A typically dull, grey and damp British Christmas morning usually found Kate in her office at the Tower of London. Because, of course, megalomaniac aliens had no idea what time of year it was in the Earth calendar and over the last decade or so, they seemed to have had a particular penchant for the festive season. So Kate awaited the proverbial klaxons to sound and was on standby to recall all her vital team members and away from the comfort of their homes and families. Anyone who worked for UNIT was well aware of the disruption to family life their job was frequently responsible for, however it didn't mean to say that they particularly relished being called in on their day off.
In the meantime it was just Kate and a few security personnel rattling around the Tower for the day. She had plenty to do, alien invasions notwithstanding, there was more to her job than most people realised, although it mainly involved lengthy and boring paperwork. She sighed and took a large gulp of her now tepid tea, rested her elbows on the desk with hands wrapped around the mug, and took a few moments to ponder what Osgood would be doing right now.
They'd had an argument earlier in the month when it was clear Kate wouldn't accept Tom and Becky's invitation to their home for Christmas day. She got along well with Osgood's parents and they genuinely did seem to like her, but the whole family thing at Christmas wasn't really her scene. It had been different when Gordy was a small child but, especially now that her mother, father and Doris had passed away, it felt too different and less special than it had before. Kate preferred to remove herself from the obligation, from the intricate dynamics of someone else's family, and spend a bit of time by herself. Of course, she would have liked to have woken up with Osgood by her side and perhaps to have enjoyed some of the day together, but she understood that the younger woman wanted to see her own family and spend time her much loved and missed nieces too.
Surprisingly Gordon had accepted the invitation and had driven to Hertfordshire earlier that morning, once he'd seen his mum and they'd exchanged presents. He had adopted Osgood's family as an extension of his own and Kate was certain that Tom and Becky were delighted. He had essentially become the grandson that they'd never had. And whilst Gordy still carried much of the grief from losing his grandfather, Tom had been a suitable person to transfer some of that relationship to. The elder Osgood had countless stories from his days at UNIT with her father and she was fairly sure the wilder ones had not been embellished in any way.
Kate wasn't lonely by any stretch of the imagination, she and Osgood had arrived at a point in their relationship where they were comfortable and understood where the boundaries lay. Osgood knew not to push Kate into doing things that she didn't want to, that her reasons for her these sorts of decisions were nothing to do with her personally or an indication of how Kate did or didn't feel about her and their relationship. And Kate did occasionally acquiesce, especially when it was an important family occasion or if Osgood particularly needed the support.
It was just that, on this occasion, Osgood had wanted Kate there but couldn't find a good enough justification other than because she just did. Kate had felt slightly guilty when it had resulted in a quarrel but had stood her ground. It had been a difficult year and there had been more than one event where one or the other of them had nearly not made it through to the other side. Osgood had just wanted to feel safe with Kate by her side, in the warmth and comfort of a home she loved and shut the rest of the world out, if only for one day. But it wasn't the nature of their job and Osgood understood better than anyone that an invasion was very likely so she couldn't tear Kate away from work, no matter how much she had wanted to.
Of course it had proved the point when, in the early afternoon, a fleet of talking reindeer had descended upon London. And when Kate had called in her reinforcements, she had to confirm a number of times that when she said 'fleet' she did indeed mean several hundred talking, and seemingly magical, reindeer and not just the eight from the fables. Apparently they'd taken a wrong turn somewhere around Neptune, bypassed Jupiter and landed slap bang in the middle of Trafalgar Square. However, they needed to refuel before they could fly back and get back on the correct route and Kate had no idea what supernatural reindeer from another planet ate. She hated doing it but she decided to phone Osgood for advice.
"Hello you!" Kate felt immediately guilty as she could hear the delight in Osgood's voice.
"How do you go about feeding four hundred talking reindeer from another planet?" That hadn't quite been what Osgood had expected to hear but she couldn't honestly say that she was surprised. Kate hadn't bothered with any preamble, when it was about work she was always efficient and to the point.
"What happened?" Osgood's tone had changed immediately. Tom and Becky looked up from their dinners and at their daughter in concern. She shrugged, still not fully understanding what was going on herself so Tom glanced outside to see if the sky had fallen in. So far everything seemed normal and he just hoped that whatever disaster had befallen the Capital city this Christmas, Kate could deal with it.
"They just landed in Trafalgar Square, went a bit off course and got lost but they need to refuel before they can be on their way. There was a bit of a language problem when we asked them what they ate, 'gobchow' didn't translate to anything our computers could properly understand."
"We'll need to analyse their poo then. If we can do that then I can tell you what you can feed them. Do you need me to come back?" Becky looked at her daughter sharply then, she didn't get much time with her normally and now to be losing her halfway through Christmas day of all days!
"No I don't want to disturb your family time. If you can, tell me what I need to do and I can send you over the results." Osgood always had her work laptop with her, not to mention all sorts of her own personal gadgetry.
"Okay, if you're sure?" Osgood loved her family and it wouldn't be the best scenario if she had to head off back to London now. However, she was also passionate about her job and felt a little sad that she was missing out on all the excitement. Four hundred magical, talking reindeer sounded quite exciting, especially on Christmas day.
"Of course I'm sure, I do hope Gordy is behaving himself?" Osgood looked over to the 'kids table' where Gordon was currently entertaining his adopted cousins. She couldn't quite tell who was having the most fun.
"As well as can be expected…" Kate knew what Osgood's tone meant and she chuckled down the line.
"So, what do you need me to do?" Kate went back to business quickly, as much as she was enjoying the catch up with her girlfriend, she did still have a job to do.
"Can you get some of the reindeer poo and take it to the lab?" Becky pulled a face at her husband and promptly put down the forkful of food she had just been about to eat. He shrugged at her with a lopsided grin, he recalled all too well some of the oddities he'd had to deal with back in his day.
"How much do you need?"
"Probably something the size of a tennis ball. Unless…" A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Does it look like normal reindeer poo?"
"I have absolutely no idea and I cannot believe that we're having this conversation." Kate sounded exasperated but Osgood could detect the humour behind it and grinned into the phone.
"Me neither! You could always get someone to send me a photograph if you didn't want to go near it?" Osgood misinterpreted the source of Kate's frustration and offered her a way out.
"I've changed enough nappies in my time; I'm perfectly capable of collecting a sample of animal dung." Osgood would have said that Kate was a little put out by the suggestion she wasn't up for doing a bit of the leg work. Not that it had been her intention of course.
"Phone me again when you're back at the lab. Have you called in any of the boys?" Despite Kate's protestations, Osgood knew that she would be unable to do the sciency bit alone.
"Not yet, it's McGillop's first Christmas with the new baby and Malcolm needs the break. I wasn't sure who to contact next."
"If you can persuade Richards then I should be able to do this remotely." Richards hadn't been at UNIT long but she was a competent scientist and Osgood had an eye on her as one to watch.
"Okay, I'll phone you again when I'm ready. Thank you and I'm sorry." Kate did sound terribly apologetic and Osgood felt for her.
"Don't apologise, it's not your fault, it comes with the territory."
A couple of hours later and Kate was finally making some progress devising a meal for her unusual guests. So far, between Richards and Osgood, they had discovered that fortunately their diet was mainly organic, fibrous material such as grass and leaves, just like ordinary earth reindeer. Unfortunately there was also a compound that Richards had so far been unable to recognise, Osgood had been on video call with her and together they'd come up with a way forward but the results would take a while to come through.
Kate sat in her office with a dry looking sandwich in her hand that she actually couldn't face eating just at the moment. She was confident that the officers she had looking after the reindeer were capable and that an answer would be shortly forthcoming on the final component of the reindeer feed. Thinking about it, it wasn't so much of a Christmas day disaster, although it had been difficult to attribute the cover story to a person or organisation. Derren Brown had been too much of a failsafe for UNIT and it was beginning to look a little silly now.
Kate had eventually put word round that it was a stunt by a generic group wanting to spread festive cheer and the public seemed to accept that fairly easily. Her officers had been managing the curious crowds very well so far. Her desk phone rang and Richards confirmed that the missing compound wasn't from earth and she'd traced it back to a couple of places from the UNIT database. It wasn't a great surprise but it meant that Kate had no way of moving forward. She phoned Osgood on her mobile to ask for more assistance.
"I suspected as much. If we can break it down into its most basic elements I'm sure I could re-create a very close approximation of the compound. At least enough to get the reindeer on their way. We could make it into a powder and either put it into their water or sprinkle it onto their feed." Osgood seemed confident and Kate was partly reassured by that.
"How likely is that though?" Another part of Kate wasn't so certain and though she hated to doubt her girlfriend, she had to make sure.
"UNIT does have an extensive database of extraterrestrial elements. I can't believe we won't be able to sort something out. I'll speak to Richards, she'll know what to do." Of course Osgood hadn't taken it personally and Kate was relieved.
"Thank you." There was a brief pause and Osgood could hear the change in Kate's tone from business to personal. "How are things there?" Osgood hesitated slightly before responding.
"Umm, good yeah." There was a muffled exchange on the other end and Kate grew mildly concerned.
"Oz?"
"It's fine, the kids were just getting a bit rowdy, you know what it's like; too many sweets and not enough sleep. Gordy doesn't help matters." Kate laughed a little at that.
"He's never too old to be told off, you have my permission."
"Thanks anyway but it's not necessary. I'll phone Richards now. Speak later?"
"Yeah." Kate understood that she'd chosen to spend the day alone but there was a small part of her that felt like she was missing out. She did love her job and the excitement and uncertainty that it brought, as well as protecting the earth and its inhabitants. However, she knew that the unsettled feeling would pass and that she'd made the right decision to stay behind in the wake of this event.
"Don't worry, we'll sort this out. And really, it could have been worse." Osgood and Kate had been involved in some of the more serious and threatening invasions around Christmas in the past, so they both knew that this was a tiny drop in the ocean by comparison.
"I know and I have faith in you. I just…" Kate glanced around her office, just to check that she was still alone. "I love you." It was unusual for Kate to be quite so spontaneous with her declarations and it caught Osgood off guard for a moment.
"You're a silly sod. Me too, for what it's worth." Osgood whispered quietly into the phone and it confirmed to Kate that she was not alone.
'It's worth an awful lot." Kate said quite seriously. "Go on, sort out our talkative flying friends, that's enough of the soppy stuff today. I'll lose my reputation around here." It was a moot point since most people at UNIT were now mostly aware of the relationship between their Chief Scientific Officer and her second in command. Although it was still relatively recent enough news that Kate was keen to maintain a platonic façade during work hours. She'd fought long and hard for the respect of her officers, particularly those on the military side of UNIT, and she wasn't about to lose it by acting unprofessionally.
"So as soon as the reindeer had taken a mouthful of the treated water, their noses glowed and their bodies shimmered, a bit like glitter. The children who had been gathered around were delighted and in complete awe. I think it's made their Christmases." Osgood chuckled into the phone.
"Well, that should ensure the cover story sticks. Are any of our guests in a position to leave yet?" Kate couldn't work out where in her parents' house Osgood was but she sounded hollow and tinny down the line.
"No, but Richards thinks they should be gone by tomorrow morning." Osgood heard the relief in Kate's voice; at least it was an incident that wouldn't be dragging on for days or even a week or more.
"That's good to hear. Although it's a bit of a shame too, it would have been interesting to see them in person." There was a brief pause on the phone and Osgood's voice once again became clear. "When are you going to head home?"
"I've got some paperwork to complete so not for another couple of hours yet." As much as Kate believed she'd do it at home, all she wanted when she eventually got there was to have a long, hot shower, sit down to a proper meal and go to bed early with rubbish festive television on in the background.
"I can help you with that if you like?" It took a few moments for Kate to register that Osgood had appeared in her office whilst speaking to her on the mobile. The younger woman had the biggest grin on her face as she pressed the 'end call' button and slid her phone into the pocket of her jeans.
"How…? What are you doing here?" Kate put the receiver back on her desk phone. She was pleased but stunned and had trouble forming a coherent sentence. Osgood then called out into the corridor she'd just come from.
"You can come in now." Tom and Becky walked in with a hamper, some glasses and crockery. "They thought that you could perhaps do with feeding and some company."
"I don't know what to say…" Kate stood and walked out from behind her desk.
"It was either this or take the battery out of her phone!" Tom chuckled and set his armful of food on the conference table set up at one end of Kate's office. Becky followed suit and then made her way over to Kate.
"Happy Christmas love." Becky enveloped the woman who was practically her daughter-in-law in a hug.
"Happy Christmas to you too and thank you, this is… very unexpected." Kate said into Becky's shoulder and then they parted. Tom took his turn next and hugged Kate.
Osgood stood by the food and looked put out at having been side-lined by her parents and their greetings. Kate had fortunately noticed the younger woman's morose pout. She wasn't one to publicly show affection, especially when Osgood's parents were in the room, but she felt the efforts her girlfriend had gone to that day were worth rewarding.
Kate caught Osgood's eye and smiled widely as she slowly crossed the small space between them. They maintained eye contact and Osgood felt her heart speed up in anticipation. It surprised her how she could still feel so enthralled by Kate, even after having settled comfortably into their relationship. Kate had only meant to kiss her briefly, but neither could stop it turning into a languid, passionate greeting. After a few moments there was a cough behind them and they turned to see Tom and Becky grinning at them. Both younger women blushed with embarrassment but their hands remained entwined, unwilling to break the contact between them. Kate caught a whiff of the food on the table behind her and her stomach rumbled loudly, prompting Osgood to burst into laughter.
"I think someone's hungry. Let's sort this out and eat." Tom and Becky had packaged up a full Christmas dinner for Kate, ready to be microwaved and they'd even included some gravy. There were turkey sandwiches for the rest of them as well as a bottle of wine and mince pies for dessert.
Just after midnight, technically on Boxing Day, Kate received a telephone call at home from one of her officers at Trafalgar Square. Kate didn't say a word to Osgood but instead took her out into the cold night air. They sat on the upholstered seat in the garden she spent many hours devotedly tending and watched the stars as they twinkled brightly in the sky. Kate threw a thick blanket over them both and snuggled closer to her lover. Finally she was able to enjoy a small piece of Christmas alone with her girlfriend.
"Kate, as romantic as this is, it is rather chilly out here." Kate put a finger to Osgood's lips.
"Shh, just wait. Patience…." Kate placated Osgood with a kiss to the side of her face, the best she could manage from beside her and between the layers of clothing and her extraordinarily long scarf. Osgood sighed loudly in contentment.
"Remind me why we're not in bed, keeping warm in a different way?" Kate didn't need to see Osgood's eyes dance in a suggestive way, it was all too clear from her tone. Good job her parents had declined stopping the night!
"You'll see…" And then, as if by magic, from somewhere in the distance, a wondrous sight befell them. Four hundred glowing, shimmering reindeer from outer space began their journey across the London vista, beyond earth's orbit and towards home. Except, it was actually only three hundred and ninety-nine, because suddenly one landed in Kate's garden right in front of them.
"What on earth?" Osgood exclaimed and jumped a little in surprise. Kate held firm and simply smiled.
"Everlasting gratitude from my tribe. You are the one who helped us?" Kate nudged Osgood into responding, the younger woman not realising the reindeer had meant her. Osgood should be used to these things by now but something which looked rather like an ordinary earth reindeer, talking to her as its mouth moved in sync with its words, was quite bizarre even for her.
"Yes, I suppose I am."
"Then may all your earthly days be filled with abundant kindness in return." As suddenly as he'd arrived, the reindeer had simply nodded his head and flew out of the garden, back towards the herd in the sky.
"I… what? How?" Osgood turned to look Kate in the eye, angling for an explanation.
"I know you were disappointed at missing out on seeing our temporary guests for yourself. The elder had asked who to thank and long story short, he just did."
"Technically Richards had a part to play too." Osgood was never one to take credit for her work easily but she was also correct.
"And she'll be suitably recompensed with an extra day off work." Kate always tried to find a way of softening the inconvenience of UNIT's unsociable hours for her staff wherever she could. It wasn't always possible but today was Christmas after all.
"Thank you, that was a lovely surprise." Osgood snuggled deeper into the blanket, the warmth of the moment between them not quite being enough to keep her physically warm.
"So was turning up in my office with a full Christmas dinner! Seriously though, it has been lovely to spend time with you this evening." Kate felt the love in her heart more than ever and she was grateful for the existence of the woman in her arms.
"Perhaps we can reconsider our festive arrangements for next year?" Osgood thought she'd try, particularly when it appeared Kate was in a suggestible mood.
"I'll think about it." And Osgood believed that she really would think about it this time.
"Could we also think about going back inside where it's warm?" Kate leaned in and pressed a deep, passionate kiss to Osgood's lips. The younger woman responded in kind immediately. They eventually broke apart, breathless and dishevelled.
"I love you." Kate looked at her girlfriend seriously and meant it most sincerely.
"I'll love you more when we're upstairs and in bed!" Osgood, on the other hand, was done with the soppy stuff as the cold was really beginning to seep through the blanket and take hold on her body. So with that, the two women practically jumped off the bench and headed indoors. They left the universe to sit in relative peace while they indulged the most basic of human needs; love and companionship, even if only for a few hours until the next disaster struck and Kate and her team were called upon once more.