Jumping to my feet, I wasted no time getting to the console to rectify what had recently occurred. As I did so, the Tardis walls began to reform, pushing the ship that had forced its way in out and reasserting itself. When that was sorted, I landed the Tardis inside the ship. Taking a step out, I saw I had parked her beside a board that listed shipping companies. Glancing around, I heard the blare of the fog horn but thought nothing of it; it was a familiar occurrence on a ship. The Doctor and Kie tried to follow me but I instantly pushed them back inside, wanting to look around myself before anything. While I had initially felt something was wrong, I could see nothing on the surface. Deeming the immediate area safe enough, I returned to our beloved ship and grabbed my boys, at least letting them get a glimpse of their new surroundings.

Around us were people in Edwardian dress enjoying a champagne buffet in the reception area. On stage, a band played an extremely slow and boring version of Jingle Bells and around the room stood golden skinned angel statues. I barely paid any mind as one moved while we walked past. Kie's attention seemed to be on a small red-skinned alien in a dinner jacket. As he walked off, the Doctor and I made our way to the window. The view before us was that of Earth and it looked so beautiful. "Right."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Doctor, what is it?" I asked, making the man face me.

"He's alive. After everything, Kie's alive."

"There are always miracles within the Universe. Sometimes just it takes a while for them to be revealed."

"I suppose."

"Attention all passengers. The Titanic is now in orbit above Sol Three, also known as 'Earth'. Population- Human. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Christmas." As the tannoy ended, I took the Doctor's hand and dragged him towards Kie. Grabbing my son's arm, I pulled the two back to the Tardis.

When I informed my husband and son that they were to change into more appropriate clothes, both grumbled but the Doctor had gone off to get dressed. Kie was more of a challenge. He had inherited both the Doctor and my dislike to formal attire but after a while, he had gone off to change as well. Content, I went to change as well, opting for a mid-thigh length dress and combat shoes. I had thrown the Doctor's old leather jacket on as well before putting my hair up into a messy bun.

Meeting the boys in the console room, I grimaced, seeing the Doctor in his black tux again. Kie on the other hand had chosen to just change his shirt to a white button down, left untucked. Sighing, I led the two back outside and to a large reception area. Meandering around, the singer crooned a slow rendition of Winter Wonderland. I had taken hold of his arm as we looked around, noticing the stares the Doctor'd been receiving from the other women in the room. While Kie chuckled, I found no amusement in my husband being leered at. As we moved past a steward, he offered us a "Merry Christmas" that the Doctor happily replied to. I smiled at the man before pulling the Doctor to the dance floor. While I enjoyed the dance, the Doctor still had two left feet so after a few songs, we hastily made our way off the floor. Instead, we went to mingle, something Kie had been doing for most of the night.

As we spoke to one group, a man passed by us, speaking on his mobile device. "It's not a holiday for me, not while I've still got my vone. Now, do as I say and sell."

I sighed and shook my head, catching the Doctor's attention. "Some people just don't know when to rest. He's practically Scrooge."

The Doctor chuckled and led me towards one of the angels. As we stood before it, I couldn't help but feel wary of the robot. It was another one of my feelings and like most, it was unwelcomed… even if I had felt it the moment we landed. The Doctor on the other hand, was oblivious to my feeling, his curiosity and thirst for knowledge taking the wheel. "Evening. Passengers fifty seven and fifty eight. Terrible memory. Remind me- you would be…"

"Information- heavenly Host, supplying tourist information."

"Good, so, tell me- 'cause I'm an idiot- where are we from?"

"Information- the Titanic is en route from the planet Sto in the Cassavalian Belt. The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures."

I cocked my head to the side, confused. "Who thought of the name, Titanic?"

"Information- it was chosen as the most famous vessel of the planet Earth."

"Obviously the person didn't have much knowledge as to what happened to the ship," I muttered. "Do you know why it's famous?"

"Information- all designations are chosen by Mister Max Capricorn, president of Max, Max, Max-" The host began to twitch and the pitch of its voice rose considerably. As the Doctor reached for his sonic, the Steward rushed over, noticing the hiccup.

"Ooo, bit of a glitch."

"It's all right, sir, ma'am. We can handle this." Two more officers rushed over and switched off the Host before carrying it away. "Software problem- that's all. Leave it with us, sir. Merry Christmas." The steward began to help the others, muttering to them, "That's another one down. What's going on with these things?" Raising an eyebrow, I stored what he said away before the Doctor and I continued on.

Instead of doing anything troublesome, the Doctor and I stood by the stage, silently observing the room. From our spot, I could easily make out Kie speaking with a young woman, a drink in his hand. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him act so much like his father, such a ladies man. I smiled, glancing up at the Doctor for a moment before looking away, a wave of guilt washing over me. While I had been in my original state for almost two years, I had yet to be fully honest with him. There was so much I was hiding, mainly out of fear and shame. Yet, I knew not telling him would cause more pain and possibly anger in the end. I wasn't really ready to tell him though. Maybe it was the fact that we had just reunited or that Kie had actually lived, but the thought of revealing what truly transpired on Gallifrey, what the council and Rassilon had done, sent shivers down my spine. Sighing, I left my thoughts as I heard the crash of glass breaking.

"For Tov's sake, look where you're going. This jacket's a genuine Earth antique." As the man said that, I stormed over. It was the same man who had been speaking on his vone when we first touched down.

"I'm sorry, sir."

"You'll be sorry when it comes off your wages, sweetheart. Staffed by idiots- no wonder Max Capricorn's going down the drain."

"Excuse me but if that's a genuine Earth antique you're wearing, you should probably speak to the person you purchased it from," I snapped. The man stared at me flabbergasted before storming off. Smiling at the woman, I bent down to help her clean, placing the broken glass onto her tray. "Here you go."

"Thank you, ma'am. I can manage."

"Never said you couldn't." I stood. "I'm Rys, by the way."

"Astrid, ma'am- Astrid Peth."

"Just Rys, please. It's a pleasure to meet you, Astrid." As I said that, I felt a hand wrap around my waist. "He's the Doctor."

"Nice to meet you, Astrid Peth. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, sir."

He grimaced. He never did being liked called 'sir'. "Just 'Doctor', not 'sir'."

"You enjoying the cruise?"

"Yeah, I suppose. Well, it's supposed to be a family trip."

"Our son's wandering around somewhere," I told her as I stood, looking around to see if I could find him in the crowd. When I did, I returned my gaze to her. "You're a long way from Planet Sto."

"Doesn't feel that different." She shrugged. "I spent three years working at the spaceport diner, travel all the way here, and I'm still waiting on tables."

"No shore leave?" the Doctor questioned.

"We're not allowed. They can't afford the insurance. I just wanted to try it, just once. I used to watch the ships heading out to the stars and I always dreamt of- it sounds daft."

"You dreamt of another sky- new sun… new air, new life… a whole universe teeming with life." The Doctor deeply inhaled. "Why stand still when there're all that life out there?"

"So, you travel a lot?"

"All the time, just for fun. Well, that's the plan. Never quite works."

"That's because trouble always seems to find you."

"Must be rich, though."

The Doctor leant in to whisper in Astrid's ear. "Haven't got a penny. Stowaways."

"Kidding."

"Nope."

"No."

"Oh, yeah."

"How did you get on board?"

"Accident- I- we've got this, sort of, ship thing. Rys was just rebuilding her, left the defences down, bumped into the Titanic- here we are. Bit of a party. I thought, 'why not'?" I cleared my throat. "Rys thought it would be nice."

"I should report you."

"Go on, then."

"I'll get you a drink… on the house." Astrid winked at us before walking back to the bar.

Not a moment after she was gone, we heard loud, obnoxious laughter. Glancing around, I could help but notice a table filled with toff pointing and laughing at a rather large couple dressed in purple cowboy attire. Frowning, I led the Doctor to their table. I gave the pair a smile and took a seat, the Doctor doing so as well. "Something's tickled them."

"They told us it was fancy dress. Very funny, I'm sure."

"They're just picking on us because we haven't paid. We won our tickets in a competition."

"I had to name the five husbands of Joofie Crystalle in 'By the Light of the Asteroid'. Did you ever watch 'By the Light of the Asteroid'?"

I cocked my head to the side, not recognising the name although from the sound of it, the thing sounded like a soap opera; I never truly cared for them. They were always dull to me, especially with the route my life had taken. "Is that the one with the twins?" I glanced at the Doctor, my eyebrows raised. While I knew he dabbled in just about everything, the fact he watched a day time drama seemed to shock me for some odd reason.

"That's it," the woman remarked excitedly. "Oh, it's marvellous."

"But we're not good enough for that lot. They think we should be in steerage."

I casted a sideways glance to the group before squeezing the Doctor's hand under the table. "Well, can't have that, can we?" He reached into his tuxedo and discreetly aimed the sonic screwdriver at the champagne bottle. Within a moment, the cork popped out and sprayed their expensive clothes with alcohol. As it did so, they cried out in shock.

"Did- Did you do that?" the woman questioned.

"Maybe."

Both laughed, the man clapping his hands as he did so. "We like you." I smiled at them, feeling the same way about the couple.

"We do. I'm Morvin Van Hoff. This is my good woman, Foon."

"Foon. Hello, I'm the Doctor. This is my wife, Rys."

"Hello. It's very nice to meet you."

"Oh, I'm going to need a doctor, time I've finished with that buffet. Have a buffalo wing." The Doctor nodded and grabbed one. The woman gestured for me to take one but I politely declined, not really wanting or craving the food. There was a twist in my stomach, that something was to go wrong soon. "They must be enormous- these buffalo- so many wings." I smiled at her, not wanting to correct her in her happiness.

"Attention please. Shore leave tickets Red Six Seven now activated Red Six Seven."

The pair rummaged through their pockets before pulling out a red ticket. "Red Six Seven. That's us. Are you Red Six Seven?"

"Might as well be."

"Maybe we should get Kie…"

"No need. I'm right here." I turned to see our son standing behind us, smirking at his father. "Nice trick with the toffs."

The Doctor and I shared a conspiratory smile before he shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I rolled my eyes at the boys, content to have them both with me. It had been so long since we'd been together and while I was ecstatic to have them both with me, I only wished SHE were here as well, that SHE'D escaped the Time War. Pushing away those thoughts, I smiled at the two before us. "Foon, Morvin, this is our son, Kie."

"Pleasure to meet you," he said with a slight nod of the head. "So, what's this about shore leave?" I beamed, content he had at least some manners and decorum when meeting new people.

"Right, come on then. We're going to Earth." Smiling after our newfound friends, we walked up to the podium where a man held up a red sign.

"Red Six Seven. Red Six Seven. This way, fast as you can."

"I got you that drink," Astrid said as she reached us. I smiled at her and took the tray, placing it on a nearby table.

"And we've got you a treat. Come on."

"Red Six Seven departing shortly."

The Doctor reached into the jacket and pulled out his psychic paper. "Red Six Seven, plus three."

"Quickly, sir, please, and take your teleport bracelets if you would." He walked up and grabbed the four, handing them out as he returned to us.

Astrid glanced at him, her eyes wide. "I'll get the sack."

"Who cares? It's a brand new sky," Kie quibbled, smirking at the woman, who shyly returned the smile. I couldn't help the smile that formed as I watched the two. It seemed that he had taken quite a liking to her, something that I had no problem with. Younger Kie was always quick to discern whether someone was trustworthy or not, and the fact he had warmed up to Astrid so quickly definitely proved, at least to me, that she was worth keeping around. I grabbed onto the Doctor's arm, smiling up at him. While I was still a bit hesitant to be on the ship, it was nice to at least consider it a fun family vacation, especially after the year that never was, and the loss of Martha.

"To repeat- I am Mister Copper, the ship's historian, and I shall be taking you to old London town in the country of UK, ruled over by good King Wenceslas. Now, human beings worship the great god Santa- a creature with fearsome claws- and his wife Mary." As he spoke, I furrowed my eyebrows- nothing the man said made sense. "And every Christmas Eve, the people of UK go to war with the country of Turkey. They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner, like savages."

The three of us, the Doctor, Kie, and I, exchanged confused glances as the man spoke. Finally seeming to have enough, the Doctor stepped forward, his hand slightly raised. "Excuse me. Sorry, sorry, but, um, where did you get all this from?"

"Well, I have a first class degree in Earthonomics. Now, stand by." As he said that, a spikey little red alien ran up to the podium, squeezing pass everyone else.

"And me! And me! Red Six Seven."

"Well, take a bracelet, please, sir."

"But, um, hold on, hold on." The little alien faced the Doctor. "What was your name?"

"Bannakaffalatta."

"Okay, Bannakaffalatta. But it's Christmas Eve down there- late night shopping, tons of people. He's like a talking conker. No offence," although he said that, Bannakaffalatta looked incredibly offended, "but you'll cause a riot, 'cause the streets are going to be packed with shoppers and parties and- and-" before he could finish, we were teleported to a deserted shopping street. "Oh." The Doctor, Kie, and I looked around, confused as to why and how the streets could be so empty. As his father had said, it was Christmas Eve, people would- SHOULD- be out doing last minute shopping or out at the pub or making their way to see family. Seeing the streets deserted was, well, weird.

"Now, spending money- I have a credit card in Earth currency if you want to by trinkets, or, uh stockings, or the local delicacy, which is known as 'beef'. But don't stray too far, it could be dangerous. Any day now, they start boxing."

"Very good, vey good," Bannakaffalatta remarked, his lips curled in a small smile.

I glanced down at the little red alien, not understanding why he found it so good. Rolling my eyes, I pushed that to the back of my mind, knowing that was nothing of importance. The people around us were basically on vacation, at least for the most part, they were examining a 'primitive' species at most. "It should be full. It should be busy. Something's wrong," the Doctor commented, feeling the same as I did.

"But it's beautiful."

"Think so?" Kie questioned, his eyes wide with shock as he gave Astrid his attention. I could understand why he didn't really see any beauty in it, but for someone who hadn't been anywhere but Sto, I could see why she found it beautiful. "It's just a street, nothing special. If you want beautiful, try the pyramids or New Zealand."

Astrid turned to him, a smile on her face. I was happy she was so excited, that it really was atreat for her. "But it's a different planet. I'm standing on a different planet. T-There's concrete and- and shops- alien shops- real alien shops!" She did a little twirl before pointing up. "Look, no stars in the sky." She took a deep breath, eyes closed as she did so. "And it smells. It stinks! Oh, this is amazing! Thank you!" Excited she hugged the three of us.

"Yeah? Come on then," the Doctor started, taking my hand. "Let's have a look."

Glancing around, I noticed a newsstand with a man in a red hat with what looked to be mistletoe attached to it sitting inside. Leaving Kie and Astrid to explore, I led, well… dragging the Doctor along, to it. Reaching, I saw a Union Flag behind him as he watched the telly. Beside the stand, I noticed a billboard that stated that London was deserted. Scrunching my eyebrows, I wondered what exactly would leave the place desolate. Reaching the man, I put on a smile and waved, startling him a bit. "Hi."

"Hello. What can I do for you?"

"Well, we were wondering where'd everyone go?"

"Oh ho, scared."

"Right, yes." The Doctor quickly glanced around. "Scared of what?"

"Where've you've been living?" the old man scoffed. "London at Christmas- not safe, is it."

"And why's that?"

"Well, it's them, up above. Look, Christmas before last we had that big, bloody spaceship, everyone standing on a roof." I looked away, remembering that Christmas. It wasn't much of a happy memory. "And then last year, that Christmas Star, electrocuting all over the place, draining the Thames."

"The Thames?" I questioned, confused before I shot an accusing glance to the Doctor, knowing he most likely had a hand in it. From his sheepish expression, I knew he was. Shaking my head, I made a mental note to question him about that. Before I could ask another question, Astrid and Kie joined us.

"This place is amazing."

The man gave her a wiry smile before continuing on. "And this year, Lord knows what. So, everybody's scarpered. Gone to the country- all except me and Her Majesty." I nodded at the man, turning my attention to the television.

"Her Majesty the Queen has confirmed that she'll be staying in Buckingham Palace throughout the festive season to show the people of London, and the world, that there's nothing to fear."

"God bless her. We stand vigil," the older gentleman commented, saluting the screen.

"Well, between you and me, I think her Majesty's got it right. Far as I know, this year, nothing to worry about." Just as he finished his statement, we were teleported back to the ship, the Doctor as he was speaking. "I was in mid-sentence." I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. Uh, a bit of a problem." Mr Copper stepped down from the podium. If I could have your bracelets…"

As we removed the teleport bracelets, two stewards joined us. Not to get caught, Astrid hid behind Kie and the Doctor. "Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, and Bannakaffalatta. Uh, we seem to have suffered a power fluctuation. If you'd like to return to the festivities… and on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruise liners, free drinks will be provided."

"Thank you," Foon graciously told the steward as he walked past. When was gone, Astrid left her hiding spot.

"That was the best," she said, hugging us again. "The best!" I smiled at her as she ran back to work. I was happy we could make her day, even if it was just for a bit.

The Doctor, while I know he had heard her, walked up to the stewards, holding up the bracelets. "What sort of power fluctuation?" I cocked my head to the side, waiting for an answer that never came. We were just told not to worry about it, something that did nothing but pique our interest even more. Sighing as they walked away, the Doctor, Kie, and I walked off, the three of us standing near a table as we examined our surroundings. I couldn't help but notice the glances Astrid and Kie shot to each other as she worked. Grinning, I nudged the boy, earning a half-hearted scowl in return.

Taking my attention from the two, it settled on a gold framed video of a bald man with an extremely thin moustache and blue eyes. Supressing a shiver, I made my way towards it, leaving the boys to follow. When they had joined me, I reached into the Doctor's coat pocket and removed the sonic screwdriver and used it to unfasten the frame to get to the wiring. Returning it back to his pocket, I began to rewire the system, pulling up an image of the ship's status and seeing that the shields were offline. From the corner of my eye, I saw the two move over to the nearest porthole. The Doctor opened his mind to me, showing the three meteors that were heading straight to the ship. Opening the communication system, I called up to the bridge. "Where's the captain? Does he know there's a storm coming in?"

The Doctor joined me, speaking to the man and telling him the position of the storm. "West zero by north two."

"Who is this?"

"Never mind that, your shields are down! Check your scanners, Captain. You've got meteoroids coming in and no shielding."

"You have no authorisation. You will clear the comms at once."

"Oh for goodness sake, you moron, look starboard!" I angrily spat. Only an idiot would ignore a threat of danger, and with the amount of loss that would occur, it was best to handle it as quickly as possible. There was no need for people to die. The captain, however, seemed to take no heed to us and instead, from the corner of my eye I saw a steward approach us.

"Come with us please," a steward lowly ordered as he joined us. He seemed to want to make as less od a fuss as he possibly could. Just as he went to grab me, Kie's hand reached out, swiftly taking hold of it. The man grimaced in pain as Kie bent his hand back, almost snapping it before I stopped him. Surly I appreciated it, but there was no need to break the man's hand when he hadn't laid a finger on me. Two other stewards joined us, each grabbing hold of Kie.

"Get off of him, this instant." Instead of listening to me, he and the Doctor were dragged away, leaving me to follow. They seemed to not want to deal with the wrath of either of my boys so no one dared touch me. It was a smart move but I really hated seeing them being carted away like prisoners.

"You've got a rock storm heading straight for this ship and the shields are down!" the Doctor angrily snapped. Before we had left the reception, the Doctor broke free of his captors and ran onto the stage, snatching the microphone from the still crooning singer. "Everyone, listen to me! This is an emergency! Get to the lifeb-" a Host had gone up behind him and placed a hand over his mouth, delivering him back to the stewards. "Look out the window!" he yelled as we were taken away. As we were, Astrid and the Van Hoffs followed behind us.

I sighed from my position behind them. "Just check the shields. See for yourself."

Astrid ran forward. "Sir, I can vouch for them!"

"Uh, Steward, they- they've just had a bit too much to drink."

"They haven't had a thing, Mr Van Hoff," Kie hastily defended. "My parents wouldn't cause this much of a stir unless there was danger."
"Sir," Mr Copper cut in, turning from where he stood, "something seems to have gone wrong. All the teleports have gone down."

"Not now!" the Steward yelled at the old man as he struggled to move the Doctor along.

"The shields are down. We're going to get hit!" The Doctor exclaimed as we were led down a corridor that seemed to be in the bowels of the ship, with gages and stored chairs.

"Nothing seems to be working!" Mr Copper was barely heard as everyone else had begun to speak. I groaned, rolling my eyes at the dysfunction. The whole thing was bringing about a headache that I knew would just cause me to be even more irate.

The man who had yelled at Astrid when we'd first met her rushed in, a panicked and somewhat angry expression on his visage. "Oi, Steward! I'm telling you, the shields are down!"

"Listen to him. Listen to him!" the Doctor ordered.

Suddenly there was an explosion that sent us all to the ground, causing some of the ship's mechanics nearby to explode and catch fire. As there was another impact, another fire ensued, the electricity sparking and crackling. The ship seemed to rotate, sending us spiralling. "Help me! Help me!" Foon cried out as the Doctor grabbed onto me and I grabbed onto Kie, each of us holding the other close.

"It's alright, sweetheart. Come on," Morvin said to her as he helped her back onto her feet.

"Shush. It's stopping." The Doctor helped me onto my feet, giving Kie and me a once over. "You all right?"

"Yeah," I replied, before turning my attention to the blonde waitress and seeing that Kie was already helping her up. "Astrid?"

"I think so."

"Bad name for a ship. Either that or this suit is really unlucky." He bent down, taking the pulse of one of the stewards. Shaking his head, he informed his co-worker, the Chief Steward, that he hadn't made it through the blast. It was sad, but they had been warned and with that warning, there was enough time to put up the shields. Whoever the captain was, I could only hope he had made it through the blast.

"It's the suit. Every time you wear the bloody thing, something like this happens." He shrugged and placed a chaste kiss atop my head.

"Er, e-e-everyone… Ladies and gentlemen and Bannakaffalatta… I must apologise on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruise-liners. We seem to have had a small collision."

I cocked an eyebrow at the man. While I understood it was his job, and he was trying to calm everyone, it was extremely idiotic to say that what just happened was a 'small collision'. Morvin felt the same. "Small?!" he emphasised in outrage.

"Do you know how much I paid for my ticket?" I rolled my eyes at the man, disliking him more and more. People have died and all he cared about was how much he spent for a ticket. It was disgusting. To keep from smacking the man, I moved towards a panel, trying to evaluate the situation. The Doctor had tried to hand me his sonic but I pushed it back to him. While he was dependant on the thing, unless I really couldn't get into something, I wanted to use my hands. It was a way ogf keeping my mind sharp.

"If I could have silence, ladies and gentlemen," the Chief Steward practically begged, exasperated by how disgruntled they were, something that made sense due to the circumstance. "Quiet!" the man yelled when he couldn't take them all shouting at him. It immediately silenced them and he gave a tense but satisfied grin. "Thank you. I-I-I'm sure Max Capricorn Cruise-liners will be able to reimburse you for any inconvenience."

As I disconnected and reconnected wires, I saw Astrid move from Kie towards Mister Copper from the corner of my eye. "Are you all right, Mr Copper?" I heard her ask. I couldn't help but smile. It was nice to know that she cared about the wellbeing of others. It was people like her that brought a smile to my face during tense and dangerous situations. Turning my attention back to the panel's wiring, I continued my work, shaking my head when the Doctor offered me his sonic again.

"B-B-But first I would point out… that we're very much alive."

"Oh, Doctor!" Astrid called out, causing the older Time Lord to move from my side and over to her. Finally glancing up from my work, I saw that Mr Copper had been injured. She was dabbing his cut with her apron. It wasn't too bad, just a scrape on his forehead, but Astrid must have thought that was something horrible. Maybe it was just the fact that my idea of an injury was a lot different than hers.

"Are you all right?"

"She is, after all, a fine a sturdy ship," the Steward continued on. "If- If you could all stay here while I ascertain," he moved towards a nearby hatch, "the exact nature of the- the situation…"

"Stop! Don't touch that," I ordered as he placed his hand on the lever. The steward glanced at me a moment before he rolled his eyes and returned to opening the hatch.

"Don't open it!" the Doctor cried a second before the door opened and the Steward was sucked out into space. We all grabbed hold of the nearest fixed object, me making sure to keep a firm grip on Kie. The Doctor quickly made his way towards the panel where Kie and I were stationed and soniced the control panel, the screen changing from 'Vacuum Breach' to 'Oxygen Sheild'.

"Oxygen shield stabilised."

Happily and luckily, we all settled our feet back onto the floor. Most were catching their breaths, calming down from what had happened. "Everyone all right? Rys? Kie?" we nodded. "Astrid?"

"Yeah."

"Foon?" She nodded, giving him a thumbs up. "Morvin? Mr Copper?" the two just answered with heavy breathing. "Bannakaffalatta?"

"Yes."

"You," he said, nodding to the man with the vone, "what was your name?"

"Uh, Rickston Slade."

"You all right?"

"Yeah, no thanks to that idiot."

"Excuse me?" I grounded out. There was something about the man that screamed superiority complex and a large part of me wanted to beat it out of him.

"The steward just died," Astrid snapped.

"Then he's a dead idiot." She gasped and began to make her way to him.

"Do you have no respect? He did what he thought was right, he was just following the procedure he was taught."

"All right, calm down." The Doctor stopped and kissed my temple; his words happened to have been meant for me so it seemed. "Just stay still, all of you. Hold on." He walked towards the door, staring out into space. Kie, Astrid and I joined him, seeing the debris and the dead floating around.

"What happened?" Astrid questioned. "How come the shields were down?"

"I don't think it was an accident."

"It wasn't," I confirmed. After going through everything, and seeing all the evidence, I was more inclined to believe the whole thing was some man's scheme. Whoever it was, had no care for the lives of others, that much was very clear.

"How many dead?" I sighed. Of course humans would focus on that aspect. It was a part of their nature.

"We're alive- just focus on that. We will get you out of here, Astrid, I promise." He grabbed her shoulders, making her look at him. "Look at me. I promise." The terrified woman nodded, but only after receiving a nod from Kie. The two really were adorable. "Good. Now, if we can get to Reception, I've got a spaceship tucked away." I grabbed his arm, seeing the Tardis amongst the debris. I tried to point him to it, but he was still in his own head. "We can all get on board and- Oh." He finally followed my instruction and looked back out the hatchway and spotted the Tardis.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Came the frantic questions that the three of us didn't want to answer. Our lifeline was gone, our home... floating amidst the dead and destroyed, on its way to Earth.

"That's our ship over there."

"Where?" Astrid queried, moving to the window and looking out.

"There-" Kie pointed out. "That box, that blue box."

"That's a spaceship?"

"Yeah. It's great."

"It's a bit small."

"Bit distant, wouldn't you say, dear?" He nodded in agreement. "Thing is, once it's set adrift, it's programmed to lock onto the nearest centre of gravity… which happens to currently be Earth." Well, it could be worse. She could have been hurtling towards the sun. The thought didn't go unnoticed by the Doctor who shot me a small glare. I could understand why it would upset him, but it was the truth. While we were trapped on the ship, not particularly sure of what was going on, the Tardis was fine, and that's what mattered to me.

After moving away from the hatch, the Doctor and I moved towards the comms while Kie and Astrid went over to the others in the group. I was worried about the others who were on the ship, crew and guests... those who weren't with us. The number of people I'd seen floating about brought me to think that not many survived the impact and those who hadn't made it outside were either safe or injured, some possibly dead under debris. It was a sad occasion, but I was truly curious as to why this had happened. Why would someone do such a thing. Then again, most things tended to boil down to money, a possible reason for all the death. Sighing, I returned my attention back to the Doctor who was calling the bridge. When there was no response, he tried again. "Bridge. Is there anyone there?"

"This is the bridge."

"Oh hello, sailor. Good to hear you. What's the situation up there?"

"Aah! We've got air. The oxygen field is holding, but the Captain- he's dead." The man began to cry. "He did it. Oh, my vot. He took down the shields. There was nothing I could do. I tried. I did try."

"It's all right, just calm down," I softly told him. It was the best I could do to sooth him, ease him from his panic. He sounded young, probably fresh out of school. Still, he had tried to do something and honestly, he needed to remain calm more than anyone. He was in the bridge after all. He could help us through, be our eyes. "Tell me your name. Really don't want to call you sailor the whole time," I jested, earning a small chuckle from him.

"Midshipman Frame."

The Doctor grinned. "Nice to meet you, sir. What's the state of the engines?"

"They're, um… hold on." A strangled groan came over the comms. "My vot."

My eyes widened in alarm, realising he was probably injured in the blast. It wasn't something most left unscathed. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm all right," Frame answered through a sharp breath. That did nothing to make me believe him but it did make me admire the poor man a bit more. "Oh, my vot. They're- They're cycling down."

"That's a nuclear storm drive, yes?"

"Yeah."

"The moment they're gone, we lose orbit."

Frame gasped. "The planet."

"Oh, yes. If we hit the planet, the nuclear storm explodes and wipes out life on Earth. Midshipman, I need you to fire up the engine containment field and feed it back into the core."

"This is never going to work."

"Trust me, it'll keep it engines going until we can get to the bridge."

"We're going to die," Foon cried out hysterically. It saddened me but the situation did seem hopeless, not that I was ever going to admit it. With the Doctor, Kie and me around, we could figure something out, we could save the survivors.

"Are you saying someone's done this on purpose?" Copper asked from his spot on the floor, seeming to have grasped onto what Midshipman Frame had said.

"We are- We're going to die." I ground my teeth, feeling myself grow irritated with the overwrought woman.

"We're just a cruise ship."

"Okay, okay." I interrupted him, shushing everyone in the corridor. The Doctor nodded in thanks. "Just- Just- first things first- One, we're going to climb through this ship. 'B'."

"Two, dear."

"Right. Two, we're going to reach the bridge. Three. Or 'C'. We're going to save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low four, or 'D', or that little 'iv' in brackets they use in footnotes- why. Right then, follow me." He turned to walk down the corridor, taking my hand as he did so.

"Hang on a moment. Who put you in charge? And who the hell are you, anyway?" Slade spat.

He stopped and released my hand, taking a few strides towards the group. "I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred and three years old, and I'm the man who's going to save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?"

"No."

"In that case, allons-y!" Turning around he grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me along a smirk on his lips. It seemed my thoughts had filtered over to him as he made his speech and he knew just how sexy it was. If the situation wasn't so dire, I'd have suggested we'd find a cupboard or something for a while. He squeezed my hand, promising we'd disappear once it was all over.

With that said and the promise made, the three of us led the way through the corridor, the others following promptly and thankfully, silently, at least on their end. As we walked, Kie spent most of the time pointing jokes at his father's speech. While it irritated him a bit, the Doctor chuckled on, letting him have his fun. I found fun in his teasing, joining in at some points, although I had stopped after a while, remembering the times Rose and I had done the same. Taking in a breath, I turned to check on the others, making sure they were keeping up. Content that they were, I turned back, releasing the Doctor's hand as we came to a stairwell. He and Kie pushed the bulkhead door open, forcing it open against the debris that held it closed.

"Careful. Follow me." He stepped through and moved what sounded like a metal grate. Nodding, I cautiously and speedily moved through the door, doing my best not to hit any of the debris, in case it was unstable or there was a live electric cord lying about somewhere. We'd encountered plenty of those and Slade had almost been shocked a few times, not that I'd have much of an issue if it had happened.

"Rather ironic, but this is very much in the spirit of Christmas," Mr Copper stated as he walked through the doorway and followed us up the staircase. As he spoke, the Doctor moved some loose rubble aside. "It's a festival of violence. They say that human beings only survive… depending on whether they've been good or bad. I- It's barbaric."

"Actually, that's not true. Christmas is a time of- of peace and thanksgiving and…" I cocked an eyebrow and he met my eyes. "What am I on about? My Christmases are always like this."

"Glad you know. One of these days we'll have a normal, proper Christmas," I mused before seeing a Host. "A Host."

"Strength of ten. If we can mend it, we can use it to fix the rubble."

"We can do robotics- both of us," Morvin responded.

"We work on the milk market back on Sto. It's all robot staff."

"See if you can get it working." The couple nodded and got to work. "Let's have a look," he said motioning his head upstairs. When we reached a certain point, we found it blocked by a shedload of wreckage.

"It's blocked." I rolled my eyes. Thank you Captain Obvious.

"Which means?"

"We shift it," Astrid replied to Kie.

"That's the attitude. Rickston, Mister Copper, and you, Bannakaffalatta- look, can I just call you 'Banna'? It's going to save a lot of time."

"No! Bannakaffalatta." I giggled at the man's refusal. It was how the Doctor got when people called him 'Doc'.

"All right then, Bannakaffalatta, there's a gap in the middle. See if you can get through."

He made his way up to us and to the gap. Bannakaffalatta inspected it for a moment before turning to us. "Easy. Good." Bannakaffalatta said as he started through. When he was halfway, the ship shook and the debris shifted a bit, some of it falling from their place, and giving me a small fright for the little red alien.

"This whole thing could come crashing down any minute!"

"Oh, Rickston, I forgot- did you get that message?"

He shook his head and stared at the Doctor in confusion. "No, what message?"

"Shut up!" he and Kie snapped at the same time. I smirked as Rickston rolled his eyes and scoffed. Luckily before he could respond, Bannakaffalatta spoke.

"Bannakaffalatta- made it."

"Ugh! I'm small enough, I can get through." Astrid said as she pushed past us and into the gap.

"Just be careful, Astrid."

"I'm fine."

"Thing is… how are Mr and Mrs Fatso going to get through that gap?"

"Oh, I don't know, you arse. We're going to make it bigger. Now get to it," I snapped, grabbing some of the debris and forcefully placing it in his hand. I was officially irritated with the man. People like him often left me in a sour mood and it seemed that witnessing people being wronged still pushed my buttons. I wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into him but that would do nothing to help the situation. Instead, I focused on moving as much of the debris as possible.

A moment later, the Van Hoff's laughter floated up to us. "What happened- did they find a doughnut?"

"Rickston, shut the hell up."

"Rys, you next." I was about to argue but the desire to get as far away from Rickston kept me from doing so. Taking a quick breath, I crawled through, mentally letting the Doctor know I was fine.

"We can clear it from this side," Astrid said. "Just say if it starts moving." Astrid grunted as she pulled out a rod. When it was mostly out, I grabbed the end, moving it away from the area. She turned a bit, her eyes falling on the little alien who laid of to the side. "Bannakaffalatta, what's wrong?"

"Shh."

"What is it?"

"Can't say."

I turned to him. "Have you been hurt?"

He shook his head. "Ashamed."

"Of what?"

"Poor Bannakaffalatta." He opened his dress shirt to reveal a metal torso with four buttons and flashing red lights.

"You're a cyborg."

"Had accident… long ago- secret."

"No, but everything's changed now. Cyborgs are getting equal rights. They passed a law back on Sto. You can even get married."

"Marry you?" I smiled at his question. It was adorable to witness, even thought the timing couldn't have been more worse. Still, Astrid had another admirer to add to her list.

Astrid chuckled. "Well, you can buy me a drink first. Come on," Astrid lifted up his shirt and pressed two of the buttons, "let's recharge you. Just… stay there for a bit."

"Tell no one."

"I promise."

"Me too." I promised him. I knew what it was like to keep something hidden and I wasn't going to reveal anything unwanted. "Your secret's safe with us."

"Mum?"

"What's going on up there?"

I rolled my eyes at my two and gestured for Astrid to call down to them. "Oh, I think Bannakaffalatta and I just got engaged." She looked back at the spikey red alien who started to laugh.

As we continued to remove the debris, we heard the yelling on the other side. Astrid and I exchanged a quick glance before we started to move the debris at a quicker rate. Suddenly Rickston forced his way through the gap, pushing me to the floor as he came through. Gathering myself, I pushed him aside, practically growling at the man. "What the hell's going on?"

Before he could reply, Kie spoke, his voice angry. I could tell he'd probably had enough of the situation and of Slade. "It's the Host. They've gone mad."

"Where's your father?"

"Where do you think?"

I sighed, knowing he was most likely with the Host. "Wait, what about the Van Hoffs?"

"They're coming up now."

"I'll never get through there."

"Yes, you can. Let me go first," I heard Mr Copper say before he wiggled his way through, making the gap bigger as he did so. When he'd finally made it through, Kie ordered Foon in. As she did so, she stopped.

"Now I'm stuck!"

"Come on, you can do it!"

The debris soon began to shift. "It's going to collapse," Copper cried as he grabbed a metal bar and levelled the debris as Astrid and I pulled Foon through. I then noticed that Mr Copper was struggling to hold the whole thing up. "Rickston, vot damn it, help me."

"No way." I growled and did everything in my power not to turn on the man and rip him a new one. Instead, I turned my attention to Kie.

"Kie, go on," his fther stated. "Try to widen it a bit more." Kie did so and was soon standing beside Copper, helping him keep the rubble from crumpling. When his eyes flashed on Slade, they took and angry gleam to them but he said nothing. "Morvin, get through!" Morvin did as told but just as Foon had, he got stuck.

"He's stuck!" Astrid voiced.

"Mister van Hoff, I know we've only just met, but you'll have to excuse me." Morvin suddenly popped through.

"That's it. We've got you, Doctor, come on, get through."

"No point in saying that, Astrid." She gave me a questioning look. I sighed and grabbed onto the pipe we were using, my eyes trained on the hole she, Morvin, Mr Copper, Kie, and I were struggling to keep from collapsing. "He's going to try to get whatever information he can before he does."

"Why?"

"Because he's an idiot."

"I can't hold it!" Copper cried a minute before the Doctor came through.

"Thank you. Let go!" Copper released the bar and the debris smashed down onto the Host's head. "And for the record, I am not an idiot." I raised an eyebrow at him. "All right I am, but I'm your idiot," he submitted, kissing my temple, only to receive a whack from me. Realising he'd actually scared me, he pulled me into a tight embrace, waiting for me to calm down some.

21/4/2015

Hey there all. So, its been a while since I've published anything and I'm so sorry for that. I've been going through personal things and whatnot. Writing hasn't been much of a priority as of late. With that said though, I did want to update since I do enjoy reading your reviews. I'm planning on doing so at least once a week. It seems I need to have some sort of schedule in place to keep me posting. I will say that next week will be a bit dodgy since I have 5 papers due so I might not get to update. You've been forewarned. Now, onto the reviews. Thanks to everyone who did so, favourited and followed. It means the world to me.

Squidtastik: Hope your spring break went well, even with the cold. I'll definitely check out your fic.

NicoleR85: Haha same. River is a funny sort of character and will always be. In this fic, it's fun to think of how they'd all be together but I do have a twist for her and it will be fantastic (at least I think so).

PhoenixTheTimeLady: I adore Five so much. Haha, yep, I've read your story and I do enjoy it. Can't wait to see what you do for Time Crash. Thanks so much. It really is awesome when two people read each other's stories. I'm just going to need you to update haha since I've basically finished up the first person version.

Takara Matsudaira: Same. It's so surreal. I never thought it would be this popular. I remember when it only had a few reads and no feedback or anything. Yep, I definitely know that feeling. Usually I play Dragon Age or if it's Her Secrets related, I listen to the soundtrack music. It tends to help me focus. I'm trying to find a new job as well. I've been applying to at least two on a somewhat daily basis. It's like no one's hiring where I live and while I could travel and don't mind doing so, I would like one close to home, you know? So glad you enjoyed the chapter. It is one of my favourites as well and I'm glad the chapter was so well received. I'll be PMing you in a bit though.

tardiscompanion101: Same, it should have been an episode on its own. Thanks so you enjoyed it. Hope you liked the first part of Voyage of the Damned.