Chapter Four

The Doctor stared at the man. He was a pudgy middle-aged man with thick black hair and eyes to match. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, black trousers and black boots. He smirked at the Doctor as he knelt beside Rose.

"Who are you?" the Doctor said getting to his feet.

"I am known as the Collector." He said to him. "As my name implies I collect many things, but I mostly collect Earth Christmas artifacts. Where I come from, celebrations of any kind are unknown, so I'm fascinated with Earth celebrations, particularly Christmas."

"So, you're fascinated with Christmas to the point you changed your ship into a gigantic stocking?" the Doctor asked.

"Well, actually, our ships just happen to look like that." The Collector said. "It's a very happy coincidence for me."

"Yeah, well you may be happy, but these people aren't." the Doctor said gesturing to them. "Why are you turning innocent people into statues?"

"Well, you see, I not only like the Christmas decorations, I also like watching the people celebrating the holiday and the winter season. I rarely get to come to Earth, so I made the scenes you saw so I can have something to watch when I'm far from here. It makes me happy."

"Okay, I can understand that, but do you have to kill people to do it? Why don't you just sculpt people out of silver instead of covering their bodies with it?"

"I tried that, but it didn't look as good. The statues looked fake and I want my subjects to be as lifelike as possible. I don't enjoy it as much if they aren't realistic."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I must object to you killing people just so you can have some realism in your artwork."

"I thought you might, which is part of the reason I tracked you and your friend down."

"So you can turn us into statues?" the Doctor said.

"Exactly."

"Mmm, and the other reason is…"

"I not only collect people for my winter scenes, I also collect different species. You saw some of them mixed in with the humans?"

The Doctor nodded.

"That is why they are there. I am trying to get one specimen from every planet and you, Doctor, are the last representative of Gallifrey. I must have you for my collection."

"And so you'll take the last of my kind and just…kill me. Um, I'm sorry, but I don't quite get the logic of that. If you are collecting me, wouldn't it be better if I were alive?"

"Ah, but if I spray you in silver, you will be preserved for all eternity." The Collector said. "Plus, you won't be able to inconvenience me by escaping."

"Oh yes, that would be quite a bother if a rare specimen like myself ran out on you." The Doctor said.

He gestured at Rose.

"What about her? What will you do to Rose? Cover her in silver too?"

"Of course, I can never have enough humans and she'll make a beautiful addition to my collection." He said.

"I won't let you do it." The Doctor said.

"You have no way of resisting."

"On the contrary, I have many ways. In fact, I'm all set to start writing a book about it. I'm thinking of calling it 'The Doctor's Guide to Resistance for Every Occasion.' What'd you think?"

"Very amusing, but I'm afraid this is one occasion where you won't be able to resist. Both you and Rose will become part of a charming winter scene. Not sure which one yet. I'm not sure how close the two of you are, but you make a very cute couple. How about the two of you sitting in front of a roaring fire kissing and exchanging presents?"

"Hmm, nice, but sounds a bit too Hallmarky for me, not to mention Domestic." He said making a face. "How about this though? Rose and I in the TARDIS blowing up your ship while we exchange presents? That sounds more like us. Course we'll both be alive and non-silver coated when we do it. I'm just throwing that in just in case you thought otherwise.

The Collector chuckled.

"You're very funny. It's a shame I will kill that wit when I kill you, but sacrifices have to be made. Now if you'll be a good little Time Lord, my robot helpers will get a ball that you can wait in until I'm ready for you."

"You seriously think I'm gonna just stand here and wait to be imprisoned." The Doctor said.

"Oh you will and you will do it quietly, otherwise I'm afraid I'll have to cut the air to your friend's prison. You really don't want to watch that pretty face turn blue, do you , Doctor?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, threatening Rose is always the wrong thing to do." He said in a deadly tone of voice. "If I were you, I would leave her alone and in fact, just be on the safe side, let her and all these other people go and return them to their rightful planets."

"I think not, Doctor, I'm sorry, but I have other things in mind for you and all the others."

He pulled out a tiny communicator.

"Come in here and put the Doctor in a cell until I can coat him."

The door slid back and eight Christmas bots entered the room. The Collector looked at them and looked at the Doctor.

"I see you damaged COMET." He said. "I really wish you hadn't done that. These robots take time and money to repair."

"Well, they shouldn't have tried to blow me up and barbecue me then."

The Collector shrugged.

"They were doing what they were programmed to do. They were ordered to capture you by any means necessary and if that meant bring you back to me dismembered or charred so be it. You do not have to be alive for me to turn you into a statue. I can merely reassemble you or coat your blackened body with silver, so I have no objections to my robot's methods."

He looked over and noticed DONNER was still holding the sonic screwdriver.

"Is this your weapon?" he said as DONNER handed it to him. "How cute. Ineffectual, but cute."

The Doctor eyed it as he turned it over in his hands.

"Yes, well, you won't be needing this anymore. Of course, I'll just hold onto it as a curiosity."

He noticed the button on the side.

"What exactly is this? I've never seen anything like it." He said.

"It's a sonic screwdriver."

"I see, and what does it do?"

The Doctor glanced at Rose.

"It sends out a sonic frequency capable of bursting a person's organs, thereby bringing the person instant death." He said.

The Collector glanced at him.

"You don't say? So, if I used it, your insides would burst apart, but it wouldn't affect the outside of your body?"

"I suppose, but…come on, you're talking like you're thinking of using it on me."

The Collector grinned.

"Why not, Doctor? After all, if it only affects your insides, I can kill you and coat your body with silver without any resistance from you."

"No, please, don't do it." Rose said.

The Doctor glanced at her and a knowing look passed between them.

"Please don't use the sonic screwdriver on him." She said.

"But my dear, if I just coat him with silver, he will be burned alive. Wouldn't you rather he died beforehand?"

"I don't want him to die either way. Please, I've seen what the screwdriver can do. It's just as horrible a death as being coated in silver. Please don't use it on him." She begged.

"I'm sorry, I realize you care for the Doctor, but I need him for my collection and I'd rather he die now than wait and have to fight him when I put him on the spraying frame."

"No, please." Rose said in a soft voice.

"It's no use, Rose, I'm afraid it's goodbye." The Doctor said to her.

"No! Don't do this to him! Don't use the sonic screwdriver on him. I'll do anything you want, but please don't hurt him!"

"Hold him!" the Collector said to DONNER.

The Doctor tried to run, but DONNER grabbed his arms from behind and held the Doctor in front of him. He turned back towards the Collector as he aimed the screwdriver at the terrified man.

"Please I'm begging you not to do this!" the Doctor said desperately. " I don't want to die!"

"Sorry, Doctor, but I must have you for my collection. If it's any consolation, you will soon be reunited with your people in the great beyond."

He smiled.

"Goodbye, Doctor." He said.

He pushed the button and held the screwdriver at the Doctor's chest. He waited for him to die, but nothing happened. He frowned.

"How long does it take to work?" he asked him.

"Oh, about a million years probably." The Doctor replied.

The Collector frowned at the amused smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, I hate to tell you this, but I lied." The Doctor said smugly. "The screwdriver doesn't work on flesh. Sorry. Lump of coal in my stocking for that, I guess. It does, however, affect machinery. Like so…"

The Doctor suddenly jerked his body around exposing DONNER's back to the screwdriver. The Doctor grinned at Rose when he heard it malfunctioning and it started to smoke.

"See…pretty neat, huh?" he said looking back at him.

"You…you ruined another robot!" the Collector yelled.

"Yup, I did, sorry about that. But, I can use my screwdriver to fix him. Here let me take that off your hands so I can."

Without warning, the Doctor spun around and shoved the disabled robot onto the Collector. He let out a cry and toppled over as the Doctor rushed to him and snatched his screwdriver from his hand.

"Get him, my robots!" the Collector screamed. "Don't let him…"

He grunted when the Doctor slammed his fist in his face knocking him out. As the robots advanced en masse, he aimed his sonic screwdriver at them and waved his arm back and forth quickly. He grinned when the robots began to twitch and smoke. Finally, the last one gave out and the Doctor rushed over to Rose's prison.

"Here's hoping," he said.

He used the screwdriver on the orb and both of them let out a triumphant yell when the seam appeared.

"Push, Rose!" he yelled.

Rose raised her hands up and slammed them into the top of the orb.

"Push again!" the Doctor said when he saw the top half move slightly.

Rose repeated the motion and the top half moved even more. The Doctor slipped his fingers in the gap.

"One more time!"

Rose let out a yell and pushed up at the same time the Doctor yanked upwards. Both of them whooped when the top half flew backwards and landed on the floor behind the bottom half.

The Doctor and Rose flew into each other's arms and hugged.

"Oh Doctor, you did it!" she said.

The Doctor put his hand on the back of Rose's head and held her close.

"You helped." He said. "Thanks for playing along."

"Well, once I realized what you were doing, I knew I'd look more realistic if I acted like you were going to die."

The Doctor nodded. They looked over when they heard the other prisoners begging for release.

"Come on, let's get the Collector in here and get these people freed so we can all go home."

Rose nodded. They Doctor helped her out of the orb and they walked over to the Collector, pushing DONNER off of him. They grabbed him by the arms and dragged him into the orb. They put the top on and the Doctor grinned when the two halves fused.

"Now," he said. "For the rest of the prisoners."