"But, we're in flight?" I asked quietly, looking up at The Doctor, who was still hugging me but looking bewildered at the woman.
"You can't do that, I wasn't... we're in flight! That is- that is physically impossible! How did-?"
"Tell me where I am. I demand you tell me right now - where am I?" The woman shouted commandingly.
"Inside the TARDIS." The Doctor said.
"The what?"
"The TARDIS."
"The what?"
"The TARDIS!" The Doctor snapped, turning to the controls with still one arm around me.
"The what?"
"It's called the TARDIS." I said softly, wiping the tears away that were slowly drying on my cheek.
"That's not even a proper word. You're just saying things." She snapped angrily.
"How did you get in here?" The Doctor asked.
"Well, obviously, when you kidnapped me. Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh, my God, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it." She shouted with rage.
"Who the hell is Nerys?" We both asked.
"Your best friend."
"Got my best friend here thank you." He said, rubbing my arm before looking her up and down. "Hold on, wait a minute - what're you dressed like that for?"
"She's going ten pin bowling." I said sarcastically.
"Why do you think, Dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle!" She shouted at him as The Doctor started running around the controls, fiddling with them.
"I've been waiting all my life for this." She ranted, starting to walk around. "I was just seconds away! And then you- I dunno, you drugged me or something!"
"I haven't done anything!"
"Hey it's ok." I whispered, walking up to the woman and putting my hand on her shoulder. "We'll get you back, don't worry."
"We're having the police on you!" She shouted back to The Doctor. "Me and my husband - as soon as he is my husband - we're gonna sue the living backside off ya!" I sighed and made my way over to The Doctor before the woman noticed the doors and ran towards them.
"No, wait a minute! Wait a minute! Don't-!" The Doctor shouted as she pulled open the doors. We sighed and made our way to the doors, looking out at the supernova as the woman watched in shock.
"You're in space. Outer Space. This is my... space-ship. It's called the 'TARDIS'." The Doctor explained awkwardly.
"How am I breathing?"
"The TARDIS is protecting us."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Flo."
"I'm the Doctor. You?"
"Donna."
"Human?"
"Yeah. Is that optional?"
"Well, it is for him."
Donna looked up at him, "You're an alien."
"Yeah."
"And you?" She looked at me.
"Human." I smiled.
"It's freezing with these doors open." She said after a moment. Me and The Doctor took a door each, slamming them before turning and running up to the controls.
"But I don't understand it and I understand everything! This- this can't happen! There is no way a Human Being can lock itself onto the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be..." He grabbed a piece of equipment and looked into Donna's eyes. "Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic-" Suddenly, she slapped him. "What was that for?" He asked as I laughed.
"Get me to the church!" She yelled.
"Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway! Where is this wedding?" He asked as he ran back to the controls, entering coordinates.
"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System." She said. "I knew it. Acting all innocent." She stormed over to the railing and picked up a blouse of Rose's lying on it before striding back towards us. "I'm not the first, am I? How many women have you abducted? Is she just one you've kept as a pet?" She nodded at me. The Doctor looked at the blouse and his face drew dark.
"That's my friend's." He said quietly.
"Where is she, then? Popped out for a space walk?" Donna said sarcastically.
"She's gone."
"Gone where?"
"I lost her."
"I tried to save her." I whispered.
"Well, you can hurry up and lose me. How do you mean, 'lost'?" The Doctor looked up at her darkly and snatched the blouse from her before making his way towards the doors.
"Right! Chiswick."
...
"I said 'Saint Mary's'. What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?" Donna asked as we stepped out of The TARDIS.
"Something's wrong with her..." I mumbled as The Doctor stroked the TARDIS.
"It's like she's... recalibrating!" The Doctor said as we made our way back into the TARDIS towards the console. "She's digesting. What have you eaten? What's wrong?"
"Donna?" I called out. "You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might've caused this? Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off in case you're dangerous, believe me, I know what that's like. I mean, have you..." I thought for a moment. "I don't know, have you seen lights in the sky maybe? Or... did you touch something? Something- something different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or... who're you getting married to?"
"Are you sure he's human? He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?" The Doctor called out.
"Nah sent them back home." I muttered, The Doctor glancing at me as I thought back to Luke's school and the Slitheen. I looked round at the doors to see Donna had gone. "Donna!"
...
"The funny thing is, for a spaceship, she doesn't really do that much flying." The Doctor said as we stepped out onto the roof. "We'd better give her a couple of hours. You all right?"
"Doesn't matter." She shrugged.
"Did we miss it?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, you can book another date..."
"Course we can."
"Still got the honeymoon..."
"It's just a holiday now."
"Yeah... yeah... sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Oh! That's a change." The Doctor chuckled.
"Wish we had a time machine. Then we could go back and get it right."
"... Yeah, yeah. But... even if I did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently." Donna sighed and we both walked forward, sitting on the edge of the roof. The Doctor sat in between us and put his jacket round Donna before taking my hand and linking his fingers with mine.
"God, you're skinny. This wouldn't fit a rat."
"Oh and you'd better put this on." The Doctor held out a wedding ring to her.
"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" I laughed.
"Those creatures can trace you." He told Donna. "This is a bio-damper. Should keep you hidden." He slipped it onto her finger. "With this ring, I thee bio-damp."
"For better or for worse." She sighed as The Doctor leaned back over and placed a kiss on my head as we looked out over the city. "So, come on then. Robot santas - what are they for?"
"Ah, your basic robo-scavenger. The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. I met them last Christmas."
"Why, what happened then?"
"Great big spaceship?" I asked. "Hovering over London? You didn't notice?"
"I had a bit of a hangover."
"I spent Christmas Day just over there, the Powell Estate. With this... family. My friend, she had this family. Well, they were..." I squeezed his hand. "Still... gone now."
"Your friend... who was she?"
"Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the TARDIS? I don't know..."
...
"You had the reception without me?" Donna shouted at her friends and family.
"Hello! I'm the Doctor." The Doctor said after a awkward pause.
"They had the reception without me." Donna said to me.
"Yes, I gathered." I muttered.
"Well, it was all paid for - why not?" A blonde woman said from the crowd.
"Thank you, Nerys." Donna spat. Ah, so that was Nerys.
"Well, what were we supposed to do?" A elder woman who I pre I got your silly little message in the end - "I'm on Earth"? Very funny. What the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick because I'd love to know-" Everyone started talking, babbling over one another when Donna burst into tears and everyone's anger turned into pity. Her fiancee came over to hug her and she winked back at us.
...
"Remind me how you talked me into dancing again?" I chuckled as he swayed slowly with the music.
"I'm really sorry." He mumbled.
"It's my fault." I whispered.
"No i-"
"It is though." I interupted, looking into his eyes. "I tried to save her."
"The void was too strong, she slipped." I felt myself freeze. Did he not see? He didn't see. He didn't see her yank away from me on purpose. "You done all you could."
"I tried to save her!" I gasped. I gulped and looked at him. "Why did you kiss me?"
"I..." He stuttered. "Just did." I smiled softly at him and kissed him quickly on the lips before nodding over at a man with a video camera in the corner of the room.
...
"We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up." I explained to Donna.
"If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene! I've always wanted to see this. Donna - we're going further back than I've ever been before." The Doctor grinned. Donna nodded and sat down, tears pouring down her face.
"I know how you feel." I said to her, squeezing her hands.
"You know what it's like thinking someone loves you, but they don't?"
"Yes." I half chuckled.
"We've arrived... want to see?" The Doctor asked.
"I s'pose." Donna shrugged.
"Look from out the doors." I said, pulling Donna up and walking towards the doors, opening the up.
"You're the first humans to see this." The Doctor whispered. "Donna Noble, Flo Smith-Maxwell - welcome to the creation of the Earth." We stared at the rocks flying through space, circled with colourful gas. We've gone back 4.6 billion years. There's no Solar System, not yet. Only dust and rocks and gas. That's the Sun over there, brand new. Just beginning to burn."
"Where's the Earth?"
"All around us... in the dust."
"Puts the wedding in perspective. Lance was right. We're just... tiny."
"No, but that's what you do. The Human Race. Making sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings and Christmas and calendars. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed."
"So, I came out of all this?"
"Isn't that brilliant?" He grinned. "Eventually, gravity takes hold. Say, one big rock, heavier than the others, starts to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust and gas and elements get pulled in, everything, piling in until you get the..."
"Earth." I whispered.
...
"Just... there's one problem." Donna said as we stopped laughing.
"What's that?"
"We've drained the Thames."
...
"There we go. Told you she'd be all right. She can survive anything." The Doctor said as we stepped out of the TARDIS, opposite Donna's house.
"More than I've done." Donna said as the Doctor quickly scanned her with the sonic.
"Nope! All the Huon particles have gone. No damage, you're fine."
"Yeah, but apart from that... I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow on the same day. Sort of."
"I couldn't save him."
"He deserved it."
"No, he didn't. I'd better get inside. They'll be worried."
"Best Christmas present they could have."
"Oh, no, forgot - you hate Christmas." I laughed.
"Yes, I do."
"Even if it snows?" I asked as The Doctor pressed a button inside The TARDIS, shooting a ball of light into the sky and making it snow.
"I can't believe you did that!" Donna gasped.
"Oh, basic atmospheric excitation."
"Merry Christmas."
"And you. So... what will you do with yourself now?"
"Not getting married for starters. And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I dunno... travel... see a bit more of planet Earth... walk in the dust. Just... go out there and do something."
"Well, you could always..." The Doctor looked at me and I nodded.
"What?"
"... come with us..." He shrugged.
"No."
"Okay." He said quickly.
"I can't..."
"No, that's fine."
"No, but really... everything we did today... do you live your life like that?"
"... Not all the time." I chuckled.
"I think you do. And I couldn't."
"But you've seen it out there. It's beautiful."
"And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you were stood there like... I don't know... a stranger. And then you made it snow - I mean, you scare me to death!" She looked at me. "How do you do it?" I just smiled at her.
"Well then."
"Your friend, what was her name?"
"Her name was Rose." The Doctor said softly.
"Tell you what I will do though - Christmas dinner. Oh, come on."
"Er..." The Doctor sighed.
"I would," I began. "I really would, but I've got a family to see. It's complicated, but it's our first Christmas, and I can't."
"Go on then." She grinned at me. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas Donna." The Doctor said before walking into The TARDIS.
"Flo?"
"Yeah?"
"Your family, do they know how dangerous it is? With him?"
"Yes." I smiled. "My Mum used to travel with him as well. That's how I met her."
"What?" She asked in confusion.
"Tell you what, Donna Noble, next time we meet I'll explain. And we will meet again, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that." She laughed. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." I whispered, walking into The TARDIS.
...
I walked along Bannerman Road in the darkness, stars glittering in the sky as the snow fell. I walked through the drive of number 13 and up to the front door, picking up the spare key Clyde and Maria used from under the brick and unlocked the front door. I walked in, shutting it behind me and brushing the snow off my coat, hanging it up and taking my shoes off before quietly making my way up the stairs and into the attic. I put my head round the door and smiled at Luke, Maria and Clyde chatting quietly on the sofa, Mum reading a book at her desk, Mr Smith producing a picture of a fire on the screen and a big green Christmas tree in the corner.
"Merry Christmas." I said cheerily.
To be continued in... Me And You, Hurting.
A/n - Woop woop! So that's series 2 over! I want to thank everyone for reading, this story has been viewed nearly 3,000 times! Next up will be the events of Smith and Jones, and the beggining of Martha Jones' era. Now, there are a few things to clear up and explain.
Apologies, I understand if you may be confused about the sudden adoption of Flo by Sarah Jane, I didn't plan it, it just came out as I wrote. I really wanted Flo to have a family, and a excuse to go back and see Sarah Jane and Luke that was more then just seeing a friend.
As for The Doctor not realising Rose nearly fell into the void because of herself, he won't find out for a long time yet, but Flo will definitely feel the guilt of it, even though she tried to save her and it was all Rose's fault in the first place.
I've tweaked it a bit and Martha Jones will become a companion earlier, not straight away, but earlier.
There will be a lot more 10/Flo romance in the next story, and Martha will have to be trying to bash their heads together with their stubborn and obliviousness. (if that's a word)
Flo will not be there for the events of '42' instead there will be a SJA adventure in place, which made me cry writing it.
And that's about it! Enjoy and please review, I'd like to get as many as possible before I upload the next story! :D