Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Just Sophie my o/c.
A/N: And here is the very first instalment of the 2nd fic in my Lost Girl Chronicles. I'm rather surprised that I've actually managed to get this started, let alone posted so quickly! Thanks to Saberbladeprime for helping me out once again!
Also, I just wanted to give everyone a quick heads up that I've decided because of how long the Christmas Specials are that I'll probably post it in two parts.
PRELUDE
Born Again
Sophie watched, her blue eyes curious as the new Doctor, as soon as he had finished the last syllable of 'Barcelona' was dashing over to the console, swiftly flicking a few of the switches, before he checked the monitor.
"Six pm…" he murmured as he turned a knob, "Tuesday…" fingers speeding over the controls as he set the date, "October… 5006… on the way to Barcelona!" he declared with a beaming grin as he straightened up and turned towards where his companions where watching him.
His gaze finding Sophie who was gazing at him with those hazel flecked blue eyes of hers. Eyes that were aglow with open curiosity as they met his own, and his hearts seemed to skip a beat as they picked up a little more speed.
"Now then… what do I look like? …Am I, like what you saw?" he asked curiously directing the last question to the curly haired brunette completely missing the dubious anxiety on Rose's face as the blond stood, half concealed by the Y beam as she watched him with wide cautious eyes.
The Doctor didn't even give Sophie time to nod, let alone for either woman to voice a reply, before he held up a hand as he started talking again. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No," he changed his mind. "Don't tell me."
Sophie felt her lips twitch upwards into an amused smile, the dried tears on her cheeks making the action feel a bit stiff. What little anxiety she had slipping away as she took in his obvious excitement. She couldn't help the sad ache she felt though as she stared at the unfamiliar face, already missing his previous one, knowing that she'd never see it in person again.
"Let's see… two legs, two arms," he listed as he began to take stock of himself, "Two hands," he tested a wrist, circling it experimentally, feeling the movement under his fingers. "Slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle…" He released his wrist and his hands flew to his head as he suddenly recalled what Sophie had said. "Hair!" he exclaimed as he ran his hands through it, mussing it rather thoroughly in his glee, "You were right Annie-Girl!" he exclaimed, his expression flickering briefly in aversion – that name sounding… feeling odd on his lips now, before settling back into glee as he continued to run his hands through the strands, "Ooh! I do. I do have big hair!"
Rose edged out from behind the Y beam a bit, her expression perplexed now as she stared at the odd man. Her heart pounding in her chest, her disbelief mounting as her mind raced with confusion and fear at what she'd seen.
The Doctor slid his hands downward from his hair, his fingers brushing over his sideburns and he beamed delightedly once again. "Sideburns, I've got sideburns! Or really bad skin…" he lowered his hands as he glanced down at himself. "Little bit thinner…" he remarked, slapping his stomach, "That's weird. Give me time, I'll get used to it," the Doctor gasped and Sophie stilled slightly startled by the sound, whilst Rose started to breathe a bit heavily her expression becoming fearful rather than perplexed.
"I… have got… a mole!" he breathed with wonder, rather thrilled by this latest discovery too. "I can feel it." he rotated his shoulders not noticing the blondes rather upset expression, feeling his new mole shift with the skin, "Between my shoulder blades, there's a mole," he reiterated, "That's alright. Love the mole," he decided.
The Doctor turned to his companions, standing so that he was facing them completely, his gaze expectant, "Go on then," he urged, his gaze settling on Sophie, eager to hear what she thought of his new body, his new face, "Tell me… what do you think?"
Sophie blinked at the question, her eyes roving over his new face once again, "You, um… you're…" she faltered her tongue tying itself into knots as she tried to find words, cheeks beginning to heat as the Doctor continued to stare at her expectantly, beckoning her to get the words out.
"I'm what?" The Doctor urged moving a step closer to the stuttering brunette, lips curving up into a grin at the flush that was rising in her cheeks.
Rose frowned a bit as the stranger drew closer to Sophie, her body tensing at the possible threat, fear and confusion still fogging her brain, "Who are you?" she asked, her voice coming out timider then she'd wanted, but it succeeded in making the man still in his advance towards the brunette as he turned towards her.
The Doctor stared at the blond surprised by the question, finally noting the fear on her face, "I'm the Doctor," he replied crestfallen.
Rose shook her head, gaze skirting to briefly to Sophie as the brunette started towards her with concern, "No… where is he? Where's the Doctor?" her voice rising in volume, "What have you done to him?!" she demanded.
Sophie touched the blondes arm trying to comfort her, "Rosie. He's the Doctor," she tried to assure her distraught friend, "He's just changed remember?"
Rose eyed Sophie with wide-eyes and shook her head again, "No, that wasn't change this is – is," she struggled.
The Doctor stared at her confused and hurt, "Yes it was," he tried, "You saw me, I, I changed…" he jerked a thumb over his shoulder where the regeneration had come over him, "I did it, right in front of you."
"I," Rose swallowed, "We saw him sort of explode, and then you replaced him, like a… a teleport or a transmat or body swap or something."
Sophie stared at Rose slightly at a loss as to what she could do, before she glanced over at the Doctor taking in the lost and hurt expression on his face as he stared at the blond silently and on instinct, like she'd done before he changed, she reached out from behind her telepathic shields, brushing her consciousness against his, the familiar warmth of the Doctor's consciousness doing something to help soothing the ache in her chest especially as he reciprocated in the same way he'd always had. His gaze tearing from Rose to focus on her, brown eyes so different from the blue he'd had previously and yet they were the same as they regarded her.
'I,' Sophie tried as she began to project a thought to him, 'I'm sure she just confused, um… tiny human brain and all… you didn't give her much warning,' she attempted to comfort, hoping that it was the right thing to say to help him feel even just a little better.
The Doctor's lips twitched up in a small grateful smile, his consciousness still brushing hers, 'No, I suppose I didn't,' he agreed, regretting now that he hadn't made more of an effort to prepare the blond for the possibility, but he hadn't been expecting her to take it so hard. Not after he'd gone to the trouble of explaining before it had actually happened.
Rose stared from the strange man that had taken the Doctor's place to Sophie and back again, taking in the interaction between them, one that she'd seen take place between the brunette and the Doctor when they communicated in that telepathic way of theirs… she swallowed thickly, limbs trembling slightly, not wanting to believe… she really didn't want to believe it!
"No," she denied, her voice hushed, drawing the Doctor and Sophie's attention again, "You can't be…" her eyes hardened into a glare, "Send him back!" she demanded, "Please!" she stressed the word, "Send the Doctor back right now!"
The Doctor's eyes saddened once again as he turned his gaze back to the blond who was staring at him through eyes that were wet with tears, "Rose, it's me," he tried again moving to lean in towards her in his desire to make her understand only to lean back again as she took a small step back as she eyed him warily. "Honestly, it's me," he pleaded as Rose began to breathe rapidly and she shifted only slightly, shrugging Sophie's hand off her arm so that she could grasp it in hers tightly. Her knees starting to feel weak as she trembled a little harder.
"I was dying," the Doctor sought to remind her, "To save my own life I changed my body. Every single cell, but… it's still me."
Sophie smiled at him slightly, her gloved thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of Rose's hand, "Different, but the same," she murmured.
The Doctor nodded, "Still the same old Doctor… just all new me, is all."
"You can't be," Rose whispered, heart hammering against her ribcage a she continued to watch him.
The Doctor stared at her for a moment longer, before he, a little cautiously stepped closer to his companions, meeting Rose's eyes the entire time, silently glad that this time she didn't attempt to recoil, though her hand was still clenched tightly around Sophie's.
"Then how could I remember this? The first time I met you Rose Tyler. Trapped in that cellar. The two of you clasping hands like you are right now. Surrounded by window shop dummies… oh…" he glanced away as he reminisced over the moment, before he met her gaze again, "Such a long time ago," he glanced over at Sophie smiling at her as he met her eyes too, "I took your hand…" he took Sophie's free hand in his own.
Sophie blinked down at their joined hands, her fingers shifting just a tiny bit the hand that had taken hers feeling so different from what it had before… so different and yet… just like she'd said moments ago it was the same.
Rose frowned slightly, tears still slipping silently down her cheeks, "You say that like you didn't meet Sophie at the same time," she challenged.
"Because it wasn't," Sophie admitted and Rose looked at her surprised.
"What?"
"First time I saw him in person," Sophie began.
"Was down the street," the Doctor picked up before she could continue a half grin in place as he regarded the brunette fondly, "You'd frozen in place just staring like you'd seen a ghost and I paused beside you and I said,"
"Oi, you alright?" Sophie spoke with him as she remembered the moment too and Rose blinked at them, heart starting to calm even as she still continued to stare with wide eyes.
The Doctor grinned, amusement shining out of his brown eyes, "And then you muttered a very unbelievable 'fine' before you scurried away like you were afraid I was going to bite or something,"
Sophie frowned at him, her lower lip jutting out lightly, "I walked away," she corrected, "And I didn't think you were going to bite me. I'm pretty sure I was thinking something like 'the bleedin' killer mannequins are real!'"
"You scurried so fast you were practically running," the Doctor insisted still smiling, before he turned to the still dubious Rose, smile falling away at seeing that she still wasn't quite convinced, "And the first thing I ever said to you Rose Tyler… it was just one word… just one, I said 'run'."
Rose's lips parted as more tears welled in her eyes, "Doctor?" she whispered still questioning, but unable to not start believing.
The Doctor smiled at her and waved his free hand at her much like he had a long time ago when this had all began and she'd been demanding answers out of him, "Hello."
Rose let out a shaky sigh, her hand releasing Sophie's as she stumbled backwards as the impact of what was happening, had happened hit her.
The Doctor gave Sophie's hand a final squeeze, before he released it and took off at a quick pace, moving to the other side of the console, "And we never stopped, did we? All across the universe, the three of us. Running, running, running…" he chattered with enthusiasm, flicking a few switches. "One time we had to hop. Do you remember? Hopping for our lives." Sophie nodded, lips twitching in amusement as he began to hop madly up and down on the spot. Rose, however didn't respond at all as she rested her back against the Y beam just staring silently at him once again.
"Yeah? All that hopping?" he beamed a grin at the amused Sophie as he continued to hop energetically, before looking to Rose, "Remember hopping for your life?" he prompted hoping to elicit a response out of the shocked and subdued blond, "Yeah?! Hop? With the…" the Doctor trailed enthusiasm dying down as he stopped hopping as Rose merely continued to stare. "No?"
"Can you change back?" Rose asked and the Doctor stilled, face freezing momentarily as hurt lanced through him once again.
"Rose…" Sophie began.
"No seriously," Rose cut her off, "Can you change back?"
The Doctor swallowed, "Do you want me to?" he asked blinking a bit heavily at her.
"Yeah," Rose said like it was the most obvious thing in the word.
"Oh," the Doctor muttered quietly, looking away from the blond to stare at his ship, unable to bring himself to look at Sophie in that moment.
"Rose," Sophie tried again, her mouth feeling dry and her heart aching for the pain she could see in the careful blankness on the Doctor's face.
Rose shot Sophie a look, "You can't say that you don't want him to change back?" she half stated half questioned eyeing the other woman with wide eyes once more.
Sophie swallowed, flinching just a little as she turned her gaze away from the blond, her heart clenching painfully, because there was a small part of her that wanted that… wanted to see his old face again… his old smile and the prominent ears and the big nose… the face he'd called daft… she looked over at the new man the Doctor had become and met the brown eyes that had turned to her, old and hurting, at the blondes' question. "He's still the Doctor," she found her voice again, "His face doesn't matter." And the Doctor smiled at her, hurt eyes lightening slightly.
Rose swallowed, but turned slightly hopeful eyes back on the Doctor, "Can you?" she persisted.
"No," he responded, turning his gaze to the floor as disappointment and pain lanced through him once again at the blondes' rejection of who he'd become.
"Did you want to leave?" he asked the blond lowly.
Rose stared at him shocked by the question and glanced briefly at Sophie who was staring as mutely at the grating beneath their feet, "Do you want me to leave?"
The Doctor lifted his gaze from the floor to stare at her quietly, "No," he replied, "But… your choice… if you want to go home…" he trailed eyeing the blond as she continued to stare at him like he was a stranger to her. He slowly nodded and turned away, his limbs feeling stiff as he moved for the console again. "Cancel Barcelona," he muttered as he began fiddling with the dials again. "Change to… London… the Powell Estate…"
He trailed glancing briefly over at Sophie who hadn't said a word since saying his face didn't matter, unable to help but feel a bit concerned that she may choose to leave him too if Rose really decided to stop travelling. The idea made his hearts clench in renewed pain, he could deal with Rose leaving… it hurt… it did, but he could manage… but to lose Sophie as well… he didn't want that… not at all… there was so much still… so much that they hadn't done… hadn't seen. So much to explore and he wanted to share that with her…
"…Ah…" he hedged for a moment longer before a date came to mind, "Let's say the 24th of December," he glanced over at Rose, "Consider it a Christmas present."
Rose edged closer to the console, heart beating uncomfortably as she continued to eye the Doctor upset.
"There." the Doctor turned a last dial and the Tardis shuddered a bit as it changed direction as it flew through the vortex.
He stepped back and away from the console moving towards Sophie, his arms tucked defensively under his armpits until he came up beside the brunette. His hands lowering so that he could slip one around the brunette's grasping the slender appendage firmly, his fear that she'd leave too making him not want to let go. His mind reaching for hers again, brushing against her consciousness almost searchingly.
Sophie blinked at the feel of his mind against hers… she'd never felt it so… it was like he was seeking something from her… but wouldn't say what. So, she brushed back a little tentatively as she tried to offer some kind of reassurance.
Rose shifted a little unsure what to think as the Tardis flew through space heading to the past… her present really… to take her… to drop her… "I'm going home?" she questioned, her voice quieting.
The Doctor shrugged, "Up to you. Back to your mum… it's all waiting. Fish and chips, sausage and mash, beans on toast…" he paused blinking a bit in thought, "No, Christmas! Turkey!" he recalled, "Although… having met your mother… nut loaf would be more appropriate."
"Jackie isn't that bad," Sophie mildly rebuked him, her eyes rolling at his dig at the older Tyler woman.
The Doctor snorted with incredulity in response, before his eyes caught on the small smile that was touching Rose's lips, one she was trying to hide as she ducked her head. "Was that a smile?"
The smile vanished immediately. "No," Rose mumbled in response not raising her head from where she was staring at a random point of the console.
"That was a smile," the Doctor said knowingly.
Rose glanced over at him, "No, it wasn't," she denied.
"You smiled…" the Doctor said teasingly.
Rose gave him a look, "No, I didn't."
"You kinda did," Sophie told her.
Rose huffed a little, "Did not."
The Doctor's expression turned exasperated, "Oh, come on, all I did was change, I didn't…" he cut off, his hand unintentionally constricting around Sophie's as he gagged heavily hunching over and the Tardis gave a shudder.
"Doctor?" Sophie said with concern wincing as his hand clenched about hers painfully.
"What?" Rose asked confused and concerned.
The Doctor straightened, hand loosening about Sophie's again, but not letting go. "I said I didn't…" he gagged again, hand constricting around Sophie's once more as he retched violently, forcing himself to release Sophie's hand as he panted a bit, "Uh-oh," he mumbled.
"Uh-oh?" Sophie echoed with concern as she stared helplessly, flexing her released hand, as Rose began to inch around the console towards him, "How bad of an 'Uh-oh'?" the brunette asked as he straightened up again.
The Doctor opened his mouth to reply only for golden regeneration energy to escape his mouth instead floating in the air for a moment, before dissipating.
"What's that?" Rose asked.
The Doctor blinked at them, hearts pounding heavily, "Oh… the change is going a bit wrong and all," he managed to say, before he gagged again. This time falling to his knees as his face contorted.
Sophie stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder, her mind racing with concern for him, "Is there anything we can do?"
The Doctor attempted to reply only to retch again.
Rose shifted nervously, "Look… maybe we should go back. Let's go and find Captain Jack, he'd know what to do." She suggested.
"Gah," the Doctor grumbled his tone impatient as he pulled himself up a bit with the console and on to his feet. "He's busy! He's got plenty to do rebuilding the Earth!" his gaze caught on a lever on the console, "I haven't used this one in years," he remarked as he reached for it. His fingers closing about it briefly as he flicked it and the Tardis rocked violently nearly throwing the three of them off their feet.
"What are you doing?!" Rose demanded as she grasped a portion of the console trying to secure herself against the shaking.
"Putting on a bit of speed!" the Doctor responded a wild look in his eyes, "That's it!" he exulted as his ship moved faster through the vortex. Beside him, Sophie grasped a part of the console to staring at him wide-eyed as he turned various knobs on the console. "My beautiful ship! Come on, faster! That's a girl!"
"Doctor!" Sophie yelped rather disconcerted now, her heart racing with fear.
Her call had the Doctor focusing his wild eyes on her and he grinned crazily, "Faster! Wanna break the speed limit?!" he asked her, his eyes flashing in mad glee.
"Stop it!" Rose shouted terrified as she continued to cling to the console.
"Ah, don't be so dull…" the Doctor responded his tone a bit nasty as he focused his gaze on her, but still crazed. He turned his attention back to Sophie reaching around her to fiddle with more knobs on the console. "Let's have a bit of fun! Let's rip through that vortex!" he declared, his arm anchoring Sophie to his side as he flicked a few more dials with his other hand.
"Doctor! Stop, please!" Sophie cried frantically as the Tardis rocked and shuddered harder as she hurtled faster and faster.
'Sexy please? How do I slow us?!' she projected desperately at the ship when all she got from him was a crazed grin and got a hazy image of one dial and then another and then another…
Sophie reached for the first the Tardis had shown her only for a hand to come out and give it a reprimanding tap, before fingers closed about her gloved digits tightly drawing her gaze back up to the Doctor.
"No backseat flying!" he rebuked, releasing her hand to bop her with a quick movement on the nose. The Doctor's gaze caught hers the very real terror in the hazel flecked blue depths reaching him and he calmed, the wild look fading to one full of pain. "The regeneration's going wrong. I can't stop myself," he told her grimacing in pain, "Ah, my head…" he groaned buckling against the console again… but it was only for a brief moment before he straightened up again, the crazed grin back and his eyes were once again wild the brief calm gone like it'd never resurfaced.
"Faster! Let's open up those engines!" he shouted, and the Tardis shuddered harder as he turned more dials and pressed more buttons.
Sophie lifted a hand from the console again reaching for the first dial the Tardis had shown her after her plea, needing to slow them as the Tardis seemed to almost convulse under them.
The Doctor seeing her motion once again reached for her hand grasping it firmly in his own, "Well if you insist on backseat flying – we want this button!" he pressed her hand down on it and the Tardis spun through the vortex faster.
"Doctor please! This isn't funny!" Sophie cried as he released her hand again to spin another dial wildly.
"No," he agreed, "It's brilliant!" he revelled as he piloted, one arm still helping to anchor Sophie to the console, even as he used both hands to send the ship faster and faster.
A bell rang shrilly… the sound warning in its tenor…
Rose glanced about terrified, "What's that?"
The Doctor laughed with delight, "We're going to crash land!" his laughter becoming manic.
"Doctor, that isn't a good thing!" Sophie shouted over the sound of the ringing bell, voice mixing with Rose's desperate cry of 'do something'.
The Doctor pulled away from the console taking Sophie with him, the shocked brunette not having expected him to move, let alone away from the console. "Too late! Out of control!" he said his voice rising in either hysteria or manic joy, neither woman could tell.
Sophie stared up at him as he danced them rather swiftly about the console mixing in a few deft, but wild spins and turns as he revelled in the speed of the moment. Sophie clinging to him in an effort to keep her feet.
"I love it! Hot dawg!" the Doctor cried manic grin still stretching his lips.
Rose watched them from where she was clinging to the console, terrified, unable to believe that this was happening… once again wondering how this manic madman could possibly be the crazy alien that she and Sophie had been traveling with… the Doctor would never have done something like this… never! "You're going to kill us!" she shouted desperately.
The Doctor brought them back to the console, arms on either side of Sophie now as he gripped the edge of the console, helping to keep the frightened brunette anchored.
Sophie thought about trying for the dial that the Tardis had indicated would at least start to slow them, only for the ship to respond with an alarmed negative. The brunette getting the sense from her that to try anything like that now would blow the console or worse, that in fact, the best thing now was to let the ship crash land.
'Oh, bugger it all!' she thought desperately hands tightening around the console, her head tilting back. The back of her head brushing the Doctor's shoulder as she looked up at him, eyes meeting his crazed ones as he grinned madly down at her.
"Hold on tight, here we go!" he shouted with excited enthusiasm, "Christmas Eve…!" he cheered madly as they began to plummet towards planet Earth. Sophie's and Rose's gaze meeting in shared terror at the prospect of the crash landing that had the Doctor so excited…
