Finally the Doctor's battered old TARDIS landed within the TARDIS bay area.
The Doctor stepped out first, frowning immediately at the throng of colourfully robed bodies jostling about in front of him.
"Welcoming committee I'm afraid" he muttered, more to himself than to his companion.
He stepped aside as Romana emerged from within the darkness behind the TARDIS doors.
Gasps and whispers ran through the crowd like a strong wind rustling paper.
She squinted, scanning the crowd as if trying to make sense of everything.
The other Time Lords gazed on in amazement.
There was no doubt about it - she had suffered and she sensed that the crowd could see it too. She was painfully, almost deathly thin, with pinched, sunken features and dark heavy circles around her eyes.
But what an event! No-one could miss and it and judging by the size of the throng, no-one had. Twenty years their President had gone, replaced by a series of worthless caretaker Presidents. Twenty years and no sign of her in all of time and space. Her and Etra Prime, but the Time Lords cared little for the fate of other worlds. No, their President had been their concern, well, it had been for a while anyway.
She suddenly felt overwhelmed and very small as she felt crowded by the other Time Lords. They seemed to want to get closer, to look and to gawp at her changed countenance. She tried to look harder at the faces again, but the look on her face clearly said that she regretted doing so immediately. There they all were; some sympathetic, some smug. Others were just gazing in wonder.
She wasn't sure which expression she despised more.
She frowned miserably. She was an attraction, a joke, something to be stared at. Closing her eyes she let out a sad, heavy sigh.
The Doctor was eyeing the crowd suspiciously now.
It wasn't that he didn't trust his own kind. It was just that he didn't trust them at all.
He turned to Romana, reluctant to remove his stare from the others "Well here we are home. You will help these planets won't you Romana?"
Romana looked at the floor, nodding weakly "I will Doctor. Gallifrey will never be defenceless again. We will not tolerate a Dalek race on our door step ever again." her voice shook slightly but did not crack.
It was now that the Doctor was eyeing her with suspicion. Her response sounded auto-mated, like it was what had come out of her mouth due to a button being pressed somewhere. Her response was measured and calm like she wasn't thinking, just acting on auto-pilot. That was the part that made his lips become a terse line and his forehead become etched with concern. She was far too calm for someone who had been in captivity for such a long time.
He looked into her eyes sensing an overwhelming sadness and confusion.
"Romana," he said softly "you are safe now" he continued, stroking her face gently.
He gently brushed his lips against hers and for a brief moment the universe fell away and nothing mattered. He pulled away, smiling slightly at her then looking at the crowd who had begun muttering amongst themselves.
He turned wordlessly towards the doors of the TARDIS.
His sudden movement seemed to shake Romana out of her daze "Doctor, you're not leaving surely, there is so much to be done."
There was more conviction, more emotion in her voice this time.
He smiled broadly at her.
"And I'm sure you will do it brilliantly Romana, even with Vansel here doing his best to mess up half the Planet" answered the Doctor, casually jabbing a thumb in the direction of another Time Lord.
