Pirate Loop, The by Simon Guerrier

admitted.
     
'That's right,' said the Doctor. And you know what? Just for her, I'm gonna make sure you lot change your ways.' He met Mrs Wingsworth with his terrible gaze. All of you,' he said.
     
'What are you implying, dear?' laughed Mrs Wingsworth, though without the lightness that her words suggested.
     
'S'OK,' said Archie. 'Was bored of killing them lot anyway. S'no fun when they just come back.'
     
'Really?' said the Doctor, sternly. 'Killing Martha was much better for you, was it?'
     
Archie again hung his head. 'No,' he said.
     
'He was rather upset about it,' Mrs Wingsworth told the Doctor.
     
'When I first met her,' said the Doctor, 'she was training to be a doctor. She wanted to help people. Wanted to make things better. And she did. Wherever . we went, she made things better. And I couldn't have been more proud of her. She was going to do brilliant things.' His smiled faded. And you stopped her.'
     
Archie scratched awkwardly at his ear. 'I never 'ad a friend before,' he said quietly. 'An' she was nice. She let me eat food.'
     
'Yes,' said the Doctor. 'But it wasn't enough, was it?'
     
'But,' said Archie. 'I thought... I wanted to give 'er a funeral.'
     
'He did talk about that,' said Mrs Wingsworth.
     
'She didn't 'ave an earring, so I took this instead,' said Archie. And he dipped his paw into his spacesuit and extracted the thin chain that he wore round his neck. The innocent-looking key to the TARDIS spun slowly from the chain.
     
'That's stealing, dear,' said Mrs Wingsworth.
     
'I'll take it,' said the Doctor. 'I'm going to take Martha home to her family.'
     
Archie considered, and then removed the chain from round his neck and handed it to the Doctor. 'Can I come too?' he said.
     
'Of course you can't!' said Mrs Wingsworth.
     
'Oh,' said Archie sadly.
     
'Her family wouldn't take it too well,' said the Doctor. 'They're not going to be happy seeing me.'
     
And also,' said Mrs Wingsworth, 'there isn't a body.'
     
'I'll find her,' said the Doctor. 'However long it takes.'
     
'If you say so, dear,' said Mrs Wingsworth.
     
'But it's good that you feel bad about it, Archie,' said the Doctor. 'It means there's hope for you yet.'
     
'Don't like it,' said Archie. 'It's sad. Like Dash, when Joss got killed.'
     
'What?' said the Doctor.
     
'Oh,' said Mrs Wingsworth. 'When they chased your friend, Jocelyn got in the way of the shooting. I think it reflected off the tray Martha was holding.'
     
'An' Dash was sad,' said Archie. 'He was crying.'
     
'I think it made things clear between them, dear,' said Mrs Wingsworth. 'Said all the things they never dared to.'
     
'Yeah,' said Archie. 'They're goin' steady now. I saw 'em kissing.'
     
'Well, that's lovely,' said the Doctor. 'Can't imagine a happier couple and all the things you're meant to say. But you said she died.'
     
'Yeah,' said Archie. 'Didn't like that.'
     
'No,' said the Doctor. 'I can see that. But she died. And now she's going out with Dash.'
     
'Yeah,' said Archie.
     
'So she just woke up again?' said the Doctor.
     
'No, she went first,' said Archie. 'Like a transmat. When none of us was looking.'
     
'It's never when anyone's watching,' said Mrs Wingsworth. 'It's discreet like that.'
     
'And then she woke up,' said the Doctor, hopping from foot to foot with irritation.
     
'Yeah,' said Archie. 'Said she woke up here. An' she had her earring in. But Dash took it. So we got two.'
     
'It was rather comic,' said Mrs Wingsworth. 'They started shooting each other to collect the extra earrings.'
     
'Yeah,' said Archie. 'It was good.'
     
'But then,' laughed Mrs Wingsworth, 'they realised that while they're still stuck aboard the Brilliant they've nothing to spend the gold on! It really was delicious.'
     
'Yeah,' said Archie.
     
The Doctor was staring at them. 'She woke up here?' he said. 'By your capsule?'
     
'Yeah,' said Archie. 'Me too when I got killed.'
     
'With me it's in my berth,' said Mrs Wingsworth. 'It's like going