Chapter 28: The End
The Paternoster gang peered quizzically over the edge of the newly formed hole. Vastra had driven the blade of her sword into the sheet of ice that now coated the ground; using it now to maintain her balance, "Okay," the Doctor scratched his head, "That was, unexpected" He took the 'manual' from Vastra making sure not to the turn the page over. He followed the passage of Old High Gallifreyan with his finger then handed the book back, "Completely unhelpful" The Silurian rolled her eyes at him.
"This isn't a guide of how to solve all of your problems Doctor, it's merely a, a get out of jail free card for use on these rare occasions," she tucked it away into her pocket and glanced down again to where the Tardis was just becoming visible as the powdery ice settled, "How do we get down there?" All eyes were upon the Doctor; but quite honestly he hadn't the faintest idea how he was to descend the cliff face. As visibility became clearer he could see now that the Tardis doors were facing upwards; both wide open.
"I could jump?" he suggested, "The, the internal gravity should still be online, it'll be like landing on a, well, like landing on a Tardis floor"
"The drop would kill you sir," Strax had been rather quiet during the whole episode, "Doesn't it have a remote control?"
"Well, yes," the Doctor withdrew his sonic screwdriver, "But we're too far away; really I need someone inside to fly it back up here" He turned to the Sontaran showing off every intricate detail of the device, "Alternatively, I'd need something to boost the signal, here look..." As he continued his long explanation Jenny couldn't keep her eyes off the fallen Tardis. The dust had almost completely settled now; and though the machine was tiny and far below them she was certain she could see movement inside. She tapped the Doctor's arm sharply.
"Doctor, look!"
The gang resumed their stance of peering down at the Time Machine, "Hello!?" the Doctor yelled. His voice echoed all around them.
"Doctor!?"
The Time Lord beamed around at his gang and pointed childishly down at the Time Machine, "There's someone in my Tardis," he grinned before his brain suddenly made the connection between that and the surrounding ice and snow, "But that, it can't be, that's Elsa!" he leaned far over the hole, "Elsa!" he yelled cupping his hands as he did, "What are you doing in there?!"
"You brought me here! You could've killed me!" An icy blast shot up past the Doctor's head.
"Yes and you're alive!" he cried dodging out of the way, "Don't be like that! Can you help us to get down to you?"
"I'm really not happy with you Doctor!" Her voice sounded so exasperated, the Doctor couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. He nudged Strax who joined in the laughing despite the humour going straight over his head.
"And you're alive did I mention?! Please just, conjure up a slide or something so I can get us all home!"
"A slide?" Vastra scoffed, "I've never heard of anything so ungraceful in all my life"
The Doctor rubbed his hands together and pulled his face, "Would you prefer a staircase? I'm pretty sure she can do a staircase…"
"A slide'll be fine," Jenny interrupted, "It'll be fun," she promised the sceptical Silurian. When Vastra didn't share in her enthusiasm she added, "We'll slide down together" The crackling of the forming slide reached their ears after a few moments. The Doctor grinned, pointing proudly at it and leaning out to have a better look.
"Ooh! It's like a helter-skelter," he clapped his hands together in excitement, "I might reprogramme one into the Tardis, lost the last one when the desktop got updated. Ha!" He turned to Commander Strax, "I'll race you Straxy. First to the bottom gets your gun," he shot at Strax with pretend finger pistols, blew them out and holstered them.
"A Sontaran never turns down a chance to crush the opposition," Strax beat a first sharply on his armoured chest, "Thank you for this opportunity, Sir, I accept your challenge," he confirmed. The women simply raised their eyebrows at one another, the testosterone was positively stifling. They returned their katanas to the safety of their sheaths while the Doctor counted down to his race with Strax.
"… Three, Two, One. Go!" The Doctor dove head first while Strax opted for the more sensible feet first approach, "Geronimo!" As they disappeared down the spiral of ice Jenny took Vastra's hand brought her to stand up on the top most part of the slide.
"Ready?" she asked the apprehensive lizard.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Vastra muttered under her breath. Jenny couldn't stop herself from bursting into laughter. The Silurian glared at her indignantly, "Is something amusing you?"
"You! You daft ol' lizard! You're tellin' me tha' in a million years you've never been down a slide?"
"Jenny I never said that I'd never been down a slide"
"You 'aven't been down one, 'cause if you 'ad you wouldn't be so bleedin' miserable," Jenny took a deep breath, she wasn't about the tell the Silurian how cold her rear was going to get sliding down a slide made completely of ice, "Okay, go!"
"YES!" the Doctor cried raising Strax's blaster high over his head in triumph, "Not fast enough Straxy boy!" The irritated Sontaran merely grunted something inaudible and threw himself into the console sofa. The Doctor grinned at the sulking Commander before a voice brought him back to reality.
"Doctor?" He turned on the spot, there she was, his saviour, his Elsa. He covered the short distance between them in an instant, letting the large gun clatter to the floor as he did. Scooping her up in his arms he buried his face in her neck, "Looks like you were in need of rescuing," she laughed.
"Yes," he pecked her cheek, "I definitely needed rescuing" With a hand on his cheek the Queen was inches away from luring him into a soft kiss on his lips when the Victorian couple came skidding through the Tardis entrance.
"Never again!" Vastra raged clambering to her feet hurriedly, leaving a bemused Jenny sat on the floor.
"It wasn't tha' cold," the petite cockney chuckled resting her elbows on her knees and grinning up at her aggravated wife. She loved her with every breath she took but the woman couldn't half be uptight sometimes. The Doctor looked back to Elsa, she was grinning away at the couple's tiff. She caught his eye; how long had he been watching her?
"Let's go home" The Doctor bounded up to the controls, as he flicked a few switches he realised that more systems had shut down than he'd originally thought. Flying the Tardis was going to be a nightmare. He side stepped to the next panel, the switches were also dead there too. He couldn't physically be at every panel at the same time, manually keeping the systems online. He scratched his head and stared down at the task before him that was usually so simple. He looked up, about to tell the group that it was futile, that they'd have to leave the Tardis and travel back by vortex manipulator. That's when the Doctor saw it for the first time. His gang, his friends. Their faces were all different but in heart and spirit they were just the same. As if time had suddenly caught up to him in this new body he managed to unlock and remember a portion of his previous incarnation's world. The Tardis had never been intended to be flown solo. It had never been assumed that one mad man alone would pilot the Time Machine. The Doctor beamed around at them. The grin of a mad man that told everyone who knew him that he had a plan, probably quite a terrible plan; and a plan that would almost certainly not work.
"Just keep that button pressed at all times, and hold this lever here," he guided Elsa's hand across the controls, "Hold it at this angle, don't let it drop" He sighed with satisfaction gazing around at his travelling companions each at their own control panel, each holding a flight system online. He'd given Strax the Tardis' shield to maintain as the Sontaran had requested to do something military related. The Doctor clapped his hands together gleefully bouncing over to take his place, "Okay gang," he flipped a few switches, the lights that flashed back at him confirmed that all flight systems were fully functioning, "Geronimo!" he cried pulling down hard on the dematerialisation lever.
"... And that, really, is totally all there is to it," Anna laughed nervously at the blank faces before her. Trying to explain her sister's absence had not gone down well, three of the esteemed guests had already threatened to cease trade unless the Queen returned at once. Stood silently beside her Kristoff swallowed hard, it had been a disaster the moment Anna had opened her mouth. He loved her to pieces but he could see clearly that she was not Queen material. He felt a harsh breeze suddenly hit his cheek, his hair began to ruffle wildly. The ice mason's eyes darted around the room, it was hitting the others too. All of a sudden the whirring of the Tardis began to fill the room. Anna breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh thank goodness," as the Tardis finished materialising Anna stretched her arm out towards the blue box, "I present to you, Queen Elsa of Arendelle" It was the Doctor however who emerged first.
"Not me," he grinned, "I'm the Doctor of, um, Doctor of Tardis" He moved through the stunned group wildly shaking their hands and grinning. He eventually fixed his bow tie and turned on the spot, "This is Queen Elsa, I'm sure you know that already," he pointed now to the Queen stepping out into the room, "And she's about to make you the trade offer of a lifetime so, I suggest you lot listen very carefully, now if you'll excuse me. Just got to move my box" The room watched, stunned, as he slipped back into his box and it began to fade out with its easily recognisable groaning whir. It could clearly be heard materialising elsewhere in the castle.
"Ouch!" the Doctor snatched his hand away from the control panel that carelessly exploded before him, "Not good," he moved to the next one but it too gave up and fizzled out in a hiss of black smoke.
"What's happening?" Vastra watched on as yet another control panel went down. The Time Lord hurried to the next and the next, each panel burning out before him.
"The trip was too much, the Tardis is damaged," he stroked the controls a look of genuine misery across his face. His head lowered, his eyes transfixed to the floor. His faithful machine was hurt; when she was hurting, he hurt too, "You'll have to take the Vortex Manipulator," he told the trio, "It'll get you home safely. Just keep it safe, and don't use it to sneak off to parties or anything else that I absolutely wouldn't do," he picked up the device from where Elsa had left it on the side control panel and handed it to Vastra.
"What about you Doctor?" The Silurian watched as his eyes washed over his broken home.
"I'll stay until I can get the Tardis repaired," he replied sadly. Vastra put a hand on his shoulder; forcing him to look her in the eye.
"Do not waste a day of your life here, old friend, it won't last forever you know" The Doctor followed Vastra's meaningful nod towards Jenny, understanding immediately the point she was making. He looked back at those sharp piercing blue eyes, "Life is short Doctor. Time isn't for watching on a clock, it's for living" The Time Lord watched Madame Vastra secure the vortex manipulator to her wrist, she gathered their swords and held an arm out.
"Come along Jenny, let's go home" Obediently the girl hooked her arm through Vastra's and offered a small grin and a wave to the Doctor.
"But Madam, what about me?" Vastra stared at the small Sontaran, gun held limply at his side. She grinned and offered him her other arm.
"You too Strax" Vastra's eyes turned back to the Doctor.
"I'll see you lot again I shouldn't wonder," he smiled.
"Where trouble follows you Doctor, so shall we" In a spark and flash the three vanished, back to their own place in time and space, leaving the Doctor alone with his thoughts. A break from running might not be so bad, he checked his bow tie quickly, ensuring that it was still there. As his fingers felt the soft material he smiled. After a last check of his appearance he was satisfied.
"Time to start living Doctor," he told himself as he strode from the Tardis. The door clicked shut behind him.
The End
London, England, Many months later...
The couple almost fell out of the carriage laughing shamelessly loudly for that time of night. They staggered the short distance to the their home on Paternoster Row.
"You," Jenny slurred tripping over the step into their home, "Are a bad ol' lizard. Tha' poor bloke couldn' run 'way fast enough" Vastra couldn't reply in her fit of silent laughter. The occasional hiss escaped her which only caused her wife laugh even more loudly.
"Madam," Strax greeted the women in the hallway.
"No' now Strax," Jenny giggled leaning back against the dining room door for support. The treacherous thing opened causing the maid to topple backwards into the room with a squeal. Her legs flailed in the entrance way. Tears streaked the Silurian's cheeks as she hissed even louder at Jenny's undignified exit. The girl too found herself overcome with the hilarity of the whole thing. Her legs wiggled as she giggled uncontrollably.
"Madam, we have been invited to the wedding of the Doctor," Strax forced the open blue envelope into the Silurian's hands. She managed to control her laughter as she slid the invite out.
"But we've just returned from the Doctor's wedding to Queen Elizabeth," she wiped away her tears with a chuckle. Strax looked down at the intoxicated Jenny still giggling on the floor, stuck in the doorway by her underskirts.
"Indeed," he grumbled.
"Oh Jenny," Vastra finally gained control of herself, "The Doctor is to be married in Arendelle"
"When's the weddin'?" Jenny's muffled voice asked from under the layers of material.
"It was yesterday.."
The maid couldn't possibly attend a second after party in the same night, she thought for a long while before finally responding, "We'll go tomorrow"
Thank you for reading
