The tension in the air was palpable. "Must we leave?" Xandria asked quietly.

The Doctor looked at her for a while before answering. "Yes, what I do..well it isn't safe. I couldn't bear to lose any of you."

"Funny logic you've got there," Claudia said coldly. "If you don't want to lose us, then why do you leave us. We should have some say, it is our lives."

"You don't know what the risks are, what you're dealing-"

"If we survived this, Doctor, we can make it through anything," Pete said optimistically.

"You think humans like you could survive Weeping Angels, or Cybermen or the Atraxi? You people are brilliant. Humans are brilliant, but they have no chance against these creatures," the Doctor said desperately. He wasn't willing to lose any other souls, not in his name.

"Humans are brilliant, Doctor," Claudia said. "We have done so much is so little time; built the pyramids, the Great Wall, gone to the moon...why can't we stay and help you? The Warehouse has some GREAT resources and-"

"Claudia," Artie reprimanded. "That is top secret. Personally I will be glad to be home again, meeting dead people is just too weird."

"They aren't dead yet," grimaced the Doctor.

"You know what I mean-" Artie started, failing to get his point across he switched tactics. "Won't you be glad to get home Myka? Away from all this insanity."

Myka's brows furrowed in thought. "Doctor, you've expanded my understanding of the world by so much, in so little time. And I am grateful to you, please just take us home," her voice was strained. She sounded like she was about to crack.

The Doctor nodded, the two people who hadn't gotten him at all were the only ones seeing reason.

"Well I won't go," Xandria pouted. "Not til you answer my question."

"Alright," The Doctor smiled, he always loved a good question. "What is it?"

"Is Davros dead?"

The Doctor's smile vanished. "No, he will come back. I know that he will survive that little swim. He is very much a live."

Xandria's eyes widened.

"Don't worry," Claudia said with a grin. "The time war will keep Davros occupied for awhile, and once he escapes he will still be weak. He won't seek his revenge, you should be safe."

Xandria smiled. The Doctor squinted his eyes. How did she know so much about it...

Before he could ask any questions the Tardis landed. "Is this my stop?" Xandria asked quietly.

The Doctor nodded solemnly. They all walked her out of the Tardis to find a very sleep-deprived and somewhat angry Alexandros waiting outside.

"Where have you bee, Alexandria? I'll deal with you later, go to your room!" he shouted. "Where did you brutes take my daughter, and what in the gods' name did you leave in her place?"

The Doctor sauntered up. "Do you still have it?"

Alexandros nodded and led them into another room. Sitting on a table was the bow tie. "You see, this is all the latest fashion these days. Everyone in Rome is wearing one now," The Doctor said picking up the bow tie. "It's called a bow tie."

Alexandros was a very curious man by nature and asked to be shown how to wear it. The Doctor complied tying it expertly around Alexandros' neck. It looked a bit weird with his toga preatexta, but they all complimented him none the less.

"I'm sorry for the mix up with your daughter," The Doctor said once again, "we really must be going now."

Alexandros nodded and kept admiring himself in his hand mirror. Quietly the Doctor and the Warehouse gang returned to the room containing the Tardis.

"Doctor, must we really go? I get that sending Xandria home was smart, she is only a kid, but we're all consenting adults here," Pete protested.

"You really must go," The Doctor said tiredly. "You people don't understand what my life has been like. For one keeping track of one human is hard enough, let alone four! I don't want to constantly be worried about you guys, do you know what that does to my blood pressure! I already have two hearts, I'm not sure how much my circulatory system could take! In all honesty humans never learn to do what's the safe, smart, thing. They always end up dead or worse. Anyone who has come into my association has something wrong happen to them: Rose," his voice cracked, "Martha, Donna, Rory, Amy, River, and countless, countless others. God I can never save any of them! I don't want to add your names to the list."

Pete recoiled with shame, and the Doctor felt bad for yelling.

"It's okay Doctor, we understand," Myka said softly, looking at Pete with reproach.

The Doctor collapsed onto the floor. Claudia sat beside him. "Hey don't worry Doc, we humans are tougher than we look. And if living on Earth is our next assignment we can handle it, even if it's dull. It's like the desk job of time travel for humans, but I guess we'll deal."

The Doctor gave her a melancholy smile and they flew on towards modern day Univille.

At last it was time to say final good-byes.

"Good-bye Doctor," Artie said holding out his hand. "I didn't especially enjoy our time together, but it was very educational."

The Doctor just nodded politely.

"Come here man," Pete said holding out his arms for a hug.

Instead the Doctor awkwardly punched Pete lightly in the shoulder. He turned to Myka, "take care of him."

"I always do," Myka said with a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"C'mon Doc," Claudia said holding out her arms for a hug. This time the Doctor accepted and pulled Claudia into a close embrace.

Join me, he was so tempted to whisper those two words in her ear, but he knew that asking her that would mean asking them all to join him. Instead he asked the first thing that came to mind, "why do you smell like Time Lord essence?"

Claudia just smiled, "oh you know, I suppose I rubbed up against one too many Time Lords who were wearing this scent of perfume. I think it's called Chameleon Circuit 3."

The Doctor just nodded. "Well I'm off then. Good-bye, and I wish you all the luck."

It was only later that the Doctor realized that Claudia had never heard of a Chameleon Circuit: his didn't need repairs when she had helped him, and there was no way the Time Lords would discuss Tardis parts with a human, even if she was especially clever.

The Doctor climbed into his blue box and took off.

Think this is the end? Well then you're wrong, there's still the epilogue, where something VERY interesting happens, but I can't tell you yet (Spoilers as our favorite frizzy haired companion would say). So please leave a review, I can't believe our time together is almost over.. I would like to thank all of you for sticking with this mad cap adventure, and I hope you like the penultimate installment.