Disclaimer: I own a lovely selection of sonic screwdriver, but still working on getting Doctor Who.
A/N: Thank you to all who have reviewed/Favourtied/Followed. You guys are awesome. Anyway, you've waited long enough, here it is.
It was a lot of walking and a few arguments with taxi drivers later when they finally arrived at the wedding reception. Donna's face fell when she not only heard the music, but saw the party in full swing, everyone seemingly have a good time.
When people started to notice her standing there, with her arms folded across her chest, the all stared at her. It didn't take long for the music to stop, leaving the whole room in silence.
"You had the reception without me?" Donna ground out.
"Donna, what happened to you?" A man asked her, not moving away from where he was standing.
"You had the reception without me?" Donna repeated, only a little louder and angrier this time.
There was silence. "Hello. I'm the Doctor and…" Kari elbowed him in the side to shut him up.
Donna turned to face the pair. "They had the reception without me."
"Yes, I gathered." Kari whacked the Doctor again. The Doctor and weddings, never a good thing.
"Well, it was all paid for. Why not?" A blonde woman asked. Kari didn't like the woman, but then she knew who she was to Donna and so had every right not to really like her.
"Thank you, Nerys."
"Oh, is that Nerys?" Kari said, looking the woman up and down. "Yeah, I can see what you mean." Donna gave her a slightly confused look at first, but when Kari winked at her, she smiled.
An older woman with blonde hair started walking towards Donna. "Well, what were we supposed to do? I got your silly little message in the end. 'I'm on Earth', very funny. But what the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick, because I'd love to know."
At that point everyone decided to start talking at once. Not just Donna's mother, her fiancé and friends, but everyone else in the room seemed to want to ask about it as well.
Kari nudged the Doctor. "Wait for it…" She whispered. He just sent her a confused look. Not understanding what he was waiting for when suddenly, Donna burst into tears. Kari smiled as Lance went and hugged her, while Donna sent a wink towards her and the Doctor. Everyone began clapping, well, everyone except for Nerys, and the party got back into full swing.
The Doctor and Kari were leaning up against the bar. "I need to do a little research on HC Clements." The Doctor said to Kari, watching a man who had his mobile phone out.
"HC Clements, sole proprietor… Torchwood." Kari told him. She was afraid of his reaction when she said Torchwood, but he seemed to be relatively okay.
"That your all knowing power speaking?" He asked, giving her a huge grin.
"I don't think my all knowing power is actually all knowing. I think it only tells half of the story." Kari told him, watching Donna dancing away with Lance. "You miss Rose, don't you?" She knew that he would be watching everyone dancing, having a good time, and thinking about his good time with Rose.
"Yeah, yeah I do miss her. But I've always got you. Can't get rid of you so easily, can I?" He said, pulling her in for a hug.
"Yeah, but, Doctor, it's Rose. I mean, she is everything to you, so it's okay to get upset."
Kari heard the Doctor mumble something, she wasn't sure she even understood half of it but what she could work out was 'too early in your timeline'. After that, he sort of shut down and went into his own little world, until Kari decided it was time for him to see the videotape.
"Come on, Martian. Let's go and see what happened in that church." Kari said, tugging at his arm and over to the cameraman.
"Do you have to call me Martian as well? You know I'm not from Mars." He moaned as he was dragged across the room.
"Would you prefer Mr Grumpy Face?" Kari asked, stopping in her tracks and turning to face the Doctor.
"Funny enough, no, I wouldn't. Why do you have to give me these silly names in the first place?"
"Because I'm getting annoyed and fed up. And you're easier to insult and because I know you won't get angry at me for doing it." Kari said, a frown forming on her face.
"Kari, why are you getting annoyed and fed up?" The Doctor asked her gently. He had a feeling something wasn't right, but he had no idea how to approach her about it.
"Because nothing makes sense. I know how things are meant to be but they're not and it doesn't make sense. And now I'm wondering if it's all my fault." This time it was the Doctor's turn to frown.
"Why would you think that?"
"You're just… not acting the way I thought you would after losing Rose. I mean, it's Rose, trapped in a parallel world with her mother and Mickey. I just doesn't seem right to me." Kari told him, playing with her hands nervously.
The Doctor let out a sigh. "Listen to me, it's too early in your timeline to understand everything that's happened. It is possible that there are slight changes from what you have seen, but I promise you, it's nothing to worry about."
Kari wasn't sure if she should believe him or not, but he was the Doctor after all. If there was anything she had learnt from her time of watching Doctor Who, it was to trust the Doctor. "Right, fine. Now come on, you really need to see the video." Kari said, pulling out of his arms and over to the cameraman.
"Come on then, show us the action." Kari said, flashing the young cameraman her best smile.
"Oh, I taped the whole thing. They've all had a look. They said sell it to 'You've Been Framed'. I said, more like the news. Here we are then." He said as he found the part where Donna just disappeared down the aisle. She was surrounded by some kind of golden energy.
The Doctor looked at Kari and frowned before turning to the cameraman. "Can't be. Play it again?"
"Clever, mind. Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping." He said as he rewound it back again.
"But that looks like Huon Particles." The Doctor said, looking closely at the small screen on the camera, his glasses firmly on.
"What's that then?"
"That's impossible. That's ancient. Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years." The Doctor was thinking, and Kari decided she was going to help him, he would have worked it out himself but she knew how much danger everyone was in.
"So old that it can't be hidden by a bio-damper." Kari told him, her eyes trained on Donna. The Doctor quickly ran out of the room, leaving Kari to deal with Donna.
She rushed over to her where she was dancing with Lance. "Donna! Donna, they've found you." Kari said in a panic.
"But he said I was safe." Donna didn't realise how bad things were, yet.
"Yeah, well he's an idiot. The bio-damper doesn't work. It's complicated and very Martian. We've got to get everyone out. And fast." Kari told her, knowing what was going to happen next.
Donna looked around the room. "Oh, my God, it's all my family."
The Doctor came rushing back in. "Out the back door." He shouted, grabbing Kari's hand as he passed.
"Yeah, maybe not." Kari said, spotting the robot Santa's outside and waiting for them. The Doctor dragged her with him over to a large window, where more of the robots were waiting outside.
"We're trapped." Donna cried, joining them at the window.
"Christmas trees." Kari reminded the Doctor with wide eyes.
"What about them?" Donna asked, completely lost to their conversation.
"They kill." The Doctor shouted, before running with Kari over towards the large tree in the room. "Get away from the tree!"
"Do not touch the trees, everyone get away from the trees, now!" Kari yelled, shooing the younger children away and towards their parents.
"Get away from the Christmas trees! Everyone get away from them. Stay away from the trees." The Doctor carried on yelling, pushing people away.
"Oh, for God's sake, the man's an idiot. Why? What harm's a Christmas tree going to… oh…" Donna's mother stood in awe watching the baubles float off the tree and zoom across the room.
"Keep away from those things as well!" Kari yelled, noticing how everyone was looking at them.
Then they started exploding, and chaos erupted. People started running around, screaming and panicking. Kari noticed Donna hide under one of the tables and saw her hand grab Lance and pull him down as well. The Doctor had thrown himself over Kari as an explosion knocked them both off their feet.
"Doctor, get your screwdriver." Kari ordered, getting to her feet and dragging him over to the where all the DJ equipment was. "Well, come on then. Or do I have to do it myself?" She asked, looking at the line of Santa's slowly getting closer to them.
"Oi! Santa! Word of advice. If you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver, don't let him near the sound system." The Doctor told them down the microphone before plugging his sonic screwdriver into part of the system. It resulted in such a noise that everyone had to cover their ears. The robots fell to the floor, no longer working.
The Doctor and Kari quickly skidded across the floor to the Santa's. "Look at that." Kari said, chucking the Doctor something the looked like a games console controller.
"Remote control for the decorations, but there's a second remote control for the robot's. They're not scavengers any more. I think someone's taken possession." The Doctor said, tossing one of the head of a robot to Kari.
"Never mind all that, you're a doctor, people have been hurt." Donna said, worried for her friends and family.
"Nah, they wanted you alive. Look…" He tossed one of the decorations from the tree at Donna. "They're not active now."
"All the same, you could help."
"Got to think of the bigger picture. There's still a signal." The Doctor cried, jumping to his feet.
"Donna, who is he? Who is that man?" Her mother asked. It was clear that she had a dislike for the Doctor. Donna didn't answer her mother, she ran towards Kari who had been waiting for her so that they could both chase after the Doctor together.
"There's someone behind this, directing the roboforms." The Doctor told them as they finally joined him outside.
"But why is it me? What have I done?" Donna asked. Kari wanted to jus tell her that she was brilliant, that she was the super temp, but she knew she couldn't.
"If we find the controller, we'll find that out." Kari said, watching the Doctor point his sonic screwdriver towards the sky.
"Ooh, it's up there. Something in the sky."
Kari shook her head and turned to Donna. "He's going to lose the signal. We need to get to your office at HC Clements. That's going to be where it all started." She paused when she saw Lance standing behind Donna. "Ah, Lance, do you mind giving us a lift?" He nodded at her.
"I've lost the signal. Donna…" The Doctor turned to face Donna but was met with Kari instead.
"Way ahead of you. Come on, they're waiting in the car." Kari told him, dragging him to the car with her.
They made it to HC Clements in no time at all, and the Doctor was quick to explain to Donna and Lance about Torchwood. Something that bothered the Doctor was the fact that Donna had not seen the Cybermen or the Daleks. She claimed to have been in Spain scuba diving. More and more about the woman was making less sense to the Doctor.
"But what do they want with me?" Donna asked.
"Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem, because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark Times." The Doctor said, while Kari glared at Lance. Soon enough she could stop pretending to be nice to him. "The only place you'd find Huon particles now is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS. See, that's what happened."
Donna just looked at him blankly. Kari picked up a coffee mug that was sitting on the desk. "Say, this is the TARDIS." She then picked up a pencil. "And that's you." Donna nodded, so far being able to follow what she was saying. "The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetised and wap." She threw the pencil into the mug.
"You were pulled inside the TARDIS." The Doctor concluded, grinning away.
"I'm a pencil inside a mug?" Donna asked.
"Yes, you are. 4H, sums you up." The Doctor took the mug from Kari and put it down on the desk again. "Lance, what was HC Clements working on? Anything top secret, special operations, do not enter?"
"You alright, Donna?" Kari asked, leaving the Doctor to his chat with Lance.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Donna said quietly.
"Liar." Kari said, giving the woman a little nudge. "It's okay, Donna. The Doctor will fix this. I promise." Donna just nodded at her and they both went and watched the Doctor working on a computer that he had finally got to work.
"They make keys, that's the point. And look at this." He pointed to a plan of the building he had pulled up on the screen. "We're on the third floor." He grabbed Kari's hand and ran over to the lift.
"Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?" The lift arrived and he quickly got inside with Kari. "Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked lower basement?"
Kari grinned. "There's a whole floor which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there?" She said, knowing that they were going to go down there.
"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Lance asked.
"No, we're showing you this building's got a secret floor." Kari said, pointing at the button.
"It needs a key." Donna pointed out, still standing outside of the lift with Lance.
Kari laughed a little. "He doesn't." She said, as he used his screwdriver on the button.
"Right then, thanks, you two. We can handle this, see you later." The Doctor said, putting his sonic screwdriver away and putting his arm around Kari.
"No chance, Martian. You're the couple who keep saving my life. I ain't letting you out of my sight." Donna said, getting into the lift.
"Going down." The Doctor said, while Kari just rolled her eyes.
"Lance?" Donna wanted him to join them.
"Maybe I should go to the police."
"Inside." Donna ordered. He quickly done as he was told and stepped into the lift as well.
"To honour and obey?" The Doctor said. Earning a whack from Kari, as well as a glare.
"Tell me about it, mate."
"Oi!" Both Donna and Kari called.
As the lift descended, Kari kept glancing at Lance, and not a very nice one at that. The Doctor had noticed but being stuck in the lift, he wasn't able to say anything to her. Soon enough the lift stopped and they all walked out.
"Where are we? What goes on down here?" Donna asked as they stopped further into the corridor that was being lit by green lights.
"Let's find out." Kari said with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Do you think Mr Clements knows about this place?" Donna wondered.
"The mysterious HC Clements? Oh, I think he's part of it."
Kari tugged on the Doctor's hand as her eyes stayed glued to something in the corner. "Look, transport." She said gleefully. She pulled the Doctor with her over to the 2 wheeled stand up scooters.
The Doctor quickly got Kari on one, and stood on behind her, his arms reaching around her to the handles. Donna and Lance grabbed the other two. Kari complained about having to share with the Doctor, she had been hoping to get one on her own, but the Doctor told her it was more fun with the pair of them on the same.
As they whizzed along the corridor, Kari began to think that it was better to be on there with the Doctor. For some reason he was keeping very close to her, closer than he really should in her opinion.
He stopped and jumped off when they reached a large metal door, with a Torchwood sign on it. Kari jumped off and followed him, knowing where he was going.
"Wait here, just need to get my bearings. Don't do anything." The Doctor said, pointing at Donna and Lance. "You coming, Kari?"
"No need. We're right under the Thames flood barrier. Torchwood snuck in and build this place underneath." Kari told him, not really fancying the climb up there in a dress.
"What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?" Donna asked in shock.
"Oh, I know, I know, love." The Doctor said, making Kari laugh.
"Wherever next? The London Eye?" She asked sarcastically, making the Doctor laugh as well as they walked into a lab.
"Oh, look at this. Stunning!" The Doctor exclaimed as he approached some of the equipment.
"Very Torchwood, if you ask me." Kari said, looking around some more.
"What does it do?" Donna asked, not understanding why the pair were getting so excited.
"Particle extrusion. They've been manufacturing Huon particles." Kari told her, watching the Doctor bounce around the room.
"Of course, my people got rid of Huons. They unravel the atomic structure." The Doctor told her, keeping his attention on the bubbling pipes of liquid.
"Your people?" Lance questioned. Kari sent him a glare which no one saw. "Who are they? What company do you represent?"
"Oh, he's just a freelancer." Kari answered, knowing how the Doctor was busy.
"But this lot are rebuilding them. They've been using the river. Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result…" Kari picked up a small tube of what looked like water and passed it to the Doctor. "Huon particles in liquid form." The Doctor finished, showing the liquid to Donna.
"And that's what's inside me?" She asked, the slightest hint of worry noticeable in her voice.
Kari leaned over the Doctor and twisted the top on the container. The liquid started glowing, and so did Donna.
"Oh, my God!" Donna exclaimed as she looked at herself, the golden glow around her. "Is that what happened to you as well?" She asked Kari.
Kari shook her head. "Nah, I'm a bit more… complicated than that. And it's not the TARDIS that I'm attracted to." She said, throwing the Doctor a wink, making him blush a little.
The Doctor cleared his throat. "Genius. Because the particles are inert, they need something living to catalyse inside and that's you. Saturate the body and then… ha!" The Doctor jumped in the air as it dawned on him. "The wedding! Yes, you're getting married, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle. Oh, your body's a battleground. There's a chemical war inside."
Kari shook her head and stepped up behind the Doctor as he carried on rambling on. "Yeah, you're like a walking over. A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away. The particles reach boiling point. Shazam!"
Kari whacked him around the back of the head while Donna slapped him across the face. "What did I do this time?" The Doctor yelled.
"Are you enjoying this?" Donna asked, glaring at the Doctor. "Right, just tell me. These particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?"
"Yes." The Doctor lied.
"Doctor, if your lot got rid of Huon particles, why did they do that?" Donna asked, she knew she wasn't going to like the answer.
"Because they were deadly." Kari said, placing one of her hands on Donna's arm. Donna cried in shock. "We'll sort it out, Donna. Whatever's been done to you, we'll reverse it. We are not about to lose anyone else." Kari told her firmly.
"Oh, she is long since lost." An odd female voice called. Kari kept her eyes on the wall which suddenly started sliding up. "I have waited so long. Hibernating at the edge of the universe. Until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken me."
Kari watched as Lance sneaked away. She knew that the next time she saw him, she didn't have to be nice to him. She looked around and saw several robots with their weapons aimed at them and let out a sigh.
"Someone's been digging" The Doctor commented, stepping closer to the large hole in the ground.
"Very Torchwood, don't you think?" Kari asked, keeping with Donna.
The Doctor nodded at her. "Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?"
"Down and down. All the way to the centre of the Earth."
"Really?" The Doctor asked, pulling a face which Kari couldn't help but laugh at "Seriously, what for?"
"No, Donna. No dinosaurs." Kari said, holding up a hand to stop the woman from talking.
"Clever girl. Such knowledge." Kari couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Only a madman talks to think air. And trust me, you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?" The Doctor asked, walking around Donna and Kari before finally stopping to Kari and taking hold of her hand.
"High in the sky. Floating so high on Christmas night." The voice called.
"We didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom. Come on, let's have a look at you." The Doctor insisted.
"Who are you with such command?"
"I'm the Doctor."
"Prepare your best medicines, doctor man. For you will be sick at heart."
"Oh, now it get's even more interesting." Kari mumbled, knowing what's going to happen next. The Doctor frowned at her just as a large red spider teleported into the room. Donna and the Doctor both stood there in shock. "Racnoss." Kari said, doing her best to keep a smile on her face.
"But that's impossible. You're one of the Racnoss." The Doctor was having trouble coming to terms with what was in front of him.
"Empress of the Racnoss." Kari corrected him.
"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss? Or, are you the only one?" The Doctor asked, trying to piece everything together.
"Such sharp minds." The huge spider told them. Kari wanted to take it as a compliment but she knew she wasn't really that clever. She only seemed clever because of how much she already knew.
"That's it, the last of your kind." The Doctor declared.
"The Racnoss come from the Dark Ties, billions of years ago. Billions. They were carnivores. Omnivores. They devoured whole planets." Kari whispered to Donna, knowing that she didn't fully understand everything yet.
"Racnoss are born starving. Is that our fault?" The Empress asked.
"They eat people?" Donna asked, looking at the Doctor who had followed Kari's gaze to the ceiling.
"HC Clements, did he wear those, uh, black and white shoes?" The Doctor asked, tightening his grip on Kari's hand.
"He did. We used to laugh. We used to call him the fat cat in spats." Donna said, smiling at the memory. Kari pointed up to the pair of feet she could see, with those black and white shoes on. "Oh, my God."
"My Christmas dinner." The Empress spat.
"You shouldn't even exist. Way back in history, the Fledging Empires went to war against the Racnoss. They were wiped out." The Doctor called to the Empress. Kari and Donna both noticed Lance on a walkway next to the Empress. Kari glared at him while Donna just looked on at him in shock as he put his finger to his lips to keep them quiet.
"Except for me." The Empress replied.
"But that's what I've got inside me, they Huon energy thing." The Empress hissed. "Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles? Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me." Donna demanded, seeing Lance with an axe in his hand slowly approaching the Empress of the Racnoss.
"The bride is so feisty."
"Yes, I am. And I don't know what you are, you big thing." Kari couldn't help but grin at Donna. "But a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe. Now, do it!" Donna shouted, expecting Lance to attack the Racnoss.
Lance went to swing the axe at the Empress but broke out in a fit of laughter. Kari had to do everything she could to stay calm.
"That was a good one. Your face." Lance called back to Donna once he stopped laughing with the Empress.
"Lance is funny." The Empress agreed.
"What?" Donna asked in confusion.
"I'm sorry." Kari said, putting an arm around the woman.
"Sorry for what? Lance, don't be stupid! Get her!" Donna shouted.
Lance just glared at Donna. "God, she's thick. Months I've had to…"
"Oh, shut up you idiot. Donna is not thick. The only person who is thick here is you." Kari spat.
Donna looked at her in confusion. "I don't understand."
"How did you meet him? In the office, he made you coffee. Everyday that idiot made you coffee. You had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months." Kari told Donna softly. She knew this was going to be hard for her.
"He was poisoning me?"
"It was all there in the job title. The Head of Human Resources." Kari spat. She was glad she didn't have to be nice to Lance anymore.
"This time, it's personnel." Lance said with a laugh.
"But we were getting married."
"Forget him, Donna. He isn't worth it. You can do so much better. He used you, she corrupted him. Just forget him, I promise you, your life is going to be so much better." Kari knew what Donna's future was going to be. Some of it was amazing, some of it really wasn't that great at all. Btu she knew that she needed to reassure the woman.
"Who is this woman and the little physician?" The Empress asked.
"She said, Martian." Lance told her.
"Oh, we're sort of homeless. But the point is, what's down here? The Racnoss are extinct. What's going to help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?" The Doctor asked.
"I think he wants us to talk."
"I think so, too." The Empress agreed.
"Well, tough. All we need is Donna." Lance spat. Kari instantly took a step in front of Donna, glaring at Lance.
"Kill this chattering little doctor man and his woman."
Kari just rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah right. Come on then." She said, sounding rather bored. "Can I just quickly point something out to you? Won't take a tick." Kari plucked the liquid particles from the Doctor and held the container in her hand. "If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside his spaceship." She nodded over towards the Doctor. "So, reverse it, and the spaceship comes to her." Kari said, twisting the top and smiling away.
"Oh, that was brilliant! My brilliant Kari." The Doctor said, hugging her as the TARDIS materialised around them. "Right, off we go." The Doctor quickly let go of Kari and started running around the console.
"Oh, do you know what I said before about time machines? Well, I lied. And now we're going to use it." The Doctor said, paying no attention to how upset Donna was.
Kari just shook her head and went to sit with the woman. "I'm so sorry, Donna. I really am."
"It's not your fault. You weren't to know." Donna said softly. It was clear that she was upset.
"I did know, Donna. I knew he was working along side the Racnoss. I'm sorry." Kari didn't really know what else to say. "I… sort of know what's going to happen… before it happens."
"Well if you knew, why did you do something to stop him? Why didn't you help?" Donna spat.
Kari let out a sigh, she should have seen this coming. "Because I can't. There are some things I just cannot get involved with. I can't interfere. I mean, you're Donna Noble, Super Temp." Donna was struggling to keep back the tears. "You're Donna Noble, and one day, the whole universe is going to know your name." Kari whispered to her, making sure the Doctor didn't catch her.
Donna looked at her, the tears now streaming down her face. Kari just enveloped the woman in a hug, which was welcomed.
"We've arrived. Want to see?" The Doctor called from the console.
Kari and Donna smiled at each other before Donna looked over at the Doctor. "I suppose."
"Oh, don't bother with the scanner, Doctor. I think Donna's way is best." Kari said, skipping over to the doors and pulling them open. "Come on, no human's ever seen this. You'll be the first."
Reluctantly Donna pushed herself off the chair. "All I want to see is my bed." She mumble, the Doctor following behind her.
"Donna Noble, welcome to the creation of the Earth." The Doctor said, beaming away. "We've gone back 4.6 billion years. There's no solar system, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas. That's the sun, over there, brand new. Just beginning to burn."
"Where's the Earth?" Donna asked, captivated by the sight before her.
"All around us. In the dust." Kari told her, starting to drift off into her own little world.
She had never expected any of this to happen. She had always wondered what it would be like if life with the Doctor were real. Now she seemed to be living it, and he seemed to know her really rather well. It should scare her, it should freak her out, but she was able to just accept it and travel around with him in his TARDIS. She didn't seem to question things, she just accepted it and went along with it.
Now she was starting to think that maybe she had taken this all wrong. Maybe she did need to question things, and be more forceful with the Doctor to get answers from him. He seemed to know a lot, and she had to follow the adventures from what she already knew. She knew the Doctor was keeping things from her, and now she was starting to feel more determined to find out exactly what they were.
"Kari? You okay?" The Doctor asked her, pulling her away from the edge of the TARDIS and closer to him.
"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." She told him, dragging herself back to what was now her reality. "Worked out what the first rock was yet?"
"Look." Donna pointed to a star pointed spaceship, coming into view from behind some gas clouds.
"The Racnoss." The Doctor confirmed before running over to the console, taking Kari with him. "Hold on, the Racnoss are hiding form the war. What's it doing?"
"Exactly what you said." Donna called, watching the Racnoss ship pull the other rocks towards it. The Doctor ran back to Donna, Kari still being dragged along.
"I'm really not a bloody rag doll you know." Kari moaned.
"Oh, they didn't just bury something at the centre of the Earth. They became the centre of the Earth. The first rock." The Doctor said, looking out at the Earth starting to be pulled together.
The TARDIS gave a violent shock, the Doctor instantly grabbed hold of Kari, making sure she was safe while Donna held on tightly to the railings.
"What was that? Donna asked.
"Trouble." Kari told her, closing the doors and running to the console with the Doctor close behind her.
The TARDIS kept shaking and throwing them about. "What the hell's are you doing?" Donna asked, holding on for dear life.
"Ah, well, remember that little trick? Particles pulling particles? Well, it works in reverse and they are pulling us back." Kari said, grabbing hold of the sledgehammer. The Doctor just eyed her curiously while Donna continued to ramble on about hand breaks, warping and beaming. She pulled something out from the console, she knew exactly what it was and let a grin spread across her face.
The Doctor's face just lit up. "Oh, Kari you are brilliant." He shouted, understanding what she was going to do.
"Yes, I am." Kari said before whacking the extrapolator with the hammer. "There we go, that should annoy the Empress of the Racnoss."
The Doctor grabbed Kari, hugging her and swinging her around at the same time. "My brilliant Kari!" He said, laughing away.
"Yes, I'm brilliant, now put me down. This isn't over yet." She told him, whacking the tops of his arms till he let her go.
"Where are we?" Donna asked as they stepped out of the TARDIS.
"About 200 yards to the right. Come on." The Doctor said, grabbing Kari's hand and running along the corridor.
"But what do we do?" Donna asked as the Doctor stopped at a metal door, similar to the one he opened before to get his bearings.
"I don't know. I'm making it up as I go along. But trust me, I've got history." The Doctor told her, inspecting the door.
"He does. And he does it so brilliantly at times." Kari said staying as close to the Doctor as she could. She was ready for what was to come, she was not going to let herself get into more trouble.
"But I still don't understand. I'm full of particles, but what for?"
"There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth, but my people unravelled their power source. If Huon particles ceased to exist, the Racnoss will stop. They just stay in hibernation for billions of years, frozen, dead, kaput." The Doctor was rambling.
"Doctor, shut up. Donna's gone." Kari told him. She felt slightly ashamed of herself for not helping Donna, and stopping her from being taken. But she knew she needed to be taken if the Huon particles in her were to be removed.
"Oh. What'd you let that happen for?" He asked her curiously.
"I have my reasons. Now, sonic, door. Get on with it." Kari said getting his attention back to what he was doing before heading off away from him.
"Oi, where are you going?" He asked her, worry showing on his face.
"Me? I'm getting ready to help you save Donna. Chop chop!" She said, clapping her hands together before running off.
Kari had found herself the perfect hiding spot. She was exactly where she needed to be when the Doctor's rescue goes a little wrong.
"My children are climbing towards me and none shall stop them." The Empress called. "So you might as well unmask, my clever little doctor man."
"Oh well, nice try." The Doctor said, pulling off the black robe and the robot mask he as wearing. "I've got you, Donna." He called, pointing his screwdriver at te webbing that was holding Donna above the large pit in the room.
"I'm gonna fall." She cried, as the web started to give way.
"You're going to swing. I've got you." The Doctor assured her. His arms were out stretched and ready to catch her.
Donna started her swing, screaming away, but she wasn't heading for the Doctor, she was heading towards Kari. She opened her arms as the ginger woman in her wedding dress got closer to her. She grabbed hold of Donna and they both fell to the ground.
"Thanks." Donna said, helping Kari get up. Kari just smiled back at her, glad to have saved her from hitting the ground.
"You both okay down there?" The Doctor called.
"Yeah, we're fine. No thanks to you, spaceman." Donna called back to him.
"Empress of the Racnoss, I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you and your children a place in the universe to co-exist. Take that offer and end this now." The Doctor said firmly.
"These men are so funny."
"What's your answer?" The Doctor demanded to know.
"Oh, I'm afraid I have to decline." She replied. She was very confident, and very stupid.
"Then what happens next is your own doing." Kari knew from the Doctor's tone that he was no long being kind and forgiving. No more second chances.
"I'll show you what happens next." The Empress spat. "At arms! Take aim! And…"
"Relax." The Doctor said, and all the robots stopped, slumping down as if they had been turned off.
"What did you do?" Donna asked him, not seeing the huge grin on Kari's face.
"Guess what I've got, Donna?" He pulled a remote control, similar to the one from earlier, out. "Pockets."
"How did that fit in there?" She asked in amazement.
"They're bigger on the inside." Kari told her, trying not to break down in laughter.
"Roboforms are not necessary. My children may feast on Martian flesh." The Empress announced.
"Oh, but I'm not from Mars." The Doctor told her.
"Then where?"
"My home planet is far away and long since gone. But its name lives on." The Doctor told her.
"Gallifrey." The Doctor and Kari said at the same time.
"They murdered the Racnoss." The Empress spat, she was hissing away, clearly unhappy.
"I warned you. You did this." The Doctor told her, pulling out some of the exploding Christmas decorations. They floated up in the air and rushed around. Kari closed her eyes, knowing the destruction that was going to follow.
Donna just looked on in horror as the fires took hold and the water started to flood in. The water starting rushing over the edge of the hole and pours straight down. Kari kept her eyes tightly shut as she heard the screaming coming from below.
"Doctor! You can stop now!" Donna shouted, getting his attention.
He looked down and saw Kari and Donna standing there. "Come on. Time to find a way out." He said, finally coming back to his senses and running down the stairs to the women. He grabbed Kari by the hand and the three of them charged back up the stairs and along the corridor.
"But what about the Empress?" Donna asked as they climbed the ladder, heading for the surface.
"She's used up all her Huon energy. She's defenceless." The Doctor said, climbing the ladder behind Donna.
The Doctor managed to get the hatch open just as the Empress's ship came under attack from several missiles. Donna was the first one out, quickly followed by the Doctor who wasted no time in helping Kari up as well. Once the trio were standing outside on the top of the Thames flood barrier, the Doctor held Kari tightly, while Kari held onto Donna.
"There's just one problem." Donna said, trying not to laugh too hard.
"What is it?" The Doctor asked, looking over at her.
"We've drained the Thames." Donna and Kari said together. Before they all burst out laughing.
"Um, I think that maybe we should get out of here. I have a feeling that UNIT are going to be crawling all over this place very soon. And I'm sure that…" Kari paused for a moment, having to think carefully. "Nope. Never mind that, too soon."
The Doctor looked at her in shock. "Kari, did you just think before you spoke?"
Kari glared at him. "Do you want me to push you off?" In an instant the Doctor knew that she would do it if he weren't careful.
They eventually made their way back to the TARDIS and landed outside of Donna's home. "There we go. Told you she'd be alright. She can survive anything." The Doctor said, proud of his ship.
"More than I've done." Donna said sadly.
Kari pulled out the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and scanned Donna with it. "Well, all the Huon particles are gone. No damage." Kari said, putting it back into his jacket pocket.
"You're fine." The Doctor told her, smiling away at Kari.
"Yeah, but apart from that. I missed my wedding, I lost my job and became a widow on the same day. Sort of."
"We couldn't have saved him. I'm sorry, Donna." Kari said as the Doctor gripped her hand.
"He deserved it." Donna said, making both Kari and the Doctor raise an eyebrow. "No, he didn't. I'd better get inside. They'll be worried."
"Best Christmas present they could have." The Doctor told her, watching her parents hug through the window. "Oh, no. I forgot, you hate Christmas."
"Yes. I do." Donna confirmed.
"Even if it snows?" The Doctor asked before reaching inside the door of the TARDIS. A beam of light shot out from the lamp on the top of the TARDIS, resulting in snow.
"I can't believe you did that!" Donna exclaimed, laughing away.
"Oh, basic atmospheric excitation." Kari said casually. The Doctor just rolled his eyes at her, knowing that she was trying to show off.
"Merry Christmas." Donna said after a moment of silence.
"And you. So, what will you do with yourself now?" The Doctor asked, glancing at Kari staring up at the sky sadly.
"Not get married, for starters. And I'm not going to temp any more. I don't know, travel. See a bit more of planet Earth, walk in the dust. Just go out there and do something."
The Doctor looked at Donna, slightly nervous. "Well, you could always…"
"What?"
"Come with us." The Doctor asked her.
"No."
"Donna Noble, you're still going to be my Super Temp." Kari said, smiling away at her.
"Everything we did today. Do you live your life like that?" Donna asked, looking between Kari and the Doctor.
"Not all the time." The Doctor told her.
"More like every other day." Kari added.
"I think you do. And I couldn't."
"I know." Kari said sadly. "We scare you to death. Well, more him than me." She said, nodding at the Doctor beside her. "The universe is amazing and wonderful, but terrible and scary as well." Kari turned to the Doctor. "Come on, time to go."
"Am I ever going to see you again?" Donna asked the pair.
"If we're lucky." The Doctor replied with a smile.
"Just promise me one thing. Find someone."
"I don't need anyone. I've got Kari."
Kari let out a sigh. "Yeah, but I'm not always there am I?"
"See, you do. Because sometimes, I think you need someone to stop you." Donna said, agreeing with Kari.
"Yeah. Thanks then, Donna. Good luck. And just be magnificent." The Doctor told her, unlocking the TARDIS door.
"I think I will, yeah." Donna answered before he stepped inside, leaving Kari and Donna alone.
"Be super, my super temp." Kari said, hugging her before following the Doctor inside and closing the door.
"Doctor! Kari!" Donna shouted.
"Oh, what is it?" The Doctor asked, poking his head out of the door, Kari's head appearing under his arm.
"That friend of yours. What was her name?"
Kari closed her eyes, she had forgotten about this part. "Her name was Rose." The Doctor told her before pulling Kari back in and closing the door. The Doctor paced around the console and the TARDIS dematerialised.
A/N: So, what did you guys think? And what do you think is going to happen next? Who will she meet next?
With my Mac away for repair, writing has been slightly difficult. I'm currently using a old laptop which has a broken keyboard. So I have a full size keyboard from a PC sitting on top, which has been an interesting challenge.
Now, is there any more requests for any particular episode? I've already had some and have been working on them, but I'm always open to hear more.
Pippa