Dirty Little Secret

by RoseKatnissWeasley7

Max's life has taken a turn for the worse when Jackie Tyler takes her in. She's missing her life on the run until a certain Doctor comes along to show her the stars. As her past slowly comes back to haunt her, things take an unexpected turn. Will most likely go through all the series. Rated T.

37. The Runaway Bride

A/N: Okay, I cut this chapter off because it was getting insanely long. (11,000 words – you're welcome) and I had an interlude planned for the next chapter anyway, so I'm just going to tack the end of this onto the beginning of that. Enjoy!

AND HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING I HAVE MORE THAN 200 REVIEWS THANK YOU SO MUCH!

~DW~

I open my mouth to reply, but Mum's form fades away right before my eyes. I take a deep breath, running my hand over my face tiredly. Angel turns around and hugs me, burying her face in my shirt while she sobs. The Doctor wraps his arms around both of us wordlessly. Suddenly, I hear a voice.

"What?"

We all turn around, completely bewildered, to face a ginger woman in a poofy wedding dress. The Doctor's eyes widen in confusion.

"What?"

"Who the hell are you?" shrieks the woman.

"What?" the Doctor repeats, even more confused.

"Where am I? What's going on?" shouts the woman.

Angel grips me tightly, her eyes wide as she takes in the scene, her face still wet with tears. I wipe my own eyes, squeezing her hand gently.

"What is this place?!"

"What?!"

I frown at the confusing exchange before me, sticking my fingers in my mouth and whistling loudly. The room silences immediately, both the Doctor and the woman staring at me with wide eyes.

"Both of you calm down!" I order. I meet eyes with the woman.

"What's your name?"

"Donna Noble!" she says angrily, crossing her arms. "But you would know, wouldn't you? Since you and him kidnapped me! You probably kidnapped that poor little girl, too! She's obviously been crying!"

"She's just lost someone close to her, who happened to be my mother, so I'd appreciate it if you would stop yelling in our faces!" I retort fiercely. Before she even has the chance to respond, the Doctor is asking more questions.

"Hold up, what are you dressed like that for?"

I smack myself in the forehead, and Angel sighs, the corners of her mouth turning up a bit.

"I'm going ten pin bowling!" Donna yells sarcastically. "What 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 you…I don't know, drugged me or something!"

"I haven't done anything!" the Doctor protests. He looks to me for help. I shrug. He frowns and turns to the controls, spinning dials and pressing buttons. For the first time, Donna seems to notice the door, and makes a beeline for it.

"No! Don't!" Angel says, just as she's opening the door. I kick into overdrive, running straight toward her and grabbing onto the back of Donna's dress before she stumbles out of the door into open space. Sure, the TARDIS would have broken her fall, but she's stressed enough right now, and if anything, she needs to calm down, not get more worked up. Her mouth falls open and she stares at the supernova we'd been orbiting.

"We're in outer space," Angel says calmly, coming up next to us. "This is a spaceship – his spaceship." She points at the Doctor. "She's called the TARDIS – she's the reason you're breathing right now. Without her protection, we'd have no air."

"Who are you?" Donna asks breathlessly, staring at us with wide eyes. She looks me up and down. "You – you were over there just a second ago. You couldn't have gotten here that fast, you…"

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor says, leaning on the TARDIS console behind us.

"Rose Tyler," I say, offering my hand. Donna stares at it. I sigh, pulling it back. "And that's Angel."

"What was your name?" the Doctor asks.

"Donna. Donna Noble."

"Human?"

"Is that optional?" Donna cries. The Doctor shrugs.

"It is for him," Angel says.

"You're an alien?" Donna asks, but it's more of a statement. The Doctor nods.

"And what about you?" she asks, turning to me and Angel. "Are you human?"

"Um…kind of. Not completely. Ninety-eight percent, does that count?"

"Well, what's the other two?"

"Bird."

"Of course it is, I should've known. You've probably got wings or something…"

"Actually, yeah," Angel says. "How'd you know?"

"Oh dear god…" Donna mutters, bringing her hand to her forehead. I smile sympathetically.

"Sorry. I know it's all a bit much at first, but you get used to it after a while." I close the TARDIS doors. When we turn around, the Doctor is obsessing over the TARDIS controls again.

"I don't understand! I understand everything! This is impossible. There is no way a human being can lock themselves onto the TARDIS and transport here…"

"Yeah, well, you said inter-dimensional conversation and travel was impossible too, but we were just talking to Mum a few minutes ago!" I point out. The Doctor ignores me, taking out a flashlight and shining it into Donna's eyes while he keeps muttering aloud.

"Maybe it's a subatomic connection. Something in the temporal field…or an alignment pulling you into the Chronon shell? Or macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix…or a genetic-"

His babble is cut off when Donna slaps him right across the face. Angel starts laughing outright when he stumbles backward, completely taken aback. I can't help but smirk.

"What was that for?"

"You were kind of asking for it, Doctor," I tell him, trying not to laugh.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" he frowns. I smile apologetically.

"Get me to Church!" Donna yells.

"Right! Fine! Don't want you here anyway!" the Doctor says, rubbing his red cheek and pouting. "Where is this wedding?"

"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System," Donna rattles off.

The Doctor yanks on a lever and heads right over to the door.

"Right. Chiswick." He steps outside and Angel follows. I start after them, motioning for Donna to come with me. She steps outside the TARDIS right behind me, scowling.

"I said Saint Mary's. What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?"

The Doctor is too busy stroking the TARDIS to answer her question.

"Something's wrong with her," he says. I frown.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I think so. She's just recalibrating, digesting," he tells me, and turns back to the TARDIS. "What have you eaten?"

Angel tugs on my sleeve, pointing at Donna. She's making her way around the TARDIS, circling it with her mouth hanging open in shock. The Doctor heads right back inside to the console.

"Donna?" he calls. "You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might have caused this? Haven't been contacting aliens, have you?"

"Doctor," I sigh, crossing my arms. He just keeps talking.

"Have you seen lights in the sky?"

"Doctor…"

"Did you touch something? Something different, strange?"

"Doctor…"

"Who are you getting married to?"

"Doctor!" I say loudly, and he finally looks up at me. Donna pokes her head back through the TARDIS doors.

"There you are. Are you sure your fiancé is human? Not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead?"

Donna doesn't acknowledge his question, but rather turns around and runs for it. Angel goes right after her, and I roll my eyes, following.

"Wait!"

Donna pauses, looking back at her.

"Leave me alone! I just want to get married!" she cries. I feel sorry for her. She didn't ask to get dragged into all this.

"Donna," I say, catching up to her and Angel. "I know this is a lot to take in – just come back to the TARDIS and we can work this all out."

"No way – that box is too weird."

"Come on," Angel prods. "It's only bigger on the inside."

"Is that all?" Donna says sarcastically. "How old are you anyway? You look a bit young for time and space travel – or is that what they do now?"

"I'm fourteen!" Angel says, crossing her arms and frowning.

"What about you? How old are you?" Donna asks me, gesturing wildly.

"Twenty-two. I've been travelling with the Doctor for three years," I tell her.

"Oh, god," she says, sighing. She looks like she's about to cry. "Ten past three. I'm gonna miss it."

"You could phone them," the Doctor suggests from behind me, finally deciding to show his face. "Tell them where you are."

"How do I do that?"

"Haven't you got a mobile?" the Doctor asks incredulously, looking at her like she's got three heads.

"You know, you're a right idiot sometimes," I inform him, digging into my jeans pocket and handing Donna a cell phone. She takes it from me, dialing a number.

"It went to voicemail!" she cries, frowning. "Mum, listen. I'm – oh, god! I don't know where I'm at! It's a street…and there's WH Smith…it's definitely Earth!"

The Doctor takes my hand suddenly, squeezing it gently. I look up at him in surprise. He's not even looking at me – he just reached out. My heart skips a beat. He needs to hold my hand as much as I need to hold his.

Then suddenly, Donna is shoving my mobile back in my face and I snap out of my thoughts. I take it back from her and stick it in my pocket.

"Who's this guy you're marrying anyway?" the Doctor asks.

"Lance," Donna says in a dreamy voice. I make a face. Angel smirks.

"Gotta like Lance," the Doctor mutters. Then Donna is back to her fiery, angry self.

"Oi! No stupid Martian is gonna keep me from being married! To hell with you!" she shouts, running off. "Taxi!"

Angel goes after her right away, and the Doctor starts running, pulling me along with him.

"I'm not from Mars!" he protests. I roll my eyes as we turn the corner. Donna is looking for an empty taxi. All of them appear to be clear of passengers, but they ignore her and continue driving past.

"Why aren't they stopping?" Angel asks, confused as Donna runs back and forth waving her arm madly.

"They think I'm in fancy dress!" Donna realizes. Another taxi goes by, honking his horn obnoxiously.

"Stay off the scotch, darling!"

"They think I'm drunk!"

"You're fooling no one, mate!" shouts another taxi driver.

"They think I'm in drag!"

Oh, poor Donna. She looks at me desperately.

"You! Do your whistle thing again! Get their attention!"

I nod, sticking my fingers in my mouth and whistle loudly. A taxi screeches to a stop in front of me, and I wave her over as I hop in pulling the Doctor in beside me. Angel opens the door on the other side, plopping down on my lap. Donna slides in next to the Doctor.

"Saint Mary's in Chiswick, off Hayden Road. It's an emergency, I'm getting married! Step on it!" The taxi driver takes off.

"You know it'll cost ya, sweetheart. Double rates today."

Donna swears, looking to us. "Have you got any money?"

I check my pockets, but they're empty. I shake my head regretfully. The Doctor does the same. Angel looks at us like we're crazy for even wondering if she's got some.

The taxi driver slams on the brakes, and my head goes flying forward and whacks on the seat. I groan, rubbing my forehead. The Doctor looks at me, concerned. I wave him off.

"Out!"

Donna lets loose a string of curses that shouldn't be repeated as she stumbles out of the car, the Doctor on her heels. Angel and I slip out the other side and the car takes off again.

"Talk about Christmas spirit," Donna mutters. We all look at her in surprise.

"Is it Christmas?" Angel asks excitedly. Donna makes a face, nodding.

"On Earth, at least."

"Let's to get some cash, so that doesn't happen again," the Doctor says, nodding in the direction of the taxi that drove away. I nod, scanning the streets for the nearest cash point, and tap on the Doctor's shoulder when I see it. He grabs my hand and pulls me off again, and I just barely have time to grab onto Angel's forearm and drag her along with us. The Doctor sonics the machine quickly, and I look around the street. Something catches my eye.

"Doctor!"

He looks up, wide eyed and worried.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Robot Santas!" I cry, pointing to a row of masked Santas playing the trumpet. They can't be more than a dozen yards away. He makes a confused face. "Don't you remember? When you regenerated?" His eyes widen.

"Wait a minute!" Angel exclaims worriedly. "Where did Donna go?"

I catch a glimpse of her red hair in the crowd and watch her get into a taxi.

"Donna!" I shout, but she doesn't hear me. My voice gets lost. I squint; trying to make out the form of her through the window and make sure it's her. Then my heart sinks when I realize that the taxi driver is one of the robots.

"Doctor, there's a robot driving that taxi," I say, turning to him, but his eyes are glued to the line of trumpet playing Santas. They lower their trumpets slowly.

"Doctor, they used them as guns," I warn him. He glances at me, looking unsure of what to do. I look around us for a moment, my eyes settling on the cash point. I pull out my sonic and scan it quickly.

Cash flies out of the machine, seemingly endless, and the people in the street run around in a rush trying to catch some money. I grab onto the Doctor and Angel and run back in the direction of the TARDIS.

~DW~

"Doctor, what do we do? We've got to get her out of there!" I cry once we finally get back inside the TARDIS.

"I do not understand what is going on right now!" Angel announces, gesturing uselessly. The Doctor pauses in his dance-like motions around the console to look at her.

"Long story short, robot Santas means not good. Robot Santas will kill you." Then he's off again, pulling levers and whacking the console with a hammer. The TARDIS sends sparks showering at him and he glares at the rotor.

"And the taxi Donna just got into was being driven by a robot Santa?'

"Yes," I reply.

"Thank you for the clarification," she says.

"Where are we going?" I ask. "We can't materialize in a taxi, the TARDIS is too big!"

"We're not materializing in the taxi, we're materializing next to the taxi," the Doctor says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. The entire ship shudders, and I nearly lose my balance. I cling to a railing.

"On the road. While it's driving," Angel deadpans, staring at him. She has grabbed a hold of the edge of the console. He nods.

"We're going to fly along next to it."

"The TARDIS can do that?" she asks.

"Of course she can! She can do anything!"

The TARDIS hums happily. All the while, the room shakes and tilts back and forth.

"Quick! Rose, we're here," the Doctor says. I stare at him like he's nuts. Because he is.

"What am I supposed to do?" I shout.

"Open the door and get her!"

"What the…" I begin, but I trail off, shaking my head. "You are absolutely mental!" Nevertheless, I make my way to the door carefully, trying to stay upright, and finally make it to the door with a few bumps and soon-to-be bruises. I glance back at the Doctor, who nods encouragingly. Angel begins making her way toward me, but I shake my head.

"You stay put! No arguing!" She can hear the urgency in my voice, and nods reluctantly. I turn back to the door, opening it. Sure enough, I can make out Donna through the cab window, pounding on it and shouting for help. She stares at the TARDIS wide-eyed.

"Open the door!" I yell. She shakes her head.

"It's locked!" she mouths.

Holding the door open with one arm, I reach for my sonic in my pocket with the other and unlock the door.

"Come on! Open the door!"

She rolls down the window and I stare at her incredulously.

"Open. The. Door!"

"Why?!" she cries.

"You've got to jump!" I tell her, gesturing that she should get a move on.

"I'm not bleeding flip jumping!"

I sigh, glancing unsurely at the robot Santa who has turned his head slightly. I have no doubt he knows exactly what is going on. I look back at the Doctor, who watches me with questioning eyes. Then I turn my gaze to the street passing by quickly below the speeding TARDIS. I kick open the other door to the TARDIS, spread my wings, and jump. My feet connect loudly with the top of the taxi, denting the roof. I stick my head over the side with the open window to talk to Donna.

"Listen, Donna. You've got to come with me. That thing is going to kill you!"

"I'm not jumping on a motorway!"

"You don't have to! Take my arms!" I say, lying out on my stomach and sticking my arms over the side. "I'll pull you up."

"I'm in my wedding dress!"

"Yes, you look lovely! Let's go!"

"I can't do it," she says, her voice trembling with fear. I look her dead in the eye.

"Donna, you've got to trust me. You've got to trust Angel. You've got to trust the Doctor."

"Do you trust him?"

"With everything," I say with complete honesty. "I trust him more than anyone else in this universe. Even more than I trust myself."

She hesitates for a moment, but in a flash, throws the car door open and grabs my arms. I pull her out of the car and onto the roof, standing up. Then I sweep her into my arms bridal-style (oh the irony) and take off. The taxi and the TARDIS continue down the motorway while I hover in the air with Donna. Angel pokes her head out the TARDIS doors, alarmed, but relaxes when she sees us and shuts the doors. I make my way to the side of the road, taking in Donna's face with amusement. Her eyes are squeezed closed and she refuses to look down.

"Get me down! Get me down!" she squeals. I lower to the ground at the side of the motorway carefully, my feet falling steadily onto the grass. Then I put Donna upright on her feet.

"Oh god," she moans, bringing her hand to her forehead. I immediately take out my mobile and call the TARDIS, waiting for Angel to answer.

"We'll be right there," she says.

"Alright," I say. Sure enough, as I hang up the phone, the TARDIS materializes right in front of my eyes, smoke rising from the swirling light at the top. Angel is the first one racing out the doors, laughing giddily.

"Oh my gosh, Mum, that was so cool!" I give her a high five. Donna shakes her head at us. The Doctor comes bounding through the doors.

"Rose!" He rushes up to me, pulling me into a tight hug. "Don't ever do that to me again," he breathes into my hair. "Bloody hell." He pulls back worriedly. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

"I'm fine," I assure him, brushing my fingers through his hair to try and calm the madness. "Relax."

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking, space boy!" We all turn to look at Donna. My eyes catch the open TARDIS doors, with smoke pouring out of them.

"Oh my god, is the TARDIS alright?" I ask. The Doctor nods.

"For a spaceship, she doesn't do much flying. We'd better give her some time to settle down."

"Hey," Angel says, tugging on Donna's dress. "Are you alright?" Donna plops down on the grass, rubbing her face tiredly.

"It doesn't matter."

"Sure it does," Angel insists. "Did we miss it?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor says. "You could book another date…"

"Yeah," Donna sighs.

"Still have the honeymoon!" I point out. "That'll be nice."

"Just a holiday now," Donna says, plucking at the grass.

"Sorry," I apologize.

"Wish we had a time machine to go back and get it right," she mutters. The Doctor, Angel, and I exchange glances.

"Well, even if we did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently," the Doctor says. I give him a look and he shrugs sheepishly. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Donna shiver on the grass. I tuck in my wings quickly, unzipping my jacket, taking it off, and tossing it to her.

"Thanks," she mumbles. I nod, and then realize just how cold it is and shiver myself. The Doctor shrugs off his jacket and puts it around my shoulders. Angel wriggles her eyebrows suggestively and I blush, tugging the jacket tighter around me.

"Damn, Doctor. I never realized how skinny you were," I tease. The Doctor rolls his eyes.

"Oh! Donna! I have something for you…" he says, reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket to get something. He goes in elbow deep, searching for something. I raise my eyebrows. Angel starts chuckling to herself.

"What?' I ask cautiously, not sure I want to know the answer. The Doctor finally pulls whatever it is out of the jacket and looks at her curiously.

"You know, Doctor, next time you want to put your hands on her you could just ask," Angel giggles. Both of us turn bright red and even Donna cracks a smile at that. The Doctor brushes it off, kneeling in front of Donna and holding up a ring.

"Way to rub it in," she mumbles. The Doctor smiles apologetically.

"Sorry. But those creatures could trace you. This is a bio-damper, it should keep you hidden," he explains, sliding it on her finger. "With this ring, I thee bio-damp." I roll my eyes. Angel smirks again.

"When are you going to give Mum a 'bio-damper', Doctor?" she asks slyly, making quotes in the air. I roll my eyes. Not even in my dreams would the Doctor ever marry me – he doesn't do domestic. And am I even the marrying type? I wouldn't know. The Doctor turns even redder than before.

"Okay, so tell me," Donna says, "what exactly is the deal with the robot Santas?"

"They're basic robo-scavengers," the Doctor says casually, like that's something we see every day. Well, it is – but Donna probably just thinks he's crazier with every word that comes out of his mouth. "The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise, they're trying to blend in. Met them last Christmas."

"Kind of like the Flyboys?" Angel interrupts. I nod.

"Exactly."

"Wait, what's a Flyboy?" Donna asks. "Is that a type of alien?"

"Not quite. You know, the wings and everything? We were experimented on scientists. The Flyboys were other experiments. They were robots, but they had real skin stretched over the metal. It made them look like Erasers, another type of experiment with part wolf DNA. Not exactly nice, either of them," I say distastefully. The Doctor watches me carefully as I speak, and I know he's enjoying learning more about my past. He likes it when I bring up things about my life before him.

"Oh…" Donna says, nodding and pretending she understands what we're talking about. "Anyway, you said you met the robot Santas last Christmas – what happened then?"

"Great big spaceship hovering over London? You didn't notice?" the Doctor asks incredulously. Donna shakes her head, shrugging.

"Had a bit of a hangover."

"We spent Christmas at the Powell Estate, over that way," I tell her, pointing. "That's where my Mum liv…or…used to live." My face falls slightly and Angel looks at the ground sadly. I walk over to her and take her hand, and the Doctor comes to put his arm around me in comfort. He changes the subject quickly, knowing we don't want to talk about it.

"Question is, what do they want with you Donna? How did you get in the TARDIS?" he asks, pulling out his sonic. "What's your job?"

"I'm a secretary," she says.

"I mean, it's weird," he says, approaching her with the sonic and scanning her up and down. "You're not special, or powerful, or connected, or clever…"

"Thanks for the self esteem boost," Donna says sarcastically. "You're asking for another slap, you are."

"What kind of secretary?"

"I'm at HC Clements. That's where I met Lance. I was temping. It was all a bit posh…never thought I'd fit in there, honestly. Then he made me a coffee. That just doesn't happen – no one offers the secretary coffee," she says dreamily. Angel sticks out her tongue and pretends to barf, and Donna doesn't even notice. I bite my lip, trying not to laugh.

"I'm glad you and the Doctor aren't like that," Angel says, nudging me with her elbow. "I wouldn't be able to stand it."

Donna continues her story enthusiastically. "And Lance, he was the head of HR! He didn't need to bother with me! But he was nice, and funny. And he thought everyone else was snotty, just like I did. That's how it started – one cup of coffee."

"When was this?" the Doctor asks.

"Six months ago," Donna tells him.

"Six months?"Angel repeats disbelievingly, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. "It took them a little over two years to just kiss each other!" She motions to me and the Doctor.

"Well, Lance insisted on marrying me," Donna shrugged, but I can hear a false note in her voice. Something about that sentence is a lie, but I keep quiet as she continues. "He just kept nagging me until I finally gave in."

"What does the company do?" I ask, desperate to stop the lovey-dovey conversation. The Doctor smirks at the tone of my voice.

"Security systems, you know? Like I.D. cards and entry codes. Anyway, we should probably get a move on. No use putting it off, have to face it eventually. You can do the explaining, Martian-boy."

"I'm not from Mars," the Doctor whines. I reach out a hand to Donna to help her up, tugging her to her feet. We enter the TARDIS, which has stopped smoking.

"I had this big reception planned. Everyone will be heartbroken," Donna says sadly. She gives the Doctor the time and location and he enters coordinates. Angel shuts the doors carefully and smiles as she watches the Doctor pilot the TARDIS. I plop myself down in the captain's chair and hold on for dear life to keep from moving. It takes less than a second for the TARDIS to stop shaking, and Donna is out the door immediately. The rest of us run after her.

We walk into a large building. A deejay is playing Christmas music, and everyone is dancing and eating. Donna's jaw drops as she takes in the scene, and I feel a pang in my heart for her. I don't know much about weddings, but even I know that the bride should be at the wedding reception.

One by one, all the people in the room notice us standing there and the music gets shut off. Everyone stares silently at each other, and I start to feel uncomfortable under the gazes of all Donna's family. I was never one to be watched by a crowd.

"You had the reception without me?" Donna cries, sounding for the entire world like her heart is broken.

"Donna, what happened to ya?" asks a man, and from the way Donna looks at him, I can tell that it's Lance. She doesn't even answer his question, just repeats her own.

"You had the reception without me?"

The room is awkwardly silent for a moment.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor!" says the Doctor cheerfully. I jab him in the ribs with my elbow. Donna turns around to looks at us.

"They had the reception without me!"

"I can see that, thanks," I nod.

"It was all paid for, so why not?" says a skinny blonde woman that I instantly take a disliking to.

"Thank you, Nerys," Donna says, with absolute hatred in her tone.

"I got your silly little message," says a woman who I assume is Donna's mother. "'I'm on Earth!' Very funny! What the hell happened to you, Donna?"

Suddenly, the whole room is talking at once, stepping closer toward Donna. Automatically, I reach out, grabbing the Doctor's arm with my right and Angel's shoulder with my left. I don't want to lose them in the crowd. A lot of people make me uneasy – it's a stupid fear, but there's always a nagging feeling that something could go wrong and I won't know where they are. It's kind of funny the way that I can fight off aliens, Erasers, and Flyboys with no problem but sometimes, humans are the terrifying ones.

Then I can hear sobbing over the noise of the crowd, and everyone quiets down. I see Donna crying hysterically, and Lance goes to hug her. Everyone applauds and the world is right again. Angel and I exchange looks.

And the mutant freaks are the crazy ones, she says in my head. I nod.

I was just thinking the same thing.

Then, over Lance's shoulder, Donna lifts her head and winks at us. I smile. She's devious, that one.

The reception continues as it had been before, but Donna has joined the many people on the dance floor. Angel got dragged out onto the floor by Donna – the two are getting along a little too well. Soon enough they'll be scheming together or something. The Doctor and I lean against the bar, watching the scene quietly. I tense up a little whenever I lose sight of Angel, but I always find her quickly. Her hair sticks out in the crowd.

"You alright?" the Doctor asks, sensing that something is bothering me.

"I just…don't like crowds. I'm not a partying kind of person," I admit. He smiles.

"It's going to be fine," he assures me. "Let Angel enjoy herself for a bit. It's been months since she's had fun like this. And you need to relax, too. I don't want…" He trails off, clearly hesitant to speak his mind.

"Don't want what?" I prod, looking at him curiously.

"Angel told me once, really told me, about what it was like when Fang left the Flock. What you were like, how broken you were…" he meets eyes with me, concern marking his features. "I don't want to see that happen to you again." I swallow thickly, turning my head and staring into the crowd. She told him about that.

"Not going to happen," I say, shaking my head.

"Are you sure you're alright, though, Rose? Promise?"

"Yes."

"If there's anything…"

"Doctor," I say, cutting him off. He silences immediately.

"Are you absolutely sure you're okay?"

"I'm going to be. There's a huge difference between what happened to me recently and what happened to me when I was fifteen."

"What's that?"

"I didn't have you back then," I admit quietly, my face flushing. The Doctor goes a bit red too, and I smirk a little.

"Can I have your mobile?" he asks, changing the subject. I take it out of my pocket and give it to him, looking over his shoulder to see what he's doing. He looks up the HC Clements business that Donna works for. Then he frowns at the screen. I squint closer, reading the small words.

Sole Prop. – Torchwood.

"Of course it is. Of course it's bloody Torchwood. We can't get enough of Torchwood, can we?" I mutter angrily.

"It's not the division of Torchwood your mother runs, she doesn't deal with business outside of alien investigations," the Doctor says. "She did say there were multiple branches…"

He's cut off by Angel jumping into his lap, starting both of us. She's slightly sweaty and her cheeks are red from all the dancing she's been doing, but there's a bright smile on her face and her blue eyes are shining. He catches her at the last second.

"Hey there, Angel," he smiles. She smiles back at him a bit deviously.

"What is it?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"You two need to dance."

"Oh? Is that all?" I ask. "I don't have a problem with tha…" But I trail off as I look out onto the dance floor, realizing there's a slow song playing and couples are dancing together. I look back at the Doctor, and his wide eyes mirror my own.

"Go on," Angel says, hopping off the Doctor's lap and crossing her arms. "Dance."

"Angel, no," I say, but she stomps her foot.

"Both of you go dance or I won't speak to either of you for a week!"

The Doctor and I sigh, and he grabs my hand and pulls me out onto the floor. I wrap my arms around his neck and his hands settle on my waist. I blush slightly, grinning at him.

"So, have you still got the moves this regeneration?" I tease. He smiles widely.

"You'd better believe it, Rose Tyler!"

He spins me in a circle and I laugh. Then we rock back and forth contently, staying in the same place while we slowly spin around.

"Angel loves this way too much," I say, shaking my head. The Doctor smiles.

"Let her. She's happy," he says. I swallow nervously.

"Are you happy?" I ask hesitantly. He looks at me in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean – us. Are you happy about this? You talk about how much it's going to hurt when I'm dead and gone, and if this is going to make it worse…"

"Stop," he says lowly. "Of course I'm happy, Rose. This – us – this is…one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I don't want to think about that right now. Yeah, it'll hurt one day, but you're worth it."

I feel butterflies deep inside.

"Really?"

"Really," he says. We've stopped rocking at this point, just standing still in one position. He leans in slowly, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. I try my best to let him know how I feel without the words. I don't know if either of us will ever be able to say them out loud, but this might just be enough.

He pulls back, leaning his forehead against mine and smiling softly at me. I grin at him, and both of us are startled as a new, more upbeat song begins to play. He takes my hand, lacing his fingers with mine and leads me back to the bar. The smile on Angel's face is absolutely ridiculous, and she wriggles her eyebrows.

Stop it! I say.

Never.

Then the Doctor is suddenly yanking me off in a new direction, toward a wedding photographer that's filming all the dancing.

"Do you have the tape of the ceremony?" the Doctor asks him. The guy nods.

"Oh, hell, I do. Everyone keeps telling me, 'Sell it to You've Been Framed!' I keep saying 'More like the news.'"

"Could we see it?"

"Sure," he says, popping a new tape into the camera. On the tiny screen, we watch Donna scream and disappear into golden dust. I raise my eyebrows. They look familiar, the particles…I just can't put my finger on it.

"Can't be!" the Doctor says. "Play it again!"

"Clever, it was. Great trick. I was clapping," the camera man says, rewinding the tape and playing it again.

"That looks like Huon particles!" the Doctor exclaims.

"What's that?" Angel asks, coming up to stand next to me. She stands on her tiptoes to look at the camera, her interest piqued.

"That's…that's ancient!" the Doctor says. "That type of energy is billions of years old!"

"That's actually pretty cool," Angel says. The Doctor's face tells me otherwise.

"So old…that it can't be hidden by a biodamper," he realizes.

"Shit," I swear, rushing to the window. The robot Santas are outside, slowly making their way toward the building. I turn around and the Doctor and Angel are staring at me with questioning eyes. I nod, frowning worriedly. The Doctor hurries over to Donna, where she's dancing with her mother. The look on her face would've been hilarious if the circumstances weren't so dire. I meet up with Angel and the Doctor waves us toward the back door. Before we even have time to get there, he and Donna are rushing back, shaking their heads. We're surrounded.

"Well, Ange, I know it's been a while, but I hope you've been keeping your fighting skills up to par," I mutter. She smiles, almost evilly.

"Let's kick some Santa ass," she says.

"Everyone! Hurry! Get away from the trees!" the Doctor shouts. Donna joins in quickly, and I recall the Christmas tree that nearly killed me, Mum, and Mickey last year before the Doctor woke up and saved us. My eyes flicker to the trees, where the ornaments have started floating around the room. Everyone looks at them in wonder until they start dive-bombing around the room. People run for cover, hiding under tables. Donna drags Lance behind the bar with her. Robot Santas start spilling into the room, and Angel and I spread our wings and rise slowly. The Santas start shooting rays around their room from the trumpets, and we dodge them as we come closer. The party guests are screaming and shouting, and I can barely hear myself think.

I sneak up behind one, kicking it in the back of the neck. Its head flies off much easier than I expected. I look up at Angel, and we meet eyes.

"Go for the neck!" I shout. She nods.

The Doctor runs over to the deejay's station, speaking into the microphone.

"Santa! Word of advice when attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver! Don't let him near the sound system!"

He holds his sonic against an amp, emitting a high pitched sound that practically makes my ears bleed. I cover them quickly, watching Angel do the same. We stare on as the Santas vibrate and fall to pieces below us.

The Doctor immediately rushes to one of the broken Santas, examining the parts.

"There are remotes for the robots," the Doctor says as Angel and I land beside him. "They aren't scavengers anymore, someone's got control of them." He pauses, looking up at us. "And there's a signal!"

Donna comes rushing over to us just as the Doctor and Angel are off, him using the sonic to trace the signal.

"Help," she says. "He's a doctor, people are hurt."

"Sorry, Donna, but if we don't stop this as soon as possible, more people are going to get hurt," I explain quickly. I start to go after them, but as I'm leaving, a sudden instinct tells me to turn around. Donna is important in all of this.

"We could use your help, actually," I say. "I don't know why, but those things are after you."

Donna looks conflicted for a moment, glancing back at her family before turning back to me and nodding.

"Let's go," she says. I hold out my hand, and she takes it, coming outside with me. The Doctor has his sonic screwdriver held high in the air.

"Something in the sky," he says, and Angel nods. They notice me and Donna.

"There you are!" the Doctor says. "Donna, we need to get to your office. HC Clements, I think that's where it all started. Lance – can he give us a lift?"

~DW~

It doesn't take long to get to HC Clements; it's only about ten minutes away. Donna and Lance lead us up a few flights of stairs to Donna's office.

"You say this place is just a locksmiths?" the Doctor asks. Lance nods.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because," I answer, watching the Doctor completely absorbed in the computer on Donna's desk. "It was brought up by torchwood twenty three years ago."

"Who are they?" Donna asks.

"They were behind the Battle of Canary Wharf," Angel tells her, crossing her arms with an edge in her tone. Donna stares at her blankly. I continue, raising my eyebrows.

"Cyberman invasion." Nothing. "Skies over London full of Daleks?"

"Oh, I was in Spain," Donna says.

"There were Cybermen in Spain," Angel says incredulously. I shake my head. Donna is more clueless than I realized.

"Torchwood got destroyed, but someone else came in and took over HC Clements," the Doctor says.

"Not Dr. M, though?" Angel asks. The Doctor shakes his head.

"Like I told Rose earlier, there are different branches of Torchwood. She probably isn't even aware that HC Clements had any connection to Torchwood."

"But what do they want with me?" Donna interrupts.

"Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy, and that's a problem, because that type of energy hasn't existed since the dark times. The only place you could ever find Huon particles anymore is the heart of the TARDIS. See?" the Doctor explains, picking up a mug and a pencil. "That's you." He waves the pencil around. "This is the TARDIS." He holds up the mug. "The particles inside you activated, the two sets of particles magnetized, and wham! You get sucked into the TARDIS."

"I'm a pencil in a mug?" Donna summarizes.

"Yes you are," the Doctor says, looking slightly mad.

"Hold on. You said this energy is in the heart of the TARDIS. If I looked into the heart of the TARDIS, does that mean I've been exposed to it too?" I ask.

"I don't know-"

"Don't lie to me," I say darkly. He frowns, looking at me worriedly.

"Yes."

"Am I going to be okay?"

"I don't know," he says again, but this time, with concerned honesty. Angel looks scared.

"No…" she says, barely loud enough to hear. "You've got to be okay. I can't lose you too, not after…" Her voice cracks.

"I'm not going to let that happen, Angel," the Doctor says determinedly. He looks at Lance. "What was HC Clements working on? Anything Top Secret, Do Not Enter?"

"I don't know!" Lance cries. "I'm in charge of personnel, I wasn't project manager!"

The Doctor turns back to the computer, sonicing it to get to the screen he wants faster.

"They make keys," the Doctor mutters to himself. "We're on the third floor…there we go!" He stands up and we all look at him expectantly.

"To the lift," the Doctor says. Donna leads the way out of the maze of cubicles and down the corridor. The Doctor slams on the lift buttons unnecessarily hard. I roll my eyes. The doors open almost immediately, because there's no one around that's using it. The Doctor gestures at the buttons.

"You look at these buttons and there's an entire floor that's not on the plans – the lower basement. So what's down there?" he asks, but we all know it's rhetorical when he jabs the button and it lights up.

"You're telling me there's a secret floor to the building?" Angel asks, frowning.

"I'm showing you," the Doctor corrects. I roll my eyes and step in the elevator beside him. Angel follows reluctantly.

"This feels like we're walking into a trap," she says.

"It needs a key," Donna points out, pointing at the button. The Doctor raises an eyebrow.

"I don't." He looks at me pointedly and I sonic the panel of buttons.

"I think we can take this from here," the Doctor says. "I'll see you."

"Not going to happen. You keep saving my life, I'm not letting you out of my sight," Donna says, crossing her arms and stepping into the lift. She glares at Lance and he follows. The space is awkwardly silent as the doors close and we're going down.

~DW~

When we get down to the dark basement, lit only by a green light, our new form of transport is electric scooters. Angel giggles, nearly crashing into everything. The Doctor and I burst out laughing, and eventually Donna joins in, but Lance appears to be too nervous to get the joke.

When we reach a door labeled "TORCHWOOD – AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY", the Doctor is naturally the first one off the scooter and opening the door. He glances upward, then back at the rest of us.

"Don't go anywhere. I need a minute to check what's up there."

He starts up the ladder, and I tap my foot impatiently. Soon enough, he's back.

"Thames flood barrier! Right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath."

"So there's a hidden secret base underneath a major London landmark?" Donna simplifies, and the Doctor nods, already going off in a new direction through another door. Donna and Lance go after him, and Angel heads through the door, only to freeze in place and come running right back out. Her face is pale and she's shaking slightly.

"Ange? What's wrong?" I ask quickly, my eyes widening. I look through the door over her shoulder and catch a glimpse of a lab filled with bubbling test tubes and equipment. All sorts of different liquid fills vials and tubes run from one solution to another. Some are stored on shelves, and others are being heated by Bunsen burners. I suddenly feel slightly sick, because I've seen that same exact setup somewhere else – a lifetime ago, in a completely different country.

At the School. Angel grips my arm tightly. The Doctor, Donna, and Lance continue on obliviously.

"This can't be Torchwood…" Angel says, her voice shaking. My heart breaks at the sound of it. "This…it looks like…"

"I know," I say, cutting her off. "It looks like it, but it's not. It can't be."

The Doctor pokes his head out of the room, finally noticing we haven't come along. He frowns at the looks on our faces.

"What's wrong?" he asks immediately.

"It just…it looks like the School in there. One of the labs," I say thickly. He comes to stand in front of me, looking back and forth between me and Angel.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. There's no one in there, you're safe," he says quietly. Angel nods quickly, still looking a bit put off. She reaches for his hand, and he meets her halfway. His other arm settles around my waits, gently nudging me in the direction of the door. I sigh, closing my eyes, and force myself to walk forward.

"What is all this stuff?" Donna is asking. I open my eyes and look around again.

"Particle extrusion," the Doctor says. "They've been manufacturing Huon particles. My people got rid of Huons, they unraveled the atomic structure."

"Your people? Who do you work for?" Lance asks.

"But of a freelancer," the Doctor says. "But this lot is 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."

"That's what's inside me?" Donna asks as the Doctor picks up a test tube filled with golden liquid. He turns the cork gently, and the bottle lights up. Donna starts glowing, and I gasp, but then Angel is gasping too, and she's not looking at Donna, she's looking at me. I look down at my hands, which are also glowing golden. It's not as prominent as Donna, but it's still there. I'm still glowing.

"The particles are inert, so they need something living to catalyze inside and that's you," the Doctor continues as if nothing ever happened. His eyes widen as he realizes something. "The wedding! Yes! You're getting married, best day of your life, walking down the aisle, your body's a battleground! A chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine, there go the endorphins, oh you're cooking! The particles reach a boiling point and shazam!"

The Doctor gets cut off by Donna with a slap in the face.

"What did I do this time?"

"Are you enjoying this?" Donna scowls. The Doctor calms himself down a bit. "Just tell me, are these particles dangerous? Because it looks like both me and Rose are in the same boat – are we safe?"

"Yes," the Doctor says, but not convincingly. Angel frowns.

"Doctor, if the Time Lords got rid of Huon particles, why did they do that?"

His shoulders slump. "Because they were deadly."

The information is like a slap in the face. Donna starts freaking out and Angel is looking at me like she's about to cry. I just feel blank – what are you supposed to feel when you find out you might die?

"I'm going to sort this out," the Doctor says. "Whatever's been done to you, Donna, I swear." He turns to me, his gaze burning. "And I'm not about to lose you, Rose."

"Oh she is long since lost," says a loud female voice. We all jump, looking around the room for the source of the voice. We aren't' scrambling for long, because one of the walls slides up into the ceiling. A new section of the room is revealed, with a huge hole in the floor. There is no one to be seen.

"I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe, until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!"

Scanning around the rest of the room with a calm façade, I not the lines of armed Santa robots along the walls. I register Lance bolting from behind me, back through the door we came. The Doctor peers into the gaping hole in the floor, his hands shoved into his pockets casually.

"Someone's been digging. Very Torchwood. How far down does it go?"

"All the way to the centre of the Earth," the voice hisses.

"Dinosaurs," Donna says suddenly.

"What?" the Doctor asks, confused.

"That film, under the Earth, with the dinosaurs. Trying to help!"

I smirk, biting my tongue to hold back an inappropriate laugh.

"Now," the Doctor says. "Only a madman talks to thin air, and you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?"

"High in the sky on Christmas Night," says the voice. The Doctor rolls his eyes.

"I didn't come all this way to talk to no one! Let's have a look at you!"

"Who are you to command me?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man, because you will be sick at heart."

There's a loud whoosh, and suddenly there's a giant red spider standing before us. I subconsciously take a step back. The Doctor's eyes widen.

"A Racnoss! That's impossible!"

"I really don't think you know what that word means, Doctor!" Angel says shrilly.

"Empress of the Racnoss," corrects the spider.

"If you're the Empress, where is everyone else?" I ask. She frowns – or at least, that's what it looks like. I've never seen a spider frown before.

"You're the only one," the Doctor answers for her. "You're the last of your kind."

"Such a sharp mind."

The Doctor turns to me, Angel, and Donna.

"The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago. They devoured whole planets."

"It is not the fault of the Racnoss that we are born starving."

"Donna?" the Doctor asks. "Did HC Clements wear black and white shoes?"

"Yes! We used to laugh, call him the fat cat in the spats…" she trails off, going silent as she follow the Doctor's gaze to the giant spider web on the ceiling. A human form is wrapped in the white fibers, a pair of black and white shoes barely visible.

"My Christmas dinner," says the Racnoss.

"You shouldn't even exist," the Doctor says. "The Racnoss are extinct, they were wiped out."

"Clearly, they weren't," I mutter. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a figure approaching the Racnoss from behind on a balcony. It's Lance.

"Hey!" Donna shouts angrily. "What do I have to do with this? Look at me, I'm talking! Where do I fit in? Why am I filled with all those Huon particle thingies?"

"The bride is so feisty," the Racnoss says, looking at Donna and shaking her head like she's a child having a tantrum. I can see Lance pick up an emergency axe. He starts to bring it down on the Racnoss' neck.

Then she turns around and hisses at him viciously. Lance freezes where he is.

Then they start to laugh. My heart sinks and I look at Donna sympathetically. She just looks confused.

"Lance? What – what are you doing?"

"I'm so sorry," the Doctor says quietly.

"Sorry? What for? Lance, stop being so stupid, get her!"

"God, she's so thick," Lance says, shaking his head. "Months I put up with you, months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map."

"I don't understand…"

"Donna," I say softly. "How did you meet him?"

"In the office!"

"He brought you coffee," the Doctor says.

"Every day, I made you coffee," Lance adds, smiling wickedly. I glare at him, sickened.

"You were doused with liquid Huon particles over six months," the Doctor finished. Donna looks heartbroken.

"He was poisoning me?"

"I'm sorry, Donna," Angel says, placing a hand on her arm. She brushes it off, her eyes full of unshed tears.

"We were getting married!" she cries.

"Couldn't risk you running off, now could I? Then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the highest excitement is a new Pringle flavor. Listen to all that yapping about celebrity gossip – never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia! I deserve a medal!"

"Yeah, for being an asshole," I spit. "Why would you do something like that? What are you getting from her?" I gesture at the Racnoss. He doesn't answer, just scowls at me.

"But I love you," Donna says, and my heart breaks for her. Poor, poor Donna. She doesn't deserve any of this.

"That's what made it easy. What's the point of it all, in the long run? The Human Race is nothing! The Empress can give me the chance to get out there and see it all! I think you can understand that, can't you?" Lance retorts, his eyes falling on me and the Doctor.

"Who is this little physician?" the Empress asks Lance.

"Martian."

"Actually, I'm sort of homeless," the Doctor shrugs. "But the point is what's down here? What's going to help you in the center of the Earth?"

"He wants us to talk," Lance smirks, like it's the funniest thing in the world. The Doctor stares blankly at them, not conveying any sort of emotion.

"The only one we need is the bride. Kill the rest of them," the Empress says.

I grab Angel quickly by the arm, pulling her behind me. The Doctor's eyes are dark as he stares at the Racnoss.

"Well you see, that would be lovely and all, but I've got places to be and things to see. And I would like to point out – the particles activated in Donna and brought her to my spaceship. If it's reversed…the spaceship comes to her."

He shakes the test tube filled with Huon particles that had been in his jacket. Donna starts glowing, and so do I and we watch the TARDIS materialize around us. I can hear the sound of the robot Santas firing at the TARDIS unsuccessfully.

"Off we go!" the Doctor says quickly, yanking on the lever that sends the TARDIS spinning off into the Vortex.

"Where are we going?" Angel asks.

The Doctor looks at Donna. "You know how we were talking about time machines before? Well, this is a time machine, and now we're going to use it. Going to the beginning of the Earth – to see what's inside the core."

He becomes absorbed in the console, not noticing the tears streaming down Donna's cheeks. I walk over to her, placing an arm on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," I say softly. She shakes her head.

"I just thought…"

"I know. You don't have to explain," I say, pulling her in for a hug. She cries into my shoulder, sniffling. Angel looks on sadly at us from behind Donna.

The TARDIS silences, calming down after the ride.

"We've arrived," the Doctor says. "If you want to see."

I pull back from Donna, looking her in the eye.

"You know, things like this really are cool. You should check it out."

"I suppose," she sighs, wiping her eyes. The Doctor approaches the door, grabbing the handle and waiting for us. Angel bounds over to him anxiously, excited to see what's out there.

"No humans have ever seen this. You'll be the first," he says, a familiar gleam in his eye. "The creation of the Earth."

He opens the door slowly. Colored dust floats around in open space, along with huge rock chunks.

The Doctor puts an arm around my waist and murmurs in my ear.

"Now you've seen the creation and the end of the planet," he says. I smile, shaking my head.

"It's beautiful."

"We've gone back billions of years, there's not even a solar system yet. That's the Sun over there, it's brand new." He points at a star.

"Lance was right. We're nothing. Just…tiny." We all glance at Donna.

"That's what you do though, the Human Race. Make sense of it all. You're brilliant, the lot of you."

"Doctor, look," Angel says suddenly, pointing at a star-shaped rock that whizzes by us.

"The Racnoss," the Doctor says. "That was the first rock!"

Suddenly the TARDIS begins to shudder and tremble, and we're all thrown to the ground. I slam the door shut quickly so none of us fall into open space.

"What the hell?" Donna yells.

"Remember that trick I did? It works the other way round! They're pulling us back!"

"Can't you do something?" Angel shouts. The Doctor reaches under the console and grabs a device.

"Extrapolator! I can't stop it, but I can give us a bump!"

When the TARDIS materializes, the Doctor rushes out of the TARDIS.

"Come on," he shouts. We race outside after him. "We're about two hundred yards to the right!" He grabs my hand with one of his and Angel with the other. With my free arm, I take a hold of Donna, and we all run. We stop at the door with the ladder that leads to the Thames flood barrier.

"What do we do?" Angel asks, crowding into the small space with the Doctor. Donna and I strain to look over their shoulders to see what's going on. The Doctor has a stethoscope out and held up to the door.

Then there's a sharp pain in the back of my neck and everything goes dark.

~DW~ ANGEL'S POV

The Doctor rambles on, and I don't understand a word he's saying. I turn back to look at Mum for a translation for the techno babble, but she's not there. Neither is Donna. My heart sinks.

"Doctor!" I cry. He looks up at me worriedly.

"What's the matter?"

"They're gone!"

He turns around completely, his eyes widening.

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know!"

A robot Santa approaches from down the corridor. The Doctor holds up his sonic immediately, the blue light flashing and buzzing, but nothing happens.

"They've created a defense system against the sonic!" he says, sounding upset. The robot comes closer with every second. I remember what happened earlier.

Go for the back of the neck! says Mum's voice in the back of my mind. I spread my wings and lift into the air, flying as fast as I can toward the robot. It shoots at me, but I dodge the rays. The Doctor shouts after me, but I ignore him. I shoot right over the robot's head, and before it has time to turn around, kick it swiftly in the back of the neck. Its head rolls off, plopping to the ground.

The Doctor runs up to me.

"Don't do that! Your mother would kill me if that thing shot you!"

"We would both be dead right now if I hadn't just done that. You're welcome!" I cry. He reaches down and takes the Santa mask off the robot.

"Don't tell me you're going to dress up in that costume and pretend to be a robot," I groan.

"Have you got a better idea?"

~DW~

I sneak into the room with the Racnoss and her web, as silently as I can, and hide behind one of the tables stacked with lab equipment so I can't be seen. Across the room, I can see the Doctor walking into the room, wearing the Santa cloak and mask. I can see Mum and Donna stuck inside the spider web. Donna is struggling against the web, but Mum is completely still. My heart picks up nervously. She can't be dead.

I reach out with my mind, and sigh with relief when I can sense her presence. She's only unconscious.

"You might as well take off your disguise, little doctor-man," the Racnoss says. The Doctor rips off the mask and cloak.

"Oh well, it was a nice try. I've got you Donna!" he says cheerfully, scanning the web with his sonic. I can see it loosen around her, and she clings to it for dear life, staring down into the hole in the Earth with wide eyes.

"I'm going to fall!"

"No! You're going to swing!" the Doctor corrects. Donna looks at him like he's mad, but shakes her head and lets go of the web, only holding onto a string. She swings over to the Doctor, almost like Tarzan. He's too busy glancing worriedly up at Mum to catch her and prevent her from crashing into the concrete wall. He meets eyes with me. Hesitantly, I reach out to him with my mind. I've never done something like this with the Doctor before – tried to communicate with him telepathically. His mental barriers are stronger than any I've ever seen, but once he realizes it's me, he lets me in.

I can go get her, I say, gesturing to my spread wings. You know it's the only way to get her down safely.

Be careful, he warns. I'll distract her. I nod, creeping around the table while he rambles on to the Racnoss.

"Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet, a place in the universe to coexist. Take my offer and end things now."

I take off, careful to avoid the gaze of the Racnoss, which isn't hard because she's turned toward the Doctor. I reach Mum, yanking at the strings of the web and trying to free her, but they only get tighter. I give her a light slap on the face, trying to wake her up, but it's useless. She's out cold. I look her up and down, spotting a gap in the web cocoon she's trapped in – right near her pocket.

Carefully, I dig my hand inside to find the pocket knife that I know she always carries inside her jacket. I flip it open and start sawing away at the string, registering the Doctor and Racnoss conversing in the background. With a quick glance below me, I can see the Racnoss' bay spiders making their way up the tunneling hole.

"What's your answer?" the Doctor asks, and even without looking at him, I can tell his arms are crossed.

"I'm afraid I have to decline," says the Racnoss. The piece of web that I cut through causes all the others to loosen. I grab Mum under the arms, lifting her. She's easy to carry – superior biology comes in handy. I flutter back down to the ground quickly, still not seen by the Racnoss. Without making too much noise, I drag Mum's body back to the hiding spot I had originally been in.

"What happens next is your own doing," the Doctor tells the Racnoss warningly. Looking at him now, I can see how much more relaxed he is now that Mum is safe. I'm not one to squeal, but it's absolutely adorable how protective he is of her. He reaches into his pockets and produced some of the Christmas ornaments from the trees that nearly killed us earlier, throwing them into the air. The Racnoss screeches with anger as the smash holes into the walls, causing the Thames to leak into the room. Water blasts through the holes, and water starts to build up around the room. A lot of it flows down the gaping hole in the ground, flushing the baby spiders back to the center of the Earth.

"Doctor!" Donna shouts. "You can stop now!"

I look concernedly at the Doctor. Even from across the room I can see the anger and pain in his eyes as he watches the Racnoss wailing. I've never seen him like this – Mum told me he could be scary sometimes, when he got angry, but I never expected something like this. I'm reminded of Mum, when Fang left the Flock. The blank look in his eyes, filled with sorrow and anger - it needs to stop. A lump in my throat is already forming as I try to shake the memories away. I need to get Mum out of here; this isn't the time to be emotional.

"Doctor!" I yell. He doesn't acknowledge me. I take a deep breath and try again. "Doctor, stop it!" Still nothing.

"Daddy, please!" I shout, and then clamp my hand over my mouth when I realize what I said. I've been thinking of the Doctor as my Dad for a long time, but I never thought I would actually say it to him. Nevertheless, he snaps out of his scary mood, grabs Donna by the hand, and races down the stairs across the room to me. He picks Mum up in one swift move, hefting her over his shoulder, grabbing my hand, and running back in the direction of the TARDIS. Donna is right on our tails.

"What about the Racnoss?" Donna asks breathlessly.

"She's used up all her Huon energy, she's defenseless!" the Doctor answers, unlocking the door to the TARDIS with one arm while supporting Mum with the other. I step in and do it for him. "The armed forces will shoot her down in no time."

He places Mum gently on the captain's chair and moves the TARDIS quickly – the ride lasts barely thirty seconds. He pops his head out the door, and Donna follows him eagerly.

"We drained the Thames," she says, laughing. My jaw drops.

"We what?"

The Doctor collapses into laughter, Donna joining him. Mum groans and opens her eyes.

"You couldn't have woken up a few minutes earlier? We had to drag you all the way back to the TARDIS!" I exclaim, but hug her tightly immediately. The Doctor beams at her.

"Feeling alright?"

Mum rubs her neck, blinking to clear her eyes.

"Yeah. How long was I out?"

"Long enough for us to defeat the Racnoss."

"Aw, I missed it?"

"There will be other times," I laugh, patting her on the shoulder.

"Well, what do you say, Donna Noble? Time to take you home?" the Doctor asks. She nods, closing the door.