Terry landed with a thud and a groan.

Great, she thought as she rubbed her eyes sleepily; she'd managed to jump while in bed, and now not only was she in her jammies, she was also barely awake. Good thing her hair was short and so her bedhead wasn't quite as obvious.

"Angel!"

"Doctor." Terry greeted as she turned to meet the Time Lord after hearing his very familiar call.

"Excellent timing!" Ten beamed, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her with him. "Let's go on a date."

Terry chuckled at him, shaking her head at him as she said: "Dressed like this?"

"You look lovely." The Doctor answered instantly, and Terry rolled her eyes.

"You're lying. At least give me a hair comb; I know you carry one in your pocket." Terry said, and the Doctor laughed as he pulled it out.

"Are you sure you don't want something to wear as well?" He asked as Terry happily took the comb and began to get her unruly hair back into order.

Terry paused, turning puzzled brown eyes on the Doctor as she asked: "Do you mean to say, you're carrying my clothes in your pocket?"

"Well, one can never be too careful." The Doctor answered with a shrug as he reached into his pocket again. "Hm, let's see… ah, here it is!"

He grinned triumphantly as he dug out an A-line dress with attached belt, holding it out proudly to Terry. She had to laugh as she took the outfit, saying: "I can't believe you had this kind of foresight – but thank you!"

"Hurry up and change." The Doctor ordered as he steered them towards a ladies room nearby. "And we can go on a date. Oh, oops, forgot, shoes!"

He produced one of her favourite heeled boots, as he added cheekily: "I'm afraid I don't have your leather jacket, since you refuse to take it off."

Terry just laughed at him, finding it too amusing that he even had her shoes to answer as she walked into the ladies room to change.


"So," Terry began as the Doctor led her – now fully dressed – across the space station, "where is this sudden enthusiasm for a date coming from?"

"Oi! I take you on dates." He protested, before grinning at her. "This shuttle is going to take us to one of the most beautiful place in the universe."

"Oh? Where?" Terry asked curiously, when they were interrupted as an intercom announced: "Space shuttle for Waterfall Palace, now boarding."

Terry's blood ran cold, and her smile fell instantly off her face as the Doctor pulled her towards the boarding ramp.

"Doctor," Terry began as the terror began to creep into her chest, "is this space station leaving the Midnight planet resort?"

"Oh, don't say you don't want to go." The Doctor complained. "Donna's already turned me down. What's wrong with a waterfall made of sapphires? And a crystal ravine!"

"Nothing, it's just…" Terry began hesitantly, but the Doctor wheedled: "Oh, please, angel? Come on, it's been such an age since we went on a date, just the two of us."

"Not much of a date." Terry muttered under her breath so he couldn't hear as the Doctor flashed his psychic paper at the hostess so that they could board.

"Please?" The Doctor continued to whine as he tugged her with him aboard, and Terry caved as she sighed: "We're already on, aren't we?"

"Not the enthusiastic response I was hoping for, but, good enough." The Doctor shrugged as he led them down the aisle of seats inside the small and as yet mostly empty shuttle.

"Where'd you just come from, anyway?" The Doctor added curiously as they settled down into one of the seats at the front. "Not an adventure, I'm guessing, since you were in your jammies."

"No." Terry had to chuckle slightly at his light joke, and the Doctor smiled back in response to her laugh. "Your future; and before that, the Christmas when we first met Donna."

"Ah." The Doctor's face turned fond as he mused: "That certainly was a Christmas to remember. And you were right, she is a very special and important woman."

'You have no idea yet, Theta.' Terry thought to herself, when the Doctor added: "Have you done Lazarus, yet?"

Terry hid a smile as she pretended to think, saying slowly: "Lazarus, you said? Hmm…"

"It's fine if you haven't." The Doctor sighed, looking a little disappointed, and Terry hid a laugh as she leant in and kissed the Doctor's cheek.

He touched the spot in surprise, turning to look at her with shocked eyes as Terry teased: "Does that answer your question?"

An answering smile crept onto the Doctor's face and he laughed, shaking his head at Terry, just as the hostess appeared on the other side of the aisle.

"Complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts." The hostess said to the only other passenger currently aboard the shuttle along with the Doctor and Terry – an older woman with blonde hair tied back, dressed in a blue suit, and currently reading a small paperback.

"Just the headphones, please." The woman (whom Terry knew was called Sky) answered, while behind the Doctor and Terry they could hear the other passengers bustling as they started to board as well.

The hostess handed over the items to Sky, before turning to the Doctor and Terry next as she said while offering them headphones as well: "That's the headphones for channels one to thirty six. Modem link for 3D vidgames."

The Doctor handed Terry her headphones, while the hostess continued as she handed the Doctor another small packet: "Complimentary earplugs."

The Doctor handed Terry hers.

"Complimentary slippers."

The Doctor handed Terry hers again.

"Complimentary juice pack-"

The Doctor passed on Terry's.

"-And complimentary peanuts."

The Doctor handed Terry hers, before looking back up at the hostess as the woman added: "I must warn you some products may contain nuts."

"That'll be the peanuts." The Doctor noted dryly, and the hostess just smiled at him politely while Terry hid a laugh in a cough – unsuccessfully.

The Doctor wiggled his brows at her, making her snort even harder despite herself, while the hostess told them without losing her polite smile: "Enjoy your trip."

"Oh, I can't wait." The Doctor beamed. "Allons-y."

"I'm sorry?" The hostess asked, raising a brow as she looked down at the Doctor, who explained lightly: "It's French, for 'let's go'."

"Fascinating." The hostess answered with a hint of sarcasm before she moved on to the pair who had just seated themselves behind the Doctor and Terry.

"No sense of humour." The Doctor said to Terry in his mind, and she chuckled as she answered jokingly: "Maybe you're losing your touch with the youngsters."

He beamed, happier that she was no longer in a bad mood – well, he thought – when, behind them, they heard the elderly gentleman explain to his younger companion: "They call it 'the Sapphire Waterfall', but it's no such thing. Sapphire's an aluminium oxide, but the glacier is just compound silica with iron pigmentation."

The Doctor glanced back over his seat at the pair curiously, before covertly observing the rest of their flight-mates as well. There was a middle-aged couple a few seats back and to the side, accompanied apparently by their sullen teenage son.

"Have you got that pillow for my neck?" The elderly gentleman – whom Terry knew was called Professor Hobbes – was saying, and his assistant, Dee Dee, answered quickly: "Yes, sir."

"And the pills?" Hobbes checked, and Dee Dee replied as she dug in her bag: "Yes, all measured out for you. There you go."

It was then that the professor noticed the Doctor peering back curiously, and the elderly gentleman greeted: "Hobbes. Professor Winfold Hobbes."

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor answered as he shook the other man's hand. "Hello. And this is my girlfriend, Terry Storm."

"Pleasure to meet you." Terry greeted politely, though she raised a slight brow at the Doctor.

He pretended not to notice, as Hobbes answered: "Yes, you too. Have you been to Waterfall Palace before?"

"Our first." The Doctor answered brightly, and Hobbes nodded as he explained: "It's my fourteenth time."

"Oh?" The Doctor inquired, when Dee Dee rose up as she introduced belatedly though with a bright smile: "And I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco."

They shook hands, when Hobbes hissed impatiently: "Don't bother them!"

Dee Dee quickly let go of Terry's hand, sinking back into her seat as Hobbes added distractedly: "Where's my water bottle?"

The Doctor glanced at Terry, who just shrugged.

Across the aisle with the middle-aged couple, the woman – Val – was saying to her son impatiently as he sat across the aisle and as far away from his parents as possible: "Don't be silly. Come and sit with us. Look, we get slippers1"

"Jethro, do what your mother says." The father – Biff – added, but the boy retorted irritably: "I'm sitting here."

"Oh," Biff sighed sarcastically, "he's ashamed of us, but he doesn't mind us paying, does he?"

"Oh, don't you two start." Val warned. "Should I save the juice pack or have it now? Look, peach and clementine."

The Doctor and Terry chuckled, exchanging amused looks, before they looked back as the hostess announced as she came back down the aisle towards the front: "Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader Fifty. If you would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be leaving any moment."

There was the general sound of metal clinking as everyone buckled their seatbelts airplane-style, while the hostess called: "Doors."

The doors to the shuttle closed, and Terry glanced back at the doors as they sealed with a small sigh while the hostess added: "Shields down."

The windows around the shuttle all sealed themselves, blocking the bright sunlight and the view, and the hostess informed them: "I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace. Also, a reminder. Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals."

She gestured to the shuttle doors, before continuing as she pointed to the back: "Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it, you first."

She gave a small laugh, keeping the mood light, and the Doctor grinned at Terry while the hostess finished: "Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe."

There was a soft ding, before a voice called over the speakers: "Driver Joe at the wheel."

The screen at the front of the passenger section of the shuttle lit up with a map as the driver continued: "There's been a diamondfall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see on the map."

The map showed them the intended route, and Terry's heart clenched. She forced her hands to relax on the seat armrests, not wanting to alarm the Doctor – yet – as Driver Joe continued: "The journey covers five hundred kliks to the Multifaceted Coast. Duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for travelling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, 'wagons roll'."

The shuttle began to shake slightly as it began to take off, and the Doctor grinned at Terry excitedly. His smile dimmed slightly and he cocked his head curiously as he saw the nervous tension around Terry, but she just smiled and shook her head at his questioning look as the hostess announced: "For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth classics."

Screens popped down from above their heads to show an old pop video, showing a clip of Rafaella Carra singing 'Do it Do it Again', while the hostess continued: "Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein."

A holographic image switched on, throwing all the room's occupants into a strange light as the hologram artwork installation swiveled around the room.

"Plus," the hostess added brightly, "for the youngsters, a rare treat. The Animation Archives."

A projection of old Betty Boop appeared on the screen behind the hostess as she spoke, and the Doctor chuckled under his breath.

"Four hours of fun time." The hostess finished with a smile as she walked down the aisle and away. "Enjoy."

"So, this is why she handed out those earplugs." The Doctor noted to Terry as he looked around at the general chaos of sound and lights from all the different 'entertainment' playing at the same time. None of the other passengers seemed too happy with the noise either, Sky and Jethro looking particularly put out.

"Yup." Terry agreed. "Want to do something about it?"

The Doctor grinned as he pulled out his sonic, pointing it surreptitiously up as he turned it on.

Instantly, all the lights and noise stopped, the screens playing the music folding away once more while the animation and light display shut down as well.

"Well, that's a mercy." Hobbes commented in relief as he looked up at the sudden silence.

The Doctor and Terry shared conspiratorial grins, as the hostess came back down the aisle, saying quickly: "I do apologise, ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon. We seem to had a failure of the Entertainment System."

"Oh." The Doctor pretended to sound disappointed, while winking at Terry.

She smiled, while Val piped up: "But what do we do?"

"We've got four hours of this?" Biff groaned. "Four hours of just… sitting here?"

"Tell you what." The Doctor piped up as he raised himself slightly in his seat so he could see everyone. "We'll have to talk to each other instead."

The others all gaped at him as though he'd suggested they all strip and dance naked. Terry piped up as she also sat up in her chair: "Oh, trust me – it's much better than having him talk all by himself."


98 kliks later

The group all laughed as Val said between giggles: "So Biff said, 'I'm going swimming'."

The Doctor nodded, listening attentively from where he'd moved to sit on the seats in front of the middle-aged couple as Biff added with a chuckle: "Oh, I was all ready. Trunks and everything. Nose plug."

"He had this little nose plug." Val laughed hysterically. "You should have seen him."

"And I went marching up to the lifeguard." Biff added. "And he was a Shamboni. You know, those big foreheads?"

"Great big forehead." Val laughed, while Biff continued: "And I said, 'where's the pool'? And he said-"

"The pool is abstract!" Biff and Val said together, both laughing hysterically.

The others all laughed too – well, except Jethro and Sky, the former looking bored out of his mind while Sky continued to try and read her book – as Val got out between her laughter: "It wasn't a real pool."

"It was a concept." Biff laughed, and the Doctor chuckled: "And you were wearing a nose plug."

"I was, like this." He pinched his nose as he mimicked in a funny, plugged voice: "Ooo, where's the pool?"

The others burst into another gale of laughter at that, the whole shuttle filling with the sound of – almost – everyone's merriment.


150 kliks later

"I'm just a second-year student." Dee Dee explained as she, the Doctor, and Terry stood in the bar area of the shuttle, getting coffee. "But I wrote a paper on the Lost Moon of Poosh."

Dee Dee handed the Doctor a cup of coffee naturally, pouring another as she went on: "Professor Hobbes read it, liked it, took me on as researcher, just for the holidays."

She handed Terry a cup of coffee as well before going on as she poured her own cup at last: "Well, I say researcher. Most of the time he's got me fetching and carrying. But it's all good experience."

Dee Dee added quickly as she turned back to the other two with smiles.

Terry smiled back slightly, while the Doctor asked curiously: "And did they ever find it?"

"Find what?" Dee Dee asked, confused, and the Doctor elaborated: "The Lost Moon of Poosh."

"Oh, no." Dee Dee laughed, while Terry winced slightly – though she was careful that neither of her companions saw her. "Not yet."

"Well." The Doctor shrugged. "Maybe that'll be your great discovery, one day."

He grinned at Dee Dee, who smiled back, before he held up his cup as he said: "Here's to Poosh."

"Poosh." Dee Dee smiled as she tapped her cup against the Doctor's, and Terry smiled slightly as she cheered softly as well: "Poosh."


209 kliks later

Terry went to chat with the hostess, leaving the Doctor to chat with Sky alone. It wasn't just that she wanted to talk to the hostess – because she did – but… while Terry knew, logically, that what was going to happen wasn't Sky's fault in any way, she didn't want to really chat with the woman.

Besides, not only was Sky more likely to be slightly more sociable if it was only one person she was faced with, Terry really did want to speak with the hostess.

Even if she had to eat lunch separately from the Doctor; and yes, he was sure to sulk for a while on that, even if he pretended not to.

"No, no," the Doctor was saying to Sky at the same time, "there's also this friend of mine and Terry's; Donna. She stayed behind in the Leisure Palace. You?"

"No," Sky answered with a slight bitter note in her voice, "it's just me."

"Oh, I've done plenty of that." The Doctor tried to comfort. "Travelling on my own. I love it, most of the time. Do what you want, go anywhere."

Sky smiled slightly as she answered: "No, I'm still getting used to it."

She glanced at the Doctor before finally admitting more honestly: "I've found myself single rather recently, not by choice."

"What happened?" The Doctor asked, becoming sympathetic, and Sky shrugged as she answered: "Oh, the usual. She 'needed her own space', as they say. A different galaxy, in fact."

Sky shrugged as she added with a slight smile: "I reckon that's enough space, don't you?"

"Yeah." The Doctor added, before adding: "I had a friend who went to a different universe."

Sky smiled, before nodding to where Terry was chatting with the hostess as she noted: "Well, you're lucky. To have her with you now, I mean."

"Oh, don't I know it." The Doctor agreed. "But, I'm sure you'll find someone again soon."

Sky's lips curved up into a more genuine smile, before she looked down at her lunch tray as she wondered lightly: "Oh, what's this, chicken or beef?"

"I think it's both." The Doctor confessed as he examined a piece of his own lunch box.


251 kliks later

"So," Hobbes was saying, "this is Midnight, do you see, bombarded by the sun."

He was giving them an illustrated lecture, using the screen at the front of the shuttle to project his images while the others all listened with interest.

Even Jethro had gotten up in his seat to watch as Hobbes went on: "Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation."

He paused, before adding: "Dee Dee, next slide."

Dee Dee quickly pressed the button to pull up the next slide in the professor's presentation as Hobbes went on: "It's my pet project. Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because…"

"You've been awfully quiet." The Doctor observed in his mind, and Terry made a slight face as Hobbes went on aloud: "You see, the history is fascinating. Because there is no history."

"I'm just still sleepy from earlier." Terry replied to the Doctor evasively, but the Doctor countered: "No; you've been steadily getting quieter and quieter the deeper we go on this trip. What's wrong?"

"There's no life in this entire system." Hobbes was saying. "There couldn't be."

"Nothing, Theta." Terry answered, and the Doctor said flatly: "The last time you pretended nothing was wrong, you tried to sacrifice yourself in your friend's place."

Terry grimaced at the memory of River's death, while Hobbes was saying: "Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing."

There was a brief moment of silence, which brought the Doctor's attention briefly back to the others, before Jethro asked with a frown: "But how do you know? I mean, if no one can go outside."

"Oh, his imagination." Val sighed. "Here we go."

"He's got a point, though." The Doctor observed, momentarily drawn back to the general conversation.

"Exactly!" Hobbes agreed fervently. "We look upon this world through glass, safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit."

He gestured with his hands for emphasis as he went on dramatically: "And here we are now, crossing Midnight; but never touching it."

It was at that moment the shuttle chose to come to a screeching halt.

Everyone looked around in shock as the shuttle rattled.

"We've stopped." Val said slowly with a small frown. "Have we stopped?"

The Doctor glanced at Terry immediately, while Biff asked: "Are we there?"

"We can't be, it's too soon." Dee Dee disagreed, and Hobbes protested: "They don't stop. Crusader vehicles never stop."

"Angel?" The Doctor asked telepathically, and Terry whispered back in his mind: "Spoilers, Theta. Dangerous spoilers."

"Hint?" He requested, as the hostess walked down the aisle calling: "If you could just return to your seats. It's just a small delay."

Her voice held a hint of confusion and uncertainty, but at her professional manner and request, everyone slowly made their way back to their seats while the hostess went to the back once more to call the cockpit.

"Don't let your voice be stolen." Terry replied to the Doctor seriously, and his brows furrowed while Biff suggested half-heartedly: "Maybe just a pit stop."

"There's no pit to stop in." Hobbes refuted worriedly. "I've been on this expedition fourteen times. They never stop."

"Well, evidently we have stopped," Sky snapped, "so there's no point in denying it."

Hobbes gave Sky an offended look for her sharp tone, while Jethro laughed as he said balefully: "We've broken down."

"Thanks, Jethro." His mother snapped, and Jethro mocked in an ominous tone: "In the middle of nowhere."

"That's enough, now, stop it." His father scolded, when the hostess called as she came back down the aisle: "Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon. We're just experiencing a short delay."

She closed Hobbes's presentation screen as she continued firmly: "The driver needs to stabilise the engine feeds."

The Doctor's frown deepened at that, and he glanced at Terry before looking back at the hostess as she continued: "It's perfectly routine, so if you could just… stay in your seats-"

The Doctor ignored her as he walked towards the driver's door, and the hostess quickly intercepted him as she said: "No, I'm sorry, sir, I. Could you please-?"

"There you go." The Doctor interrupted shortly as he flashed his psychic paper at the hostess. "Engine expert. Two ticks."

The Doctor opened the driver's door, disappearing inside even as the hostess protested: "I'm sorry, sir. if you could just sit down. You're not supposed to be in there-"

The Doctor shut the door in her face, and the hostess stared at the door indignantly before looking at Terry.

"Yes, he's almost always that rude." Terry muttered, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she felt fear creeping into her heart. She'd hated this episode when she'd watched it, and she had a terrible feeling she was going to hate it all the more after this.

'It's okay.' She thought to herself as she tried to keep her fear at bay. 'He makes it out alive. Concentrate on trying to save the hostess. It's okay.'

But she knew she was only lying to herself. Her very presence meant that things could be altered from what she knew, and the Doctor could easily be killed if she didn't stop it.

'No, don't think like that.' She scolded herself. 'The hostess – think of the hostess. You have to think of a way to save her.'

It was then that she spotted Sky pacing outside the driver's door, and her heart sank even further.

'Oh dear…' Terry thought.

*A/N So, I've had quite a few people asking me if/when I'll be doing Twelve. So, to clarify, I will not be doing Twelve for quite a while and yes, it is for a specific reason to do with the overall plot. I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone with this news, but I felt I should get this explained to everyone :) Thank you all for being such supportive readers, and to all those people who reviewed!