There he was. The fourth time this month. A silver haired man and a blue box. There. Just waiting. Watching almost.
"Aidan, how do you know if you're going mad?"
Aidan Richardson gave a slight chuckle. It was these kind of odd questions that made him love his wife so much.
"Dunno. Why?"
"Because I swear I have seen the same man four times this month. And all in different, unconnected times and places. The box… well, I think I recognize the box from pictures my mum has. But the man doesn't fit. Not her description anyways."
"Maybe you can ask her," Aidan suggested as he braked outside the mansion.
Vanessa looked up at the sprawling building in front of her. It still didn't seem to count as her home. Her parents had only rebuilt it a year after before she started uni, but that, as she realized now, was six years ago.
With a sigh, Vanessa pushed the passenger side door open. Aidan handed her her crutches. One of his hands steadied her back as she stood. Snow had begun to fall shortly after they left Aidan's parent's house in Cardiff. This was Aidan and Vanessa's third Christmas as a married couple, so now they had traditions. In the week proceeding Christmas, they stayed with Aidan's dads in Cardiff. On the eve of Christmas Eve, they took the train down to London to spend a week with the Cartwright family.
As they made their way up the walk to the front door, Vanessa spotted her mother through the front window. Dorothy Cartwright had an arm outstretched, her index finger directing Vanessa's younger brothers into the kitchen where they could cause no trouble. A smile spread over Vanessa's face. That made the grand mansion seem like home.
"Hi, mu-" Vanessa started before she was cut off by her mother's rib cracking hug. Though the temporary alleviation from walking (and breathing) was something that was to be expected, it never ceased to shock her.
"Sorry. It's just that...ah, never mind. Come in, come in."
Dorothy ushered Vanessa into the hall leading to the kitchen. Just as she was attacked from both sides by her younger brothers, she heard a muffled flugh as Aidan was pulled into a similar hug.
"Vanessa! Vanessa!" Sam and Wendell shouted as they performed accurate (yet shorter) versions of their mother's hug.
"Hello, boys!" Vanessa gushed as she did her best to return the hug. She always found it hard to for she always lacked the ability to breathe.
"Did you bring Rex?"
"Do you want to see our new video game?"
"Can we show Aidan the video game?"
"Boys, boys please," Vanessa laughed, taking a seat on the couch. "No, Rex is still at our apartment. He is not well-behaved enough to come to family gatherings. I assume you know why Aunt Madge has a twitch when dogs bark? I will see the video game later on, but if you want Aidan to see it, go ahead and ask him. Despite what mum might have told you, he does make decisions on his own."
The boys ran off, grabbing Aidan by the arm as they did so. As she laughed watching Aidan pulled off by two preteen boys, Vanessa waited on the couch as a slow progression of family members came in. They all asked the same questions: how are you? How is Aidan? How is the doctorate coming? When will your frickle-frackling with Aidan come to fruition? (The last question actually being 'when can we expect kids from you two' but Vanessa always heard the previous. She chalked it up to too much time spent on the Internet.)
Before they knew it, the sun had set. Vanessa stole a glance at the fading light.
"There he is! That man! The man in the box!" Vanessa shouted as she nearly fell off the couch. Aidan had to hold the back of her shirt in order for Vanessa not to fall off.
The rest of the family fell silent as they all turned, following her point of view. Their eyes were wide as they all tried to see this man. Uncle George turned back to her.
"There isn't any man there, Vanessa. Are you all right?"
This led to an array of "dearies?" and "are you okays?". But it was Dorothy who approached her daughter, helping her stand up. Aidan handed Vanessa her crutches which had been lying under the couch. The look of concern on his face nearly moved Vanessa to tears. Her mother too.
"I think the long trip might've been too much. We'll have a cuppa. She'll be perfectly fine."
Dorothy led Vanessa to the nearest bedroom, where Vanessa sat, her eyes still wide with fear and confusion. Dorothy closed the door, and quickly knelt before her daughter.
"Who was it? What did you see?"
"A man. A man in a blue box. I think he's been following me. I've seen him a few times in the last month, but I'm starting to see him more often. I saw him this morning. I think… I think I might be going mad."
"No, you're not going mad. Tell me. What did he look like?" Dorothy was pacing now, her brow furrowed.
"Tall, with silver hair. Standing in a box."
"He can change his face," Dorothy whispered to herself.
"Who can?"
"Yes. It's him. It has to be. It's him. It's the Doctor! He's the one following you. But if he's following you then…" Dorothy didn't finish her statement.
"The Doctor? You mean the man you," Vanessa dropped her voice. "Time traveled with? But he was short and Scottish! This man wasn't."
"He can change his face. Oh, I knew it was only a matter of time before he… Alright. The next time you see him, wave him in. If he is tailing you, then he knows. And that means they aren't far behind you."
"Mum, you're scaring me. Who aren't far behind me?"
Ace turned to her daughter, a hand on the door, her eyes wide with fear. She took a shaky breath.
"The Elder Eaters. The Perlkarians."