To my new readers of this story, I say welcome to my imagination parlor. To my old readers, who are reading these rewritten chapters, I say welcome back! It brings me great joy to once again be back in the Doctor Who world of fanfiction. Currently I am overhauling certain Doctor Who stories, before continuing where I left some of my stories off. One is the Time War Chronicles and the other is the third story to the Infinity series. Those two will be getting overhauled and new chapters will start being posted sometime in January.
Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who!
In the Doctor and Rose's bedroom aboard the Tardis…
Movement on the bed rouses Rose out of her wonderful dream world of sleep. Another shift on the bed pulls Rose even more out of her dream and into reality. She tries to ignore the shifting and rolls over in an attempt to fall back asleep. However, the distressed sound of her son's voice grabs her full attention.
"Mummy. Mummy no; don't leave me." Jack whimpers out in his sleep.
Rose opens her eyes quickly and wiggles around till she is facing the sleeping form of Jack. The covers have been thrown off of him during his shifting about, and he is curled up in a ball. His pajamas are soaked with sweat, and there is a small hint of urine coming from him as well.
"Mummy." Jack whimpers again in his sleep. "Daddy, don't change. Please."
Rose can't stand to see her son so upset in his sleep, and knows that he will become embarrassed once he realizes that he has wet the bed in his fear. Gently placing a hand on her son's forehead, Rose begins to speak softly to wake him up.
"Jack. Sweetie, it's time to wake up. It's only a dream, come on." Rose softly brushes the boy's wet fringe from his forehead.
Jack shrinks back from her touch and begins to whimper again in his sleep. "Don't. Daddy. Mummy. Help."
"Jack." Rose moves her hand away from his face and gently shakes his shoulder. "Jack?"
"What is it?" The Doctor says as he now enters their bedroom.
He had been in the medbay, running all sorts of genetic tests on a blood sample that he has on file for his son. Having been so engrossed with his work, that the Doctor hadn't noticed that the Tardis was trying to warn him that something was going on with Jack. It was after the Tardis had shocked him, that the Doctor knew that the Tardis was trying to get his attention about something.
"I can't wake up Jack."
The Doctor moves closer to where Rose is now sitting up in bed. Carefully, he reaches a hand out and touches Jack's temple. It is then that the Doctor's mind is pulled into Jack's. Bright and blurry images appear in his mind; and only a few of those images become sharper, but only for a minute. The sharper images move quick in the Doctor's mind. The Master; an exploding Tardis; River Song; weeping angels; a desert; an unknown clock tower on an unknown planet; then a box sitting in the middle of a wooden structure.
"No!" cries Jack, who is still asleep. "Stop it! You're killin' them."
Rose looks at the Doctor with worry written all over her face. She watches as the Doctor's face takes on a pained expression, and she can't help but want to stop the suffering that both the Doctor and their son is going through. Knowing that the connection must be broken, Rose takes hold of the Doctor's wrist and separates his fingers from Jack's head.
Instantly, the connection is broken and the Doctor opens his eyes to look at Rose. He can see her worry etched on her face, and knows that she will want to talk about what just happened at some point today.
"Mummy!" The little boy practically throws himself against Rose after having been brought out of his sleep roughly.
"It's alright. I'm here and daddy's here." whispers Rose as she places a gentle kiss to the crown of her sons' head. She rubs his back to try and soothe him as he holds tightly to her.
The Doctor looks at Rose and mouths to her 'Meet me at the console later,' before standing up from the bed. He needs to make sense of what he just witnessed from Jack's mind, and he finds that the Tardis is agreeing with him. Gently, the Doctor places a kiss into his sons' hair and then gives Rose a peck on the cheek.
"I wet myself." Jack whimpers out in embarrassment as his face flushes red.
"It happens sometimes when people are scared, Jack." The Doctor says to the boy. "Nothing to be ashamed of. It is a natural response, especially for one as small as you."
"How about we get you cleaned up while your dad makes you his famous banana pancakes? Would you like that, Jack?" Rose asks Jack, knowing that Jack has always been a bit sensitive about accidents caused by body fluids. Heck, the boy was even ashamed whenever he puked on his bed, while being sick back in the parallel world.
"That sounds like a lovely idea, Rose. So I best get down to the kitchen so that when you're ready, those yummy banana pancakes will be waiting for a hungry time tot." The Doctor teases, letting a smile show on his face knowing that his son will smile back, which he does.
The Doctor leaves the bedroom as Rose and Jack begin removing the soiled bedding from the mattress. From there, Rose plans on letting Jack use the shower to help him clean himself up; then she will get cleaned up once he is done.
In the kitchen, Jenny is making herself some eggs for her breakfast. Her mind is trying to figure out why Jack is having such horrible nightmares and what all can be done to stop them.
"I wonder if he will be alright?" She says out loud.
The Tardis hums a reply to the blonde, young woman. 'He is seeing multiple time streams, which is only natural for a Time Lord's child.'
"But why don't I see them?"
'Because you are a generated, genetic anomaly. You weren't born like Jack was. You were made by a machine to come out at a mature age. So you skipped that part of your heritage as a Time Lady. So you already possess the ability to shield your mind. Jack still needs to learn how to shield his mind. That is where his parents come in. If Rose was a Time Lady, both her and the Doctor would share in the task of shielding Jack's mind. Since she isn't, it falls upon the Doctor to shield Jack's mind'
"I guess you're right." Jenny softly says to the Tardis as she stirs her almost done eggs in the pan.
"Jenny." The Doctor says as he enters the kitchen.
In all the time that the Doctor has spent traveling inside of the Tardis, the one room that has never changed is the kitchen. It is an open style floor plan with plenty of shelving, appliances, a large sink basin, quartz counter-tops, and an island in the middle that can seat eight people. The floors are of a while and gray marble design. The wood cabinets and shelving are all made out of the silver trees of Gallifrey. And the walls are of a soft red color, that would have matched the same shade of grass that was on the destroyed planet.
Jenny turns to see her father heading towards the large, silver industrial fridge. His hair was even more unruly than she has ever seen it, and his blue, buttoned-down shirt and brown trousers are also a bit wrinkled as well.
"Ahh. Making yourself some eggs this morning." The Doctor states as he begins pulling out a carton of milk and some eggs out of the fridge.
"Yeah. It is the only food that I am able to make without burning it to a blacken crisp." Jenny replies jokingly.
"Yeah well, not everyone can be a chef."
"So how is Jack?" Jenny asks as she removes her pan from the stove top and scrapes her eggs onto a plate that is waiting on the counter.
"Alright I suppose. He's currently getting cleaned up after wetting our bed during another nightmare." The Doctor sets his ingredients down on the counter-top before rummaging through a nearby cabinet for a large glass bowl.
Jenny takes her plate of eggs and makes her way over to one of the silver, wooden stools that sit on the other side of the island. She tucks into her breakfast all the while watching her dad go about making banana pancakes.
It isn't long till Rose and Jack enter the kitchen while the Doctor is flipping a few pancakes over in a pan. No one can argue that this breakfast scene in the Tardis kitchen is a rarity. Almost to the point where the Tardis wishes she could just freeze it forever.
After breakfast is done and everyone has had their fill, the family make their way to the console room. With the Doctor pointing out where on the console that Jenny and Rose should stand, he leans down to pick up his son. With a firm grip on Jack, the Doctor throws the lever that sends the Tardis careening through the time vortex.
Jack, from his place in the Doctor's arm, wraps his arms around his fathers' neck and lets out a shriek of laughter as the Tardis has them all holding on to the console. Out of all Jack's experiences in the Tardis, this is his favorite.
Rose and Jenny laugh as well as they see just how much the boy is enjoying himself. Seeing a happy faced Jack is what Rose has been hoping for since this morning's incident. And just seeing Jack, wearing nearly the same kind of clothes that the Doctor is currently wearing, reminds Rose just how much like the two are.
With a thud, and a little ding from the Tardis, lets the family know that they have reached their destination.
"So where are we?" Jenny asks excitedly as she lets go of the console.
"England." The Doctor replies after checking the screen.
"When?" Rose asks the Doctor as she moves to stand next to him.
"At Christmas."
Rolling her eyes, Rose can't help but let a small chuckle leave her. "So we better make sure that we are dressed for the weather. Come on, Jack. Time to go put on our coats and hats."
Jack reaches out to Rose and lets his mother take him from his father. Once Rose sets his feet on the ground, Jack tears out of the console room and down the hallway. Giggling as he goes.
Rose and Jenny are not too far behind the boy, leaving the Doctor in the console room by himself. While waiting for his family to return, the Doctor puts on his blue, silver, and red tie. Then he puts on his suit jacket, which matches his trousers, and finally his billowing, long coat. He only has to wait seven minutes for the rest of his family to arrive with their winter gear on.
Rose is in a light blue, puffy coat with a white hat on her head. White boots are on her feet, as well as white gloves on her hands.
Jenny, however, is wearing a dark green and black coat that has many zip-up pockets on it. Her boots are black as are her gloves, and she has on a pair of black ear muffs.
Jack, however, is wearing a small version of the Doctors' own coat, and has a blue winter hat that is knitted to look like the top of the Tardis. His hands are covered with blue gloves, and he has on blue boots as well.
"Shall we?" The Doctor asks his family while offering an arm to Rose.
The small family step out of the Tardis, with the Doctor taking the lead followed by Rose, Jack, and Jenny. It is lightly snowing outside, and there are some piles of snow up against the buildings. The Doctor looks around, making a note that he has parked the Tardis near a small archway in an alley.
"It's beautiful." whispers Jenny as she has never before seen snow. She is mesmerized by how white and fluffy the falling snow is.
"What year is it, Doctor?" Rose asks as she takes hold of Jack's glove covered hand.
"Well let's ask, shall we." The Doctor grins at Rose before walking out into the where the people are shopping. He takes not of a young boy of 7 or 8 years.
"You there, boy. What day is this?" asks the Doctor while keeping a close eye on his family.
The blond, curly haired boy replies, "Christmas Eve, sir."
"What year?"
"You thick or something?" The boy asks, wondering if the man is a lunatic.
"Oi!" retorts the Doctor at the boy's insult. " Just answer the question."
Rose, Jenny and Jack have to muffle their giggles behind their hands. Leave it to a young, human boy to insult the Doctor before he takes offense.
"Year of our lord 1851, sir."
"Right nice year. A bit dull. Well let's get started shall we." The Doctor looks over at Rose, only to notice that she and the kids are now looking at the other stands. Letting a smile appear on his face, the Doctor is about to join them when he hears yelling in the distance.
"Doctor! Doctor!"
Rose hears it too and moves back towards the Doctor while still holding onto Jacks' hand. Jenny also joins back up with them and looks at her dad. All of them hear a woman shouting for a doctor, and they look at their Doctor wondering what he is going to do.
"Who? Me?" The Doctor says wonder and a hint of glee.
"Better go have a look, yeah?" Rose says as she lifts Jack up into her arms.
"Yup. Come on!" The Doctor shouts to his family as he runs in the direction of the screaming lady.
His family hurries after him, running through several small squares with shopping stands. They go through alleyways and streets till they finally arrive to an alley between several large buildings. It is there that they see a black woman standing near a wooden door.
"Doctor!" screams the lady.
"Don't worry. Don't worry. Stand back." the Doctor says as he pulls the young woman away from the green door.
Rose, with Jack in her arms, moves the boy so that he sits on her hip and takes hold of Jenny's hand. It isn't lost on her that Jenny wants to join the Doctor wherever there is danger, but Rose honestly doesn't want to see Jenny get hurt.
"Doctor!" The woman screams again.
"Hello. Standing right here." The Doctor responds.
"Don't be stupid. Doctor!" The woman yells out.
Rose looks at the Doctor with confusion written on her face, just as Jenny and Jack share the same look at Rose. All three of them aren't sure what is going on, but Rose is wondering if they just might have crossed the Doctor's time stream. Keeping her eyes on the small argument between her Doctor and the woman, Rose hears the crunching of snow coming up from behind her.
An older gentleman, who looks about in his early forties, comes running towards them. He doesn't even acknowledge the presence of Rose and the two kids, and heads right for where the Doctor is.
"There you are, Doctor. Where have you been? " says the young black woman to the man.
" Right then. Don't worry. Stand back." The older gentleman says while pushing the Doctor and young woman away from the door that is being pounded on from the inside.
"Wait a minute? Who are you?" asks Rose as she comes to stand behind her Doctor.
"I'm the Doctor." the older man says before looking up and down at Rose. "And you might want to get yourself and your children out of here, miss."
The door flies open and everyone turns to see what it was that was pounding on the door.
"Well that's new." Jenny says as she feels Jack's hand take hold of hers.
"It's them. The monsters from my dreams." whimpers Jack as he wraps his arms around Rose's neck.
There, in front of them, is a creature that looks like a monkey with a cyberman head for a face. It doesn't stay idle for long, and charges out at all of them. It stops for a few minutes, taking in all of the people that is surrounding it.
Rose holds onto Jack as she backs herself up against the wall that is behind her. After a few years of combat training with Torchwood in the parallel world, Rose knows how to protect herself during a hand-to-hand situation.
Jenny moves herself into a self-defense stance that she knows from having been born out of a machine used to make soldiers. Very slowly she tries to move herself closer to where Rose and Jack are standing.
The Doctor had pushed the man and young woman out of the way, but the Doctor is worried that the creature might go after one of his family members. He looks over and sees the Rose and Jack are of equal distance apart from the creature as Jenny is.
"Leave them alone." Jenny yells out as she charges at the creature, not caring that she has no weapon in her hands.
The creature, however, anticipates Jenny's charge and knocks her away with a hard blow from its arm.
Jenny goes flying backwards in the air, and lands with a loud thud before rolling down the alley way a few feet. It is clear to her family that she has been knocked unconscious by the blow and landing.
The creature, knowing that one threat has been neutralized, turns its attention back to Rose and Jack. Since they are the closest to the creature, and a possible threat, the thing charges towards them.
"Rose!" shouts the Doctor as he runs towards them, but he is too late to reach them.
The creature grabs at Rose, who had turned her back towards the creature. She has curled herself around her son to protect him from the creature's attack. However, what Rose wasn't counting on was that the creature had jumped onto her back, wrapping its arms around her to try and reach her son.
Jack is crying as he feels the creature's hands trying to grab at him. He can feel his arms being pulled away from Rose's neck, and screams for help. "Daddy!"
The Doctor pulls out his sonic screwdriver and aims it at the creature as he tries to reach Rose and Jack.
"Let go of them!" The Doctor growls out, letting his Oncoming Storm persona to show.
The creature slackens its grip, but as soon as Rose begins to turn it changes its mind. With one hand holding onto Jack, the creature uses its other hand to grab the back of Rose's neck. From there, the creature tightens its grip on her neck before ripping Jack out of her arms. As the creature sees the Doctor move towards it, the creature uses its full strength and throws Rose at the wall with a sickening thud.
Rose's body slumps down to the ground after the hard blow, and her vision goes black.
Knowing the Doctor is slightly distracted by his injured mate, the creature tightens its hold on Jack and leaps into the air, landing a good two stories high on one of the buildings.
"Daddy!" Jack shouts from the arm of the creature, which is crushing his little body against the creatures chest.
"Jack!" shouts the Doctor helplessly as he watches his son being taken away.
Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor sees the older man throw a rope at the creature. He lassos the creature with the rope wrapping around its head and Jack's body. The creature begins to climb, taking the older man holding the rope with it.
The Doctor, not wanting to be left behind, takes hold of what's left in length of the rope before turning to address the woman. "Take care of them. I'll be back."
Then the Doctor lets the room pull him also up the building. 'No one takes my son and lives to tell the tale.'
Did I just give you all a cliffhanger? I think I did. Let me know what you think about this rewrite.
Reviews are welcomed and cherished.
Selene