Shareen vs the Universe
The Christmas Invasion
Thanks to EmoBandGirl22 and JediGemini for favourting and following this story
On Christmas Eve 2006, Shareen Costello made her way home after a day busking at Waterloo station. She emerged from Southwark Tube station and walked through the streets back towards the Powell Estate, feeling rather happy with the money she'd made today. As she neared the estate, she suddenly heard a familiar wheezing and groaning sound. "Rose!" she gasped, and sprinted towards the source of the sound as fast as her legs would let her.
When Shareen reached the estate, she found Jackie and Mickey waiting too. "Jackie, Shareen, it's the TARDIS!" Mickey exclaimed
"Yeah, I heard it." Shareen replied
"Me too." Jackie added, "She's alive! I said so, didn't I? She's alive!"
Back in October, Rose had briefly come home, having been sent away by the Doctor to keep her safe while he faced apparent certain death. However, Rose had opened the heart of the TARDIS and gone back to help the Doctor. Shareen had been visiting her grandparents in Tenerife at the time, but Jackie and Mickey had filled her in when she'd come home.
"Shush! Shut up a minute!" Mickey urged, and they all looked frantically around
"Well, where is it, then?" Jackie wandered
Suddenly, the TARDIS appeared out of thin air about 20 feet above their heads. The box crashed against the buildings on either side as she dived towards the ground. Jackie, Mickey and Shareen were forced to hit the deck as the TARDIS flew above them, ricocheted off a post van and finally came to a stop next to some bins.
"What the hell is that alien playing at?" Shareen grumbled as she, Jackie and Mickey picked themselves up.
The TARDIS' doors flew open to reveal a tall, thin man in his mid-thirties, with spiky brown hair, brown eyes, and wearing the Doctor's clothes. "Here we are then." the man said, peering around at his surroundings, "London, Earth, the Solar System. We did it!" He stumbled out of the TARDIS, gazing up at the flats, then he noticed Jackie, Mickey and Shareen staring at him. "Jackie! Mickey! Shareen! Blimey! No, no, no, hold on." He stumbled backwards a few steps. "Wait there, what was I gonna say? There was something I had to tell you. Something important, what was it? No, hold on, no, hold on..." He put his hands on the confused Jackie and Mickey's shoulders, apparently thinking hard. "Hold on, shh, shh, shh. Oh!" he perked up suddenly, "I know" Merry Christmas!" And then he promptly collapsed, falling to the ground unconscious.
Rose stepped out of the TARDIS at that moment. "What happened? Is he alright?" she asked
"I dunno, he just keeled over." Mickey replied, "But who is he? Where's the Doctor?"
"Yeah, and why's this guy dressed like him?" Shareen added
"Because he is him." Rose answered, "That's him. Right in front of ya. That's the Doctor."
"What d'ya mean, 'That's the Doctor'?" Jackie questioned, "Doctor who?"
"I don't think I know anymore." Rose said wearily, then composed herself. "C'mon, let's get him inside."
~8~
The Doctor was soon tucked up in bed in the Tylers' spare bedroom with Rose and Shareen sitting next to him. They'd managed to get him out of the now ill-fitting clothes of the previous Doctor and into a pair of men's pyjamas. Rose had told the others of the events on the Game Station and how the Doctor had changed into the person lying before them. "So, he just changed in a bright light?" Shareen questioned
"Yes, he did." Rose sighed
"I dunno." Shareen shook her head, "I mean, I know he's an alien, but to literally change into a different person..."
Just then, Jackie entered the room with a stethoscope. "Here we go." she said, handing it to Rose, "Tina the cleaner's got this lodger, medical student. And she was fast asleep, so I just took it. Though I still say we should take him to hospital."
"We can't. They'd lock him up." Rose told her, "They'd dissect him. One bottle of his blood could change the future of the Human race. Now shush!" And she put the stethoscope in her ears and placed it on one side of the Doctor's chest, then the other."
"I s'pose we could try those U.N.I.T people." Shareen suggested, "If the Doctor's worked for 'em, then maybe they'll know what to do."
Rose wasn't paying attention. "Both working." she noted, removing the stethoscope
"What d'ya mean, 'Both'?" Jackie questioned
"Well, he's got two hearts." Rose replied
"Really?" Shareen raised a brow
"Oh, don't be stupid." Jackie scoffed
"He has!" Rose persisted, getting up and moving to the door.
"Anything else he's got two of?" Jackie asked
"Leave him alone." Rose grunted, Leaving the room.
Jackie peered at the Doctor, then followed her daughter. Shareen made to follow them when she suddenly saw the Doctor open his mouth. A wisp of yellow-gold energy drifted out of his mouth and escaped through the window. "That was weird." Shareen muttered, then headed off to join Rose and Jackie in the kitchen.
"How can he go changin' his face?" Jackie asked Rose, who was rifling through the fridge for a snack, "Is that a different face or is he a different person?"
"How should I know?!" a frustrated Rose retorted, taking a pork pie from the fridge
"Alright. She was only askin'." Shareen remarked as she joined them.
Rose took a calming breath. "Sorry." she said to her mother, "The thing is... I thought I knew him, mum. I thought that me and him were... and then he goes an' does this. I keep forgetting he's not Human." She pulled herself together and decided to change the subject. "The big question is... where'd you get a pair of men's pyjamas from?"
"Howard's been staying over." Jackie replied
"What, Howard from the market?" Rose asked
"My boss." Shareen confirmed
"How long's that been goin' on?" Rose asked Jackie
"A month or so." Jackie answered, "First of all, he starts deliverin' to the door and I thought, 'that's a bit odd.' Next thing I know, it's a bag of oranges..."
Rose's attention was suddenly caught by a familiar voice coming from the telly in the living room. "Is that Harriet Jones?" she asked, going into the living room.
"Oh, never mind me..." Jackie grumbled as she and Shareen followed her in.
"Why's she on telly?" Rose asked
"Cos' she's Prime Minister now." Shareen replied, "We had an election back in June and Harriet won a landslide majority. I voted for her." she finished proudly
"And we're 18 quid a week better off." Jackie added, "They're calling it 'Britain's golden age'. I keep on saying that you two have met her."
"We did more than that." Rose grinned, "Stopped World War three with her. Harriet Jones..."
"Prime Minister, what about those calling the Guinevere One space probe a waste of money?" a journalist asked on the telly
"Now, that's where you're wrong." Harriet answered, "I completely disagree if you don't mind. The Guinevere One space probe represents this country's limitless ambition. British workmanship sailing up there against the stars." she said proudly
The footage changed to show a man, who according to the news was Guinevere One's project manager, Daniel Llewellyn. "This is the spirit of Christmas, birth and rejoicing, and the dawn of a new age, and that is what we're achieving fifteen million miles away." he told the press, "Our very own miracle."
The footage then showed a computerised image of a probe orbiting Mars "The unmanned probe Guinevere One is about to make its final descent." a newsreader explained, "Photographs of the Martian surface should be received by midnight tonight."
~8~
That evening, Rose, Mickey and Shareen were walking along a street in the city centre that was packed with Christmas shoppers. Mickey and Shareen had both agreed to take Rose with them to do some last-minute Christmas shopping to take her mind off things. "What d'ya need? 20 quid?" Mickey asked Rose
"D'ya mind?" I'll pay ya back." Rose replied, taking the £20 note he'd held out.
"Call it a Christmas present." Mickey laughed
"God, I'm all out of sync." Rose remarked, "Ya forget about Christmas an' things in the TARDIS. They don't exist. Ya get sorta... timeless."
"Oh, yeah, that's fascinatin', cos' I love hearing stories about the TARDIS." Mickey said dryly, "Ooh, go on, Rose, tell us another one, cos' I swear I could listen to it all day. TARDIS this, TARDIS that..."
"Shut up!" Rose laughed
"Ooh, an' one time, the TARDIS landed in a biiiig yellow garden, full of balloons." Mickey continued
"I'm not like that." Rose snorted
"Oh, yes you are!" Shareen laughed
"Hmm, must drive ya both mad. Surprised ya don't give up on me."
"Oh, that's the thing, isn't it?" Mickey said, "You can rely on us. We don't go around changing our faces."
"Yeah." Rose muttered, her thoughts going back to the comatose Doctor, "What if he's dying?"
"Ok." Mickey huffed and stopped
"Sorry!"
"Just let it be Christmas." Mickey pleaded, taking Rose's hands, "Can ya do that? Just for a bit. You and me, and Shareen, and Christmas. No... no Doctor, no... no bog monsters... no life or death."
"Ok." Rose replied
"Promise?"
"Yes!"
"Right! What're ya gonna get for ya mum?" Mickey asked as they started walking again.
"We're round there all the time now, ya know." Shareen added, "She does us dinner on Sundays. She talks about ya all afternoon..."
Rose wasn't really listening. She was looking at a brass band that were all dressed as Father Christmas and playing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. She gazed at them for a long moment. Something about their faces seemed off, they looked more like metal masks. Then, the band lowered their instruments and began holding them like weapons.
Suddenly, a jet of flame shot out of the trumpet, revealing it to be a flamethrower, while the other instruments fired bullets. People screamed and ran for cover while Rose, Mickey and Shareen took refuge behind a market stall as the Father Christmases blasted around, causing a lot of commotion.
"It's us!" Rose realised, "They're after us!"
The Father Christmases blasted the stall Rose and Mickey were hiding behind, so they ran off, avoiding the gunfire. One of the band rather foolishly fired at the giant Christmas tree, causing it to fall on top of it, buying the three Humans time to escape.
"What the hell are those things? What do they want with us?" Shareen blustered as they ran down the street
"Taxi!" Rose yelled to a passing black cab, which stopped, and they all scrambled in. "They're after the Doctor." Rose told her friends
"I can't even go shopping with you! We get attacked by a brass band!" Mickey gasped, "Who're ya phoning?" he asked as Rose pulled out her mobile.
"My mum." Rose replied, putting the phone to her ear. "Get off the phone!" she grumbled as she heard the engaged tone, meaning that Jackie was busy yapping away on the phone at home.
"What were... those Santa things?" Mickey asked
"I dunno." Rose replied, "But thing about it, they were after us. What's important about us? Well, nothing. Except the one thing we've got tucked up in bed. The Doctor."
"Rose, I hope ya don't mind me sayin' this, but you an' the Doctor are a jinx!" Shareen groaned.
~8~
The taxi soon arrived at the Powell Estate and Rose, Mickey and Shareen scrambled out. Shareen paid the driver for his troubles while Rose and Mickey ran for the flats. They burst into the Tyler flat to see Jackie yapping for England on the phone. "Get off the phone!" Rose yelled
"It's only Bev. She says hello." Jackie rolled her eyes
Rose took the phone. "Bev? Yeah, Yeah, look, it'll have to wait." She hung up and turned back to her mother. "Right, it's not safe, we've gotta get out. Where can we go?"
"My mate Stan, he'll put us up." Mickey suggested
"That's only two streets away." Rose dismissed, and turned to Jackie, "What about Mo, where's she livin' now?"
"I dunno, Peak District." Jackie replied
"Oh, we'll go to Cousin Mo's, then." Rose decided
"It's Christmas Eve! We're not goin' anywhere! What're you babblin' about?"
"Mum..." an exasperated Rose began
Just then, Shareen joined them. "Jackie, why's that tree changed?" she asked. Before she, Rose and Mickey had left, the tree had been silver. Now it was green.
"That's a new tree." Rose agreed, "Where'd ya get it?"
"Well, I thought it was you!" Jackie replied
"How can it be me?"
"Well, you went shoppin', there was a ring at the door, an' there it was."
"No, that wasn't me." Rose said uneasily
"Then who was it?" Jackie asked
Everyone stared at the tree as it lit up on it's own accord. "You're kiddin' me." Rose breathed
The tree then began to spin, slowly at first, but it quickly began to gather speed, playing Jingle Bells all the while. "Sh*t! Get back, now!" Shareen hollered as the spinning tree began to move towards them, it's sharp branches reducing the coffee table to matchwood within seconds.
"Go, go, go! Go on!" Mickey urged everyone, picking up a chair and holding it out in front of him, standing his ground while the women hurried from the room.
Jackie and Shareen ran to the front door, but Rose ran into the spare room. "We've gotta save the Doctor!" she cried
"What're ya doing?!" Jackie hissed
"We can't just leave him!" Rose shot back
"Mickey, come on!" Shareen called to Mickey as the tree made short work of his chair.
"Leave it! Get out!" Jackie agreed
Mickey saw sense and joined the women in the hallway, then he went into the spare room after Rose. "Oh, for..." Shareen groaned, going in after them.
"No, leave him!" Jackie screeched, "Just leave him!"
"Get in here!" Mickey yelled, and Jackie ran into the room just as the tree began to spin through the hallway, smashing a glass partition in the process.
Mickey slammed the door shut and he, Jackie and Shareen moved a wardrobe in front of it to try and block it, while Rose bent over the comatose Doctor. "Doctor, wake up!" she cried, shaking him anxiously.
The tree span towards the spare room, so Mickey, Jackie and Shareen all leaned against the wardrobe to try and brace it. Rose meanwhile ran over to the old Doctor's leather jacket and took out his sonic screwdriver then placed it in the comatose Doctor's hand, but he still remained lifeless. The tree smashed through the wardrobe, sending Mickey and Jackie flying back into the walls, while Shareen was thrown back onto the floor, right in the path of the tree. "I'm gonna killed by a Christmas Tree!" Jackie whimpered, cowering against the wall.
Shareen could only back up against the Doctor's bed, her eyes wide in terror as the spinning tree advanced relentlessly towards her. A desperate Rose leaned in close to the Doctor's ear. "Help us." she pleaded
The Doctor's eyes snapped open. He sat bolt upright and aimed his sonic screwdriver at the tree. He clicked the screwdriver on and the tree exploded. The Doctor then slowly lowered the sonic screwdriver. "Remote control." he noted, "But who's controlling it?" He got up out of bed, threw on a dressing gown and strode grimly out of the room.
"We're ok. Thanks for asking." Shareen muttered irritably as she picked herself up and she and the others followed the Doctor out of the flat.
The group emerged onto the balcony and saw the three killer Father Christmases standing on the plaza below. "That's them." Mickey said, "What are they?"
The Doctor didn't answer. He just aimed his sonic screwdriver at the band in a threatening way. They backed away, standing closer to each other, then they teleported away in a flash of blue light.
"Is that it?" Shareen commented, "No offence, but if they're scared by that screwdriver thingy, then they're rubbish!"
"Pilot fish." the Doctor said darkly
"What?" Rose asked
"They were just pilot fish." the Doctor said. Suddenly, he coughed and threw himself backwards against the wall, clearly in pain.
"What's wrong?!" Rose asked worriedly as they all knelt down by him
"You woke me up too soon." the Doctor panted, "I'm still regenerating. I'm bursting with energy." He opened his mouth and another wisp of energy wafted out. "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 away. They could run their batteries on me for a couple of years." He lurched forward, groaning in pain. "Ah, my head! I'm having a neuron implosion. I need..."
"What d'ya need?" Jackie asked frantically
"I need..."
"Say it, tell me, tell me..."
"I need..."
"Painkillers?"
"I need..."
"D'ya need aspirin?"
"I..."
"Codeine? Paracetamol? Oh, I dunno, pepto-bismol?"
"I need..."
"Liquid paraffin? Vitamin C? Vitamin D? Vitamin E?"
"I need..."
"Is it food?" Jackie continued hysterically, "Something simple? Uh... a bowl of soup? A nice bowl of soup? Soup an' a sandwich? Soup an' a little ham sandwich?"
"I need you to shut up." the Doctor managed to get out
"Oh, he 'asn't changed that much, has he?" Jackie rolled her eyes
The Doctor lurched forward again, leaning against the opposite wall. "We 'aven't got much time." he panted, "If there's pilot fish, then..." He reached into his dressing gown pocket and pulled out an apple. "Why's there an apple in my dressing gown?" he asked, momentarily forgetting the situation.
"Oh, that's Howard, sorry." Jackie replied
"He keeps apples in his dressing gown?"
"He gets hungry."
"What, he gets hungry in his sleep?"
"Sometimes."
The Doctor groaned again and doubled over. "Brain... collapsing." he gasped out, grabbing hold of one of Rose's arms, "But... the pilot fish. The pilot fish mean... that something, something... something's coming." And he lapsed into unconsciousness again.
~8~
The Humans soon had the Doctor back in bed again. Rose was dabbing his forehead with a flannel as Mickey entered the flat with his laptop tucked under his arm. He and Rose exchanged concerned looks, then he went into the living room where Jackie was cleaning up the mess made by the tree, while Shareen was patching up some cuts she'd sustained from the tree's attack. "Jackie, I'm using the phone line. Is that alright?" Mickey asked as he set his laptop up
"Yeah, keep a count of it." Jackie replied, then she checked the time. "It's midnight. Christmas day." Rose then entered the room and plopped down on the settee next to Shareen. "Any change?" Jackie asked her daughter
"He's worse." Rose answered glumly, "Just one heartbeat."
Jackie sighed and sat down in an armchair to watch the news on the telly, which was reporting on Guinevere One. "Scientists in charge of Britain's mission to Mars have re-established contact with the Guinivere One space probe." the newsreader announced, "They're expecting the first transmission from the planet's surface in the next few minutes."
The footage changed to show Daniel Llewellyn at a press conference. "Yes, we are. We're, we're back on schedule. We've received the signal from Guinivere One." he told his audience, "The Mars landing would seem to be an unqualified success."
"But is it true you completely lost contact earlier tonight?" a reporter asked
"Yes, we had a bit of a scare." Llewellyn admitted, "Guinivere seemed to fall off the scope, but it... it was just a blip. Only disappeared for a few seconds. She's fine now, absolutely fine. We... we're getting the first pictures transmitted any minute now. I'd better get back to it thanks."
"Here we go, pilot fish." Mickey called, and Rose came over to join him. "They're scavengers, like he said. Harmless, they're tiny, but the point is, the little fish swim alongside the big fish."
"D'ya mean like sharks?" Rose asked
"Great big sharks." Mickey confirmed, "So what the Doctor means is, we had them... now we get that." His screen showed an animation of a shark snapping viciously.
"Something is coming..." Rose mused, "How close?"
"There's no way of tellin', but the pilot fish don't swim far from their daddy." Mickey replied
"So it's close?"
"Funny sort of rocks." Jackie said, drawing their attention to the telly, which was showing a distorted image.
"That's not rocks..." Rose frowned, looking at the screen closely.
The image steadily became clearer. "...coming live from the depths of space on Christmas morning." the newsreader announced
The image was thrown into clarity, revealing an alien with a skull-like face which roared viciously at the camera, causing the four Humans to jump back.
~8~
The news channels were soon talking about this revelation. "The face of an alien life form was transmitted live tonight on BBC1." a BBC newsreader said
"On the 25th of December, the Human race has been shown absolute proof that alien life exists." Trinity Wells said on AMTV
"These remarkable images have been relayed right across the world." the newsreader on an Indian news channel finished.
Rose, Jackie and Shareen were watching the news channels, while Mickey worked at his laptop. "I'm in." he said after a few minutes, "Rose, 'Reen, take a look. I've got access to the military." Rose and Shareen got off the settee and rushed over to join him. "They're trackin' a spaceship. It's big, it's fast, an' it's comin' this way."
"Comin' for what?" Rose wandered, "The Doctor?"
"I don't know." Mickey replied, "Maybe it's coming for all of us."
Just then, the image on the computer changed to a shot of four of the aliens. They all had skull-like heads and vicious red eyes. One of them began talking in their language, "Gatz tak ka thaa! Ka zu me fedrok, ka zu me Sycorax!"
"Have you seen them before?" Mickey asked Rose
"No." Rose shook her head
"Adzeek. Kwadra fi peloodza." the alien continued, "Kwandra fi milzon bor. Zu pedra kayi. Zu bandak. Zu masak jal ban kulja kyyi sykora jak."
"Di-ga-gagh!" all four aliens chanted together
"What're they sayin'?" Shareen wandered
"I don't know." Rose replied, "I don't understand what they're saying. The TARDIS translates alien languages inside my head, all the time, wherever I am."
"So, why isn't it doin' it now?" Mickey asked
"I don't know." Rose answered, sounding quiet and upset, "Must be the Doctor. Like he's part of the circuit, and he's... he's broken."
~8~
About an hour later, Shareen went off back to her own flat to freshen up. When she returned to the Tyler flat, she found Jackie tending to the comatose Doctor, Mickey working on his laptop and Rose sitting miserably on the settee. "Any news?" Shareen asked
"I think I've found out what they're sayin'." Mickey replied, "There's this translation thing the military're usin', and I've got in."
"So what're they saying?" Rose asked
"Well, these alien dudes are called 'the Sycorax'." Mickey explained, "They said, 'People of the you belong to us. To the Sycorax. We own you. We now possess your land, your minerals, your precious stones. You will surrender or they will die. Sycorax strong, Sycorax mighty, Sycorax rock.'"
"Sycorax rock?" Shareen raised a brow
"That's what it says." Mickey shrugged
"They will die." Rose frowned, "Who's they?"
"More to the point, what're we gonna do?" Shareen asked
"Nothing we can do." Rose said gloomily, "I wish the Doctor would wake up. He'd know what to do."
~8~
The hours ticked away. Jackie had fallen asleep, while the three younger Humans were all stood in the doorway watching the comatose Doctor. "The Doctor wouldn't do this." Rose said shakily, "The old Doctor. The proper Doctor. He'd wake up. He'd save us."
"You really love him, don't you?" Mickey sighed
Rose didn't answer. She just leaned into Mickey's arms, too upset to say anything.
~8~
Dawn began to rise over the United Kingdom. Everyone in the Tyler flat was now awake and just waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, they heard a neighbour shouting from outside, "What is wrong with you? Jason? Jason?"
Rose poked her head out of the front door. "Sandra?" she called to the neighbour
"He won't listen." Sandra replied, gesturing to her husband, who was walking the balcony with a blank look on his face and his eyes glazed and unfocused, as if he was in a trance. "There was this sort of... light thing. Jason, stop it!"
Rose, Mickey and Shareen stepped out of the flat and looked around. Jason wasn't the only person affected. On the ground below there were dozens of people walking in a zombie-like fashion, their frantic loved ones pleading with them to stop.
The entranced people all marched upstairs to the roofs of the estate's high-rise buildings, then positioned themselves on the very edges of the rooftops, their loved ones trying to hold them back. "Jason, I'm talking to you!" Sandra pleaded in vain, "Just stop!"
Rose, Mickey and Shareen hurried up to the roof of Bucknall House to see the entranced people all just standing and waiting and waiting, as if they were waiting. "It's not just them." Shareen said, "Look!" She pointed to the nearby Eichen House, where more people were standing on the roof. Then she looked at the other high-rise buildings in the area and saw people on the roofs too. "It's everywhere." she breathed, "Maybe it's the whole world!"
"What do we do?" Mickey asked
"Nothing." Rose sighed in defeat, "There's no one to save us. Not anyone."
The trio returned dejectedly to the Tyler Flat, where Harriet Jones was making an emergency broadcast on the telly. "Ladies and gentlemen... if I may take a moment during this terrible time. It's hardly the Queen's speech, I'm afraid that's been cancelled." She turned to someone off-camera, "Did we ask about the royal family?" She received her answer and turned to the camera. "They're on the roof. But, Ladies and gentlemen, this crisis is unique, and I'm afraid to say, it might get much worse. I would ask you all to remain calm. But I have one request: Doctor, if you're out there... we need you. I don't know what to do. But if you can hear me, Doctor... If anyone can find him... the situation has never been more desperate. Help us. Please, Doctor. Help us."
Rose walked silently to the Doctor's room, hoping that somehow the appeal for help would cause him to wake up, but no luck. The Doctor just lay there, sleeping like a baby. "She's gone." Rose sobbed into her mother's shoulder, "The Doctor's gone. He's left us, mum. He's left us!"
"There's got to be something we can do!" Shareen said, running a hand through her hair in frustration, "We can't just give up!"
Suddenly, all the windows in the flat shattered, showering the floor with glass, while the whole building shook. "What's happening'?!" Jackie cried
"I think it's the spaceship." Mickey realised, "They're here!"
They all ran outside and looked up at the sky. A massive, island-shaped spaceship loomed over Central London, blocking out the sun. People could only stare up at it open-mouthed.
"We're dead." Shareen breathed.
~8~
Mickey, Shareen and the Tylers hurried back to the Tyler flat. "Mickey, 'Reen, we're gonna carry him." Rose said, throwing the duvet off the Doctor, "Mum, get ya stuff an' get some food. We're going."
"Where to?" Mickey asked
"The TARDIS." Rose told him, "It's the only safe place on Earth."
"And what're we gonna do in there?" Shareen asked
"Hide." Rose answered
"Is that it?!" Jackie asked incredulously
"Mum, look in the sky. There's a great big alien invasion and I dunno what to do, alright?" Rose said gloomily, "I've travelled with him, an' I've seen all that stuff but when I'm stuck at home, I'm useless. Now all we can do is run an' hide, and I'm sorry. Now move."
Jackie went off to pack some supplies, while the three youngsters began heaving the Doctor out of bed. "Whoo! He's heavier than he looks." Shareen grumbled
The trio carried the Doctor out of the front door. Jackie followed them, struggling with several shopping bags. She dropped one and tried to pick it up again. "Mum, will ya leave that stuff an' give us a hand?!" Rose shouted
"It's food." Jackie shot back, "You said we need f..."
"Just leave it!" Rose snapped
Jackie put some of the bags down and helped them carry the Doctor down the stairs and across the plaza to where the TARDIS was standing. They carried him through the doors and set him down on the floor, all panting from the effort. "Don't s'pose you could fly this thing?" Shareen asked Rose
"Not anymore, no." Rose answered
"Well, you did before." Mickey reminded
"I know, but it's sort of been... wiped outta my head, like it's forbidden." Rose told him, "Try that again an' I think the universe rips in half."
"Ah, better not, then." Mickey said flatly
"What about weapons?" Shareen suggested, "This is a spaceship. Where're all the lightsabres and phaser guns at?"
"The Doctor doesn't believe in weapons." Rose told her
"So what do we do? Just sit here?" Mickey asked
"That's as good as it gets." Rose huffed
Jackie pulled a thermos out of her bag. "Right, here we go. Nice cup of tea." she said
"Oh, the solution to everything." Rose grumbled
"Now, stop ya moaning." Jackie shot back, giving Mickey the thermos, "I'll get the rest of the food." And she left the TARDIS.
"Tea. Like we're havin' a picnic while the world comes to an end." Mickey remarked, pouring himself some tea, "Very British." He then looked at the TARDIS monitor. "How does this thing work? It picks up TV, maybe we could see what's goin' on out there. Maybe we've surrendered." He pressed a few buttons. What d'ya do to it?"
"I dunno, it sorta tunes itself." Rose said, messing with some buttons.
~8~
Jackie came out of Bucknall House carrying two shopping bags. She was just walking towards the TARDIS when the box suddenly vanished in a blue flash. "Rose!" she shouted out to thin air.
~8~
Blissfully unaware of this, Rose, Mickey and Shareen were listening to a bleeping sound coming out of the TARDIS' monitor. "Maybe it's a distress signal." Mickey said
"Fat lotta good that's gonna do." Rose muttered dejectedly
"Are you gonna moan about everything?" Shareen asked dryly
"Yes."
"You should look at it from my point of view." Mickey remarked, "Stuck in here with ya mother's cooking."
"She's not that bad, Micks." Shareen snorted
"Where is she?" Rose frowned, getting concerned at how long Jackie was taking, "I'd better go an' give her a hand. It might start raining missiles out there." And she headed off for the doors.
"Tell her anything from a tin, that's fine." Mickey called after her
"Why don't ya tell her yourself?" Rose retorted as she began to step outside.
"I'm not that brave." Mickey smirked, sipping his tea.
"Oh, I dunno. I think you're brave, Micks." Shareen reassured him
Suddenly, they head Rose scream from outside. "ROSE!" they both yelled, and rushed for the doors, Mickey dropping his thermos in the process. The thermos landed on the grilling next to the Doctor and tea began to dribble out.
Mickey and Shareen rushed outside to see that the TARDIS had been transported aboard the Sycorax ship. The interior of the ship looked like an ancient coliseum-like arena, with thousands of Sycorax lining the rows, while Harriet Jones and a man who appeared to be her aide were standing in front of two more Sycorax. Rose was being dragged towards them by another Sycorax. "The door!" she yelled to her friends, "Close the door!"
Mickey, who was nearest to the TARDIS, managed to slam the doors shut before both he and Shareen were grabbed by Sycorax too.
~8~
The Doctor continued to lie lifeless on the floor of the TARDIS. Tea continued to dribble from the thermos and through the grilling. It dripped onto the machinery, which began to heat it up.
~8~
Rose, Mickey and Shareen were dragged over to the centre of the arena where the Sycorax's leader was standing. He had removed his helmet, revealing a skeletal, red-skinned face of bone and muscle. He yelled something with glee and the onlookers cheered.
"Rose! Shareen!" Harriet cried, rushing forward and embracing the two young women, "I've got you both! Oh, you precious things. The Doctor... is he with you?"
"No." Rose answered shakily, "We're on our own."
It was then that Shareen noticed two charred skeletons on the floor. "Who were they?" she asked Harriet
"Mr Llewellyn and Major Blake." Harriet answered sadly, "He murdered them." She nodded towards the Sycorax leader, who grinned evily.
~8~
Inside the TARDIS, the vapours caused by the dripping tea rose from beneath the grilling and surrounded the Doctor's head, making it's way into his airways. He took a deep breath in his sleep, opened his mouth and another wisp of energy escaped.
~8~
The Sycorax leader stepped forward and pointed at Rose. "Vos koonak." he yelled, "Del panja zu krimit tak saya. Vol, kufa zu pendis."
Harriet's aide looked at a device in his hand. "'The yellow girl, she has the clever blue box.'" he translated, "'Therefore, she speaks for your planet.'"
"But she can't!" Harriet protested. She'd seen for herself that the Sycorax had no mercy. When they'd been teleported up to the ship, Daniel Llewyllyn had given a passionate plea for compassion to the Sycorax and the leader had responded by simply reducing him to a skeleton with an energy whip.
"Yeah, I can." Rose said quietly, not taking her eyes off the Sycorax leader.
"Don't you dare." Mickey warned
"Someone's gotta be the Doctor." Rose said bravely
"They'll kill you!" Shareen told her
"Never stopped him." Rose said determinedly, and took a few steps towards the Sycorax leader. She took a breath, then spoke nervously, unsure of herself, "I, um... address the Sycorax according to... article 15 of the Shadow Proclamation. I command you to leave this world with all the authority of the Slitheen Parliament of Raxicoricofallapatorious, and um... the Gelth confederacy... A... as uh... sanctioned... by the mighty Jagrafess... and... oh, the Daleks! Now, leave this planet in peace!"
There was a few seconds of stunned silence, then all the Sycorax burst out laughing raucously. The leader began yelling at Rose, which Harriet's aide translated, "'You are very, very funny. And you you're going to die.'"
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Harried demanded, lurching forward.
"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Mickey roared, he and Shareen also lurching forward.
"LAY ONE FINGER ON HER, AND I'LL KILL YOU, SKELETOR!" Shareen thundered
All three were restrained by the Sycorax. The leader continued to speak to Rose, circling her. "'Who are you to threaten us?'" Harriet's aide translated, "'We are the Sycorax. We stride the darkness. Next to us, you are but a wailing child. If you are the best your planet can offer as a champion...'"
"Then your world will be gutted..." the leader sneered, suddenly switching to English.
"'... your world will be gutted.'" the aide translated
"... and your people enslaved." the leader continued
"'... and your people enslaved.'" the aide translated, then realised, "Hold on, that's English."
"He's talking English." Harriet blinked
"You're talkin' English." Rose said to the leader
"I would never dirty my tongue with your primitive bile!" the leader spat angrily
"Well, you are." Shareen said, "Cos' that is definitely English."
"Can you hear English?" Rose asked the others
"Yeah, that's English." Mickey agreed
"Definitely English." the aide added
"I speak only Sycoraxic!" the leader roared angrily
"If we can hear English, then it's being translated." Rose realised, "Which means it's working. Which means..."
They all turned to face the TARDIS. The doors opened to reveal the Doctor standing there, wide awake and looking fit and healthy. "Did ya miss me?" he smiled
"Well, about bloody time!" Shareen remarked
The Sycorax leader roared in fury and lashed his whip at the Doctor, who simply caught the end and yanked it out of the leader's grip. "You could have someone's eye out with that." he remarked as he tossed it away
"How dare you!" the leader roared and tried to attack the Doctor with a wooden staff, but the Doctor just snatched it from him and snapped it in two across his knee.
"You just can't get the staff." the Doctor joked, chucking the broken pieces away, "Now, you, just wait. I'm busy." he told the leader sternly and turned to the Humans. "Mickey! Shareen! Hello!" he greeted cheerfully, "And Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. Blimey, it's like This is your life." He turned to Rose. "Tea! That's all I needed. A good cup of tea! Superheated infusion of free radicals an' tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses..." He lowered his tone to a serious one. ""Now... first things first... be honest. How do I look?"
"Um... different." Rose replied
"Good different or bad different?"
"Just... different."
"Am I... ginger?" the Doctor asked, deadly serious.
"No, you're just sorta brown." Rose told him
"Aww, I wanted to be ginger." the Doctor moaned, "I've never been ginger." He then pointed violently at Rose. "And you, Rose Tyler, fat lot of good you were. You gave up on me! Oh, that's rude." he realised, "Is that the sort of man I am now? Rude an' not ginger."
"I'm sorry, who is this?" Harriet cut in
"I'm the Doctor." the Time Lord replied casually
"He's the Doctor." Rose added
"But what happened to my Doctor?" Harriet asked Shareen, "Or is it a title that's just passed on?"
"Search me." Shareen shrugged, "I'm still tryin' to make sense of it myself."
"I'm him." the Doctor told Harriet, "I'm literally him. Same man, new face, well, new everything."
"But you can't be." Harriet stared in disbelief
"Harriet Jones." the Doctor said to her, "We were trapped in Downing Street, an' the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens... wasn't the war... it was the thought of your mother being on her own."
"Oh, my God!" Harriet realised, accepting the truth
"Did you win the election?" the Doctor asked
"Landside majority." she smiled
"Oh, fantas..." the Doctor began, but tailed off, realising that he couldn't say 'fantastic' anymore, "Hold on, fantas..." He tried a few more times then gave up. "I can't say it anymore." he sighed, "Must be the teeth. Aw, I liked that word. What am I gonna say now? Brilliant? Excellent? Nah. Superb. Marvellous? Molto bene? Oh, I dunno. Let's just settle for very, very good. Yes, that's very, very good." he said to Harriet.
"If I might interrupt..." the Sycorax leader cut in, drawing everyone's attention back to him.
"Yes! Sorry! Hello, big fella." the Doctor said cheerfully
"Who exactly are you?"
"Well, that's the question." the Doctor shrugged
"I demand to know who you are!"
"I DON'T KNOW!" the Doctor mimicked the leader, then went back to a cheerful tone, "See, there's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I... I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested." He walked around, addressing everyone, "Am I funny? Am I sarcastic?" He looked at Rose. "Sexy?" he winked cheekily, causing Rose to smile shyly. "Right old misery?" the Doctor continued, walking around the room "Life an' soul? Right-handed, left-handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob. And how am I gonna react when I see this?" He turned to a device nearby. "A great big threatening button." He ran up to it, laughing. "A Great Big Threatenin' Button Which Must Not Be Pressed Under Any Circumstances. Am I right? Let me guess, it's some sort of control matrix? Hmm? Hold on, what's feedin' it?" He bent down and opened a panel on the side. Behind the panel was a pot full of red liquid. "And what've we got here? Blood?" He dipped his finger in it and tasted it, much to the disgust of the Humans. "Yep, definitely blood. Human blood. A-positive. With a dash of iron." He waggled his tongue around at the nasty taste and wiped his finger on his dressing gown. "But that means... blood control. Blood control!" he grinned, "Oh, I haven't seen blood control for years." He turned to the Sycorax leader. "You're controllin' all the A-positives!"
The leader's grimace faltered slightly.
"Which leaves us with a great big, stinking problem." the Doctor continued, "Cos'... I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So if I see a Great Big Threatening Button Which Should Never Ever Be Pressed... then I just wanna do this!" And he whacked the button hard.
"NO!" the Humans yelled.
~8~
On the Powell Estate's rooftops, the transfixed A-positives took a step forward... and then they all snapped out of their trance and realised where they were.
"What the hell am I doing up here?!" Jason stared
"Get away from the edge!" a relieved Sandra said, and everyone hastily retreated from the edge, staring at the spaceship overhead.
~8~
"You killed them!" Harriet's aide cried
The Doctor seemed completely unfazed. "What do you think, big fella?" he said to the Sycorax leader, "Are they dead?"
"We allow them to live." the leader grunted
"Allow?" the Doctor scoffed, "You've got no choice! I mean, that's all blood control is. Cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis... you can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis, but ya can't hypnotise 'em to death. Survival instinct's too strong."
"Blood control was just one form of conquest." the leader growled, "I can summon the armada and take this world by force."
"Well, yeah, ya could, yeah, you could do that." the Doctor shrugged, "But why? Look at these people." He gestured to the Humans, speaking passionately, "These Human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet, an' blinking step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than... no, hold on." He paused, thinking. "Sorry, that's The Lion King. But the point still stands. Leave them alone!"
"Or what?" the leader snarled
"Or... The Doctor grabbed a sword from the Sycorax guarding Rose and the others, then ran down the steps onto the empty floor space in front of the TARDIS and held the sword up in the air. "I challenge you."
The Sycorax all burst out laughing again
"Ooh, that's struck a chord." the Doctor commented, "Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"
The leader unsheathed his sword "You stand as this world's champion."
"Thank you." the Doctor said, shrugging off his dressing gown, "I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up." He tossed his dressing gown to Rose, who caught it. "So... d'y accept my challenge? Or are you a cranak pel casacree salvak?"
That seemed to anger the leader. He raised his sword in the air and the other Sycorax cheered, then the leader and the Doctor kneeled by their swords. "For the planet?" the leader growled
"For the planet." the Doctor replied
They stood up and faced each other, holding their swords at the ready. Then they ran at each other and the fight began. After a few seconds, the Doctor was thrown aside and the leader laughed. The Doctor, however, straightened himself up and they began to fight again, their blades clanging and crashing against each other furiously. The Doctor was trying hard, but the leader was more agile and began forcing the Doctor back across the room.
"Look out!" Rose warned as the leader took a swing at the Doctor's feet
"Oh, yeah, that helped. Wouldn't have thought of that, thanks." the Doctor retorted as he dodged the blow. He managed to get a blow at the leader, which enraged him further and retaliated, forcing the Doctor back against the wall. "Bit of fresh air?" the Doctor said, hitting a button and an airlock opened, leading to a platform on the outside of the ship.
They contined the fight on the platform, the Humans and a few of the Sycorax following them. The swash-buckling continued. The leader managed to catch the Doctor in the face with the hilt of his sword, causing him to fall to his knees.
Rose began to run forward, but the Doctor raised a hand to stop her. "Stay back!" he warned, "Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet." He recovered, then he and the leader charged at each other, clashing swords. They both grimaced with the effort and the Doctor was knocked backwards to the ground. Taking advantage, the leader slashed at the Doctor's right wrist, slicing his hand clean off. It fell down towards London far Doctor watched it drop, then looked back at the leader, looking rather stunned and annoyed. "You cut my hand off."
"Jah! Sycorax!" the leader crowed, raising his sword in triumph
The Doctor got to his feet, not bothered about his severed limb at all. "An' now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky, cos' quite by chance... I'm still within the first 15 hours of my regeneration cycle. Which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy... to do this." He held up the stump of his arm and right before everyone's eyes, his right hand grew right back.
"Now that is just weird." Shareen muttered
"Witchcraft!" the leader spluttered
"Time Lord." the Doctor answered back
Rose took one of the Sycorax's swords. "Doctor!" she called, and tossed it to him.
The Doctor caught it by the hilt and spun it round. "Oh, so I'm still the Doctor, then?" he remarked
"No arguments from me!" Rose smiled
The Doctor turned back to the leader. "Wanna know the best bit? This new hand..." He put on a Texan accent. "Is a fightin' hand!"
And with that, the Doctor ran at the leader and the duel recommenced. They clashed swords for a few more moments, then the Doctor jabbed the leader hard in the stomach with the hilt of his sword. He repeated this action twice more, causing the leader to fall to the ground.
"I win." the Doctor said, pointing his sword at the leader's throat.
"Then kill me." the leader groaned
"I'll spare you life if you'll take this champion's command: leave this planet, an' never return. What d'ya say?"
"Yes."
"Swear on the blood of your species." the Doctor growled, jabbing the sword closer.
"I swear."
The Doctor pulled his sword away. "There we are, then!" he said lightly, "Thanks for that. Cheers, big fella!" He jabbed the sword into the deck.
"Bravo!" Harriet applauded
"That says it all. Bravo!" Rose beamed, rushing forward and giving the Doctor his dressing gown back.
"Not bad for a man in his jim-jams." the Doctor said, slipping the dressing gown on, "Very Arthur Dent. Now there was a nice man. Hold on, what've I got in Here?" He reached into his pocket. "A satsuma." he said as he pulled the said piece of fruit out of his pocket, "Ah, that friend of ya mother's." he said to Rose, "He does like his snacks, doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas?" They began to walk towards the airlock, the Doctor tossing the satsuma in the air and catching it. "You go through all those presents an' right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?"
Suddenly, the Sycorax leader got to his feet and picked up his sword, ready to charge. Without even turning around, the Doctor chucked the satsuma at a switch on the side of the ship, causing the section of deck beneath the leader to open, sending him plummeting to his death.
"No second chances." the Doctor said darkly, "I'm that sort of man." He led the way back inside the ship and addressed the remaining Sycorax, "By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when you go back to the stars an' tell others of this planet... when you tell them of it's riches, it's people, it's potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure you tell 'em this: it is defended."
~8~
The Sycorax took the hint and the Doctor, Humans and TARDIS were all teleported back to the ground, appearing on a London Street. "Where are we?" Rose asked
"We're just off Bloxom Road." Mickey answered, "We're just round the corner, we did it!" he cheered, jumping up and down with glee.
"Wait a minute..." the Doctor cautioned, looking at the sky, "Wait a minute."
They all watched as the Sycorax ship took flight back into space.
"Ha! Good riddance!" Shareen laughed
"Yeah! Don't come back!" Rose cheered, jumping onto Mickey's back.
"It is defended!" Mickey said, and he, Rose and Shareen all laughed.
Rose jumped off Mickey's back and hugged him, then she hugged Shareen and ran over to Harriet's aide and hugged him, much to his bemusement. Mickey and Shareen meanwhile high-fived, then Shareen turned to the Doctor. "Hey, nice goin' with that sword, Peacock." she said
"Peacock?" the Doctor pouted
"Well, I can't call ya 'Richard Ashcroft' anymore, can I?" Shareen shrugged
Harriet then approached the Doctor and raised her arms, grinning. "My Doctor." she beamed
"Prime Minister." the Doctor reciprocated, and they both hugged.
"Absolutely the same man." Harriet said, then she and the Doctor looked up at the sky and talked amongst themselves.
Soon, Jackie came round the corner. "ROSE!" she yelled
"MUM!" Rose yelled back, running over to her.
Both mother and daughter launched themselves at each other and shared a relieved hug. As Shareen watched them, a thought occurred to her. She took her phone out of her jean pocket and dialled the number of her grandparents' house in Tenerife. "Hello?" the voice of her grandfather, Maxwell Costello, said over the other end.
"Gramps, it's me." Shareen said, "Merry Christmas!"
"Shareen?!" Max exclaimed, "Oh, am I glad to hear your voice! We saw on the news about that spaceship and all those people on the rooftops. What happened? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Gramps." Shareen reassured him, "It's all over now. That spaceship's gone to bug someone else. What about you an' Nan, you both ok?"
"Yeah, we're fine, Sweets." Max replied, "We've been watching it all on the news. I can't believe it, a spaceship!"
"I know what you mean." Shareen smiled, "Still, it's gone now. You two had ya Christmas dinner yet?"
"Your nan's just cooking it now." Max said, "All we can do is keep calm and carry on. That's what my old man used to say."
Suddenly, Shareen saw five huge bolts of green energy shoot out of places nearby and converge in mid-air to form one enormous bolt of energy which blasted out into space and hit the Sycorax spaceship, completely destroying it. "Blimey." Shareen remarked
"What is it?" Max asked
"We've just gone full-on Death Star on that ship." Shareen replied, "Huh, guess the Sycorax won't be bothering anyone again!"
"Sycorax?"
"The aliens." Shareen explained, "They were called 'The Sycorax'. They were gonna enslave us all, but now they've got just what they deserved!"
"Serves them right." Max agreed, "Oh, Christmas dinner's ready now. I've got to go."
"Ok, Gramps. Give my love to nan." Shareen said, "Talk to ya soon!"
"Merry Christmas, Sweets." Max said
"Merry Christmas, Gramps." Shareen reciprocated, then ended the call. She turned round to see the Doctor leading Rose, Mickey and Jackie away, the Doctor not looking happy at all. "Blimey, someone's in a mood." Shareen said to herself as she brought up the rear.
~8~
That evening, Rose, Jackie and Mickey were fussing around the Tyler flat preparing Christmas dinner, while Shareen played her guitar in the spare room, performing a song she'd come up with herself. "When I woke up today, the world seemed a restless place." she sang, "It could've been that way for me. And I wandered around. And I thought of your face. That Christmas looking back at me. I wish today was just like every other day. Cos' today has been the best day. Everything I ever dreamed. And I started to walk. Pretty soon I will run. And I'll be running back to you. Cos' I followed my star. And that's what you are. I've had a merry time with you."
Just then, Rose poked her head through the door. "Oi, 'Reen. We're ready now."
Shareen followed Rose into the living room where dinner was all nicely laid out on the table. At that moment, the front door to the flat opened and the Doctor walked in. He'd been to the TARDIS to get changed and was now dressed in a brown pinstripe suit, cream converse high-tops and a long brown coat. He and Rose met each other's eyes and they both smiled at each other. Shareen noticed this and raised a brow. Rose and the Doctor were clearly smitten with each other.
Christmas dinner turned out to be a happy occasion. Despite Mickey's earlier scepticism, it turned out that Jackie could cook a fantastic turkey that went down well with everyone. As they were tucking in, Rose noticed something on the telly. "Look, it's Harriet Jones!"
They all turned to the telly, which was showing Harriet Jones being grilled by the media. "Prime Minister, is it true you are no longer fit to be in position?" a journalist asked
"No." Harriet shot back, "Now, can we talk about other things?"
The Doctor slipped on a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and stared sternly at the telly.
"Is it true you're unfit for office?" the journalist continued to probe.
"Look, there is nothing wrong with my health!" an exasperated Harriet shot back, "I don't know where these stories are coming from! And a vote of no confidence... is completely unjustified."
The phone rang and Jackie went into the kitchen to answer it.
"Are you going to resign?" the journalist continued to pester Harriet
"On today of all days, I'm fine!" Harriet snapped, getting frustrated, "Look at me, I'm fine. I look fine, I feel fine..."
Shareen then noticed a somewhat gloating look on the Doctor's face. "Did you have something to do with this?" she asked him
"Maybe." the Doctor answered casually, taking his glasses.
"Ah, well. So much for Britain's Golden Age." Shareen huffed.
Just then, Jackie came back in. "It's Bev. She says go an' look outside." she said
"Why?" Rose questioned
"I dunno, just go outside." Jackie shrugged, "Come on, shift!" And so they all got up.
~8~
The group stepped out onto the Powell Estate's plaza to find it snowing and there were shooting stars in the sky. "I don't bloody believe it!" Shareen stared, looking around in wonder and delight.
"Oh, that's beautiful." Rose breathed, "What are they, meteors?"
"It's the spaceship breaking up in the atmosphere." the Doctor replied, "This isn't snow, it's ash."
"Ok, not so beautiful." Rose mumbled lamely
"Had to go an' be a killjoy, didn't ya, Peacock?" Shareen ribbed the Doctor
"And this is a brand-new Planet Earth." the Doctor said, "No denying the existence of aliens now, everyone saw it. Everything's new."
"And what about you?" Rose asked, "What're you gonna do?"
"Well... back to the TARDIS... same old life." the Doctor replied nonchalantly
"On... on ya own?" Rose asked tentatively
"Why, don't ya wanna come?" the Doctor asked back
"Well, yeah."
"Do ya, though?"
"Yeah!"
"I just thought... cos' I changed..." the Doctor began
"Yeah, I... I thought, cos' ya changed... you might not want me anyone." Rose said
"Oh, I'd love ya to come." the Doctor said sincerly
"Ok!" Rose laughed, feeling much happier.
"Ya never gonna stay, are you?" Mickey said quietly.
"There's so much out there." Rose told him, "So much to see... I've got to."
"Yeah." Mickey nodded, not happy but accepting that his Rose was well and truly gone.
"Mind if I tag along for a trip?" Shareen asked suddenly
"Ya what?" Rose looked at her
"Well, you're always badgering me to come along and see what it's like and I've got a couple of weeks off work, so I think I'll come along for a quick trip and see what the fuss is all about." Shareen said, "If that's alright with you two."
Rose looked to the Doctor, who considered it. "Ah, why not?" he shrugged, "It's a big ol' TARDIS. Eh, Rose?"
"Yeah." Rose replied, a little put out, but deciding to not let her personal feelings get in the way of what her life-long friend wanted.
"It'll just be one quick trip." Shareen emphasised, "Then I'll come home and leave you two lovebirds to it."
"Well, I reckon they're mad, the both of 'em." Jackie remarked, "It's like they go looking for trouble."
"Trouble's just the bits in-between." the Doctor said casually, "It's all waiting out there, Jackie. It's brand new to me. All those planets... creatures an' horizons... I haven't seen 'em yet. Not with these eyes." He went back to stand beside Rose. "And it is gonna be... fantastic."
Rose smiled at the use of the old Doctor's catchphrase. The Doctor reciprocated the smile and offered her his right hand. "That hand of yours still gives me the creeps." Rose laughed, pointing at it as the Doctor wiggled his fingers. She took his hand and they looked up at the sky for a few moments. "So, where're we gonna go first?" Rose asked
"Um... that way." the Doctor replied, pointing to a spot in the night sky, "No, hold on... that way." He pointed just a smidgen to the right of his first point.
"That way?" Rose asked, pointing in the same direction.
"Hmm." the Doctor confirmed
Suddenly, a snowball collided with the back of the Doctor's head. "Gotcha, Peacock!" Shareen crowed
"Oh, you are gonna get it now, 'Reen!" Rose laughed, rolling up a snowball of her own, and everyone soon threw themselves into a snowball fight.
Author's notes: And here's another chapter in the bag. Now we're into the run of the vain peacock himself, the 10th Doctor. Shareen got some more plot involvement this time and she's even decided to take a trip in the TARDIS. Note that Shareen's grandfather made a voice-only appearance in this chapter. I have to confess, I'm not very good at incorporating OCs' families into my stories, so Shareen is living on her own in this story, but I've had her interact with her grandfather just to show that she has some family to think about. As for what happened to her mother and father, that's something that I'll probably reveal in a later chapter. As for Shareen singing Song for Ten, that was something I just couldn't resist doing. Seeing as how she's a busker, I thought that was something she could do. So, hope you like this chapter and hope to see ya next time for Shareen's first trip in time and space.