"I'm so sorry Angela!" Diane wept, death was coming to them fast and all her regrets were flashing by her. The electric knife and shears stopped two millimeters away from their heads, passing over slowly until they came to a sudden stop. The girls now drenched in fear and sweat opened their clenched shut eyes and held their breath for what ever was to come next.

The Doctor suddenly burst through the door, his face had nothing more than a huge grin plastered across his face.

"Doctor get us out!" Diane screamed.

"Its okay I've got you, but we don't have much time" he spoke as he pulled a lever up releasing the clamps around Angela and Diane's wrist and ankles and head. The girls shakily stood up and stayed close to the Doctor.

"How did you get us free?" Angela whispered.

"I kind of rummaged through your bag that you must have dropped on your way in…. It had nail varnish remover in it, what ever is in that can melt through the chest compartment of the Cybermen and kill them. Worked a treat" he smiled as he held up an empty blue bottle of nail varnish remover. He threw it up in the air and winked as he caught it in his hand once again.

"Now come on, we need to get out of here fast before the rest find us", just as he spoke a small army of Cybermen turned the corner, the piercing sound of their heavy robotic movement tore through their hearts like no other fear they'd known.

"RUN!" the doctor yelled as he grabbed Diane's hand. Diane in turn grabbed Angela's hand and they ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They reached a door that was sealed, it was a heavy and thick metal door. The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and began pulsing the blue light at the lock.

"Doctor hurry!" Diane cried as she listened carefully for the ominous marching of the metal army.

"*Delete. Delete*" was all they could make out above the stomping of metallic flesh against the hard ground.

"I'm almost there!" he gasped, "One more…." And the door released, sliding open. They ran through and shut it, leaving the Doctor lock it back up again with one click of the sonic screwdriver. The other side was quite, the Cybermen were struggling to get through now that the door had a dead lock seal.

"What is that?" Angela pointed to the sonic screwdriver.

"Sonic screwdriver" he smiled as he waved it in the air.

"How is it a screwdriver?" she frowned.

"Well its…." He stared into the distance trying to explain, but no words could come to mind, then Diane butted in, "well from what I've seen it seems to have a versatile use, like a screwdriver, you know, good for opening anything and what not….. I'm guessing it work on sonic waves so hence the name" Diane explained.

The doctor stared at her, a grin formed across his face as he held his hands in his pocket, "Brilliant, just brilliant. There really is more to you Miss Williams".

"That's lovely but can we concentrate on not dying please" Diane brushed him off and he stood to attention, almost aghast at her cutting him off and not basking in his praise. This girl wasn't one to fall for his attention and take glory in each moment he acknowledged her mental capacity to comprehend such alien situations.

"No, quite right…. We need to find a way to stop the Cybermen and send them back to thee void, where they originated from in the first place…. We need to get back to the TARDIS!" he exclaimed.

"The what?!" both girls laughed in unison.

"You'll see, just follow me. Come on! Allons y!" he kicked his heal and threw back the tail of his coat behind him as he set off down the narrow hallway.

It wasn't easy running out of the Cybermen factory. They had to crawl down into the tunnel below, reeking of sewage to escape undetected.

"It's the only way we could get out without being followed and causing destruction in our wake" the Doctor retorted as the two girls gagged their way to Diane's apartment.

"The TARDIS is around the corner"

"So is my place" Diane wretched.

"Oh nice one! Come on, we can go to the TARDIS"

"Eh no love, we're going to change. I'm not fighting for my planet covered in shit cakes thank you very much" Diane glared, Angela snorted a laugh.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Alright, you women and your image!" he moaned.

"No, us women and our hygiene I think you'll find" Angela replied as Diane opened the door to her apartment. It was a nice big enough apartment. It had two bedrooms. There was no hall, just a large living room with a sizable kitchen to the left, dish washer and washing machine all included. There were two doors to the right then, they were the two en suite bedrooms.

"Very nice" the Doctor whistled as he entered.

"That's what the wage of an ACTUAL doctor will get you" Angela smiled.

"Oi!" the Doctor frowned. He wandered over to the mantle piece where a faux fire place sat, above the mantle piece was a large plasma screen TV. By now the two girls had gone into Diane's room to get changed. Angela took the shower in the spare room while Diane took the shower in her own bathroom. The Doctor took a nosy look at some framed pictures around the room. Most of the pictures were of Diane and Nate, some of her friends looking drunk and distorted, others of places she must have traveled to over the years. He noticed there was none of her family, no mother or father that he could see. He found it odd and then wondered were her friends the only family she had, and if so was it by choice?

"What sort of a name is 'Doctor' anyway?" Diane's sudden appearance caused the Doctor to fumble, he turned to see her standing there with her hair wet, drying it off with a towel and wearing fresh new clothes.

"Well?" she asked.

"It's my name, what can I say. I'm a Time Lord, it's in our culture" he explained.

Diane squinted and then smiled, "You're an odd one…. I don't know what to make of all this" she slumped herself down onto the couch and then suddenly got up,

"I'm sorry where are my manners? Would you like a cup of tea or anything? What do Time Lords eat?" she made her way to the kitchen. The Doctor laughed as he followed her.

"I love that about you humans, no matter what type of crisis there is you break out the tea and somehow everything becomes better"

"I take that as a yes then?"

The Doctor nodded. "Angela takes her sweet ass time getting ready, she won't be finished for an hour I can promise you that" Diane excused as she handed the Doctor the teapot and a mug and spoon.

"You want me to make you a sandwich or anything? You must be hungry" she replied. But before the Doctor could refuse she had the fridge door open and food everywhere.

"I don't want to intrude" he tried to wriggle out of it but Diane turned to him with a smile and then he realized that she needed this. She clearly wanted to look after someone rather than just making a sandwich for herself. She enjoyed the company, she was more than lonely and he could see it.

"Cheese and pickle please" he surrendered.

"My favourite too" she giggled.

"Too right! Best fillings in the world, well, universe actually" he sipped his tea.

"Diane handed him the sandwich with crisps on the side.

"Thank you!" the Doctor tucked in.

"Do you mind me asking….. What is it exactly that you do?" Diane sipped on her tea as she sat down in front of him.

The doctor put his sandwich down and peered at her through his black framed glasses.

"I travel across the universe… through time and space… I try and help people….doesn't always work out but… I do my best" he waited for Diane to react.

"Time and space?..." her mouth was left agape as she tried to wrap her head around it.

"Time travel, we were right all along Nate" she whispered to herself. The Doctor smiled to himself in amusement.

"Sounds so amazing….. Better than anything here that's for sure"

"I don't take any passengers anymore…. I'm sorry" he guiltily replied as he placed the crusts of his sandwich on the plate.

"Its okay, I wasn't asking" Diane smiled. The Doctor felt a bit disappointed she wasn't begging to come along. Deep down he needed the companionship despite the fact he had a constant fear of losing the ones he loves. So many lives were ruined whenever they traveled with him. But he didn't see it from their point of view, their lives were rebuilt, they were given hope, they were enlightened. But the Doctor was too stubborn to see that right now.

"Come on, we need to get to the TARDIS, I'll let you take a look inside if we're going to defeat them together" he got up, drinking down the rest of his tea and grabbed Diane by the hand.

"Wait! What about Angela?" the door shut and there was a silence in the apartment. Angela came out of the room with a dressing gown around her and her hair wrapped up in a towel, "Diane where's you hair….. Dryer….." she looked around the apartment for signs of life but they had left.

"Bloody hell, I'm gonna kill her" Angela muttered as she pottered off to find a hair dryer.