"Just stand here, the Judoon will do the rest."
"Wha-" Cuddy's argument was cut off by The Doctor kissing her quickly then running off. Wilson and House following when their brief shock wore off.
The Judoon approached Cuddy, who was still in a bit of a daze.
They scanned her and found non-human traces and performed a full scan.
When they finish Cuddy ran, the whole situation getting the better of her, she headed to the MRI room. The Judoon followed.
House, Wilson and the Doctor entered the MRI room to find a little old lady at the controls.
"What's she doing? The MRI doesn't usually make that noise."
"The Magnetic setting is now set to 50,000 tesla."
The lady sounded faintly sinister.
"I can send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brain-stems of every living thing within 250,000 miles. Except me, safe in this room."
Again Wilson was lost for words, so House spoke up.
"As much as I hate patients, whining all the time, I don't much care for autopsies, 'specially if I already know the reason of death."
"I wouldn't worry you're little head about it, you'll be dead too. Everyone will be dead and I'll have my own Judoon ships to escape with."
Unnoticed to everyone in the room the Doctor slipped the sonic screwdriver out of his jacket pocket and put it behind his back. Flicking through settings until he found the right one then sending out two pulses, the Doctor allowed himself a small smile.
"But you're an alien, they'll find you!"
The Doctor noted how well Wilson caught himself and dealt with the situation. Maybe he could be a companion, as long as House didn't come along.
"I'm hidden." And she waved the cross on the back of her hand at the three Doctors.
"Well yes that would work, in fact it did work, except just then I unlocked my DNA from the hyper-sensitive nucleic matrix so their scanners will recognise the difference in my variable number tandem repeats to that of a normal human. Plus I used a bit of controlled ventriloquism to project that towards you. Just enough to award a full scan."
Just as The Doctor finished his slightly confusing speech, Cuddy entered with the Judoon on her tail.
The Doctor smiled, a small smile that didn't manage to reach his eyes and spoke again to the shape-shifter.
"And you see the thing about my Deoxyribonucleic acid-"
"Non-human recognised, Confirm."
"- it's not human."
All five Judoon scanned the lady.
"Confirmed: plasmavore. I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess-"
The drone of the Judoon was drowned out as the Doctor walked away, back to Wilson's balcony.
"So you're an alien again?"
Wilson stepped out onto his balcony and stopped. The figure of the Doctor leaning against the rails, watching the city below seemed solemn.
"Always was. Just some jiggery-pokery to fool the 'police'."
The Doctor turned to Wilson, placing his lower back against the rails and looking the man over as if studying him.
"No House?"
There was a sly grin, revealing the amusement this statement bought.
"He doesn't follow me everywhere, only really when Cuddy's on the warpath, or he needs something."
The Doctor acknowledged this information with a nod, knowing not to ask anymore of the mysterious medical professional.
A silence settled, one trying to find the words, the other waiting for the inevitable. It finally came as House and Cuddy approached. Wilson was oblivious to their visitors as he had his back to the door.
"What alien are you?"
"Time Lord."
"Bit pompous, but whatever blows your skirt up. I was wondering where you two had got to."
"Doctor House, lovely of you to join us, and you Cuddy."
Everyone knew the first part was a lie, but the smile he gave Cuddy was genuine.
"What were you and Jimmy talking about? I hope it wasn't me, I would hate for anyone to get too attached."
"I was just asking Wilson if he would like to come with me."
"Where?"
"Everywhere. I have a ship, can take me anywhere in time and space. Thought you might like a trip, seeing how well you handled yourself in there. Admittedly you were shocked half the time but you did ask the right questions and actually did what I said, that was a first. Better than that one making cracks at everything."
House laughed, really laughed, causing everyone's attention to shift to him.
The Doctor had quite enough of House. "It's fine if you don't believe me, not you I'm asking."
"It's not that Mr alien. Rather how you referred to me. We aren't that different."
The Doctor looked incredulous but both Cuddy and Wilson seemed to consider it.
"We're both the smartest in the room."
"And you both always solve the puzzle." Wilson contributed, before House stole the show again.
"We have almost perfect timing, always in trouble, can't stand authority, slight mood swings, great sense of humour-"
Cuddy spoke, softly, like she didn't want to say it at all.
"And you're both miserable."
The Doctor was taken aback.
The silence that followed was eventually broken by the Doctor, "Right. I can't stay around here forever, got places to be, people to save. It was nice meeting you all."
He was avoiding eye contact with everyone and it was obvious that Cuddy's remark had hit a little too close to home.
The Doctor knew when House had entered the room that Wilson would not come with him, the man was too good and was needed here by his patients and friends, and he would not deprive the people of such a man.
No one said anything as the Doctor left. Wilson, House and Cuddy stood on the balcony waiting for him to appear on the street below and then watching him walk across the road and disappear inside a blue police box.
As the three medical doctors turned to go inside they heard a strange sound rather like that of a struggling engine as it faded in and out. When they turned back and looked over the railing however, they found the only difference to be the lack of a blue box on the street corner…