*Creeps in silently and then ducks behind the sofa when everyone turns to look* Hello I'm back, it's been rather a hectic month, hasn't it? Well it certainly has for me, I probably need to start my work earlier so I have more time writing what I actually want to write not about things I don't.
Thank you all for those lovely reviews you gave me for the first chapter, I very, very much appreciate it.
Disclaimer: Not Mine
The Christmas Invasion: Part 2
"But who is he?" Mickey asked as we tried to get the Doctor up the stairs. Annoyingly, he was still unconscious and he was actually he was a lot heavier than he looked...not that I had looked. But he had said that his regeneration was going wrong and I wasn't willing to risk him getting ill if his change had gone wrong. Luckily Rose had agreed with me which is why Mickey, my sister and I were trying to carry the comatose Time Lord up the stairs towards Mum's flat, "How can he be the Doctor when the Doctor looks nothing like him?"
"I told you," Rose said, as we hefted him another couple of steps. Mum had run ahead to make sure that the spare room was ready for us to put him into, "He changed his whole body, at least that's what he said that happened. When we forced open the TARDIS panel..." she looked at me, "That's as far as I can remember," and that explained how exactly she had absorbed the Time Vortex, and travelled all the way back to where we were in the year Two Hundred, One Hundred, "He said that he had taken the Time Vortex and returned it to the TARDIS but he was dying because of it. And I haven't forgiven you for leaving me in the TARDIS," she added to me.
I rolled my eyes, "It was an accident, I didn't know that he was going to make the TARDIS return back to here, and believe me, I told him that it wasn't his choice to make," I informed her curtly, heaving the Doctor up another step, "And believe me, you are very lucky that you weren't there when the Daleks decided to invade, because it wasn't sunshine and daisies, thank you very much," I looked at her, "The Doctor returned the Time Vortex, but he did say that it was deadly, which is probably why he was dying. I'm not sure, but that power was very dangerous...could control everything. Could bring life, and death. I think that doing it again would be stupid,"
"So he's the Doctor..." Mickey repeated and I let out a frustrated sigh, "Sorry, sorry, Alice," he looked at Rose, "She hasn't changed much, has she?" I saw Rose hide a smile, well they seem to be getting on better than the last time I had seen them together in Cardiff. Maybe the world wasn't coming to an end, "So no more Big Ears?"
"Don't worry, Mickey," I said sweetly, "I'm sure that if he wakes up he'll still call you, Rickey," he shot me a glare, and I smiled back at him. I wasn't in a particularly happy mood because of all this, and Micky was annoying me with obvious question, I really ought not to have taken it out on him. It wasn't his fault that all of this had been happening, "Tell me how exactly did you manage to force open the TARDIS console, because I'm fairly sure that your Mini wouldn't possibly get anything open...I am right in thinking that you used a car?"
Rose coughed slightly, "Mum leant us a big yellow truck," she explained to me, and I was slightly taken aback, "Borrowed it from Rodrigo from down the road, we coupled it to the console and Mickey drove it. It worked like a charm, except I can't remember what happened next. I'm sure you will be able to fill in the blanks for me?"
"As much as I can," I said quietly, "I wasn't there for some of it, like you arriving. I was...delayed somewhat," she frowned at that terminology, "Let's get him into bed and I'll try to explain everything," I nodded at her and she watched me carefully, "Come on, there's not much to go, I'm sure Mum is waiting for us, and probably fussing over everything as well," she looked hesitant to accept that, "I said that I'd explain everything, and I will," I insisted to her.
We lugged the Doctor up the remaining stairs and through the front door, "I really think that the council ought to put in a couple of elevators," Mickey gasped slightly, as we tried to get the Time Lord through into bed, "It would have made all of this a lot more easier,"
I didn't say anything but helped lay the Doctor down in the bed, "I've got him some pyjamas," Mum bustled through the door, holding several things, "I thought he ought to be more comfortable seeing as he's all like that and really it ought to be all right, they should fit him," she looked down at him, lying on the bed, "He's a bit thin, isn't he? I thought that if he had changed then he would be the same size but he's a lot taller, and a lot thinner," Rose gave me a look but I didn't return it, too busy trying to get the jacket off of the Doctor. It's a lot harder than it actually looks, trying to undress someone, "He should go to a hospital, we don't know whether he's got an infection or a disease...or maybe he's dying,"
"Mum, just throw us the pyjamas," my sister told her and Mum reluctantly passed the nightwear to her, "We just need him to be all right, ok?" Mum threw up her hands in exasperation, "Actually, could you find us a stethoscope? We'll need one," I presumed that she was going to do just that because she left the flat, "Right...how are we going to do this?" we both looked down at the Doctor, "We can't just..." she gestured.
I rubbed my eyes, "Mickey...?" I turned to the man, "Could you...?" I gestured to the Time Lord and luckily he got what I meant because he nodded, walking into the room, as Rose and I walked outside of the bedroom. I closed my eyes for a second, before leaning against the wall, not wanting to shut my eyes for any length of time, "Weird being back here, didn't think I'd ever see the inside of this flat again,"
"I suppose you probably thought that you were going to die back there in Satellite Five," she remarked offhandedly, but I felt like I had been punched in the stomach with those few words. Rose caught my look, "What?" she asked me, but I didn't answer her, "What's the matter, Alice? Nothing did happen back in Satellite Five, did it?"
I opened my mouth only to have Mickey walk out of the room, "He's all tucked up in bed," he said to us, "And I managed to get him changed so he's in the pyjamas that your mother gave us," he stepped out into the hall, "Err... I better get off to work, need to finish my shift," he looked at Rose, who watched him very carefully "Do you want to go shopping later on today?" he looked at the Doctor, "After making he's all right? Though you might want to go and get some Christmas shopping done, now that you're here and all," my sister nodded and Mickey left the flat with a very happy grin on his face.
"World could come to an end and Mickey would still be happy if you wanted to spend time with him," I said to him and my sister shot me a look, "I don't believe I said anything out of the ordinary. I thought that you two were still going out together," I walked into the bedroom, seeing the Doctor lying on the bed, "I wish that he had more time to explain everything instead of leaving us like this without much information. I don't even know what medicines he's allowed to have. Might be some weird Time Lord thing that he's allergic to paracetamol or something like that,"
"We won't give us anything unless he gets worse," she stated and I nodded once, "Until then I suppose we just make sure that he's comfortable and not attract any attention to ourselves, that would be bad, I think,"
"Yeah, because that route has always worked so well in the past," I remarked to her, "Don't worry, Rose, Mary-Anne, we're just going to have a look around, maybe chat to a couple of people, because this time is completely and utterly safe and there is absolutely no chance of anything happening here," I looked at her pointedly, "Maybe I ought to remind you that our track record of staying safe isn't exactly 100 percent in that. We get into trouble more often than..." I cast around for a decent example, "More often than the Cookie Monster gets cookies," she looked amused, "It made more sense in my mind,"
Rose folded her arms, "Except it's Christmas," she said plainly, "And nothing ever happens at Christmas except Mum burning the turkey and Cousin Mo coming over drunk, and maybe Nan decided to pop over or the first time in months," she placed her hands on my shoulders "We're going to be fine," I didn't remark at all to that, saying that nothing would ever happen was just an excuse for something to happen.
Mum bustled back into the room holding a stethoscope, "Here we are, Tina the Cleaner's got this lodger who's a medical student," she explained to us, "And she was fast asleep so I just took it!" she hadn't changed much then, "Though..." she looked down at the Doctor still in the bed, "I still think that we should take him to a hospital,"
"We can't," Rose took the equipment off of her, "They'd lock him up, they'd dissect him," she placed the ends in her ears and listened hard, "One bottle of his blood could change the history of the human race," Mum opened her mouth to say something, "No! Shhh," surprisingly Mum took the hint and fell silent. I folded my arms, leaning back onto the wall before watching as Rose placed the stethoscope onto one of the Doctor's hearts and moving it onto the other. She nodded at me when she pulled it back, "They're both working,"
"What do you mean both?" Mum immediately asked.
"Well he's got two hearts," I said and she looked at me as if I was stupid, "What, he has!" she opened her mouth and I waved an impatient hand walking out of the room, "Just leave him alone Mum, he's not a specimen to boggle at. He's just unconscious like any normal human person..." Mum and Rose looked at me, "Even though...he's not...oh..." I left to go and make a cup of tea. Too many things to worry about at one point, and I really didn't need this right at the very moment.
Mum and Rose followed me, "Is there anything else he's got two of?" Mum inquired innocently and I shot her a glare, "Sorry..." she cast a look back at the room, "How can he go changing his face?" Neither Rose nor I answered her, "So is that a different face or is he a different person?"
"How the bloody hell should I know!" I demanded turning around to look at her, before looking down at the ground, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry," I apologised to her, regretting my angry words, "I didn't mean..." And I didn't, I didn't mean to be angry at her because it wasn't her fault, there had been so much that had happened over the last few days that I didn't know where to turn and the only person that could have answered my questions was tucked up in bed and completely unconscious, "It's been a bad...few days," I rubbed my eyes, "And I keep forgetting that he's not...human. And me and him were..." I trailed off, remembering that kiss, "And then he changes and I don't know anything anymore, and I knew I knew him, even just a bit," I let out a long sigh, "But the big question is...where did you get a pair of men's pyjamas from?"
Mum bustled over to the kettle, "Howard's been staying over," she explained and Rose and I shared a look which showed that she didn't know what she was going on about either, "You know Howard...Howard from the market?" Oh yeah, that Howard, "It's only being going on for a couple of months. First of all, he starts delivering to the door, and I think 'that's odd'...and the next thing you know, it's a bag of oranges..."
"Is that Harriet Jones?" Rose interrupted, going over to the television, and immediately Mum sighs exasperatedly like she had wounded her personally. But then I don't think Rose or I wanted to hear about why exactly Howard from the market was staying over, "Why is she on the telly?"
"Never mind me then," Mum muttered and I left to look at what Harriet Jones was saying, "She's Prime Minister now," I almost laughed with the realisation of what the Doctor had said to us when we had just walked out of the remnants of Downing Street after the end of the Slitheen, "I'm eighteen quid better off these days. They're calling it Britain's Golden Age," she smiled wistfully, "I keep saying that my girls have met her,"
"Did more than that," Rose grinned at the television, "We stopped World War Three with her...Harriet Jones," she turned up the volume, "What are they saying?"
"That is where you're wrong," Harriet was saying behind a podium, "I completely disagree if you don't mind. The Guinevere One Space Probe represents this country's limitless ambition, British workmanship sailing up there amongst the stars," I smiled slightly at that, she clearly was thinking of the time that she had spent with us hiding from the Slitheen in a cupboard, and know of the aliens that had been revealed to her. And now she was Prime Minister and could make it happen.
A man appeared on the screen, "This is the Spirit of Christmas, birth and rejoicing and the dawn of a new age," he said a strong Welsh accent, "And that is what we've achieved fifteen million miles away. Our very own miracle. The unmanned probe, Guinevere One is about to make its final descent. Photos of the Martian landscape should be received by midnight tonight,"
"Optimistic, aren't they?" I went to go and sit on the sofa, "I mean has anyone been able to land anything on Mars before?" they didn't answer me, "Ignore me then," Rose dropped into the armchair opposite me and I sat back, "I guess here comes the interrogation about what exactly happened back on Satellite Five,"
"You didn't come back," Mum told me, sitting in the other chair watching me, "Your sister came back to me and she's all right, but you stayed there,"
"It wasn't exactly my choice," I replied to her, "Me being left behind was technically an accident, I didn't intend that the Doctor would send us home right when we were in the middle of an invading Dalek fleet," I turned my attention to Rose, "I didn't want to leave anyway and I think that the Doctor knew that I didn't want to go. He was angry but I think he knew by the end," she only looked at me, "What do you want me to say, Rose?"
"Well, I can't remember so much of my memory after I opened the TARDIS up," she answered, "So I'd like to know what exactly happened up until I woke up in the TARDIS and the Doctor was dying and then changed his face," I leant forward, "And I also want to know where Captain Jack is because I don't believe that he's rebuilding the Earth, because you wouldn't leave him behind. What happened when I left?"
I looked at her, swallowing down the lump in my throat, "Everybody died, Rose," I told her, and she frowned, "Everyone died in that Satellite, no one escaped," I placed a hand to my mouth, swallowing down the tears, "You know what the Daleks can do, Rose, you know what they are capable of...and there were thousands of them, and there was no time in which to do anything about it," I thought back to what had happened, "And I could hear them over the speakers, everyone that was trying to give us a little piece of time...I heard them die, and all I could think about was that they were just an inch closer to where we were," I looked at Rose, "Jack's not coming back,"
She stared at me understanding what I was saying, "He's dead," I nodded, letting out a shaky breath and twisting my hands around in my hair, "And you heard it," I stared at the carpet, "And so everyone died there...how did you survive?"
I looked up, "I didn't," I merely said, "I didn't survive them, not the Daleks...I died there, I died on Floor 500 of Satellite Five. I didn't live through them," my hands started shaking, "And it was so dark...and so cold. There was nothing left for me there," I placed my hands to my mouth, "I died there, because no one survives the Daleks, and every time I close my eyes, I am right back there in the darkness and there is no one there except what is moving in the dark..."
"But you're alive," she insisted, and I looked at her, "You're right here..."
"The Doctor said that you had absorbed the power of the Time Vortex," I said slowly, "That you had the power of time basically...you brought me back to the living world. You could control life and death; day and night...you saved me from death quite literally..." I tried to smile but it came out a grimace, "And then I saved you, making you let it go, and then the Doctor saved both of us, returning the Time Vortex back to the Vortex..." I shrugged, "I don't think that there are any side effects to coming back to life. Just as normal as I always was...well," I smiled, looking at her, "And of course, we found out what the Bad Wolf was..." I gestured to my sister, "You created yourself, leading us throughout time, right to the right point,"
"I'm not quite sure what you mean," she said and I laughed slightly at her, "You were dead and then you were alive. I had the Bad Wolf in my mind and the Doctor changed his face to look like what he looks like now," I nodded shortly, before cracking up laughing with her, "Merry Christmas..." I could only really laugh at that before wiping some tears from my eyes, "Are you all right?"
"No," I replied to her, "No, I don't think I am, but I will be," I promised her, and she frowned, still concerned, "I will all right...as well as I can be, I promise," she still wasn't convinced, I knew but it was that I could really do to assure her.
Mum had been silent up until that point, "Well you could do something and go Christmas Shopping," she inputted and I looked at her, "I don't want you moping around this place especially with him in there as well," I turned to look at Rose, "So you can go with Rose and Mickey into town and get some food for us all for Christmas Day, because I've got nothing. I know the butcher in the market have got a bargain on offer and I need a turkey,"
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," I muttered, adjusting my scarf around my neck and pulling on my gloves, as we all walked down the high-street towards the market, "I've never had to buy a turkey before, and how many of us is there going to be? Do we count the Doctor even though he isn't awake...will he be awake for Christmas even?"
Mickey turned around to look at me, "Here's a twenty," he handed the money to me, and I took it, "Just buy a turkey that costs that much and if there is too much then your mum can always save it for later," I looked at the twenty quid, God I'd forgotten all about money in the TARDIS, we didn't generally need it most of the time, although the sonic screwdriver was always handy with a cash point when we ran out of milk. Mickey had turned back to Rose, "So what do you need? I've got another twenty,"
"Do you mind?" she asked him, "I'll pay you back," she got her twenty, "God we're all out of sync," I dug my diary out of my pocket, opening it to the last pages, "You just forget about Christmas and things in the TARDIS. They sort of don't exist. You get sort of timeless," she looked back at me, "What's the date for us?"
I shrugged, "Somewhere around the twentieth of August," I told her, catching a picture that almost fell out of the loose pages. I looked at it, my heart nearly breaking at the picture of Jack, the Doctor, Rose and me standing in the middle of Kyoto in the thirteenth century. That felt like such a long time ago when it was in fact only a few days. Maybe Rose was right, we were sort of timeless...measuring time in different ways to everyone else.
"Oh yeah, that's fascinating," Mickey's voice drew me out of my thoughts, and I looked up, "Because I love hearing stories about the TARDIS," he nudged Rose, playfully, "Oh, go on Rose, tell us another one because I swear I could listen to them all day. TARDIS this, TARDIS that," Rose scowled slightly at him, "And one time the TARDIS landed in a big yellow garden full of balloons,"
"I'm not like that!" Rose protested to him.
"And it was a red garden," I inputted, before looking behind me, feeling a creeping feeling crawl up my spine, knowing that something was going to happen. Something bad. I had thought that death would have probably gotten rid of the odd feelings that I used to have, but they seemed to have survived somewhat, and they were telling me that something bad was going to happen here. Maybe we ought to have not come out this evening because this was not the safest place in which to be.
"Just let it be Christmas," I turned back to see Rose and Mickey talking to each other, Rose looking slightly abashed, "Can you do that? Just for a bit," I placed my diary back in my pocket, my fingers brushing slightly against the fobwatch, "Just you and me with Alice being the baby sister at Christmas," I think that I had missed quite a bit, "No Doctor, no bog monsters, no life or death," Rose nodded, "Promise?" she nodded again, "Right, what are you going to get your Mum,"
We wandered around the market, my insides still not settling quite right as we looked around. Mickey was off talking randomly which I didn't really tune into instead just watching the people milling around. A tune started up from the brass band and I watched as they gradually made their way towards us. They made me feel cold inside and I turned back to say something to Rose only to see that she was looking at the band as well. So I wasn't the only one thinking the same.
And then suddenly everything exploded and I was pulled behind the market stall seeing that the Father Christmas' instruments had turned into flamethrowers, "It's us," Rose hissed at Mickey, "They're after us!"
Told you...never say that nothing ever happened at Christmas.
So what do people think. If you haven't all disappeared that is?
:)
