Disclaimer: I asked Santa if I could own Doctor Who for Christmas. He pointed out that I was writing in September, so that idea's out the window.

The Christmas Invasion

Chapter 1: Born Again

Rose was increasingly baffled by what was going on. Her memories of the time since she'd opened up the heart of the TARDIS consisted of a mass of vague colours and shapes. She'd just woken up on the floor of the TARDIS but found the Doctor talking even less sense than usual. Before she could bring the conversation around to what had happened and where were the Daleks, he'd hunched over in agony and told her he was dying, but it would all be OK. Seconds later, a golden light had enveloped him. When it faded, a completely different face was stood there.

She watched, peering round a pillar, as the strange man went over to the console and fiddled with the controls. It was clear he knew just what he was doing.

"12:30 PM. 21st of September. 5006. On our way to Barcelona." He grinned, before turning to her "So? How do I look?" Rose babbled in surprise. "No no no. Don't tell me. He ran his hands over his body like a very weird exotic dancer. "Two legs, two arms..." He frowned as he rotated his wrist. "Slight weakness in the dorsal fibula. But I can adjust." He ran his hand over his head. "Hair! Not bald. Ooh, lots of hair. And sideburns, I've got sideburns!" At this point, he seemed to notice that the Doctor's clothes were a bit loose fitting on him. "Little bit thinner. That'll take some getting used to." His hands found something else interesting. "I... have got... a mole. Right between my shoulder blades, there's a mole. That's alright. Love the mole. Go on then, what do you think?"

Rose had slid further behind the pillar. "Who are you?" She said at last.

The man frowned. "I'm the Doctor."

"No. Where is he? What have you done to him?"

"You saw me. I changed."

Rose wasn't falling for that. "No. I saw him. There was this big light, like a teleport. Or a transmat. Or a body swap or something. You've even had time to gell your hair before you came!" She stepped forward in a hopeful effort to look tough. "You're not fooling me. I've seen all sorts of things. Nanogenes. Gelth. Slitheen. Oh my God, are you Slitheen?"

"I'm not a Slitheen." He said simply.

"Well... Whatever you are... I'm warning you. Send the Doctor back, right now!"

"Rose. It's me. I was dying, so to save my life, I had to change. Every cell in my body. I look different but it's still me." He tried to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder but she shrank away from him.

"But it can't be."

The man sighed. "Well then... How would I know this. When I first met you, down in that cellar, shop window dummies everywhere. I took your hand and I said just one word. Just one word. I said "Run."" He took her hand, just the way her Doctor would.

Rose looked him over. Somehow, she knew that only the Doctor could have said everything the way he said it. It was just hard to believe that he could spring something like this on her. But then, what wasn't possible these days? "Doctor?" She said.

"And we never stopped, did we?" The man, who seemingly was indeed the Doctor whipped his hand away and ran round the console, adjusting seemingly every other control. "Running. Right across the universe. Running, running, running. Or hopping. Do you remember. That one time we had to hop for our lives?"

Rose was just looking at him blankly. Even if he was the Doctor, she couldn't quite adjust to talking to a completely different face just yet. "Can you change back?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yeah."

"Oh..." The Doctor hadn't been counting on that. "Well, I can't. Do you want to go home?" If she was finding this all a bit too much, it may be best to let her be somewhere familiar.

"Do you want me to?"

"Your choice." He took her silence as an answer. "Very well. Cancel Barcelona." He hit a series of levers on the console. "Change to London. The Powel Estate... Let's say 24th of December. Consider it a Christmas present."

Rose blinked several times. As far as she could see, this new Doctor was inviting her to leave. "We're going home?"

"They'll be waiting. Fish and chips. Sausage and mash. Oh no... Christmas. Roast turkey. Although... having met your mother... Nut loaf would be more appropriate." He was pleased when he saw a smile creep over Rose's face. "Was that a smile?"

"No." Said Rose.

"You smiled."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"Didn't."

"Oh come on, all I did was change. I didn't, vagh!" He wrenched over in pain.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I said I didn't, bloooo!" He gasped and exhaled a small cloud of golden mist.

"Doctor... What's happening?"

"The regeneration's going wrong. Gahhh!"
"Maybe we should go back. Find Captain Jack. He'd know what to do..." Incidentally, she'd need to ask at some point why they'd left him behind.

"Nah, he's busy. Got plenty to do, rebuilding the Earth." The Doctor said quickly. He noticed a switch on the side of the console. "Been a long time since I used this one." He flicked it and the floor lurched beneath them. "Now we can really open up the taps! He twisted several dials, pushing half the components in the engines deep into their their safety margin. "Come on, you can do it, my little TARDIS! Let's rip through that vortex!"

"What are you doing!" Shouted Rose. "This can't be safe!"

"Nah, where's the fun in safety?" He laughed, throwing a lever, which increased the engine noise to a deafening roar. Then he hunched over the console in pain. "The regeneration's going wrong. I have to land soon." But then he shook it off. "Faster! Let's see what we can do!" He twisted some more regulators, causing the engines to roar even louder and a school bell to start ringing.

"What's that?" Cried Rose.

"Emergency alarm!"

"Great!"

"Faster!" He hit pulled a lever to open up the throttle a bit more.

"But you're gonna kill us!"

"Too late to stop it. Next stop, Christmas eve!"

Rose clung onto the console more tightly than ever. Not sure whether to try and help the Doctor or try to kill him.