clarity.

EMPRESS: My children!
DOCTOR: Come on. Time I got you out.
(Soaked to the skin, the Doctor and Donna head up the stairs.)
EMPRESS: Transport me!

"Can't just give up, can she?" Nardole muttered.

[Spaceship]

(The Empress is beamed up.)
EMPRESS: Oh, they will suffer! So suffer! This planet shall be scorched!

"I say, no thanks." Bill muttered with a quick tilt of her head.

[Ladder]

DONNA: But what about the Empress?
DOCTOR: She's used up all her Huon energy. She's defenceless!

[London]

(An army tank rumbles down a street, then aims its turret at the spaceship.)
COMMANDER [OC]: Orders from Mister Saxon. Fire at will!

Martha and Jack both scowled at the mention of the Master as Saxon, sharing a knowing look. They were both dreading watching those videos, which they were sure would come up eventually. The Doctor glanced their way quickly, and couldn't help the quick glance at the Master.

SOLDIER: Fire!
(Missiles pound the spaceship, which falls to pieces then explodes over Canary Wharf.)

"Well, that deals with that." Rose frowned, "Violently." Not that the Doctor's solution was not violent, but that was extreme.

[Thames Barrier]

(The Doctor and Donna stand on gate 8.)
DONNA: Just there's one problem.
DOCTOR: What is that?
DONNA: We've drained the Thames.

"Not your problem." River grinned, "I suggest leaving before anyone notices."

[Outside the Nobles' home]

(The Tardis is parked across the road.)
DOCTOR: There we go. Told you she'd be all right. She can survive anything.
DONNA: More than I've done.

"I'd argue the opposite Donna." The Doctor smiled softly at her old companion who managed a smile despite the wandering thoughts around alternative realities and Lance.

(He gives her a quick sonic scan.)
DOCTOR: No, all the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine.

"Finally, some good news." Amy smiled with a thankful glance at Donna.

DONNA: Yeah, but apart from that, I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow on the same day. Sort of.

"Yeah, not the best day." Ryan grimaced.

Yaz raised an eyebrow, "That's putting it lightly."

DOCTOR: I couldn't save him.
DONNA: He deserved it. No, he didn't. I'd better get inside. They'll be worried.

Martha glanced at Donna concerned, she'd gone through a lot in a very short time. She couldn't have been alright immediately, and even though it had been a while since then having it replayed on screen likely brought some old feelings back to the surface.

DOCTOR: Best Christmas present they could have.
(Sylvia and Geoff hug each other.)

Donna smiled softly; a bit bittersweet at the sight of her dad with her mum.

DOCTOR: Oh, no. I forgot you hate Christmas.
DONNA: Yes, I do.
DOCTOR: Even if it snows?
(The Doctor makes the Tardis lamp turn yellow and fire off a bolt of energy into the sky. Instant snow shower.)

"Ah, you're doing your best to charm her." River smiled fondly, recognising what the Doctor was trying to do. He wanted Donna to travel with him.

DONNA: I can't believe you did that!
DOCTOR: Oh, basic atmospheric excitation.

"Show off." Donna was grinning despite herself.

DONNA: Merry Christmas.
DOCTOR: And you. So, what will you do with yourself now?
DONNA: Not getting married, for starters. And I'm not going to temp anymore. I don't know. Travel. See a bit more of planet Earth. Walk in the dust. Just go out there and do something.

"Travel's certainly right." Jack laughed, thinking that Donna accepted the Doctor's offer here. Donna hid a little secret smile; she'd certainly travelled but just the normal way for a while until she found the Doctor again.

DOCTOR: Well, you could always
DONNA: What?
DOCTOR: Come with me
DONNA: No.

Half the group blinked at the immediate outright dismissal, not expecting it. They'd all thought this was how Donna had started travelling with Donna, but apparently not. Donna was stubborn, and unlikely to change her mind. Rose hid a smile, she'd said no immediately too, but the Doctor convinced her. He hadn't been able to do so with Donna though.

DOCTOR: Okay.
DONNA: I can't.
DOCTOR: No, that's fine.

Donna glanced at the Doctor, it hadn't been fine but it meant the Doctor had eventually found Martha which may have been for the best. Either way she'd ended up travelling with him anyway.

DONNA: No, but really. Everything we did today. Do you live your life like that?
DOCTOR: Not all the time.

"90% of the time." Bill countered with a raised eyebrow.

DONNA: I think you do. And I couldn't.
DOCTOR: But you've seen it out there. It's beautiful.
DONNA: And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying, and you were stood there like, I don't know, a stranger. And then you made it snow. I mean, you scare me to death.

"Then maybe you're the only smart human." The Master drawled from his little corner, expression dark. The group couldn't help but listen though, even as the Doctor's eyes were on the floor. "Then again, you ended up travelling with them anyway so maybe not."

His words left an unsettling feeling with the group, all turning back to the screen quietly.

DOCTOR: Right.
DONNA: Tell you what I will do, though. Christmas dinner. Oh, come on.
DOCTOR: I don't do that sort of thing.

"You're not getting a choice." Martha smiled fondly; the Doctor needed the break.

Amy couldn't help the little grin; she wasn't the first to drag the Doctor to Christmas dinner unwillingly then. Rose also managed a bittersweet smile, the Doctor had gone through a lot, she was glad he'd had someone after she was gone, even briefly.

DONNA: You did it last year. You said so. And you might as well, because Mum always cooks enough for twenty.
DOCTOR: Oh, all right then. But you go first. Better warn them. And don't say I'm a Martian. I just have to park her properly. She might drift off to the Middle Ages. I'll see you in a minute.

"You're running away." Clara shook her head in disapproval, recognising the behaviour in the Doctor for what it really meant immediately.

(The Doctor goes into the Tardis, and the engines start up.)
DONNA: Doctor! Doctor!
DOCTOR: Blimey, you can shout.

"And don't you forget it!" Donna huffed with a grin.

DONNA: Am I ever going to see you again?

"Yes." The Doctor smiled at Donna. Donna had seen to that.

DOCTOR: If I'm lucky.
DONNA: Just promise me one thing. Find someone.
DOCTOR: I don't need anyone.
DONNA: Yes, you do. Because sometimes, I think you need someone to stop you.

The Doctor couldn't help but glance at Martha, meeting her eyes as she'd also been looking her way. Martha was the first to look away, turning her gaze to Donna, she was the reason that she'd ended up travelling with the Doctor and she was thankful for that despite all the bad.

DOCTOR: Yeah. Thanks then, Donna. Good luck. And just be magnificent.
DONNA: I think I will, yeah. Doctor?

"You were and will continue to be." The Doctor smiled softly at Donna who nodded back.

DOCTOR: Oh, what is it now?
DONNA: That friend of yours. What was her name?
DOCTOR: Her name was Rose.

Rose smiled at the pair; a bit unsure about why it mattered so much to Donna.

(The Tardis starts to dematerialise, then shoots straight up into the sky before vanishing.)

The screen faded to black, signalling the end of the video. People started stretching in their seats and faint mumbles started to be heard around the room.

"So that's how you met the Doctor?" Rose asked Donna.

Donna nodded, "Yes, though it wasn't a while later until I tracked him down and started travelling with him."

"Before then, he found me." Martha summarised, more to herself than the rest of the room. The Doctor glanced at Martha with a mixed expression no one could interpret.

"Well, let's see what the Tardis has in store for us next." The Doctor finally spoke up, last expression fading to a grin (which was only half fake) as she clapped her hands and turned back to the screen. The rest of the group followed her lead.