Thanks to BatReeves for following/faving my story.
Imogen blinked at the sudden change of light when the Doctor dragged her out of the TARDIS, barely giving her time to recover from the crash landing. Her eyes widened when she saw, after her eyes finally adjusted to natural daylight, they hadn't landed on Bannerman Road. They'd landed on the Powell Estate. "Um Doctor? This isn't Bannerman Road", she informed him.
He looked at her confused "it's not?" he asked looking around "where are we then?"
"Powell Estate", she replied.
"That's near Bannerman Road right?" the Doctor questioned, his head starting to spin. It seemed that he may have to go into a healing coma for the remainder of the regeneration cycle.
"Nope", Imogen said.
"Oh" the Doctor tried to focus on Imogen but he couldn't. Now he definitely knew that he needed to go into the coma. But he couldn't do it here. He had to get back into the TARDIS. Even then he couldn't just collapse without telling Imogen about the healing coma. It wouldn't be fair. "Gen there's…" he didn't get anything more than those two words out before he collapsed taking the brunette with him as he was still holding onto her hand.
Imogen wasn't sure how long she'd been kneeling there looking at the unconscious Doctor torn between leaving him to run to Rose's flat to get help or just staying put and hoping that someone would notice them, preferably Rose. It seemed that staying put was the better option as she heard someone shout her name. Imogen looked up and sure enough there was Rose with her mother Jackie and Mickey Smith.
She watched as they ran towards her "it really is you", Rose breathed hardly daring to believe her eyes.
"Yeah it's me Rose", Imogen confirmed.
"Who's he?" Mickey asked nodding to the Doctor "and where's the Doctor?"
"This is the Doctor", Imogen replied looking down at the unconscious Time Lord, still holding his hand.
Jackie frowned, slightly confused. She'd met the Doctor and he didn't look a thing like the man on the ground. "What do you mean, that's the Doctor? Doctor who?" she questioned.
"I don't know", Imogen replied honestly. It was true. She had no idea what this new Doctor was going to be like. But as she promised him before he regenerated, no matter what happens next… no matter what kind of person he'd become… she was going to be there for him. No matter what.
It wasn't easy to get the Doctor into the Tyler flat but between Imogen and Mickey, they managed it. Rose, Mickey and Jackie stood back as Imogen put her head on the Doctor's now pyjama clad chest. She listened to his twin hearts for a moment before sitting up satisfied that both were beating normally. "Both are working", she informed them which made Rose visibly relax. She was aware that Time Lords had two hearts thanks to the Doctor telling them in a rather off-hand comment during one of their adventures.
"What do you mean, both?" Jackie asked clearly confused.
"He's got two hearts", Rose told her mother.
"Oh, don't be stupid", Jackie scoffed.
"He has", Rose insisted.
"Anything else he's got two of?" Jackie asked.
"Eyes…ears…hands…feet", Imogen replied with a smile to try and lighten up the situation. Rose forced herself not to smile as she wasn't in the mood for her friend to be making jokes. She had a lot of explaining to do. When Rose said as such, Imogen nodded in agreement and they all left the bedroom.
Once they'd all sat down, Imogen told them everything that happened. Well, everything that she could remember. A lot of it was still extremely fuzzy to her. As Rose listened to her friend, she felt rather angry. Imogen had actually gone back to Satellite 5 without her to go save the Doctor. And she came back with the Doctor but he looked completely different. According to Imogen he'd regenerated, a Time Lord's way of cheating death, hence why he looked different. Going by this fact alone, Imogen had failed to save him.
Mickey could tell that Rose wasn't very happy with what Imogen was telling them and suggested that they go out. Rose agreed and the two left the flat. Not long after they'd gone, Imogen went back to the bedroom to keep an eye on the Doctor.
A couple of hours later Jackie comes wandering in to the room mug of tea in one hand, phone in the other. "Oh, no. Don't come round, darling. No, flat's all topsy turvy", the blonde woman said into the phone while holding out the mug of tea. Imogen took the mug, nodding her thanks to the woman who returned it. She turned her attention back to the Doctor as Jackie wandered out of the room yacking on the phone.
It was mere minutes later that she heard the front door slam and Rose shout "Get off the phone!" Imogen got up and stepped out into the hallway as her friend took the phone from her mother and hung up. "Right, it's not safe. We've got to get out"
"Why? What happened?" Imogen asked but Rose ignored her. She turned to Mickey and asked.
"Where can we go?"
"My mate Stan, he'll put us up", he offered.
"That's only two streets away" Rose turned to her mother "What about Mo? Where's she living now?"
"I don't know. Peak District", Jackie answered.
"Oh, we'll go to cousin Mo's then", Rose said.
"No, it's Christmas Eve! We're not going anywhere! What're you babbling about?" Jackie asked thoroughly confused as to why Rose wanted to go to cousin Mo's on Christmas Eve.
Then Rose noticed the Christmas tree in the living room. It was no longer the white one they'd put up weeks ago. "Mum… Where'd you get that tree?" she asked. Imogen turned to look at it. As she took in the tree, she got a very bad feeling. They needed to get out right NOW. "That's a new tree. Where'd you get it?"
"I thought it was you", Jackie answered.
"Guys", Imogen said.
"How can it be me?" Rose asked.
"Well, you went shopping. There was a ring at the door, and there it was!" Jackie answered.
"Guys", Imogen said louder but again no one took notice.
"No, that wasn't me", Rose replied.
"Then who was it?" Jackie demanded.
"Guys!" Imogen shouted. This time they all took notice "we need to get out right now", she said.
"Why?" Rose asked. Imogen open her mouth to answer when the tree lights up by itself and starts playing Jingle Bells.
"Bedroom. Now", the brunette ordered. None of them hesitated to do as she says. When she entered the room, Mickey shut the door and dragged the wardrobe across the floor with the help of Jackie.
"Rose I need the sonic", Imogen said as she leant against the wardrobe with Mickey while Jackie cowered in a corner looking frightened. And who could blame her? The blonde went to the Doctor's jacket and started searching through the pockets. "Rose hurry!" Imogen urged as she could feel the wardrobe start to vibrate. Rose produced the sonic "give it here. I know what to do", the violet eyed teen said.
"You've done enough", Rose snapped. She went over to the Doctor and places the sonic in the Doctor's hand. Nothing happens. Suddenly there was a crash as the tree finally breaks through the wardrobe, throwing Mickey and Imogen backwards.
"I'm going to get killed by a Christmas tree!" Jackie exclaimed shrilly.
Rose leant over the Doctor and whispered "Help me" in his ear. She drew back when the Doctor sat upright and points his sonic screwdriver at the Christmas tree. The spinning evergreen explodes.
"Remote control. But who's controlling it?" the Doctor asked lowering the sonic. He gets out of bed, grabs and dressing gown and leaves the flat. Jackie, Mickey, Imogen and Rose follow him.
Down on the ground three Santas stare up at the four humans and Time Lord. "That's them" Mickey said "What are they?"
"Shush!" Rose shushed him.
The Doctor aims his sonic at the Santas in a threatening manner. The trio of Santas vanish in a flash. "They've just gone!" Mickey laughed "What kind of rubbish were they? I mean, no offence, but they're not much cop if a sonic screwdriver's going to scare them off".
Pilot fish", Imogen said.
"What?" Rose asked.
"They were just pilot fish", the Doctor repeated before coughing and throwing himself back against the wall. In an instant Imogen was by his side.
"What's wrong?" she asked worried.
"I was woken too soon", he panted "I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy". Vortex energy escaped from his mouth as he exhaled. "You see? The pilot fish could smell it a million miles away. So they eliminate the defence, that's you lot, and they carry me off. They could run their batteries on me for a couple of year… he lurched forward groaning. Imogen moves so that she could try to hold him up. Jackie helps her.
"My head!" the Time Lord groaned "I'm having a neuron implosion. I need…"
"What do you need?" Jackie asked frantically.
"I need…"
"Say it, tell me, tell me, tell me…"
"I need…"
"Painkillers?" Jackie asked.
"I need…" the Doctor gasped.
"Do you need aspirin?" Jackie continued.
"Do you wanna kill him?" Imogen asked "Aspirin is poisonous to Time Lords".
"How am I supposed to know that?" Jackie questioned. She had no clue what Time Lords could and couldn't have, she was just trying to help. "How about some food then?" she suggested.
"I need…"
"Bowl of soup. A nice bowl of soup?" Jackie's voice rose a little hysterically when she didn't get any answer from the Doctor "Soup and a sandwich? Soup and a little ham sandwich?"
"I need you to shut up", the Doctor snapped finally managing to get a proper sentence out.
"Oh, he hasn't changed that much, has he?" the older blonde woman remarked.
The Doctor lurches forward again and leans against the wall "We haven't got much time" he panted "If there's pilot fish, then…" he pulled an apple out of his dressing gown pocket "Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?"
"Oh, that's Howard. Sorry", Jackie said apologetically.
"He keeps apples in his dressing gown?" the Doctor questioned.
"He gets hungry", Jackie replied.
"What, he gets hungry in his sleep?" the Doctor asked looking at the apple confused.
"Sometimes", Jackie admitted.
The Doctor suddenly shouts with pain and sinks to the floor. Imogen goes to his side, now very concerned about him. "Brain…collapsing…" the Doctor grabs hold of Imogen's upper arms tightly. Staring into her violet eyes, he struggled to get out his next sentence "P…the Pilot Fish mean that something, something…" he took several deep breaths, his eyes never leaving Imogen's "something is coming Gen", the Doctor then collapsed into the brunette's lap.