An hour had passed according to Martha's watch since the death of Max Capricorn. In that hour, the Doctor had successfully sent a mass decommission order through the Host and the murderous robots now lay dormant across the ship…along with the countless bodies of their victims. The day had been won but at a terrible cost and it was a grim reminder to Martha why she'd left this life behind.

When he was finished, the Doctor had gone back to the TARDIS to tend to Rose. In that time, Martha, armed with the ship's first aid supplies, tended to the wounds on Midshipman Alonso Frame, the man responsible for keeping the ship in the air (figuratively) as long as it had.

Alonso was surprised and then pleased to discover she was a native of the planet below rather than a passenger like he had originally assumed. When she thanked him for protecting her planet, whether or not that had been his intention, he blushed brightly and told her it had been his duty and honor and that anyone else would've done the same. She fixed him with a solemn look and told him, "No. Not everyone."

The Doctor returned ten minutes later with the survivors they'd taken on board the TARDIS. He informed Martha that Rose been given a non-narcotic painkiller and was going to continue monitoring the controls until they could get back to help her. Part of her wanted to protest. The injury Rose had sustained was enough to leave a normal person out of commission and by rights Rose should be resting. But she knew the Doctor was more than competent in medicine, more familiar with how Rose's physiology worked than she was, and his judgment on the situation was best.

Martha finished with Alonso then he went to speak with the Doctor and she turned her attention to the ragtag team of survivors. They all seemed worse for the wear (to put it lightly) she didn't blame them one bit. The older man, Mr. Copper, had taken a blow to the head and someone had applied a rudimentary bandage to it. She cleaned the wound and redid the dressing. While she did, he asked her the strangest questions that stemmed from a very inaccurate knowledgebase of Earth and she wasn't sure whether or not to humor him or correct him. The other man, a lofty fellow called Rickston, seemed virtually unharmed and when she'd asked if he needed any medical help, he'd given her a look of distaste and walked away.

The last survivor, a heavy woman wearing an odd purple cowgirl getup, had no visible physical injuries. She just stood there, staring out at nothing with a look of apathy.

"What's your name?" Martha asked her gently.

"Foon," she replied softly.

"Are you injured, Foon?"

The woman's jaw quivered. "No." But she was clearly not unharmed. Martha didn't have to be a doctor to see that.

"Rose said some people had died on the way here." She hesitated, choosing her next words carefully. "Did you…lose someone?"

"M-my husband," Foon whispered. "He just…he fell and…the Doctor promised…"

Martha put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to lose the people you're closest to…and I know there's nothing I can say to help. But I am sorry."

"Thank you."

Then Martha turned her attention to the last survivor: Astrid. She had barely said a word since she'd killed Max Capricorn. She kept to herself in the corner of the lobby, scarcely looking at the others. She glanced up as Martha approached and gave her a small smile.

"How are you holding up?" Martha asked.

Astrid didn't respond. Martha leaned against the wall next to her and folded her arms to wait. She didn't want to pressure her but she didn't feel comfortable leave without getting an answer because once she got back on the TARDIS, she had no plans of getting setting foot onto Titanic again. She wouldn't put it past a ship like this to have one last terrible surprise in store and she didn't want to be around for it.

"I…think I'll be okay," Astrid replied half a minute later.

Martha nodded slowly. "I think you will be, too."

She swallowed. "Martha…can I ask you something?"

"Well, you just did." Martha cracked a grin at her. "Go on, then."

Astrid looked across the room to the Doctor. "Why did you leave them? I mean, you were with them so long…"

Martha sighed. This was the opportunity she'd been hoping for earlier. She didn't want to scare Astrid away from travelling in the TARDIS because it really wasa wonderful experience and so few were ever given the opportunity. It wasn't something that should be turned down lightly. Astrid just needed to understand what she was getting into, especially now that she'd experienced first hand the kind of situations they dealt with and the choices that had to be made.

"Why did you stop travelling?" Astrid finished.

She took a deep breath and chose her words with care. "I love them. Both of them. They're brilliant, fun, and kind. You've seen it for yourself. They're never afraid to step in and help anyone just because they can. But they're frustrating, enigmatic, and both stubborn as hell when they wanna be and you should be thankful the two of them have got their feelings for each other sorted out 'cos that was a bloody nightmare to live with."

Astrid chuckled.

"They're the easy part," Martha went on. "They can be the best friends you've ever had. Rose is like my sister. The Doctor…I don't know what he is to me, exactly. But he is wonderful. But he's also like fire." She turned her head and when Astrid did the same, she looked her dead in the eye. "And fire's nice. It can save your life…but if you stand to close you'll get burnt."

"Did you?" Astrid asked.

Martha simply nodded.

"And Rose?"

"Oh, completely scorched. But she's fine with that. For whatever reason, this is the life she chose, and she's great at it. In a lot of ways, she's become part of the fire herself. She was meant for this, I think, and she might be the only person in the universe who is. But the rest of us…"

"And that's why you left." Astrid realized.

Martha's pursed her lips and nodded solemnly. "I wish there had been someone there to warn me before I got onboard. I'm not telling you that you shouldn't go with them. I had the time of my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But things happened along the way and…" she shrugged. "It changed me. It'll change you, too. You aren't even travelling with them yet and it's already changed you."

Astrid lowered her gaze and did not respond.

"You'll need to decide soon, though. He never asks twice. Just make sure you can live with your decision."

The other woman exhaled loudly through her nose. Martha shrugged off the wall and walked away.

Packing away the medical kit Alonso had supplied her, Martha put the teleport bracelet back on her arm and used it to return to the TARDIS. When she materialized, she found Rose slumped in her hoverchair. Her face was ashen and her expression was one of exhaustion. She glanced up, seeing Martha, and she plastered on one of her winning smiles but Martha wasn't fooled.

"How is everyone?" Rose asked.

"They're fine. Relatively." Martha said, shutting the door, then walked across the room towards Rose. "Now it's time to focus on you. You look like shit. Didn't he give you painkillers?"

Rose's smile melted away as quickly as it had arrived and she allowed her shoulders to slump. "They're not perfect."

Martha stopped a foot away from her, removed her teleport bracelet, and set it on the edge of the console. She took a moment to study her friend. She wore a deep green evening gown that would've fit in with the styles of the original Titanic but now bore rips and tatters and, if she was not mistaken, the nasty rip in the region of her leg had blood stains around it. The skin underneath looked fine but Martha knew that meant absolutely nothing. Her hair looked like it had been in some sort of bun but mostly hung bedraggled around her face and her makeup had smudged and smeared. Rose must have looked absolutely stunning with the night began but events had taken their toll.

"How are you?" Martha asked.

Rose blinked, stunned. Like she could hardly understand such a simple question. Her eyes flicked downward. "I…" Her shoulders shuddered and when she took her next breath, it was rough and shaky.

Martha closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her without hesitation. If there was one thing Martha had learned was that Rose's tears did not come easily and after the paradox had begun they became even more infrequent. She was always trying to be strong for others but that could only work for so long. Martha had no idea the time or events that had transpired since this Rose had seen her last, but she doubted Rose had changed that fundamentally since then. And after today, after all the death and destruction and the trauma to her own body…

"It's okay," Martha soothed. "It's okay now." Rose continued to tremble. "It's over."

"It was supposed to just be a lark!" Rose said softly, words muffled by Martha's shoulder. "A little party. Something after a week of bein' stuck in here. Just—just fun. B-but it went so w-wrong and—and if we hadn't been here, everyone would be…"

Martha froze. That's right. If the Doctor and Rose hadn't stumbled across this ship, then by now everyone on the planet below would be dead. She would be dead. It was by pure luck that the Earth wasn't more than a smoking heap now. That didn't make her feel any better.

She drew back. "I'm going to go get some supplies from the infirmary, okay? Will you be alright while I'm gone?"

Rose nodded, sniffling. When Martha left, she wiped her eyes furiously with the back of her hand. Now was not the time to be losing it. This still wasn't over yet.

Times like these though were when she remembered just how much she missed having Martha around. They'd had other guests onboard since her departure but it wasn't the same. Not even close. She sometimes wondered if it ever quite would be and highly doubted it each time. The Doctor told her he'd extended a travelling invitation to Astrid but who knew how long the Stoan woman would want to stay?

She looked down at her tattered dress and desperately wished she could change out of it. As the thought crossed her mind, she heard the rustling of clothes and looked up to see a folded powdery blue garment on the edge of the console and a single white sock on top. Her lips parted in surprise and a small laugh escaped. Laughing and crying at the same time, oh she was a mess. Rose wiped her eyes with her hand again and took a few deep breaths.

Rose? the Doctor thought, sensing her jumbled emotions. You alright?

Not even close, she replied. I love you, though.

Do you need me to come back?

Martha's taking care of me. Get everything sorted so you won't have to go back there once you leave.

Will do.

Martha returned not long after with a brace that Rose had, unfortunately, used before plus an ace bandage, scissors, and medical tape. Rose sat as still as possible in her hoverchair with her eyes on the monitor as Martha used the scissors to cut through the rudimentary bandage they'd hastily made earlier for the trek to theTARDIS. Martha was careful not to jostle her foot too much but even if she did Rose wouldn't have been able to tell. The painkiller she was on had some icky side effects but her foot was so numb she couldn't even feel her body healing it.

"Can you help me get out of this dress next?" Rose asked as Martha expertly wrapped her foot with the ace bandage. "The TARDIS already provided me something new."

Martha hummed affirmatively. While traveling and especially during their months walking the Earth, they'd gotten more than comfortable enough around each other for such tasks to not be awkward. Even after all this time, Rose was still okay with it.

Martha finished wrapping her foot and applied tape to hold it in place. "Lift your foot so I can get this on." she ordered, reaching for the brace.

"I, um…" Rose tried lifting her foot experimentally but she was numb from pretty much the knee down. Martha saw her struggling and held her lower leg up with one hand and positioned the brace beneath her foot with the other. Easing her foot down into the brace, she folded the front over and adjusted the straps until (Rose assumed) it was securely on her foot.

"There you go." Martha declared as she stood up. "Now how are we doing this?"

Rose showed her how to unlace the gown then sat still while Martha made quick work of it. She pulled her arms out of her sleeves and let it pool around her waist. Martha handed her the powdery blue garment that turned out to be a simple short-sleeved dress. Rose slid it on over her head and then Martha helped her to her feet so the evening gown could fall to the floor. A little bit of maneuvering and the new dress fell neatly to her knees.

She collapsed back into her hoverchair gratefully. "Oh, that feels so much better," Rose sighed.

"Good." Martha smiled. "Mind if I make a call real quick, though? I, uh, should probably tell Tom to not wait up."

"Probably for the best." Rose agreed. "I don't want to promise you we'll have you back before morning just in case it doesn't work."

Martha made a face then excused her self from the console room to make the call. Rose sighed again and shifted around in her chair. She asked the TARDIS for a pillow and the one she used in her bed appeared in her lap, distinguishable by its light pink pillowcase. She put it behind her back and shifted around to get comfortable.

We're on our way now, the Doctor reported in her mind.

Okay, Rose replied. …Wait. We?

And not a moment later, three figures materialized in the TARDIS just a few precarious feet from her. Rose blinked and the forms of the Doctor, Astrid, and Mr. Copper solidified. Rose sat up straighter in her chair. This was unexpected, Mr. Copper especially.

"What's goin' on?"

"Nothing major." The Doctor assured her. "We're just giving Mr. Copper a bit of a lift, that's all. And Astrid—"

Astrid stepped forward, cutting him off. "I came to say goodbye."

Rose's heart sank. The Doctor told her what had happened on Deck 31 but she wasn't expecting it to completely change Astrid's mind about travelling. "Not coming, then?"

Astrid shook her head. "No. I-I can't. Not after this. I want to, I really do, but I can't go through something like this again. I don't ever want to…be put in a position where I have to kill again."

"I'm sorry you ever were," the Doctor apologized quietly.

"It was my choice," Astrid said resolutely. "And I'm glad I was able to save you and I'm glad you all saved me. But I just can't go. I want to go home. To Sto. I've talked to Foon and we're going to stay in contact. I want to help her. Besides, one of us needs to be able to tell the truth about what happened and I'm not going to let that be Rickston."

"Good thinking," Rose agreed with a nod. This life wasn't for everyone and that was fine. Astrid had made up her mind and Rose wasn't going to try to change it. She smiled at her, held out her hand, and the Stoan woman curled her warm fingers around it gently.

"I'm glad I got to meet you," she told them honestly. "Both of you. And I wish you the best of luck."

"You too."

"I'd say be safe but, uh," she laughed. "I don't think that's going to happen."

"Yeah, probably right," Rose agreed and let go of her hand.

"Will you be alright?" Astrid nodded to her foot, propped up on the footrest of the hoverchair.

"Mmhmm, just a few more hours and I'll be all better," Rose lied. Her physical wounds would heal but the unseen ones left from today would take far longer. "This is mostly just for comfort and safety in the meantime. Though, to be honest, I can't feel a thing." She grinned. "Numb from the knee down."

"And a bit gray," she noted.

"Yeah, there is that. But don't worry—it's safe. I think."

"Just a bit ahead of the times, that medicine," the Doctor reassured them both. "It's quite safe and it's the strongest I've got onboard she can have. She can sleep off the side-effects and will be right as rain in the morning!"

"And…rain is very right, then?" Astrid queried unsurely.

"Well, actually…" the Doctor began then trailed off, looking puzzled. "I honestly don't know where that idiom comes from. Rain isn't particularly right at all. But it's not wrong, either."

"I'll be okay," Rose interjected quickly with a heartening smile. "You don't need to worry about us.

"I think I always will, in some measure," she admitted before leaning down to hug her. "Thank you for showing me Earth," she whispered.

"You're welcome," Rose answered at the same volume.

Astrid pulled away, straightening, and turned to the Doctor. "Well then, Doctor…" she held out her hand. He blinked at it then extended his hand to shake hers. She laughed, shaking her head. "I need your teleport bracelets back."

"Oh! Yes, right." He fumbled with the device on his wrist. "Of course."

Both men removed their bracelets and Astrid plucked Martha's discarded one off the edge of the console. "Well, this is it. …Thank you again. I mean it. Thank you. We'd all be dead without you."

"It was our honor," the Doctor said.

Astrid smiled and pressed a tiny button on her bracelet. "Goodbye, Doctor, Rose."

"You take care, Astrid Peth."

There was a small flash of light and Astrid's form shimmered then disappeared from sight for the last time. Rose exhaled sadly and sat back in her chair. Silence followed save for the hum of the TARDIS around them.

"I think she'll be alright," Mr. Copper said after a moment.

Rose raised her eyebrows at him. "Where are we taking you?"

"I was thinking Earth," the Doctor anwered conversationally. "He actually has a decent grasp of the English language, enough that he could pass for a non-native speaker. Martha or Jack could easily get him the papers he needs. Speaking of the good doctor, where's she gone?"

"She's calling Tom."

"Ah." the Doctor made a face. "It's pre-revelation days for her, right? Ooh, this could be awkward if she misses Christmas. He's not supposed to find out for another six months or so, right?"

"I'd be more worried about Francine. She likes you now but I wouldn't put it past her to have a go at you over this."

"Are all humans inherently violent?" Mr. Copper fretted.

"No," Rose reassured him. The Doctor grumbled something under his breath and Rose raised her eyebrow at him. "We're not, honest. When are we leaving, Doctor?"

"It'll be a few more hours before the tow ships arrive. I think they've even called in the Shadow Proclamation. We'll stay until then. Should be…seven in the morning, London time. You should try to get a nap in the meantime," the Doctor urged, looking over Rose's head. She twisted around and saw Martha standing in the doorway. "Your room should be in the same place, just as you left it."

Martha hesitated. "I don't know if I should."

"If you do, it won't be the last time. Trust me."

She raised her eyebrows for a moment and then acquiesced with a nod. "Alright. I'll do that. Thanks, Doctor."

"And as for you—Rose." Rose turned around. "You need to go to sleep, too. You're exhausted. I can take it from here."

She shook her head. "No. I don't want to sleep right now." Not by myself, she added telepathically.

Okay, he thought back tenderly. I understand. "I'll go make us some tea then. Ever had tea, Mr. Copper?"

"No, but I've heard it is a delicacy on Earth."

"Not a delicacy, just a very popular drink, especially in Britain. I fear I've gone native in that respect. You'll love it."

The Doctor strode out of the console room, pulling off his suit jacket as he went, leaving the two of them alone together. Rose waited until the sound of his footsteps before turning to Mr. Copper.

"Have a seat," she offered, gesturing to the pilot's seat nearby.

"Oh, um, thank you." He carefully maneuvered around her hoverchair and eased himself onto the seat, shifting around experimentally. When he was situated, she leveled Mr. Copper with a knowing gaze.

"So why are you really going to Earth?"

He chuckled humorlessly and it trailed off into a groan. "Well, let's just say I…it's best if everyone thinks I died in this whole debacle."

Rose cocked her head to the side. Then a conversation from earlier came to mind, when he confessed he was a fraud and had lied to the company. He'd said something about investigations and ten years jail time if he was found out. Running away, then. "So now what? Gonna spend the rest of your life on Earth?"

"I don't see why not. From what I've read about it, it seems like as good of a place as any."

"Um…"

"Though I suppose my knowledge base really is flawed in that regard." He smiled wryly. "Well, if nothing else, it'll be a learning experience, wouldn't you say?"

"But you're gonna need a h-house, or at least a flat, a job, and money."

"Well, I've still got this." From his pocket he pulled a simple credit card. "I brought it for spending money for the passengers so they could purchase trinkets on their shore leave. It didn't get much use I'm afraid so there's still most of it left."

"How much is in the account?"

"Well, I wasn't sure of how the currency worked. I thought a million might cover it."

Rose just about fell out of her chair. "A—A million?! Pounds?"

"Do you think that's enough to get a temporary residence?" he queried, not understanding her reaction.

She let out an unintelligible squeak at first. He stared at her in astonishment. It took her a few seconds to get her voice working but when she did, she stuttered. "I-I…M-Mr. Copper, a million pounds is…it's a lot of money! More than I ever had. Or ever will."

"Really?" He looked down at the card with interest. "A million credits isn't too much at all for us. Petty cash, spending money. I thought they might be similar."

When the Doctor returned a few minutes later with a tray of their tea, Rose blurted out this recent development and he stopped dead in his tracks. "A million pounds?" the Doctor repeated incredulously.

"She says it's a lot of money," Mr. Copper agreed. "I wasn't sure. It was all done for computer."

"Mr. Copper…" the Doctor set the tray down in Rose's lap. "A million pounds is worth fifty million credits."

Mr. Copper drew back, blinking rapidly in surprise. "How much?"

He glanced upwards, mentally running the conversion. "Fifty million and fifty-six."

"I—I've got money," he realized. "Oh…oh my…oh my word. Oh Vot!" He jumped to his feet. "Oh my goodness! I—" he let out a wordless cheer of delight and gave a little hop.

Rose giggled at his glee. She caught the Doctor's eye and saw a familiar twinkle there. At least this terrible day could end with some good news. Mr. Copper's face was alight and far more animated than she had ever seen. She could see it all the things he'd always wanted never had dancing in his eyes. To him, the Earth was a second chance and now he had what he needed to live out the rest of his days comfortably.

"I can have a house, a proper house, with a garden, and a door!" He spun around in delight then seized Roe's hand. "I can have my own bed! A viso-screen! A kitchen with chairs and a table and windows—a dog! They have dogs on your planet, too, right? I've always wanted a dog."

"But first," the Doctor drawled over his jubilant laughter. "Let's find out how you take your tea."

FIN