Wolf Pact

Chapter Twelve: Christmas with Family

by Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

AN: At long last, here is the final chapter of Wolf Pact. Thank you for the kind comments encouraging me to finish this story. I don't abandon stories; I just get distracted by other shiny ideas.

…..

The Doctor held Rose's hand while Jenny leaned against his shoulder as they watched Wilf dance his way back home. A soft laugh escaped the Doctor as Silva came outside shouting at him before she raced over to hug her dad. A flash of red hair in the doorway of the house warned him that it was time to go before Silvia even had time to get upset with him. Gently shifting back, the Doctor signalled to his family it was time to go. Jenny hurried into the TARDIS and Rose guided him inside, staying close in case he collapsed.

"I'm alright for a bit," the Doctor assured her.

It was an empty assurance. They all knew where this was going. Still, he hated the sad way that Rose was looking at him. It occurred to him, that Rose had outlived the meta-crisis. She'd already seen a body that looked just like this die. He hated that idea. Still, there was nothing he could do about it. Rose would never leave and he didn't have the strength to even try to send her away. It never worked anyway, not forever.

"How long is a bit?" Jenny asked him, her big blue eyes peering at him sadly. "How long have you got, Dad?"

"A few hours," the Doctor answered. He stepped closer to Jenny and kissed her forehead. "Why don't you call Martha and Mickey quick to let them know we're all okay."

"Then what?" Rose asked. "What do you want?"

He smiled at her. With Rose beside him and the reassurance that she'd still be here after his regeneration, the pain was a little more manageable. Already his kidneys were shutting down and one heart wasn't working quite right.

"How about Christmas with my family? I think the Old Girl can help us with that."

Rose's eyes misted over and she nodded as she pressed her lips tightly together. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. That was good. Very good. He was glad they'd made it to this point before he regenerated. Too long he'd with Jackie Tyler being the last Tyler woman to kiss him. But that wasn't worth thinking about right now.

"We can do Christmas," Rose agreed. "I can run out to a shop-"

"Nah," the Doctor laughed. "We have what we need. Right, Old Girl?"

The TARDIS's lights flashed and the Doctor grinned. He eased his grip on Rose's hand. His body was adjusting already and it was easier to move now. Tugging on Rose's hand, he gave her a smile. There were only a few hours left as this him. He wasn't going to waste them. Not when he had Rose and Jenny. Not when he and Rose had finally made it across that threshold.

"Come on," he said in a softer tone. "It'll be alright. I promise. Right now, I just want to enjoy some time with my girls."

Rose and Jenny followed him down the corridor. The TARDIS hummed around them and the Doctor received a gentle prod from her, directing him to a specific door. He opened it and grinned as he found that the library had been adjusted. The big fireplace was filled with a roaring fire, a bare pine tree in a stand stood a few feet away and the boxes he'd hoped the TARDIS still had were stacked next to the sofa. The Doctor moved to the sofa and sat down, waving Jenny and Rose to come closer to the tree. There was a tea service out on the coffee table. Normally the TARDIS wasn't this helpful and the Doctor could only be grateful.

"She works fast," Jenny murmured. She pulled out her phone and eyed him carefully.

"Brilliant the TARDIS is," the Doctor said. "Should have most of what we need. No gifts this year, but… well, maybe tomorrow we can go to a Christmas planet for part two."

They all knew he'd have regenerated then. That would give his next self a chance to bond with Jenny and Rose. He loved them; it would be alright. Yes, there were changes, there always were, but the biggest things didn't change. The Doctor kept telling himself that. After all, this him had been 'born' in love with Rose Tyler.

Finally, Rose looked away from him. In typical Tyler fashion, she decided that they needed tea before doing anything else. She made sure hit was on the sofa before slipping away to the kitchen. The Doctor kept holding back his signs and sounds of pain, mindful that Jenny was still in the room. He gave his daughter the best smile he could manage. There were still tears in her eyes.

"It's alright, Jenny," he said gently. "Really, it is."

"But Dad-"

"Regeneration… it happens. I don't like this, but at least… well, I'll still be here. A bit different, but I'll be here. And I'll have you and Rose."

It wasn't that simple or easy. This personality would be shuffled. The core would remain, but HE wouldn't' be the Doctor anymore. Still, he wasn't going to whine or complain about it. No, him being brave was the last gift he could give Rose and Jenny. They hadn't had nearly as long together as he'd hoped. He would have happily spent decades with them. And he would, well whoever he became would.

Jenny nodded slowly and put through the call on her phone. He could hear but based on the way she grimaced, Mickey and Martha were panicked.

"We're fine!" Jenny all but yelled. "Really, we're okay." She looked over him and the Doctor shook his head at her, but Jenny didn't listen. "Dad was hurt. He's going to regenerate, but Mum and I aren't hurt. Mum opened the Heart of the TARDIS-" She paused. "Yes, that again. Sorry, I don't know what to tell you. We'll be okay. We're celebrating Christmas. Earth is a bit of a mess, but the worst is over. No, sorry, mum and I have to focus on Dad right now."

The Doctor leaned back. He wished Jenny hadn't told them he was regenerating, but Rose would want to visit them in the future and it would come up. At least they'd know in advance. Might make things easier. New face and new personality to provide some distance from old hurts. Maybe.

Rose returned to the library with a full tea service. Jenny used it as an excuse and quickly ended the call. Her eyes were wide and she seemed a bit thrown by the call. The Doctor found himself chuckling.

"They alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, they're fine," Jenny replied. "Seems folks don't really remember what happened, but there's so much footage…" she trailed off and shrugged. "Don't envy them the cleanup."

"There's a reason we don't stick around," the Doctor sighed. "The planet in question needs to figure out how to address the crisis and its aftermath." He wrinkled his nose. "We can't decide that for them."

He almost snorted at himself. A few years ago, he'd tried to go off the deep end and decide everything. Rose glanced his way and a moment later handed him a cup of tea. The Doctor took it gratefully and sipped from the cup carefully. His hands were weakening quickly and he didn't want Rose to notice just yet. Jenny managed to tease Rose a little but happily accepted her tea after Rose made one for the Doctor.

"Check the boxes," the Doctor urged after Rose took a sip of her tea. "The tree is waiting."

Rose raised an eyebrow, but set her cup down and turned to the boxes. The Doctor watched her with gleeful eyes, glad he'd get to see her reaction. A soft gasp escaped her and Rose's eyes lit up with joy and confusion. She looked up at him in shock. He beamed at her as pleasure at being able to surprise her flooded his body.

"Where did you get this stuff?" Rose gasped.

"After you and Jackie…" the Doctor trailed off. He didn't want to think about or talk about that period of time. "Didn't like the idea of people just packing up the flat and throwing it all out. So, I took it. Had it in storage, but looks the TARDIS knew what we'd need."

"What is it?" Jenny asked as she opened another box and peered inside.

"Decorations from my mum's old flat," Rose explained.

Rose carefully drew the first ornament out that was bundled in paper. Then she gave him a soft grateful smile that helped jumpstart his failing heart. Staying on the sofa, he watched as Rose showed Jenny a few of the oldest ornaments that had apparently been passed down by Rose's grandparents. He listened as she told his- their daughter some of the stories that the ornaments had. There were a few basic coloured orb ornaments thrown in, but many apparently had been gifts or handmade.

"And this was your great-grandmother's favourite," Rose declared as she held a small silver reindeer. "Grandad told me that his mother won it in a contest at a Christmas Fair and was very proud of it. Your grandmother always put it on last."

Jenny grinned at Rose's casual reference to her ancestors being hers and the Doctor embraced the warm feeling sinking into his bones. He took another sip of tea and listened to the music and his girls talk while they decorated the tree. Not an ideal Christmas, not with what was hanging over their heads, but the best one he'd had since when he regenerated into this body. Bit of bookend that now that he thought about it.

"Dad, you should do the star!" Jenny said. She held up a shining star that had seen better days.

"Ah a Christmas Star," the Doctor chuckled. He climbed to his feet. Rose was beside him in a moment but he smiled. "I'm alright, love," he said softly. "Much nicer than the last Christmas Star I saw. That was with Donna and that was a right mess." He took the star from Jenny and lifted it up to place it on the top of the tree. "There we are. A proper Christmas tree in the TARDIS." He blinked and tilted his head. "I'm not sure that I've ever had a tree in the TARDIS for Christmas. Much as I like humans, I rarely worried about celebrating the holidays on the TARDIS."

"Well, we'll need to change that going forward," Rose said. He kissed his cheek. "Unless it's too domestic. You did tell me once 'don't you dare make this place domestic' so I suppose I'm disobeying you."

"You've never been big on obedience, Rose Tyler," the Doctor teased.

"Do you have to flirt right now?" Jenny whined. Her nose was wrinkled and she looked so very young. "Mum, you said there were games at Christmas."

"Some," Rose agreed. She turned back to the boxes as the Doctor sat down. "There aren't official Christmas games, but people often use the holiday as a time to play board games." Rose eyed them both. "Not sure I want to attempt Scramble against you two."

"Ah," Jenny groaned dramatically.

The Doctor laughed and leaned back on the sofa. "Or we could do an older Christmas tradition?"

"What's that?" Rose asked.

"Ghost stories," the Doctor said.

"What? That's not a Christmas thing," Rose protested.

"There'll be Christmas ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long long ago," the Doctor sang.

Rose laughed and abandoned the box and joined him on the sofa. She gave him a tongue touched grin before leaning forward to kiss him.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year."

"Exactly!" He nodded toward Jenny. "And we have a Christmas ghost story of our own that we've yet to tell Jenny about." Looking over at his daughter, he basked in the soft affection in her eyes as she watched them. "How about it? Interested in hearing about our second trip in the TARDIS?"

"Well, it all depends on how you count," Rose teased. "We did hop around London a few times when we first met."

"Hush you," the Doctor huffed. "You loved it and you know it."

"I did."

Rose's smile was so bright that the Doctor couldn't help but wrap an arm around her and pulled her against him. She rested against him. Jenny plopped down on the armchair and looked at him expectantly.

"So, what's this ghost story?" Jenny pressed.

"Well, it takes place in Cardiff, on Christmas 1869."

"He was aiming for Naples," Rose added.

The Doctor pouted at Rose, but she only laughed at him. Her eyes were brighter now and Jenny tilted her head curiously. The crackling of the fire made him feel warm and he continued with the story even as he counted down slowly in his head. Rose added her reactions and vivid memory here and there and the Doctor was sure to say that it had been glorious watching her yell at Sneed. When they finished the story, the TARDIS lights flashed and drew everyone's attention just before Rose's stomach growled. The scent of Christmas dinner reached them all the Doctor sent a warm thanks to the TARDIS. He knew that this much effort had to be taxing to the old girl, but was deeply grateful for her efforts.

Jenny and Rose shared a look of surprise, but the Doctor musted his energy and bounced to his feet. Grabbing their hands, he tugged them out of the library, leaving their tree behind.

"Allons-y!" he cheered. "We've all had a long day."

For an hour, the Doctor was able to forget that he was dying. The pain tugged at him, the sitting around the small table with another ridiculous paper crown on his head and listening to Rose tell tales of her past Christmases distracted him. After a glance his way, she even told Jenny about a few holidays with his meta-crisis counterpart their children.

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. That stunned the Doctor. There was a flicker of jealously about the life she'd lived that he hadn't been a part of, but the peaceful nostalgic happiness on her face made him happy enough to drown it out. Now, Rose was here. And while he wasn't sure what had happened or what else Bad Wolf may have done, he had hope for the future.

"And then Adric slipped and faceplanted right into the potatoes!" Jenny laughed out loud and Rose giggled, shaking her head fondly at the memory. "Once we made sure he was alright, everyone couldn't stop laughing. Of course… we discovered later that he'd knocked out one of his baby teeth. Needless to say, everyone who had eaten the potatoes was suddenly very worried."

"No," the Doctor laughed. He'd seen the memory generated photos of Rose's children and was imagining the boy with the mop of brown hair and Rose's eyes grinning with a missing tooth. "Did you find it?"

"Yeah, John found it the next morning via stepping on it barefoot." Rose laughed again. "The kids learned some Gallifreyan curses that morning."

The Doctor blushed on behalf of his counterpart. He wondered for a moment if in the future he would be able to convince Rose to share her memories with him telepathically. It wouldn't be the same, but he found himself wanting to understand, wanting to be able to help her remember the family she's left behind.

Another hour passed and the Doctor lingered in each second. There was no urge to run, no itch to be moving. He was happy. They finished dinner and taught Clue while the Doctor talked about the time he and Donna met Agatha Christie. Jenny hung on every word and Rose's small smile told him that she'd probably heard the story before, but like him was enjoying Jenny's excitement. Rose vetoed a round of Monopoly, citing "family peace." Both and Jenny grinned at her use of the word family.

But it couldn't last. He was pushing it and the Doctor knew it. Standing from the table, the Doctor braced himself to return to the console room and finally let the inevitable occur. But a wave of pain hit him as the radiation dug its claws deeper into him. Grimacing, the Doctor gave himself a moment to breathe and lean against the wall. The internal organ failure was cascading and the regeneration energy was building. Frustration and disappointment welled up in him, but he pushed them down. That wasn't what he wanted his end to focus on. Not with Rose and Jenny with him. This was far kinder than it could have been.

"We're here, Dad," Jenny whispered.

He smiled at her, touched by Jenny's compassion. The Doctor liked to think he'd learned that from Rose. His eyes moved to Rose who was lingering close by but giving Jenny space. So many words welled up in his throat. He wanted to thank her, wanted to fall on his knees and weep in gratitude.

When he'd first met her, he'd been a wreck, but trying to hold himself together enough to be the Doctor once more. Rose met his gaze and nodded, a gentle gleam in her eyes. She knew. Rose stepped forward and took his hand. He hoped their hands still fit in his next body. They would, he decided. They had to.

They made it back to the console room just before his liver gave out. Somehow, the Doctor stayed on his feet despite the burst of agony shooting through his body. He'd forgotten how bad radiation poisoning was.

"Is it safe to regenerate in the console room?" Jenny asked. She looked around nervously. "Should we go onto the surface?"

"Probably," the Doctor gasped. But his skin was already glowing. He exhaled a pained breath and tried to brace himself. "Never mind. Too late."

"Doctor," Rose called. He turned and she caught his face in her hands. Teary brown eyes met his. He hated that. When he'd found her again, he had never wanted to make her cry again. "I love you."

"Rose Tyler, I love you," he told her clearly.

"See you on the other side," Rose promised.

She pressed their lips together in a quick kiss but one that spoke of love and hope. Yes, he liked hope. He'd forgotten that for a while. But the regeneration was building. Gently, but firmly the Doctor pushed Rose away and stumbled back. He held back a shout of pain and closed his eyes as his body gave out.

There was always a haze in the first moments as everything reorganized. The core remained, the key personality traits, but everything else went flying into the air and would settle on the ground a bit later. But the pain faded as new and strong organs took the place of the damaged ones. He opened his eyes. The TARDIS was sparking and Rose and Jenny were huddled on the other side of the console, Rose's arm around Jenny.

Then it was over. The Doctor gasped, filling his new lungs and immediately touching his face. Rose came around the console, her expression a bit sad, but also relieved. Ah, yes, he'd been dying and in pain. Despite his curiosity about his new body, the Doctor's attention immediately fixed on Rose.

"Rose Tyler," the Doctor said. The mouth was different now and the words of her name formed a bit differently, but he liked them. Still felt right in his mouth. "Am I ginger?"

A laugh escaped Rose Tyler. She shook her head fondly and launched herself at him, enveloping him in a hug while Jenny worked on restoring control of the ship. Judging from the sparking, he'd done a bit more damage than he'd hoped. The Doctor grinned as raw excitement filled him up. New Doctor, but old family here with him. Bolstered by everything that had just happened, he bent down and pressed his brand new lips against Rose Tyler's much-loved ones. Still felt wonderful, even better maybe. He'd have to experiment and see if it felt better to kiss her every time. He'd help Jenny in a moment.

"Dad! We're crashing!" Jenny shouted.

Okay, maybe he'd help now. Pulling away from Rose, the Doctor lunged at the controls, nearly tripping over his new feet. He heard Rose laugh and she was at his side a moment later, her hands moving across the controls along with Jenny's to stabilise the TARDIS. A beaming smile took over his face. As far as new starts went, this was a very very good one.