Kate Lethbridge-Stewart looked with surprise as the Doctor entered the control room of UNIT HQ. Before she could say anything, the Doctor put his finger over his lips.

Martha's voice came over the speakers: "Guinevere to round table, Merlin and the knights are ready to leave the castle. Over." A pause, then she added, "Ma'am?"

"Please repeat Guinevere," Kate said into her mike: "Is Merlin present?"

"Yes, Ma'am, Merlin is with us."

"Very well. Proceed."

"Copy."

They waited until the Tardis had vanished from their monitors. Then Kate turned to the Doctor. "What happened? What's gone wrong?"

The Doctor grinned. "Nothing. Something's gone right!"

8

8

"No!" Martha shouted. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. That idiot is going to get himself killed!" She slapped the doors with both hands and turned to face the console. "Where are we going? Back to UNIT I expect?"

Clara was already at the controls. "Yup. About five minutes after we left."

"Martha Jones, you are an idiot!" Martha growled. "I should have known he'd pull something like that."

The Tardis came to a halt. Then the doors burst open and the Doctor rushed in!

Martha stammered, "Doctor? How did you get back to UNIT?"

"She sent me back," the Doctor said, excited and happy as he closed the doors. "Well, part of the way. She couldn't send me forward in time to get to UNIT after we left, so she sent me back to UNIT when the Brigadier ran it." The Doctor got to the console and began working the controls. The time rotor wheezed. "Borrowed the Tardis while my other self was…sleeping, which is why I have no memory of it. Tube from Victoria station and here I am." The Tardis stopped. "And here we are, where and when we were a few moments ago." He went back to the doors. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce my new companion." He opened the doors. The angel was standing there with a shy, nervous smile on her face. Then the lights went out. When the lights came back on, the angel was standing closer to the console. The Doctor closed the doors.

Clara said, "Her!? She's joining the crew?"

"My ship," the Doctor said, "my decision who joins. But don't worry. She's not a threat."

"Yeah?" Clara said. "Well does she have a name?"

"Ah…" the Doctor stammered. "Y'know, we didn't get around to that."

Danny arched his eyebrows. "A few minutes alone with no name and she's joined the team? You work fast."

Clara Was Not Amused. "Someone did," she groused.

"Hush," the Doctor said. "First things first." He worked some controls. "This ought to satisfy our new friend's nutritional requirements."

Golden light flowed from the time rotor to the angel, who emitted a contented sigh.

Clara's eyes widened. "Is she eating or having an orgasm?"

"Oh, that's nothing," the Doctor said, "just showing satisfaction."

Martha said, "I should say."

"You humans, such filthy minds." The golden light stopped flowing. "That should be enough. Now then. Telepathic circuits online. Linking to a voice synthesis subroutine. And our new friend should be able to talk to us without breaking anyone's neck."

Static crackled from the speaker. "Ah..ah…yes…" Then a very feminine, very English voice sounded: "Yes! This is marvelous, Doctor. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Would you care to introduce yourself?"

"Of course. You may call me Gabrielle. And as the Doctor has already said, I am no threat to you. I rather like humans. You are quite my favorite species, and I am not going to hurt anymore of you if I can help it."

Somehow, Clara's smile did not crack her face. But she was straining to hold it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Clara. I've been traveling with the Doctor for quite some time now. Love the accent. Where'd you get it?"

"The same way you did. I have lived in Londinium off and on for the past two thousand years. It's like my home. I always seem to get back to it no matter where else I go. Know what I mean?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, "I do. You know they shortened the name a while back."

"I know! I'm usually good at keeping up but that always throws me. That and the changes to shatranj. They call it chess now, right? And white moves first? I remember when I play often enough, but then I forget."

The Doctor nodded.

Danny said, "So let me see…You sent his friends into the past to die, and now we're ok with this?"

Gabrielle said sadly, "It will never be 'ok,' sir, not for the Doctor and not for me. That is the nature of time. You do things because you did them, because you have to. I sent them back because I knew I would. At least I was able to unite him with his wife this time, so there is that comfort."

Martha said, "'This time.' So…there was another time? I mean, you were in the other timeline?"

"Yes," Gabrielle said. "I was at Winter Quay. Rory was the first one to arrive, and I took care of him. And over the years, he became my friend…"