A/N: here it is, the very end; and it has been quite a while since I've seen any BBC South or Southern TV, so I made this host up.

Part 20

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The tour bus was sitting ready and waiting for them to turn up when they got back to the hotel. It took no time at all to collect their belongings but answering their fellow bandmates' concerns about their wellbeing took a little longer, despite any attempt to shorten the ordeal.

"Are you really alright?" Martha wondered.
Touched by her friend's sympathy, Donna hugged her and assured, "I will be. As long as Callum is okay and Lance is safely locked away from me, I can rest for a while."

A grinning Mickey appeared by their side, and he deftly swung his body into the seat beside Martha. "Talking of resting easy, while we were waiting for you, we decided that you and John can do the local TV interview."

"What!" she stopped herself from shrieking. "But that's usually you and Rose's job."

He had the cheek to smirk at her. "Usually, yes, but not today."

"I'm really sorry," Rose loomed over the seats to declare. "I got out voted."

"Rory?" Donna called out to him.

His perplexed face peeped out from between two seats. "Did you want me, Donna? Oh, the television appearance. Well, we had a sort of plan. Didn't we, Mickey?" Mickey merely nodded, letting him continue the explanation. "You will have to eventually appear in court to testify against Lance and it would help your case if the general populace are sympathetic towards you."

"And that means parading myself on television," she finished for him. "Of course, it does," she sarcastically agreed. "More like you couldn't be arsed to answer the same old questions in an interview."

"I will admit that was part of it," Mickey confessed, "but only a tiny bit."

"I'll still do it if you want me to," Rose offered, trying to look earnest.

Sighing, Donna patted her arm. "No, it's okay. We'll do it this time. Might as well face the press when I want to rather than when they're ramming microphones in my face."

"WE?" John petulantly queried. "Why am I being roped into this?"

"Because we have to announce you joining us, silly," she chided him. "Somebody out there has got to remember who Kasterborous were. Hopefully."

"In all likelihood," Martha added, getting in on the tease. She could certainly see why Donna loved doing this so much. "You'll attract your own fans, John."

"Oh," he drawled as he considered the thought. "Very well. I'll do the interview as well as go with you."

"Might as well," Donna commented, "seeing as you'll still be protecting me for a while."

"I thought you'd finished having to do all that," Rory remarked. "Sorry."

"I don't mind," John cheerily assured him. "Just making sure nobody else wants to attack Donna."

"Does that imply you want to attack me?" she saucily wondered.

She laughed when he leaned in to whisper, "For you, anything."

"Get a room!" Rose protested. "Hopefully, it'll be my turn to get a bloke next."

"The separate room has been organised. Can't promise the man in your life though," Mickey good-naturedly answered, lightening the atmosphere on the coach back to its usual level as they all giggled.

John sat Donna down next to him in nearby seats, squeezing her hand to show both his excitement and trepidation with this new development.

Derek Walker had reached the part of the news magazine programme that he loved: interviewing the guest entertainers. "Today we have with us from The Companions, Donna Noble. And with her, the Doctor himself, John Smith!" the TV host announced to the camera. He then turned to his guests sitting on the sofa opposite him. "Welcome to the studio both of you. What are you doing in Southampton?"

"We overshot Winchester by mistake," Donna joked. "No, Derek. We're here as part of our tour, in this lovely part of the country. As a special treat, I've brought the Doctor with me." She placed a hand on his arm just in case the audience didn't know who she meant.

"That doesn't mean she has let me out because I've been good," John put in.

"Haven't you been a good boy?" she cheekily wondered.

"Enough to be allowed to come to Southampton and perform," he answered. "I'm an honorary member of The Companions now," he aimed towards their host, Derek, "and will be playing for the remainder of the tour."

"Talking of the tour, let's see a short clip of The Companions in action," Derek cued the tape that showed the band singing two nights beforehand.

"That was in London, the first night I played with them on stage," John supplied when the clip ended.

"How did that happen?" Derek enthusiastically enquired. "It's not everyone who gets asked to join them."

"Charm?" John proposed, looking at Donna.

"Bribery?" she offered for him instead. "Something was said about talent."

He playfully suggested, "That I have it?"

"That you need some," she deadpanned. "We could all do with a bit of extra talent."

A voice in his ear reminded Derek that he wasn't the centre of this interview anymore and to pull it back. "How are the other band members taking you joining them?"

"Rose was beside herself, and Martha looked glum," she teased.

"Good job Mickey and Rory were okay about it," John added in kind. "Evens up the balance a bit, having me there."

A possible power struggle made Derek keen to establish a point though. "So you all tend to get on together okay?"

"Well, I don't like to boast, but they were begging me to play on the very first night," John stated.

"Shame it took three nights for him to actually play anything half decent," Donna threw in, "but we got there in the end."

The television studio audience roared with laughter, much to the host's delight. "You clearly get on very well together," Derek commented. "Are we likely to see more from you two in the future?"

"Oh, we have quite a few things planned," John enigmatically replied. "Don't we?" he looked directly at Donna to ask.

"Definitely," she agreed, nodding her head. "A couple of them we're not allowed to talk about yet," she informed Derek. "For artistic as well as legal reasons."

"Then we will leave it on that note," Derek wound down the interview, "and wish you both the very best of luck with the rest of the tour." He then turned to the camera to say, "You can see The Companions featuring the Doctor in Southampton for the next three nights. I'd like to thank our special guests the Doctor and Donna Noble for talking to us tonight." He waited for the whoop of applause to finish before ending with, "Thank you for watching, and hope you have a good evening."

Donna beamed with happiness when John took her hand and smiled to show his satisfaction with the way things were going. It would be a hard journey, but it would be worth every second.

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