"Is that the bridge?" The Doctor asked into a speaker. "I need to talk to the Captain. You've got a meteoroid storm coming in west zero by north two."

"Who is this?"

"Never mind that, your shields are down. Check your scanners, Captain. You've got meteoroids coming in and now shielding." The Doctor informed.

"You have no authorisation." The Captain stated. "You will clear the comms at once."

"And you will look starboard!" Rita snapped. "Look outside and tell us what you see!"

"Come with me, sir, ma'am." two men from behind grabbed the Doctor and the Stone and began to escort them off the deck.

"You've got a rock storm heading for this ship and the shields are down!" The Doctor shouted. He pulled away from the men and ran to the stage grabbing hold of the mic. "Everyone, listen to me! This is an emergency! Get to the lifeb-" a host then placed its hand over the Doctors mouth stopping him from speaking.

"Get off him!" Rita shouted. "You have a storm heading right for us!" The men proceeded to drag the two of them away no matter how hard they struggled they couldn't escape the grasp.

"Look out the windows!" The Doctor shouted.

Bannakafflatta then saw the commotion and headed over. "Him friend. Her friend."

"If you don't believe us, check the shields yourself!" The Doctor shouted trying to escape.

"Sir, I can vouch for them!" Astrid then shouted running up.

"Look, Steward, they've just had a bit too much to drink."

Mister Cooper then joined in. "Sir, something seems to have gone wrong. All the teleports have gone down."

"Not now!" The steward shouted.

The Doctor and Rita were pulled into a corridor Astrid, Mister Cooper, Foon and Morvin following. "The shields are down. We are going to get hit!" The Doctor shouted again.

"Oi! Steward!" The man from before with the drinks shouted from behind them.

"Listen to him!" Rita shouted. "We've not lying!"

"Listen to him. Listen to him!" The Doctor screamed.

The ship violently shook. The Doctor pulled out of the grasp of the men pulling Rita away grabbing her while trying to stay upright. They violently shook again, the Doctor grabbed Astrids arm with the one not around Rita's waist. Suddenly there was an explosion forcing the three to jump out of the way and hit the floor. The Doctor buried his head into Rita's neck as she did the same tightly holding onto him. The ship suddenly fell silent and the Doctor slowly looked up as the Time Lady did the same.

Morvin started to cooe to his wife. The Doctor stood up still holding on to Rita while holding his other hand up and hushing them all. "It's stopping." The Doctor then looked at Rita cupping her cheeks in his hands looking into her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not who you need to worry about Doctor, these people are scared and worried."

"It's my job to worry about you." He quickly kissed her forehead then turned to Astrid helping her stand. "You all right?"

"I think so." She nodded brushing herself off.

"Bad name for a ship." The Doctor muttered. "Either that or this suit is really unlucky."

"Sadly it's just us sweetheart." Rita pursed her lips and raised her brows as he shrugged at her.

"Er, everyone." The steward spoke up. "Ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta. I must apologise on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruiseliners. We seem to have had a small collision."

Morvin scoffed. "Small?"

"Do you know how much I paid for my ticket?"

"If I could have silence, ladies, gentlemen." They began to talk over the top of him. The Doctor and Rita just glanced at each other sighing. "Please." He begged. He then shouted at them. "Quiet!" Breathing out as they cut to silence. "Thank you. I'm sure Max Capricorn Cruiseliners will be able to reimburse you for any inconvenience, but first I would point out that we're very much alive."

"Doctor." Astrid looked over at the Time Lords.

"Are you all right?"

"She is, after all, a fine, sturdy ship." The steward told them. "If you could all stay here while I ascertain the exact nature of the situation."

"Don't open it!" The Doctor and Rita shouted grabbing on to a fixed object for dear life as a rush of air was sucked out the ship of the opened hatch, everyone was pulled towards the gap most of their legs dangling in the air, the Doctor then forced himself over to the other side and soniced a control panel. The oxygen shield then came online and they all gasped for breath.

"Oxygen shield stabilised."

"Stone?" The Doctor looked at her.

"I'm okay." She nodded. "Bit out of breath but I'm good, Astrid?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Everyone else all right?" The Doctor looked up. "Foon? Morvin? Mister Copper? Bannakaffalatta?" They all nodded to him in reply.

"You, what was your name?" The Doctor looked at the man.

"Rickston Slade."

"You all right?"

"No thanks to that idiot." The Doctor and Rita gritted their teeth as Astrid stepped forward in protest. "The steward just died."

"Then he's a dead idiot." Slade snapped.

"All right, calm down. Just stay still... All of you." He looked over at Rita who rolled her eyes.

"As if." She muttered following him over to the gap.

"What happened?" Astrid asked following them. "How come the shields were down?"

"I don't think it was an accident." The Doctor replied. They looked out seeing the floating debris and bodies now in space.

Astrid swallowed then asked: "How many dead?

"Astrid we're alive, we need to focus on that." Rita explained looking at her the Doctor taking her shoulders while she stood crouched down beside him.

"We will get you out of here, Astrid, I promise." He told her.

"Look at me." She looked up at him then at Rita. "We promise." Astrid looked between them both then slowly nodded. "Good. Now, if we can get to Reception, We've got a spaceship tucked away. We can all get on board and..." Rita slowly tapped his shoulder gaining the Doctors attention before pointing into the distance. "Oh."

Astrid frowned not understanding what the issue was. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"That's our ship over there."

"Your ship." Rita corrected.

"You was there on the day we borrowed her."

"Ah yes, such a long time ago, she hated you at first."

"You taught her not to." He chuckled.

"What?" Astrid frowned. "Where?"

"There." The Doctor pointed at the TARDIS floating in the distance. "That box. That little blue box."

"That's a spaceship?"

"Oi, don't knock it."

Astrid frowned. "It's a bit small."

"Most people described her as being 'bigger on the
inside.'" Rita hummed fondly smiling.

"A bit distant." The Doctor muttered. "Trouble is, once it's set adrift, it's programmed to lock onto the nearest centre of gravity, and that would be the Earth."

"Oh dear..." she sighed then looked up. "We'll see her again Doctor." Rita patted his shoulder.

The Doctor just watched the TARDIS travel to Earth. "Right then." He jumped running over to a monitor. "We got a ship to save."

"Is someone going to actually let me help?" Rita teased raising a brow.

"I don't see why not." He smirked before using his sonic on some wires allowing them to speak to the bridge.

"Deck twenty-two to the bridge. Deck twenty-two to the bridge. Is there anyone there?"

"This is the bridge." They heard a man reply.

"Oh hello, sailor. Good to hear you. What's the situation up there?"

"We've got air." He shakily replied. "The oxygen field is holding, but the Captain, he's dead. He did it. I watched while he took down the shields. There was nothing I could do. I tried. I did try." He protested his voice slightly breaking.

"It's okay, you did what you could stay calm." Rita cut in softly. "What's your name?"

"Midshipman Frame."

"Lovely to meet you Midshipman Frame, could you tell us the state of the engines?" She asked glancing at the Doctor who looked at her quite impressed.

"They're er." They heard Frame call. "Hold on." The Doctor and Rita frowned hearing a cry of pain.

The Doctor then cut in asking what was on Rita's mind. "Have you been injured?"

He reassured them as best as he could. "I'm all right. Oh, my Vot." He gasped. "They're cycling down."

"That's a nuclear storm drive correct?" Rita asked.

"Yeah."

"The moment they're gone we lose orbit." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair knowing exactly what that meant.

"The planet."

"Oh, yes. If we hit the planet, the nuclear storm explodes and wipes out life on Earth. Midshipman, I need you to fire up the engine containment field and feed it back into the core." The Doctor ordered.

"This is never going to work." Frame protested.

Rita shook her head her voice stern and calm. "If there is one thing I have learned after all these years it's that you can trust the Doctor with your life, keep those engines running until we can get to the bridge."

Foon cried out. "We're going to die."

"Are you saying someone's done this on purpose? " Cooper asked.

"We are-" Foon cried out. "We're going to die."

"We're just a cruise ship." Astrid told them.

"Okay, okay." The Doctor held his hands up trying to get the group to be quiet. "Shush, shush, shush, shush, shush. First things first. One. We are going to climb through this ship. B."

"You mean two." Rita cut in.

"Yes thank you Stone." He nodded at her before continuing. "Two. We're going to reach the bridge. Three. Or C. We're going to save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low four, or D, or that little iv in brackets they use in footnotes, why. Right then, follow us." The Doctor turned around with Rita and began to walk down the hall.

"Hang on a minute." Slade said making the Time Lords stop in their tracks. "Who put you in charge and who the hell are you anyway?"

The Doctor swiftly turned back around confidently walking towards the group staring at him. "I'm the Doctor." He looked each and every one of them in the eye his face stern and extremely serious. "I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm nine hundred and three years old and I'm the man who's going to save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below."

Rita looked at him slightly daze and walked up beside him. "Nice speech there sweetheart."

"And who the hell are you?" Slade looked at Rita frowning.

"I'm the Stone and I'm the Time Lady that put him in charge."

The Doctor looked beside him to Rita and nodded then looked back at Slade. "Yeah, You got a problem with that?"

"No." He shrugged.

"In that case, allons-y!" The Doctor switched his serious look for a grin and took the Time Lady's hand while turning around and lead the group. "Nice one back that." He whispered to Rita lightly kissing her cheek.

"Not too bad yourself sweetheart." She chuckled back.

They walked through the damaged halls until coming to a door. Rita pushed herself against it with her shoulder as the Doctor helped allowing it to force the debris back. The Doctor stepped through first. "Careful. Follow us." He told the others Rita following right behind him.

Cooper followed then began to mutter to the ground. "Rather ironic, but this is very much in the spirit of Christmas. It's a festival of violence. They say that human beings only survive depending on whether they've been good or bad... barbaric."

"Mister Cooper..." Rita sighed. "That's not Christmas, it's a brilliant time, a time for families and friends to come together, full of love peace and thanksgiving."

"My Christmases are always like this." The Doctor chuckled.

"Maybe we should..." Rita started to mumble quietly then shook her head when the Doctor looked back at her raising a brow "Never mind." The Doctor frowned slightly wondering what she was going to say, he mentally noted the conversation for her to address later. Looking up Rita beamed. "Oh look what we got."

"We've got a Host." He answered. "Strength of ten. If we can mend it, we can use it to fix the rubble."

"Ah Doctor, I think those regeneration side effects are kicking it." She sighed. The Doctor snapped his head to her alarmed. "I'm fine," my brain isn't at it's best, I forgot to mention that I was a little tired after everything that happened."

"Thats alright we can do robotics." Morvin then spoke up nodding at Foon for a moment. "Both of us."

Foon then cut in explaining. "We work on the milk market back on Sto. It's all robot staff."

"See if you can get it working." The Doctor nodded at them then looked at Rita worryingly before looking back at the rest of them. "Let's have a look." The groups apart from Foon and Morvin continued up the stairs, the group then stopped as a pile of debris blocked the exit.

"It's blocked." Astrid frowned.

The Time Lords looked at her. "So what do we do?"

"We shift it." She guessed

The Doctor grinned. "That's the attitude." He then looked at the three behind. "Rickston, Mister Copper, and you... Bannakaffalatta. Look, can I just call you Banna?" He groaned. "It's going to save a lot of time."

"No!" He glared at the Time Lord. "Bannakaffalatta."

The Doctor groaned again. "All right then, Bannakaffalatta. There's a gap in the middle. See if you can get through." He moved aside allowing Bannakaffalatta to move through as he climbed the stairs and assessed the gap.

"Easy." He nodded beginning to move through. "Good." The ship then shook and more debris started to fall just as Baffakalatta got past the entrance.

"This whole thing could come crashing down any minute." Slade snapped angrily.

The Doctor and Rita groaned looking back at him.
"Oh, Rickston, I forgot. Did you get our message?" The Doctor asked.

The man frowned at them not understanding what they were talking about. "No. What message?"

"Shut up!" The Doctor and Rita shouted causing the man to slightly flinch.

"Bannakaffalatta made it." He announced.

"I'm small enough," Astrid said moving forward. "I can get through."

The Time Lords both warned her. "Careful."

"I'm fine." She reassured them moving through."

"Thing is," Slade began to speak causing Rita to narrow her eyes at him. "How are Mister and Mrs Fatso going to get through that gap?"

"Now." Rita turned to Slade snapping at him. "You may think you're all important but Foon and Morvin are just as important as you" She glared and pointed at him. "So I suggest to follow our message and be quiet! I don't see you helping? So you can give us a hand with making the gap bigger." She passed a small metal pole to him. "Foon, Morvin." Rita loudly said for them to hear. "Ignore the idiot." She glared at Slade.

"Remind me to never ever make you angry." The Doctor kissed her cheek. "Seeing that was scarier than the Daleks."

Rita chuckled lightly shifting more of the debris. "Them bloody pepper pots."

The group shifted more and more of the debris until it was all clear. Slade stopped opening his mouth as the laughs of Morvin travelled up the stairs.

"What happened?" He asked. "Did they find a doughnut?" He sarcastically muttered.

"Right!" Rita shouted spinning around. "I would be very, very careful what you say around me Mister Rickston Slade." She glared at him. The man looked at her in horror seeing her eyes turn dark and cold in a matter of seconds. "I am going right now before if I don't then I am going to end up regretting something later on!"

Rita crouched down to go through. The Doctor grabbed her arm stopping her. "Be careful." He looked straight into her eyes. She nodded and went to go through but was pulled back again. "I mean it." He kissed her cheek then gave a nod allowing her to move through.

Slowly making her way through being wary of any sudden movement she made and was quite thankful that her dress wasn't as long as her second choice that she was actually going to wear at first. "I'm through." She called back swearing that she heard the Doctor sigh in relief. Looking around she frowned not seeing Astrid or Bannakaffalatta in sight. "Astrid?" She called out standing up and brushing her dress where it had collected a slight dust from the floor.

"Over here!" The woman called out. Rita followed the sound finding her crouched down beside Bannakaffalatta who looked very much tired and in pain.
"Bannakaffalatta are you okay?" Rita asked kneeling beside Astrid.

He held a finger to his lips hushing her. "What is it?" Astrid worryingly asked.

"Can't say." He whispered.

"We promise. I swear on my hearts."Rita crossed an 'x' over them to prove her point.

"Are you hurt?"

He looked at Astrid before mumbling. "Ashamed."

"Of what?"

"Poor Bannakaffalatta." He raised his shirt revealing part of his body to have metal and wires.

"You're a cyborg." Astrid looked at him slightly shocked.

"Had accident long ago." He quieted his voice. "Secret."

"No, but everything's changed now." Astrid shook her head. "Cyborgs are getting equal rights. They passed a law back on Sto. You can even get married."

"Marry you?" He looked between them.

"You would have to fight the Doctor for that." Rita chuckled. "He can get quite protective over me." She quietly chuckled. "What about Astrid?"

"Well, you can buy me a drink first." She looked at Bannakalatta. "Come on. Let's recharge you. Just stay there for a bit." Astrid informed him pressing a button on his chest and pulling his shirt back down.

"Tell no one." He seriously looked at her.

"I promise." She smiled nodding.

"What's going on up there?" The Doctor shouted through the gap. Rita moved over looking through. "Well I think," she looked back at them both. "I think in the highly most of unlikely of circumstances that Bannakaffalatta and Astrid just got engaged." She laughed. Astrid looked over at Bannakaffalatta blushing while Rita laughed even more at the sight hearing the Doctors laugh echo through. 

"How's everything with you?" She asked. The Doctor then looked down about to ask the two below as Morvin replied obviously able to hear her.

"Report!" The Doctor heard Frame speaking.

"Almost done!" Morvin informed fiddling with some wires.

"Good, good, good." The Doctor nodded. "Mister Frame, how's things?"

"Doctor, I've got life signs all over the ship but they're going out one by one."

"What is it?" The Doctor asked frowning slightly. "Are they losing air?"

"No. One of them said it's the Host. It's something to do with the Host.

"It's working!" Morvin beamed. The Doctors eyes widened hearing him.

"Kill."

"Turn it off!" The Doctor shouted.

"I can't, Doctor!" Foon screamed.

Rita's eyes snapped to the gap. "Doctor!" She shouted. "What's going on!"

"Kill. Kill. Kill."

"Go!" He shouted, running down the stairs pushing Foon put and pulling out his sonic trying to free Morvim from the Host that had grabbed his throat.

"Double deadlock!" He shouted.

"Doctor!" Rita shouted.

"Quickly, go upstairs!" The Doctor told them.

"Run, darling" Foon screamed. "Run!"

"Information. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill." The Host said in a monotone voice moving towards them.

"Foon! Foon!"

"Rickston, get them through!" The Doctor shouted.

"No chance." He snapped crawling through the gap.

"Rickston!" Rita shouted seeing him crawl through. She clenched her fists seeing him run to the door out of fear. Rita snapped back around seeing Copper coming through. Having bigger things to deal with she ran over helping the man with Astrid.

"Kill. Kill."

"It's the Host!" The Doctor shouted to Frame. "They've gone berserk. Are you safe up there?" He then moved back as the Host got closer.

"Kill. Kill. Kill"

Foon started to crawl through then cried out. "Now I'm stuck!"

"Come on, you can do it!" Rita looked up in horror seeing the debris shifting.

"It's going to collapse." Copper cried using a metal bar to hold the debris up as he cried out. "Rickston, vot damn it, help me."

"No way." He stepped back as Rita and Astrid helped Foon up before moving back to position to help Morvin.

"Morvin, get through!" The Doctor shouted.

"Doctor hurry up!" Rita screamed now clearly hearing the Host.

"Kill. Kill. Kill."

"Doctor, he's stuck!" Astrid cried pulling with all her might.

The Doctor then pushed on Morvin's rear. "Mister van Hoff, I know we've only just met, but you'll have to excuse me." He grunted pushing Morvin through.

"That's it. We've got you." Astrid helped him up.

"Doctor!" Rita shouted seeing him on the other side. "Doctor, come on, get through."

"Information override!" He spun around facing the Host his head between the debris. "You will tell me the point of origin of your command structure!" He shouted.

"I can't hold it!" Copper cried.

"Information. Deck thirty-one."

"Thank you." The Doctor said to it then stepped through.

"Thank you." He breathed before shouting to Mister Copper, "let go!" Copper did as he was told and the debris fell on the Hosts head. Rita breathed heavily and saw the Doctor watching her worryingly. She marched over to him looking slightly mad and threw her hand right across his left cheek causing an echo to start in the silent room, taking it as a sign the others slightly stepped back away from the two. Rita then launched herself at him wrapping her arms around his neck causing him to stumble backwards slightly. The Doctor stood there for a moment confused trying to join the dots together as to why she just did that while Rita hid her face in his chest listening to his hearts beat. The Doctor wrapped his arms around her holding her tightly feeling her slightly shaking. He didn't dare say a word and just let her know that he was okay.

"Don't. Ever. Do that to me again." She firmly and loudly spoke into his neck trying to hold back the sobs.

The Doctor swallowed deeply and shakenly asked. "Do what?"

"Scare me like that." She tightened her grip on him not caring that everyone was most likely staring at them. A few more moments past and Rita moved her head looking at his cheek. She gently moved her arm and rested her hand where she had slapped him seeing a red mark now on his face. "I'm sorry." She whispered leaning in and kissing his cheek. "I- I just."

"I know." He whispered to her resting his head against hers. "I know. I'm fine."

"As lovely as this is I would like to get off this ship." Slade cut in angrily. Rita snapped her head in his direction letting go of the Doctor and stormed over to the man who now pressed himself up against the wall out of seeing the pure anger in her eyes.

"They, could have died... He-" she swallowed. "You only care about yourself." She pressed his chest with her finger, enough for a slight pain. "I swear on both my hearts that if he did then you would regret ever caring about only yourself as well as wishing that you didn't have to deal with me." She turned and walked off sonicing the door which he had complained to be locked before and walked through. The Doctor sighed feeling slightly guilty for not reassuring her. He quickly followed as the others trailed behind.

"Before you say." Rita swallowed not looking back knowing it was the Doctor behind her."I don't blame you." She continued walking. The Doctor quickened his pace to walk beside her. Reaching out slightly he took her hand and locked his fingers with her. "I know." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry Theta." She glanced over at him seeing his soft brown eyes on her. "It's him I dispise." She spat. The Stone breathed in and out deeply then stopped turning to the Doctor who looked at her frowning she pulled him to her and kissed him passionately, long and hard. She then pulled away after a few moments looking deep into his eyes. "I don't show you enough just how much I love you." She said then lightly coughed as the Doctor stared at her. Swallowing hard she took his hand again and continued walking dragging him along knowing that this wasn't the time and that there were people behind her with their lives entrusted in her hands.