Bowties are Cool!

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

The Stormcage guards look busy, River thought to herself. She walked to the entrance of her cell, peering out with interest. She was rather interested in the number of people passing her cell. What could be the cause of such commotion at this time of day? Suddenly, she heard the whistling noise of the Tardis behind her. The Doctor stuck his head out. "Hello River," he greeted her.

River grinned in delight. "Hello, sweetie."

"So where to tonight?" the Doctor asked River as she entered the Tardis.

"Ooohh, how about a forming star, a big one, Delphinus?" River replied.

"To Delphinus we go!" the Doctor chanted, pulling the start lever.

River smiled to herself. Her time in the Stormcage had made her very good at picking pockets, so getting the Doctor's bowtie off his neck and throwing it into a forming star should be no trouble at all.

"Welcome to fire, flare and amazing views," the Doctor pronounced as he swung open the TARDIS doors. "Presenting… the forming star of Delphinus!" The star was approximately 20km from where they were floating in mid space. River's hands were itching to rip off the doctor's bowtie but she knew he'd notice straight away if she did it now.

After a while, River's legs started aching from keeping herself balanced, so that she wouldn't fly out of the TARDIS and into empty space. "Shall I get chairs?" she offered.

"Chairs? Don't be ridiculous!" laughed the Doctor. "We'll just sit in the door of the Tardis."

River's brow creased. "Is that safe?" she asked.

"Well, probably not," replied the Doctor "but it's cool."

"Just like bowties," River said sarcastically.

"Yes," the Doctor said aggressively, "though not quite as cool as bowties." River rolled her eyes and turned to look at the forming star. Her eyes widened in alarm. The star was almost fully formed and was closing in. "Here's the best part," the Doctor shouted, staring at the star.

"Oh, you mean the cool part," River retorted as she silently removed the Doctor's bowtie. She threw it into the heart of the forming star.

"MY BOWTIE!" the Doctor screamed, watching it descend into the heart of Delphinus. He jumped up and ran to his TARDIS.

"Doctor," River warned, "that's a bad idea."

"It's my bowtie; I've got to get it."

"Doctor…"

"Sorry, River," the Doctor apologized, waving his arms about extravagantly. "Wait, you threw my bowtie into a forming star. Why am I apologising? Let's go get my bowtie, GERNOMINO!"

The TARDIS flung itself at the heart of the star, desperately pursuing the bowtie. "Doctor, if we get caught in that star we will be stuck there forever," River warned.

"Then we won't get caught," the Doctor replied as he manically worked on the TARDIS controls.

"I wouldn't be so sure, the star is closing in fast," River said anxiously, her brow creased in alarm.

"Oncoming bowtie!" the Doctor shouted gleefully. He ran to the TARDIS doors, swinging them open, reaching for the red bowtie about 2 metres away.

"DOCTOR!" River screamed. "You're going to fall out!"

"Nonsense," the Doctor replied, "I've almost got….. WOAH!"

"DOCTOR!" River ran to grab him, desperately trying to prevent him from falling out of the TARDIS and into the heart of the forming star.

"My bowtie!" screamed the Doctor. "It's fallen into the star!"

"Good riddance," River muttered as she pulled the Doctor back into the TARDIS.

"No, not good riddance! I'm not getting rid of it at all!"

"Doctor…" River warned, but it was too late, the TARDIS had already plunged right into the heart of the now almost complete star.

"My bowtie! How can my bowtie not be in here?" The Doctor screamed, frantically sticking his head out the TARDIS. "Oh well," he sighed. "At least I've got a spare," pulling an identical red bowtie from his pocket.

"WHAT?!" It was River's turn to be angry. "You trapped us in the heart of a star, for a bowtie, and now you're telling me you had an identical red bowtie in your pocket all along?!"

"Well, yeah, of course I did," the Doctor replied. "Bowties are cool."

"Not that cool!"

"It is so that cool! Besides, now that I'm wearing a bowtie again, everything is going to be fine."

"NO, EVERYTHING IS NOT GOING TO BE FINE! We are trapped inside a freshly formed star! And do know what else? We should have died from the heat by now!" Both the Doctor and River froze, and a voice seemed to come from nowhere.

"You will be exterminated."