The Shadow [On Hold]

The Runaway Bride Part Four

"Oh is that what she's offered you? The Empress of the Racnoss?" The Doctor shakes his head and just sighs, exchanging an exasperated look with Celeste. "What are you? Her consort?!"

"It's better than staying with her."

"But I love you."

"That's what made it easy. It's like you said, Doctor. The big picture. What's the point of it all if the human race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to go out there. To see it. The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor? Alfie?"

"Don't even speak to me, you disgust me." Alfie spat at Lance, a flash of silver going through his eyes.

"Who are these little physicians?" The Empress interrupts, not noticing the growing time bomb in the room. 

"She said they were Martian."

"Oh, we're sort of homeless. But the point is, what's down here? The Racnoss are extinct. What's going to help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?" The Doctor gives a little head tilt as he looks down into the giant pit in the room. 

"I think he wants us to talk." Lance quirks an eyebrow at the Empress, giving a tongue in teeth grin.

"I think so, too." The Empress replies, baring her teeth when she see's a glow rising in Celeste's eyes.

"Well, tough! All we need is Donna." 

"Kill these chattering little monkeys. The dark haired girl first!!"

"Don't you hurt them!" Donna cries, grabbing Celeste's hand tightly. The Doctor narrows his eyes at the threat of his bonded and slowly gets out his sonic screwdriver.

"I would suggest, you don't lay a hand on either one of them." Alfie threatened, his eyes flashing silver, Celeste watching the flash with a fascinated gaze.

"No, no, Donna. It's all right." The Doctor says, exchanging a small nod with Alfie. 

"No, I won't let them." Donna cries, determination in her voice.

"At arms!"

"Ah, now. Except." Alfie grins, the Doctor raising an eyebrow at the slight silver glow to his veins. 

"Take aim!"

"Well, we just want to point out the obvious." The Doctor continues, the two Time Lords working in perfect sync together.

"They won't hit the bride. They're such very good shots." The Empress reassures, not realising what was about to happen.

"Just, just, just, just, just hold on. Hold on just a tick. Just a tiny little, just a little tick." The Doctor rambles, passing the container to Alfie.

"If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside our spaceship. So reverse it, and the spaceship comes to her." Grinning, Alfie turns the knob on top of the container and the Tardis starts to build itself around the quartet in a smoke like state. 

"Fire!"

Dematerialising, Tardis takes them away. Celeste instantly hugging Donna, as the bride silently cried in the brunettes arms.

"Oh, do you know what we said before about time machines? Well, we lied. And now we're going to use it. We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet's core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene. I've always wanted to see this. Donna, Feisty we're going further back than we've ever been before." Both the Doctor and Alfie peer around the console to see Celeste holding a crying Donna, the Time Lord's bonded whispering sweet comforting words in her ears.