With six people and one dog all trying to keep dry and avoid the endless downpour, there simply wasn't the room to accommodate everyone in Rodger's one-man tent.

Jane was in no condition to be moved and continued to sleep soundly within the confines of the snug nylon shelter. Feeling obliged to stay by her side, Rose had gladly accepted help from Stefan as they'd tucked her into the sleeping bag. Despite her ordeal, Jane was no worse off physically than being slightly dehydrated and in need of a good amount of rest somewhere warm and quiet.

Her state of mind, however, was something which remained undetermined for the moment.

"It could have ended so much worse, Rose."

Rose smiled at Stefan as he came back in through the opened flap of the tent. In his hand was a large silver flask that he must have acquired from Rodger. Unscrewing the cup that doubled as its lid, he poured out some hot tea and handed it over to her.

"I know." She said. "Thanks. I never thought I'd miss tea so much."

"My wife says nothing can't be cured by a good cuppa." Stefan agreed. "Still, I think I'd go for something stronger right now. Too bad Rodger hasn't got any of the good stuff."

"What must he be thinking? Did you tell him anything?"

The soldier laughed at the idea.

"Even if I did, I don't think he'd believe me." He remarked. "No, I just said we were on a training exercise and it went a bit wrong."

"He believed that?" Rose asked. "Just like that?"

"Generally people like to accept what they're told, yeah. Especially when the person telling them has a gun and are in the state we're in."

Rose peered out of the tent and could see Rodger sitting in his chair a short distance away. The rain had not lightened and he had consigned himself to sitting beneath a large umbrella with Molly tucked in just behind his feet.

The Doctor and Peter, however, were both conspicuously absent.

"Where are…"

Stefan nodded in the direction of Rodger's car.

"He didn't waste much time waiting around before he made his attempt." He said. "Luckily, Peter isn't armed right now."

"Aside from being able to turn into a gigantic wolf?" Rose countered. "Mind you, that's not enough to stop the Doctor."

"No, I suppose not. But good luck to him if he's going to try again. Peter is a stubborn git and I refuse to play the referee this time."

Joking aside, Rose knew that the likelihood of another argument breaking out between the two men was high. Perhaps the only salvation was that a whole platoon of soldiers was now on their way. UNIT's arrival couldn't come soon enough and, in her opinion at least, would be the only thing capable of maintaining the peace.

Sat slumped in the front passenger seat of Rodger's silver Volvo, Peter was barely paying attention to the country and lifestyle magazine he had found in the glovebox.

The rain was still hammering relentlessly against the roof and it was cascading down the windshield like a miniature waterfall, reducing the world outside to blurred shapes and colours. But for once such weather had come as a welcomed relief. The vehicle had become a bubble of peace and calm and Peter was grateful for the chance to escape from it all.

The mission, those monstrous creatures… Not to mention the Doctor and what he had told him.

More pressingly, however, Peter knew that his commanding officer would be here in less than five minutes. It had been impossible to judge Major Harrison's mood on the phone, but a combination of experience and gut instinct was telling him that he was in for a well-prepared dressing-down in response to straying so very far away from the established parameters of the mission.

UNIT was publicly a peacekeeping authority, and only those who worked within its ranks were allowed to know the true nature of their purpose. The Official Secrets Act was signed by everyone and no one was to do anything to bring unwanted attention to the organisation. Given that a whole river had come down upon them, Peter doubted that managed to do this in the way his employers had been expecting.

There was a dull clunk as the driver's door opened up.

"Are they here? Best prep yourself for a massive bollo…"

Looking up from his magazine, Peter was both surprised and irritated to see that it was the Doctor.

He had been expecting Stefan and didn't want to be bothered by anyone else right now. Glaring as the Time Lord climbed into the car and sat down next to him, Peter quickly returned his attention as best he could to the magazine in his hands.

Shutting the door behind him, The Doctor proceeded to shake his hands of the excess water and shivered as he got use to the relative warmth of the car.

"It's coming down now." He remarked. "Like cats and dogs! Brr… it's cold."

"If you say so," Peter muttered. "What do you want, Doctor?"

Though his eyes didn't leave the page he was pretending to read, he could sense the feigned look of innocent surprise on The Doctor's face.

"Me? Oh, nothing… Well, I just thought I might check-up and see…"

He stopped as Peter looked up at him.

The soldier's ironclad eyes instantly commanded respect and it was clear that he was in no mood for a long drawn out excuse or explanation. The Doctor could almost see the wolf within, growling at him with its teeth bared as he once again threatened to antagonise the Nimarian.

"I'm fine," Peter told him. "Now, what do you want?"

Opening his mouth to speak, the Doctor thought better of it and instead dug his hand deep into his coat pocket. Quickly finding what he was after he placed Peter's SIG P226 gun, still housed securely in its sheath, carefully onto the dashboard in front of him.

The lieutenant's face instantly softened and he sat up straight in his seat at the sight of the weapon.

"You still have it." He said with surprise. "I thought you might have…."

"I don't like guns." The Doctor reiterated. "I really don't. But I suppose that comes from the people I've seen use them."

"You mean people like me? Those willing to pull the trigger. Yeah, I guess there are a few bad examples. But sometimes words aren't enough to protect lives."

"No, I guess not. You did give Karina and the others every chance to surrender."

"They were never going to, Doctor. They were too desperate, too cut off from everything they knew. They were just trying to survive in the only way they knew how." Peter replied. "Still, you're right. I warned them about the consequences of not stopping. It wasn't the first time I've have to do it for someone, and it won't be the last."

He had said this quite defensively, as though expecting the Doctor to reprimand him for such views.

"I'm sure you will." The Time Lord told him. "In the meantime, however. I think I owe you an apology."

Sensing that the conversation had reached the point the Doctor had been trying to make in the first place, Peter tossed his magazine onto the dashboard and took in a deep breath as he braced himself to hear something he knew was going to make him more irritable than he already was.

"Apologise?" He asked. "Whatever for?"

"Back down in the cave, I shouldn't have pressured you like that." The Doctor said. "You'd only just found out about Valerus and there I was trying to force you to go there."

"Pressured me? Well, that's one way of putting it, Doctor. No offence though, I don't think you could ever force me into doing something."

The Doctor smiled and shook his head.

"No, I don't think I could." He admitted. "Besides, I don't usually offer trips in the TARDIS. I only take the best and those people are quite remarkable."

Peter didn't need to be told this. Included as part of the file UNIT had compiled on the Doctor was a list of all known travelling companions and other acquaintances stretching back decades to the very early days when the Time Lord had first set up the organisation.

"Should I be insulted or honoured?" He asked half-seriously. "You did offer me a ride, after all."

"That I did, lieutenant. But it was for the wrong reasons and I wanted to say sorry for -"

"For treating me like a jigsaw puzzle and only thinking about your curiosity?" The soldier finished for him. "Yeah, that might irritate some people, Doctor."

"Yes, I know." The Doctor said. "I am sorry, Peter."

He watched as Peter studied him for a moment. Lying to a NImarian wolf was almost impossible and it was never a good idea to say something that wasn't genuinely meant. Also, the Doctor knew that the younger man had been more hurt by how he had made his case for Valerus, rather than making it at all.

"It's okay," Peter told him. "Besides, it wasn't an entirely unreasonable assumption to make."

"Really? Because now that you -"

"That doesn't mean I want to go, Doctor."

The Doctor could hear the strain in his voice now and it was clear that he was unwilling to hear any more on the subject of his home planet. Stefan was right, Peter was remarkably stubborn and it was going to take more than an apology and a softer approach to make him change his mind.

"I know." He told him. "Earth is your home and you have a life here."

"That's right, I do," Peter affirmed. "Valerus hasn't given me thing."

"No… Well, except your name. Not to mention that ring you still choose to wear, and that tattoo it inspired."

He knew he had gotten halfway to making his point when Peter didn't immediately respond. The soldier instead looked down at the silvery band on his finger. The deep blue moonstone was gleaming back at him, the two lines embedded within faintly visible in the dreary morning light.

"I was three months old, Doctor." He eventually said. "Why bother giving me anything at all if they were just going to send me off in that ship?"

"Escape pod." The Doctor corrected. "But I would say it was a reminder that you once had something and someone on Valerus."

Peter considered this for a moment.

"I guess so." He admitted. "Still, it's like you said. Me being here is impossible and I was never meant to be on Earth in the first place. I doubt they thought I could have ended up on a different planet."

"Exactly! You weren't able to make such a journey. But maybe we could find out what happened?"

Peter seemed to have been drained of all his anger, it had been replaced by exhaustion and worry over questions that neither of them had the answers to.

"What if I don't have anything to go back to?" He asked. "I wear this ring, Doctor. But it's only because it's all I have, and I suppose part of me doesn't always… I don't want to hide what I am, but I have to."

The Doctor knew that he was very close now. A little more temptation and Peter wouldn't be able to resist finding out about where it was he came from. But he had to be careful, the choice had to come from him, or at least he had to think it was, and if Peter felt otherwise and decided that he was being forced again he would close up and never accept the idea.

"It must be hard." The Time Lord sympathised. "But out there, in the whole universe. There's so much more than humans and wolves. Well, I suppose I don't have to tell you that."

"No, I figured as much." Peter agreed. "It would be nice to learn a thing or two about other species. UNIT would kill for a reference guide if one could be written upon such a thing."

There it was.

The Doctor suddenly knew what it was going to take for Peter to agree to come with him in the TARDIS. How stupid was he not to have realised it had been staring him in the face the whole time? The uniform and who he worked for should have made it obvious. The lieutenant hadn't got to where he was from sitting behind a desk. No, he thrived on the new, the exciting and sometimes dangerous role of meeting aliens from other worlds.

It also had nothing to do with him not being human himself.

"Now there's a thought!" He stated. "Why don't…"

But Peter was no longer paying him any attention. He was staring at something in the rearview mirror. Looking back over his shoulder, the Doctor could see three cars had appeared. All of them were identical army issue black Land Rovers, and they were speeding across the uneven ground towards them.

UNIT had arrived.

Before the jeeps had even come to a complete stop, half a dozen armed soldiers in full combat gear had jumped out of the vehicles and swiftly positioned themselves around the clearing to make a secure perimeter surrounding the campsite. In less than thirty seconds, they had taken complete control.

"Clear!" One of them bellowed. "Area secure!"

Following Stefan out of the tent, Rose watched as the driver of the second car got out. In his hand was an umbrella, which he simultaneously managed to put up whilst opening the rear passenger door. The man then stood to attention and saluted as another soldier emerged. He wasn't that tall and was noticeably older, but what set him apart was that he was dressed in the distinguishable khaki dress uniform of an army officer.

She knew this had to be Major Harrison.

Despite the rain, he waved away the umbrella and the man holding it up for him. His unflinching expression was grimmer than the cloudy sky above and with a final neatening tug of his jacket, he marched across the field as though it were a parade ground and made straight for where the Doctor and Peter were stood waiting besides Rodger's Volvo.

Rose and Stefan made it over just in time, the corporal quickly falling in line with Peter.

The two soldiers smartly stood to attention as their shoulders fell back and arms became fixed at their sides. Saluting the major as he reached them, the officer returned the gesture before fixing his eyes squarely on Peter. Briefly, they wandered over towards the Doctor and Rose, but then returned to the lieutenant expectantly.

"Major Harrison." Peter greeted with conduct. "Sir."

"Lieutenant Argent." Major Harrison acknowledged. "You're still alive, then?"

It wasn't meant to be a joke and Peter did not laugh.

The major was a few inches shorter and two decades older than he was. Grey-haired, with a rather bulbous nose that had turned slightly red in the damp weather, he spoke with the voice of an old fashioned headmaster. He was also two ranks higher than him and unquestionably in charge from the moment he had arrived, and Peter knew that it was no longer his operation but rather Major Harrison's now. Underneath the officer's neutral expression was a fury that could be seen very clearly in his blue eyes.

The first warning sign was that he had not allowed Peter and Stefan to stand at ease, forcing them to maintain their locked in position.

"Yes, sir." He responded. "Still alive."

"Well, you could have fooled me, the pair of you."

Harrison then allowed a brief moment to pass as the rain continued to pour down upon them. He was unable to resist looking in the Doctor's direction once again as the Time Lord stood watching with Rose, his hands tucked into his coat pockets.

"Hello." He greeted with a smile. "Nice of you to show up."

Still with the picnic blanket wrapped around her, Rose saw a flicker of something across Harrison's face. Irritation? Amusement? It was impossible to tell, but she doubted that he was in the mood for either right now.

"The Doctor, I presume?" He said. "We haven't heard from you since Christmas."

"Yeah, Sycorax and blood control. Losing my hand… Who's the Prime Minister now?"

Major Harrison did not answer him and didn't look to care to as he turned back to Peter.

"Where do I start, Argent? He mused. "The Lymington River. Does that ring any bells for you, any at all?"

Peter hesitated and drew in a sharp intake of breath. He knew why he was being asked this, and he didn't dare question why. The name of the river that had flooded the cave had escaped him all night, but he knew that it was the only thing worth discussing right now. It didn't matter about the aliens or why they had come to Earth and how. All Harrison was currently concerned about was the events leading up to those final few moments.

"It's a river, sir." He began. "About two klicks west of here."

Overall, his commanding officer hardly ever shouted, but Peter had come to learn that the top brass didn't need to resort to doing so. There was a tone specially reserved for such occasions that seemed to strike home with whoever was on the receiving end of it. Perhaps it was the combination of disappointment marred with being told off as a child would be by a parent, but it did the job well enough.

"Yes, it was." Harrison snapped, emphasising every word. "Now, however, it is just a dried-up stretch of mud stretching from here to Brockenhurst!"

"Major Harrison," the Doctor jumped in. "If I might -"

"No, you may not, Doctor." The officer told him, holding up a finger. "I will come to your part in a moment. Right now, I am more curious to understand how a whole river has been swallowed up from the very ground beneath it as an earthquake tore through this part of the New Forest."

"Sir, I -"

As Harrison looked his way again, Peter had taken his chance and tried to explain what had happened. But he didn't get very far and was cut off after barely being able to open his mouth. The frustration and exasperation at the destruction caused by the operation were clear to see on the major's face.

Not one for wasting words, however, his commanding officer managed to express all of this in just two of them.

"What happened?"

"There were multiple hostiles, sir," Peter explained. "The dead creature you've seen at the base was just one of six in total. It was the last one and we were directly under the river. Several grenades were used at that point."

"Several?"

Peter cleared his throat nervously.

"Yes, sir." He replied. "The hostile refused to surrender and with our weapons rendered ineffective, I took action when the creature was in range of mine and Corporal Amell's packs, which contained the grenades. The cave flooded and we escaped through an underwater tunnel."

For a moment Harrison was speechless, more so in disbelief rather than anger. Perhaps he was just wondering how they were all still alive after such exploits. But then the stoic discipline instilled upon him by the army returned as his brow creased into a frown.

"What of the other four?" He asked. "Where are they now?"

"Neutralised, sir," Peter replied. "They didn't want to come quietly."

Harrison glanced at Stefan questioningly, who immediately nodded in agreement.

"Yes, sir." He said. "They were openly hostile and engaged without provocation."

Perhaps it was the sight of the corporal's bruised eye and the large slash marks on his neck, the gauze pad having been lost during his dive, but Major Harrison decided that they had suffered enough already and that there was no sense in drawing out his reprimand any longer.

"Alright, gentlemen. At ease." He allowed. "Argent, you recovered the primary?"

Grateful to be free to relax his posture somewhat, Peter nodded and almost dared to smile as he let out a sigh of relief. At least he had done something right in that Jane was alive and well, and that he had successfully pulled off the operation with only minor injuries to report.

"Yes sir, she's in the tent." He told him. "Unhurt and just a little bit shook up."

Major Harrison nodded approvingly at this, and for a moment looked as though he might say something to back it up. But he instead chose to regard the Doctor and Rose with a curious expression that had managed to seep in through the otherwise steadfast gaze.

"Dare I ask how you came to be involved, Doctor?" He asked. "Also, a civilian take along for the ride. Miss Tyler, I believe?"

"Oh, we were just passing through." The Doctor said. "We sort of invited ourselves along."

He noticed a hint of a smile on Peter's lips, and it made him happy to see the soldier remembering their initial meeting with amusement now rather than the anger he'd originally greeted them with. It hadn't been the best of starts, but after a rather bumpy beginning and middle, the ending had turned out rather well.

"I'm surprised Argent would let you anywhere near his operation?" Harrison questioned, looking at Peter. "You never expressed any interest in a Code Nine, let alone considering the idea of teaming up in the field?"

"Opinions can change, sir." Peter countered. "Besides, he wouldn't shut up until I did."

"That's true." Rose agreed, grinning at the Time Lord. "Though it does get us into trouble sometimes."

"You wouldn't have it any other way." The Doctor told her, smiling as he took her hand in his. "But, I must say Major Harrison. You have two of UNIT's finest here. They conducted themselves brilliantly and I don't often say that about people with guns."

"Indeed." Harrison agreed. "Despite the destruction, I'd say overall it was mission accomplished."

Rose realised that it was all he was going to say. He wasn't about to thank his men for the immense and difficult job they had done, for saving Jane's life and most of the New Forest from those horrible creatures. Worst still, Peter and Stefan didn't look to be expecting any praises either.

"Congratulations are in order, don't you think?" She demanded. "It's been a horrid night and -"

"Rose, it's fine." Peter interrupted, looking amusement at her outburst. "It's our job, and everyone came home safe. That's all that matters."

"Yes, but -

"Miss Tyler. Apologies if you mistake my words for anything other than ones of gratitude." Major Harrison jumped in politely. "Let me reassure you that I could not be prouder of Lieutenant Argent and his team for their work over that last twenty-four hours. As the Doctor stated, they are some of our best and we do recognise that today. I dare say had anyone else but Argent took this operation on then I would be looking at a considerable loss of life and goodness knows what else."

Peter had gone slightly red at this and was forced to look down at his boots for a moment.

"Major Harrison, sir." He then said. "We couldn't have done it without the Doctor and Miss Tyler's help."

"Oh, don't be silly. We were just tagalongs." The Doctor dismissed. "It was fun, though. Wasn't it, Rose?"

Rose's didn't feel like agreeing as eagerly. Fun was not how she would describe this adventure, and nor would it be even long after they had returned to the TARDIS and left. But she was grateful to have come out of it in one piece, and she knew that she wouldn't forget what she had seen in a hurry.

His steel exterior fading now, Major Harrison looked over at Stefan and examined in more detail the series of cuts and bruises that were adorning his face and arms. His swollen eye was turning from red to a very nasty shade of purple and he had one hand against his ribs once again.

"Corporal Amell, you look awful." He pointed out. "Lose a fight, did we?"

"Of sorts, sir," Stefan replied, smiling as he caught Peter's eye. "One or two close encounters with the hostiles."

"Well, you can get yourself checked out back at the base." The major told him, nodding over at the jeeps. "My men will deal with everything from here."

Two of the soldiers had been stood talking with Rodger, one taking his statement down on a small notepad. Another carrying a medical kit similar to Gordon's had entered the tent soon after arriving and now had reappeared with Jane Wilson in tow. The woman was very unsteady on her feet and another solider was called over to help escort her across the field and towards one of the parked Land Rovers.

"Where are you taking her?" Rose questioned when she saw this. "Jane, where is she going?"

"Miss Tyler, we'll look after her," Harrison reassured. "But we need to get her away from here first and give her the proper care she needs."

"But -"

"Rose, she'll be fine," Peter told her. "I promise."

Nodding, Rose did not argue back. After all that had happened, she knew that the woman's life would be changed forever, but at least she could begin to grieve over her boyfriend and would be able to move on and put all of it behind her like one big horrible nightmare.

"Okay," she said. "What happens now?"

"We're happy to take you back to the TARDIS." Harrison offered, before looking back at the Doctor. "With respect, Doctor. I don't think you'll want to stick around for the cleanup and paperwork?"

"Well -"

"Excellent, I thought not."

Harrison hadn't even waited for his answer and was already starting to walk away back towards the cars, Peter and Stefan standing to attention and saluting again as he left. The soldiers guarding the perimeter remained in place, as did those currently interviewing Rodger. They would leave later, once UNIT felt as though the site no longer needed to be kept under lockdown.

Once Harrison was gone, Peter turned to face the Doctor.

"Well, I suppose this is goodbye?" He said. "It's been interesting, Doctor. To say the least."

Respectfully he held out his hand towards him. The Doctor shook it happily.

"Yes, shame it was only for the one night." He said. "But I'm sure we'll meet again, lieutenant."

Maybe Peter was suspicious that he wasn't trying to persuade him one more time to travel with him. But then, after a moment of hesitation, he shot Rose a courteous nod and turned away from the two time travellers as he followed after Major Harrison.

Stefan, however, chose to linger a while longer and waited until he was sure his friend could no longer hear them over the rain.

"You tried." He acknowledged. "But if he really doesn't want to…. One question though, Doctor?"

"Sure. Fire away."

"Down in the cave, after Peter threatened Karugon with his gun." Stefan continued. "I said he wouldn't doing anything bad, and you said maybe with me here?"

"Yes, I did." The Doctor said. "I still think that's true."

"Yes, but Peter wouldn't kill someone just because I wasn't there. He's got a temper for sure, but he would do anything like that."

"You do have a way of keeping him anchored down, though. Normally only other wolves can do that, certainly not a human." The Doctor told him. "But then again most wolves wouldn't leap to the defence of an outsider, especially when they've transformed. No, Peter and you are unique in those respects."

Stefan understood the point he was making.

"But an anchor can also weight something down." He said. "Me, Earth…. It's holding him back and you think he needs the chance to be around his own kind?"

The Doctor nodded and faintly smiled at the soldier.

"You're very smart, Stefan. You're also a good friend, and I promise we'll look after him." He assured. "Though I think maybe he'll look after us?"

"You haven't persuaded him yet." Stefan pointed out. "But just be honest and tell him why you want him to come. Stand by him and don't run off. I stuck around and he seems to tolerate this human well enough."

His point made, the corporal then turned away without further comment and left them as he headed after his best friend.