Alex was running. She was running from the boys behind her, throwing things and yelling obscene remarks. She didn't try to offend them, but her intelligence wasn't something she hid. As one of the cretins neared, she dropped her satchel, sprinting ahead. Spotting a hiding place, she pounded on the door of the Police Box. "POLICE!" she screamed, pounding harder. "HELP! I'M BEING ATTACKED!"

His head shot up so fast he almost hit his head on the underneath of the TARDIS dashboard, he jogged to the door in response to the shout and wrenched it open. "Hi there." He replied. "Need Something?"

"Yeah, a place to hide!" Alex replied, out of breath, and ducking as a rock narrowly missed her head. She dipped under the Doctor's arm, entering the TARDIS. She gasped. "It's... bigger on the inside..."

He quickly slammed the shut before the arrival of the thugs and turned to face her, "Yes, people usually say that." He said with a smile. "I'm the Doctor, by the way." He offered her a hand.

"Alex." she replied. "You're a Doctor and a Constable?"

He chuckled at that, "Well no, not exactly." He smiled at her again. "I'm not a constable, but I am a lawman." He smile curled downwards at the edges into a peculiar, little frown. "Of sorts."

Alex winced as the boys' shouts became louder as they pounded on the TARDIS door. "Well, can you get them off my tail?" she asked, almost pitifully, as a rather dirty sentence spilled from the 'gang' leader's mouth.

"Of course." He said, his half-frown returning to a smile. "Now, whatever you do, don't freak out." He chuckled as he flicked a few switches on the dashboard and pulled a level down. The TARDIS thrummed and shuddered, suddenly there was no more shouting outside the phone box.

Alex shuddered. "What did you just do?!"

"Well, if I told you." He said with a small laugh at her expression. "I don't think you'd believe me."

Alex stepped back. "Are they gone? Can I leave now? I have a Masterminds meet to attend..."

"Yes, they're gone." He said, assuming a position in front of the door. "But so are we."

Alex clenched her fists, holding them in a threatening position. "If that was some crappy pick-up line so help me I WILL BRAIN YOU!"

He sighed and looked at the floor briefly, "I don't think you understand me, but I can tell you're knowledgeable." He grabbed the door of the TARDIS and opened it, an intense light shone through the door and as his eyes adjusted two giant marbles came into view. One blue and one orange.

Alex gasped. "We're not on earth." she said simply, freezing in place, her fists falling limply to her side.

"No." He said, his eyes drinking in the view. "We're not." He'd seen it countless times but even he'd never quite gotten used to the sight of the Earth and the Sun from the orbit of Mars.

"This is Mars." she stated, her eyes growing wide. "How did we get here?" she began to search her arms, trying to look at her elbow.

He closed the door and strolled to the dashboard. "I pulled a few levers and flicked a few switches." He said as he ran a hand across the dashboard of the TARDIS. "And then, here we are. Easy as that."

"How did you drug me?" she asked, checking her ankles. "This is impossible!"

"I can open the door again if you want" He said, looking at her. "I think I've got a spare spacesuit around here somewhere."

Alex shook her head. "Can you just take me home?"

"If you want." He smiled at her. "But...if you're a fan of-" He was cut off by a sudden alarm bell. He face dropped and he dashed around the dashboard pushing buttons. "We've got an incoming impact, brace yourself."

Alex grabbed onto the nearest thing, which happened to be a tree-like coral thing of... she didn't even know. "TAKE ME HOME!" she screamed again.

"I'VE GOT BIGGER PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW!" He shouted back, alarm bells blaring and the TARDIS swirling around in evasive maneuvers. "It's an unknown vessel, about 200ft long, I not sure what species-" He cut himself off again. "Why am I telling you this?" He quizzed himself out loud. "Just hold on!"

Alex continued to grip the coral, screaming madly.

He ran around frantically, trying to lose the vessel. Suddenly, the vessel blinked out of existence. "Well, that was...unexpected." He said, smiling at Alex, whom was gripping a railing so hard her knuckles were white. "Well then, I'd better get you home."

Later, as Alex sat at the dinner table with her mum over pasta, she met her eyes.

"Alex, I heard you got into some trouble today… I talked to the Headmaster, and he said if you want he can arrange for an escort to school…" her mum drabbled, twisting some spaghetti.

Alex shook her head, fondling the TARDIS key around her neck. "Tell him thanks, but I've got a friend who'd be willing to."