Chapter 15: The Christmas Invasion Part 2
She was startled to wake by a tugging. A tugging that pulled her straight out of bed and towards the door.
Her father was already out the door, his expression blank. But the moment Freya got to the doorway, she collapsed.
A burst of pain filtered through and Freya gasped at the feeling, hands instantly wrapping themselves around her stomach. It felt like there was fire going through her veins.
"Freya! What's going on?" Marie asked, trying to help her to her feet.
"Where's your dad going? What's going on?" Mickey asked, coming out of the flat. All around them, some people were walking towards the stairs, expressions blank.
"Fire. Feels like fire," Freya said through gritted teeth. She immediately tried to feel inside, make sure it wasn't hurting the baby. Which was when she noticed the bracelet.
A large handful of charms were dissolving, slowly sinking into her skin. Rose was watching with wide eyes, as was Masen.
As it sunk in, the fire dulled to an uncomfortable prickling.
"What was that? What's going on?" Jackie asked in terror.
"Something's…controlling people. But not everyone. Why not everyone?" Freya wondered.
"You and your father were affected. And so were a few others. Not everything. What hurt? Why were you able to fight it?" Masen asked her, his expression serious. Freya shook her head.
"I have no clue. It felt like there was fire rushing through my veins when I collapsed and stopped moving. I…I wasn't thinking at all before that. I tried feeling the baby. He was fine. He fine. He's not alarmed. I think…I think the TARDIS and him stopped me," Freya admitted.
"How? What is it?" Rose begged.
"It hurt my blood. Could they have been controlling my blood? Why my? And why did the TARDIS change it? What's your blood type?" Freya quickly asked.
"AB positive," Rose said instantly. Freya turned to Jackie, who shrugged.
"B positive," she answered.
"O negative," Marie told her.
"O positive," Masen answered as well.
"Mickey's O positive too, I think," Rose mused.
"I'm A positive. And so's Dad. What if it's the A positives?" Freya suggested.
"How? And how can you be sure of that?" Masen asked her, eyes boring a hole into her very being.
"I think the one thing I've learned from travelling with the Doctor is that nothing is too simple. Some of the most simple things are the correct answers. If something feels wrong, it's wrong. If there happens to be a space probe taking pictures the Christmas we happen to crash land in London, something's up. If only a few people are being hypnotized and I was one of them and I'm A positive, then maybe someone's controlling the A positives," Freya suggested. As she spoke, she felt less confident about what she was saying, but her words must have been making sense, because everyone started nodding.
Was that how the Doctor felt half of the time?
Masen whipped out his phone and dialed quickly, stepping away from them.
"Yes, yes, we just came up with that idea. So you think the same?" Masen was saying. A moment later he hung up.
"Good guess. My friends agree," Masen told them evasively.
"What do your friends know about any of this?" Marie scoffed at him, but he didn't say a word in his defense.
"But what are they being made to do?" Jackie asked worriedly.
"They've walked to the edge of the roof. About to jump off, but not," Mickey answered as he made his way into the room.
"Why A positives?" Marie mused.
"Maybe it's all they've got," Rose suggested.
"Now what? What can we do? Is it completely gone, or do you still feel it? What happened to you?" Marie asked Freya anxiously.
"I don't know. I…the TARDIS has been changing me to be able to carry the baby. Maybe she changed my blood. She didn't completely, because I can still feel a dull throbbing from it, but I'm not under its control now. And the baby isn't A positive because….well, I have no clue what type of blood is the Doctor's," Freya weakly smiled.
"That makes sense. There's no logical way you'd be able to carry a baby him if you were completely human," Masen stated.
"How would you know that? What do you know?" Marie scoffed, spinning on him. Masen shrugged but Freya got the sense he was hiding something. There was something he wasn't telling them.
"Oh good lord, the queen's still going to give her speech," Jackie murmured in disbelief, glancing at the telly. But by the time everyone else had turned around, it wasn't the queen that walked into the room on the screen.
It was Harriet Jones.
"No way," Freya breathed, eyes wide. It was one thing to hear that Harriet Jones was the Prime Minister. It was another to see her taking the queen's place on the telly.
"Ladies and gentleman, if I may take a moment during this terrible time. It's hardly the Queen's speech. I'm afraid that's been cancelled," Harriet said before turning to someone off screen.
"Did we ask about the royal family?" Harriet asked, only for Marie to scoff.
"They didn't think to ask about the royal family before hijacking her speech?" Marie asked in disbelief.
"Oh. They're on the roof," Harriet muttered.
"They would be, with all that intermarrying to preserve the royal line," Masen murmured in exasperation. Everyone else just stared at the telly, waiting for Harriet to continue and tell them what was going on.
"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. If you can hear me, Doctor. If anyone knows the Doctor, if anyone can find him, the situation has never been more desperate. Help us. Please, Doctor. Help us. God help us," Harriet Jones finished.
With her words, tears leaked from Rose's eyes. Marie looked unsure. And Freya bit back a cry. What could they do? The Doctor…he needed something. And she had no idea what that something was. How could she?
Why couldn't she help him when he needed her help the most? What use was she if she couldn't even help him with this?
"Harriet Jones. You met her before, yes?" Masen asked, staring at Freya. Freya swallowed and nodded.
"She was in 10 Downing Street with us when we blew it up," Freya reminisced, nervously tucking the Doctor's leather jacket tighter around her body.
"We need to make sure she doesn't try tracking you down. Because the Doctor can't help. They'll come here for him but we won't be able to do anything," Masen said, whipping out his cell phone once more to make a call.
"What should we do?" Rose asked quietly. But no one could answer her.
They didn't really need to.
The glass in the windows shattered. Mickey ran to the window, glancing out.
"All of the glass's shattered. Come on!" Mickey called, moving outside onto the balcony. Freya followed with Rose, careful not to step on the broken glass all around. She still was barefoot. She'd taken her shoes off before falling asleep earlier and had yet to put them back on. She should have put them on already!
All thoughts of shoes left Freya's mind when she looked up.
There, in the sky, was the spaceship.
They had to get out of there.
Freya turned and hurried inside, wincing as she stepped on some glass. She ignored it, making her way to the bed the Doctor was on.
"We've got to get to the TARDIS. It's the only safe place for us," Freya called as she did a shoddy job at inspecting her feet. She only noticed one shard of glass and immediately pulled it out, fighting back the wince, before tugging her shoes on.
"What are we going to do on the TARDIS?" Jackie asked her in disbelief.
"Hide. We're going to hide until we can figure out how to fix the Doctor. Can someone help me move him?" Freya asked.
"No. Masen and I'll carry him. Jackie, you and Rose can get your stuff and some food. Freya, calm down," Mickey told her.
"Yeah. That can't be good on the baby. I'll calm her down," Marie told them, immediately grabbing Freya's hands. When she glanced down, she realized they were shaking.
"Come on. Let's grab you a cup of tea and head down to the TARDIS," Marie urged, her voice soothing. It took nothing for Marie to pour Freya a cuppa but Freya soon realized her hands were too shaky to hold it still. Marie forced her to drink half of the steaming cup before allowing her to head downstairs. They still managed to beat the boys to the TARDIS, unlocking it just as Mickey and Masen got down the stairs.
Jackie entered just as the boys settled the Doctor down, half a dozen large bags.
"Mum, we don't need all this stuff," Rose argued, but Jackie shook her head.
"You said food. I'll go grab some more," Jackie told them, dropping the bags on the ground inside the TARDIS and taking off out once more.
"Should I go after her?" Rose asked with a sigh. Mickey shook his head.
"Let her get some more. She should still be safe. They shouldn't try anything this soon, right?" Mickey asked Masen. He nodded.
"Right now I'd say they're establishing that they're here. They'll wait a bit before making the next move," Masen assumed.
"How do you know so much about alien protocol?" Marie asked, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at her fiancé. He regarded her coolly, not even blinking at her tone.
"I researched it. After your best friend goes gallivanting off with one, I wanted to make sure I knew everything I could about aliens. Can't blame me, can you? I figured I'd be stuck dealing with them, since I planned on keeping you in my life," Masen told her. Freya didn't know why, but she got the feeling that there was more to the story. There was something about Masen that she simply didn't understand.
"Can we fly this thing? Get out of here? Or at least hover until the Doctor wakes up?" Rose tried, but Freya shook her head.
"I don't know how. I've never flown it," Freya told them.
"Yes you did. That day, the last time we saw you. You said you could be going to die. But it disappeared," Mickey pointed out.
"I didn't fly it. She flew herself for me. And I had knowledge of everything that ever could exist running through my head at the time. I didn't exactly have time to take notes on what was going on," Freya shot back.
Her eyes widened and she quickly covered her mouth. Where had that come from? Why was she snapping on him? He was only trying to help.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that," Freya apologized, fighting to keep from crying. She couldn't believe this. Why was she acting like this?
"Pregnancy hormones, I'd bet," Jackie's voice called as she came back on board, this time holding numerous flasks of what Freya hoped was tea. She started handing them out. Marie snatched the one she was about to hand to Freya and tasted it carefully before handing it to Freya. She offered up a sheepish smile.
"Testing for alcohol. It is in a flask," Marie explained quietly. Jackie merely huffed at her.
"Pregnancy hormones?" Freya asked, not liking the sound of that. Jackie nodded enthusiastically.
"Yup! When I was pregnant with Rose, I was a downright cow. Had to have whatever I was craving, no matter the hour. Got into fights over little things. Everything. Poor Pete suffered those months," Jackie said fondly.
"And the Doctor has three years of that?" Mickey asked incredulously.
"He's gonna need an awful lot of patience," Masen agreed, staring at the Doctor in pity.
"I'm gonna go get the rest of the food," Jackie announced before traipsing right back out of the TARDIS.
"Tea. Like we're having a picnic while the world comes to an end. Very British," Mickey said snidely. Marie smacked his arm before making her way to the television-like screen on the console.
"How does this thing work?" she asked, turning to Freya. Rose leapt to her feet at the words.
"Yeah. It picks up TV. Could we use it to see what's going on out there?" Rose asked.
"I don't know," Freya said quietly.
"How do you make it work?" Marie asked, glancing at Freya. But Freya could only shake her head.
"I haven't the slightest. It sort of always works on its own. Or the Doctor does it," Freya admitted guiltily.
"Do you think it's working on its own right now? There's some sort of odd pattern," Marie asked, calling their attention back to the screen.
"Is it a distress signal?" Mickey guessed.
"Fat lot of good it'd do right now," Marie muttered.
"Nah. That's not a distress signal. I don't know what it is though," Masen told them, leaning closer to the screen.
"How much stuff is Jackie bringing? She shouldn't be going out there and back so much. What if something happens to her?" Freya fretted more to herself than anyone else.
"She said she was getting more food," Rose said, sounding quite unsure of how she felt about that notion. Marie laughed at that.
"Rose and I'll go get her," Marie said, standing up.
"Tell her anything from a tin, that's fine," Mickey called out as they headed towards the door.
"Why don't you tell her yourself?" Rose teased.
"I'm not that brave," Mickey retorted with a shudder.
"I am," Marie scoffed, pushing the doors open. Two sets of hands grabbed Rose and Marie, ripping them from the TARDIS. Masen was on his feet in an instant, as was Mickey. Mickey dropped his flask in his excitement. The tea fell into the grate near the Doctor. Freya hoped he wouldn't be too upset over that when he woke up.
Masen was the last one out and he quickly closed the door as he left.
Trying to protect Freya and the Doctor.
Freya leapt to her feet, going straight for the scanner. The camera to the outside was miraculously working now. Freya grumbled at that realization as she examined what was happening outside. The aliens that had been on the telly were holding her friends.
Harriet Jones was out there too.
"What does the Doctor always say?" Freya murmured to herself, trying to think hard.
"Shadow Proclamation….Article….14? 15? Category five planet," Freya remembered. She stopped, thinking for a moment. Gallifrey. Time Lords. That could inspire fear and make them leave as well.
With a glance at the Doctor, she bound for the door. Before opening it, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders back. If she was going to buy the Doctor time, she was going to do it in the most Doctorly manner she could. With confidence.
She threw the doors open and then back closed behind her as she stepped out.
"Oi! Leave my friends alone," Freya shouted at them. The aliens turned to her, almost surprised. Harriet Jones made her way over to Freya, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Freya! Is the Doctor with you?" Harriet asked, glancing over her shoulder at the TARDIS. Freya hesitated.
"Yes. But he's unconscious. He'll come around," Freya told her, not wanting to discourage the woman. Unfortunately, her words made Harriet's expression sink.
One of the men who had been standing next to Harriet pointed at her.
"The girl. She has the clever blue box. Therefore, she speaks for your planet," he said, glancing at the aliens. Was he their…translator? He had to be.
"But she can't!" Harriet gasped.
"Of course I can," Freya told her gently, replaying her words in her mind. Shadow Proclamation, Article 15, Category 5 planet, Gallifrey.
"They'll kill you!" Harriet cried.
"Nah. The Doctor wouldn't let that happen," Freya told Harriet, pouring her faith into her words. Because the Doctor would show up. She just had to buy him some time.
"What are they?" Freya asked quietly from the corner of her mouth.
"Sycorax," Harriet supplied. Freya nodded and stared at the mass of Sycorax watching her with interest.
"Sycorax, according to Article Fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation, I order you to leave this world. This is a Category 5 planet and you have no right running an invasion here. This planet is protected by the last Time Lord, and you'd bettered remember that," Freya told them, her voice low and threatening. The Sycorax leader tilted his head, examining her.
"You are smart, but you are going to die. You hold no authority," the man told them. Harriet quickly stepped in front of Freya.
"You won't touch her!" Harriet shouted. A Sycorax ripped Harriet away from Freya as the leader approached Freya.
"You can't kill her! She's with child! There's got to be laws against that!" Masen tried shouting.
"Did you think you were clever with your words? Words have no power without the strength to reinforce them," the man told her as the Sycorax made odd noises in front of her.
"Next to us you are but a wailing child. If you are the best your planet can offer as a champion," the man was saying, but Freya stopped listening to him as the odd noises coming from the Sycorax leader turned into English.
"Then your world will be gutted," he said, with Alex repeating him.
"And your people enslaved" the Sycorax continued as Alex realized he was speaking English. Freya's heart soared. If he was sounding English now, that meant the Doctor was okay! The Doctor was possibly even awake! Freya felt like jumping in joy at the thought, but she resisted the urge.
"He's speaking English," Marie said in awe. This seemed to only offend the Sycorax.
"I would never dirty my tongue with your primitive bile," the Sycorax spat at them.
"He's not speaking English. The TARDIS is translating it," Freya said, unable to hold back the grin that erupted on her face. She turned instantly toward the TARDIS, whose doors had just slammed open. There, the Doctor was standing, a manic smile on his grin, still wearing nothing but his jimjams.
"Did you miss me?" he asked Freya, smile filling his entire face. Freya started moving towards him but was stopped when a whip cracked at him. The Doctor caught the end of it and pulled sharply, stealing the whip.
"You could have poked someone's eye out with that," the Doctor said lightly, giving Freya a quick hug before examining the Sycorax.
"How dare you!" shouted the Sycorax. The Doctor grabbed a club from the nearest Sycorax and slammed it into that Sycorax's knees. It fell like a rock.
"You just can't get the staff. Now, you, just wait. I'm busy. Mickey! Rose! Hello! And Marie, Masen, just saw you! It'll be a few years, for you, but we just came from your house. Lovely house, lovely kids. Oops! Probably shouldn't have said that," the Doctor said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. He turned, eyes going even wider.
"And Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North! Blimey, it's like This Is Your Life. Tea! That's all I needed, a good cup of tea! I tried telling you, but all you'd give me was that blasted water. Tea, though. Superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing synapses. Now, first thing's first. Be honest. How do I look?" the Doctor asked, staring at Freya intently. Freya flinched at his words.
"You don't have big ears. Or blue eyes," Freya managed to get out. The Doctor shook his head.
"But how do I look?" he persisted.
"I'd say foxy," Marie piped up, making Freya jump. The Doctor's grin intensified, but his eyes never left Freya.
"Am I? It won't do if my wife doesn't think I'm foxy," the Doctor said with a wink. Freya felt her knees shaking slightly. Two arms steadied her and the Doctor's grin seemed to weaken.
"She's been stressed," Rose apologized.
"Am I ginger?" the Doctor asked. Freya could tell he wasn't all that into the question. She could see his worry. But he was trying to cover it.
"No. You're sort of…brown," Freya mustered. The Doctor looked heartbroken at her words.
"I wanted to be ginger. I've never been a ginger. And why have you been stressed? Are you not taking care of yourself? That's bad for the baby. You know it is. Oi. That was rude. That's the sort of man I am now, am I? Rude. Rude and not ginger," the Doctor said with a sigh, shaking his head regretfully.
"I'm sorry. Who is this?" Harriet asked, staring at him.
"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor told her, a loopy grin on his lips.
"He is," Freya reassured the woman. The Doctor's shoulders relaxed, as if he'd been tensed, waiting for Freya to say that. He seemed so relieved to hear her say he was the Doctor. But she'd told him she believed him earlier.
"But what happened to my Doctor? Or is it a title that's just passed on?" Harriet asked worriedly.
"I'm him. I'm literally him. Same man, new face. Well, new everything," he said with a grin. He shot another grin at Freya, who did her best to grin right back.
"But you can't be," Harriet protested. The Doctor released his breath, the smallest of sighs, before focusing his attention on her.
"Harriet Jones, we were trapped in Downing Street and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, it wasn't the war, it was the thought of your mother being on her own," the Doctor explained.
"She never said that," Freya said quietly.
"Oh my God," Harriet breathed, staring wide-eyed at him. The Doctor grinned at her and pointed at his head, leaving Freya to only nod.
"Did you win the election?" he asked her. Harriet's expression shifted into a triumphant smile.
"Landslide majority," she bragged.
"If I might interrupt," the Sycorax said, sounding quite irritated to have to be doing so. The Doctor took a step towards Freya and slid his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together before facing the alien.
"Yes! Sorry. Hello, big fellow!" the Doctor said almost cheerfully. Freya was completely awed at how different he was. How…unlike him he was. He was so…high-strung. Freya had thought she had trouble keeping up with him before. Now he was even more energetic, and she was going to only get slower. The thought was discerning.
"Who exactly are you?" the Sycorax asked the Doctor. The Doctor shrugged.
"Well, that's the question!" he said happily. This wasn't the answer the Sycorax was expecting. Nor was it what they wanted to hear.
"I demand to know who you are!" the Sycorax roared.
"I DON'T KNOW!" the Doctor shouted right back. This shut the alien up for a moment.
"See, here's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am. It's all untested. Am I funny? Am I sarcastic? Sexy?" he asked, winking at Freya as he did. Freya couldn't keep her from blushing at his words. He smiled triumphantly, as if that was all the answer he needed. He glanced back at the Sycorax, mouth already open.
"Am I a right old misery? Life and soul? Right handed? Left handed? A gambler? A fighter? A coward? A traitor? A liar? A lover? A nervous wreck? I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob," he said, moving his jaw slightly.
"I'm gonna slap ya if ya don't stop ramblin'," Marie muttered angrily at him. He ignored her, choosing to release Freya's hand and rush for the controls, straight for a large red button. Freya tried to suppress her fear.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was going to do. Not with how he was acting.
"And how am I going to react when I see this, a great big threatening button. A great big threatening 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 feeding it?" he asked as he dropped to the ground and opened the base of the pillar underneath the button.
There was a beaker full of dark red liquid…Freya swayed, falling back against the TARDIS. Blood. It was blood. The blood controlling everyone. That blood.
Freya was thankful the TARDIS was close behind her, or she would have been hurting.
Her dizziness only increased when the Doctor stuck his finger in the blood and licked it. Freya felt sick.
"And what've we got here? Blood? Yeah, definitely blood. Human blood. A Positive, with just a dash of iron. Ah, but that means blood control. Blood control! Oh! I haven't seen blood control in years. You're controlling all the A Positives. Well, all but one. You're A Positive, right Freya? Baby Me must be keeping that from happening," the Doctor said with a grin at her. His grin weakened a bit when he noticed how weak she appeared to be.
"This leaves us with a great big stinking problem. Because 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, ever be pressed, and it won't harm Freya, then I just want to do this!" he shouted as he slammed his fist down on the button. Freya flinched and sank to her knees as the feeling that had been hovering in her mind left. Harriet and Rose screamed out a no, but Freya blocked them all out.
Marie helped her to her feet as the Sycorax spoke up.
"We allow them to live," it said. The Doctor openly scoffed at that.
"Allow? You've no choice. I mean, that's all blood control is. A cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes. It's like hypnosis. You can hypnotize someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis. You can't hypnotize them to death. Survival instinct's too strong," he boasted.
"Blood control was just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force," the Sycorax informed the Doctor, but he didn't seem too stressed out by that. In fact, this new Doctor didn't seem stressed out about anything.
"Well, yeah, you could. Yeah, you could do that, of course you could. But why? Look at these people. These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and blinking step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than….No, hold on. Sorry, that's The Lion King. Watched it with the wife last week. Based off of Hamlet it is. Good story," the Doctor said, shaking his head quickly to get himself back on track.
"But the point still stands. Leave them alone!" the Doctor ordered.
"Or what?" the Sycorax taunted.
"Or..." the Doctor drifted off before stealing a sword from an aide. He waved it around with flourish that Freya was certain HE thought looked impressive.
"I challenge you," the Doctor said simply. The Sycorax all started laughing at that.
"Oh, that struck a chord. Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?" the Doctor asked, staring at them.
"You stand as this world's champion," the Sycorax told him. This brought a grin to the Doctor's face.
"Thank you! I've no idea who I am, but you just summed me up!" the Doctor said before stripping off the dressing robe and chucking it to Freya. She wrapped it around her arms, watching him. He winked at her once more before focusing on the Sycorax.
"So, you accept my challenge? Or are you just a cranak pel casacree salvak?" the Doctor taunted, the last phrase not translating. From the Sycorax's expression, it wasn't a pleasant phrase.
"For the planet?" the Sycorax clarified.
"For the planet," the Doctor agreed, rushing forward.
"Look out!" Rose shouted the moment their swords touched.
"Oh yeah, thanks, that helps. Wouldn't have thought of that otherwise," the Doctor said snarkily. Freya found her eyelids dropping as the Doctor took off running down up a tunnel.
"Come on!" Rose urged them. Freya started to wave them along but was cut off when Masen scooped her off and followed the rest.
"You would probably rather be with us, if you were able to stand on your own. Problem solved," Masen offered, trying to give her a smile. Freya smiled back at him. She was starting to see what he'd said, in the future, about her warming up to him. Granted, she warmed up to his future self, which made dealing with this self easier. And he seemed to be warming up to her rather quickly as well.
Rose, it seemed, was already trying to rush into the fight.
"Stay back! Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet!" the Doctor ordered as the leader knocked the Doctor to the ground. The Sycorax swung the sword down, chopping the Doctor's hand off. The hand and sword disappeared off the edge of the spaceship. Freya's eyes widened in horror. But the hand wasn't spurting blood. Shouldn't it at least be bleeding?
"You cut my hand off," the Doctor stated, almost in shock.
"Ya! Sycorax!" the Sycorax cheered. But this didn't stop the Doctor. He stood and cracked his neck before grinning manically at the Sycorax.
"And now I know what sort of man I am. I'm lucky. Because quite by chance I'm still within the first fifteen hours of my regeneration cycle, which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy to do this," he said as the gold energy leapt from his skin and formed a new hand where his old one had been.
"Witchcraft," the Sycorax hissed, taking a step back.
"Time Lord," the Doctor corrected as he wiggled his new fingers. Rose stole a sword from an aide.
"Doctor!" she shouted before throwing him the sword. He caught it effortlessly.
"Want to know the best part? This new hand? It's a fighting hand!" the Doctor shouted as he made his way back at the Sycorax. This time, the Doctor seemed to have the upper hand. Within no time, he'd disarmed the Sycorax.
"I win," the Doctor said simply.
"Then kill me," the Sycorax droned.
"I'll spare your life if you'll take this Champion's command. Leave this planet, and never return. What do you say?" the Doctor asked him.
"Yes," the Sycorax said simply.
"Swear on the blood of your species," the Doctor prodded. This slowed the Sycorax a bit.
"I swear," he repeated after a moment.
"There we are, then. Thanks for that. Cheers, big fellow!" the Doctor said before making his way back to them. Masen set Freya back down on her feet as the Doctor threw himself at her, wrapping her into a tight hug in his arms.
It was the first full, tight hug he'd given her as this Doctor. He'd given her a quick one earlier, but it had been brief. This one was not rushed. It was just the two of them. And Freya hated to admit it, but this Doctor seemed to fit against her perfectly. It was like he was designed especially for her to be wrapped in his arms.
"Bravo!" Harriet cheered as the Doctor hugged Freya.
"That says it all. Bravo!" Rose added as well.
"Not bad for a man in his jim-jams," the Doctor said with a grin. He reluctantly pulled back and tugged the dressing gown on over his clothes before pulling Freya to him once more.
"Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man. Hold on, what have I got in here? A satsuma?" the Doctor said, pulling the fruit from the pocket as he pulled back from Freya. The Doctor glanced at Rose and shook his head.
"That friend of your mother's. He does like his snacks, doesn't he? But doesn't that just sum up Christmas? You go through all those presents and right and the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?" the Doctor asked carelessly. Freya's eyes widened as she saw the Sycorax leader rise behind them and grab his sword. He came running at them, but the Doctor threw the satsuma at a control on the spaceship hull and the area under the Sycorax disappeared.
The Sycorax screamed as it fell to its death. Freya was pulled back into the Doctor's arms.
"No second chances. I'm that sort of a man," he murmured.
After a few seconds more of the hug, the Doctor turned around, addressing the others.
"By the ancient rites of combat, I forbid you to scavenger here for the rest of time. And when go you back to the stars and tell others of this planet, when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential. When you talk of the Earth, then make sure that you tell them this: it is defended," the Doctor told them.
With the end of his words, Freya felt dizzy. The world around them was suddenly where the TARDIS had been before. They were right by Powell Estates. All of them.
Above their heads, the spaceship flew away. Mickey whooped and jumped up and down, as did Rose.
"Go on, my son! Oh, yeah!" Mickey cheered. Marie hugged Rose and jumped up as well.
"Don't even think about coming back!" Marie shouted as well. Freya noticed that Masen wasn't as cheerful. The Doctor left her to go talk to Harriet, but Freya was too busy watching Masen. His gaze was steely as he watched the sky. As if he knew something no one else knew.
Jackie came running out of the building, Freya's father not far behind her.
"Rose!" Jackie cried, causing Rose to rush at her mother and hug her tightly. After hugging Rose, Jackie gave Freya a hug too, something Freya hadn't been expecting. Her father just watched them, as if unsure as to what to say.
"Guess what Mum? It was the tea! He needed tea!" Rose said cheerfully.
"Tea?" Jackie asked in disbelief, giving Freya an incredulous look.
"Tea," Freya confirmed.
"So he's really the Doctor? Oh my God. It's the bleeding Prime Minister!" Jackie exclaimed, her gaze shifting from the Doctor to Harriet Jones. The Doctor grinned and held out his arms.
"Come here, you," he said. Jackie hugged him, as did Rose.
"Group hug!" Marie declared before throwing herself at the Doctor as well. The Doctor looked quite alarmed when Mickey also joined their hugging group. Freya stood back, not really trusting herself to move forward alone. She was so tired.
Jackie started talking to Rose and the Doctor made his way back to Freya.
"You don't look too good," he told her bluntly.
"Thanks," Freya couldn't help but respond. The Doctor's eyes widened and he ran a hand through his hair.
"I didn't mean you look bad! I just mean you look tired! Yeah! Tired," the Doctor said quickly, his words blurring together.
"Slow down a bit," Freya begged, and he was hugging her tightly once more.
"I should have explained things to you. I am so, so sorry," he breathed.
"It's okay," Freya told him, tucking her head into his shoulder.
There was a loud crash above them. The Doctor pulled back, staring upwards. Freya glanced up to see the ship's pieces disintegrate.
"What was that? What's happening?" Marie demanded, staring at the translator man who was holding a cell phone.
"That was murder," the Doctor said coldly, staring between Harriet Jones and the man.
"That was defense. It's adapted from alien technology. A ship that fell to Earth ten years ago," Harriet explained calmly.
"But they were leaving!" the Doctor shot back.
"You said yourself, Doctor, they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today. Mister Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered. They died right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case we have to defend ourselves," Harriet Jones said without a bit of remorse. The Doctor chuckled humorously and shook his head.
"Britain's Golden Age," the Doctor said darkly to himself.
"It comes with a price," Harriet pointed out. But the Doctor was not happy with her words.
"I gave them the wrong warning. I should've told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide because the monsters are coming. The human race," the Doctor said angrily.
"Those are the people I represent. I did it on their behalf," Harriet told him, her demeanor not changing. The Doctor's hand automatically slid into Freya's and he squeezed it tightly.
He was shaking. And not from fatigue like she must be. From anger. And it very nearly terrified her to see him like that.
"Then I should have stopped you," the Doctor told her.
"What does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?" Harriet asked him sharply. Freya squeezed his hand back just as tight. If he was considered an alien threat, would she be considered one too? Surely she would, if they learned about the baby.
No one could know about the baby then.
"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, because I'm a completely new man. I could bring down your Government with a single word," the Doctor threatened.
"You're the most remarkable man I've ever met, but I don't think you're quite capable of that," Harriet told him, but Freya could see she was starting to doubt herself.
"No, you're right. Not a single word, just six," the Doctor corrected, pulling his hand away from Freya.
"I don't think so," Harriet said, but this time Freya could see she was indeed nervous now.
"Six words," the Doctor said as he took a step towards her.
"Stop it!" Harriet demanded, eyes wide.
"Six," the Doctor repeated before making his way over to the man who'd been the translator and whispering something in his ear. He then made his way back to Freya and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, leading her back towards the flat. Harriet started shouting after them, but they didn't respond.
Everyone, including her father, made it back to Jackie's flat.
Once they were back in the flat, the Doctor kissed her forehead and headed back to the TARDIS, telling her he had to change. Freya used the time to take a much needed nap.
When she woke up from the nap, she was surprised to see her father watching her.
"What are you doing?" Freya asked, causing him to jump. Her father stared at her, an unidentifiable look in his eyes.
"I was just…no. I was just leaving," he finally said.
"Why did you come today?" Freya asked, hoping, praying for a good answer. He paused in the doorway.
"Your mother wants you to stop showing up. On the telly. Newspapers. Even in history books. Everywhere we look, we see you. She wanted you to stop," he said. Freya shoulders sank at his words.
"I'll do my best," Freya promised quietly. But he still didn't leave.
"I won't tell her about the baby. Or the alien," he told her quietly.
"She wouldn't like that, would she?" Freya mused. That got a small chuckle from her father, who still hadn't turned to look at her.
"No. It wouldn't. Just…take care? And…let me know when the baby's born," he finally said.
"Why?" Freya asked instantly, confused. Her father turned around and looked at her, actually looked at her.
"I know I wasn't much of a father. Maybe I can be a bit of a grandfather, when your mother's not around," he told her before finally leaving.
Freya found she couldn't even think of words to respond to that. Instead, she sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on her knees as she allowed quiet tears to leak down her face.
Some time later, she felt arms envelope her. She glanced up to see the Doctor watching her worriedly.
"How are you doing?" he asked, staring intently at her.
"I've been better," Freya admitted.
"Jackie said the man that was here was your father. And he left," the Doctor said, waiting for her to give him some information.
And she really didn't want to.
"Apparently Mom's been seeing us everywhere. History books, images, telly, everywhere. She wanted it to stop," Freya told him quietly.
"That's why he came?" the Doctor scoffed.
"He said he wanted to get to know our baby," Freya added. This made the Doctor stiffen.
"That's not happening," he told her firmly.
And Freya didn't have it in her to argue.
"Can I go to the TARDIS and change clothes?" Freya asked him.
"Sure! Yeah, let's go!" the Doctor said, instantly helping her to her feet.
"I can go on my own," Freya told him, only to receive a hurt look from the Doctor.
"Oh. I didn't…I…" he fumbled for words.
"I just need to change clothes and come back. I won't be long. You can talk with the others. They haven't seen you in awhile," Freya told him quietly.
"We just spent two months with Masen and Marie," the Doctor corrected her.
"Just go talk with them. I'll be back soon. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, you can send a team out to drag me back," Freya told him with the fullest smile she could muster. He gave her a smile as well, but Freya could tell it was forced. She unconsciously tugged the jacket around her tighter, which made the Doctor's smile drop completely.
Freya glanced down at the jacket, then back up at him.
"What's wrong?" Freya questioned. He stared at her for a moment before tugging on his ear.
"Do you wish I was still him?" the Doctor asked her quietly.
"But I thought you were him?" Freya was confused. That was what he'd told her. She'd felt it was him.
"I am. But…I don't look like him. Or act like him," the Doctor pointed out. Freya nodded along with his words.
"You don't," she agreed.
"Do you wish I was still him? Do you want to stay here now?" he asked her, glancing straight at her stomach. Then back at her. His eyes held panic in them, as if he were dreading the thought of her leaving but thought he had no choice in the matter.
"You're you. You're you because I made you you. I…I can't go to a normal doctor. I have to stay near the TARDIS. You're sort of stuck with me," Freya told him, not wanting to straight up say she couldn't stand the thought of returning to an empty house alone.
The Doctor's face morphed into a giddy grin and he nodded.
"Nope. Can't let you go off with an alien baby. My wife'd bettered stay on board the TARDIS with me," he told her. And Freya found that it was really easy to smile right back at him.
"Why do you keep calling me that? Your wife? You didn't call me that so much before," Freya pointed out. The Doctor grinned slightly but his eyes held his apprehension.
"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, but Freya shook her head quickly.
"I don't mind. I was just wondering why," Freya admitted. He smiled at her, his eyes lighting up at her words.
"I like reminding myself that I got a wife. A...fantastic wife. I never thought I'd have one again," he admitted. Freya noted the word again, but didn't say a word about it.
"Even though we married more out of convenience than anything else?" Freya questioned. The Doctor nodded anyways.
"Convenience may have brought us together, but I can't think of anyone else I'd have on the TARDIS with me. Now go get changed so you can get back up here!" the Doctor ordered her playfully.
It was a bit slow going to get to the TARDIS, but she made it. She made it and found a warm but slightly dressy outfit. She wanted to keep the leather jacket, but after seeing the Doctor's reaction to her in it, she didn't want to. She wanted to keep it on though. It smelt like him. It felt like him.
But that wasn't him anymore. Remembering what jacket he'd had on when he'd been with her, she searched the wardrobe until she found a similar jacket. She knew she could justify it with the weather.
The jacket was large on her. It was probably the exact size as the one the Doctor was wearing, but she didn't care. She placed the leather jacket on a hanger and tentative put the hanger on a rack.
She didn't want to leave it. She wanted to keep it. But she knew better. She didn't know how the Doctor planned on keeping their sleeping arrangements. She hoped he'd keep them the same. She'd grown used to sleeping in his arms. But if they did, they'd be sharing a room. And he'd see it. He'd see it every day and think she was rejecting him, wanting his older self.
She couldn't do that to him. She wouldn't want him to do that to her. It wouldn't be fair.
With that thought clear in her mind, Freya turned and made her way out of the TARDIS.
Outside, she noticed a little girl, staring upwards towards Jackie and Rose's flat. From there, Freya could see everyone sitting at the table, laughing.
Glancing back at the girl, Freya took her in. She was wearing a hat that covered all of her hair, and she was short. So short. She couldn't have been older than seven. And that was pushing it. She was wearing a thick jacket, one almost the same color as the one Freya had put on. It was also longer, like hers. She wasn't wearing any gloves.
Freya moved closer. The girl's brown eyes were glued to the flat window. It wasn't a coincidence. The child was staring at the group of them with such an intense longing, it nearly struck Freya.
"Hey. Do you need some help?" Freya asked. The girl jumped and spun around, eyes wide in horror.
"No! No, I'm sorry," she apologized, taking a step back. Freya took two forward, stopping the girl.
"Hey! It's okay. You just seemed lost. Where's your family?" Freya asked the girl. There was such a loneliness in the child's eyes that it pained Freya.
"Not here," the girl mumbled.
"Why don't we find them? No child should be alone on Christmas," Freya told her, giving the child the brightest grin she could. The girl's gaze seemed to shift but she shook her head.
"No. It's okay. I know where they are. I was just going for a walk," the girl lied. Freya glanced back at the flat, then at the little girl. The little girl's own eyes had drifted towards the flat window as well.
"Tell ya what. We can call your parents, or your guardian, whoever's in charge of you, and let them know you're having dinner with us. No child should be alone on Christmas," Freya repeated her previous words. The little girl's eyes lit up for a moment before that light faded. She glanced behind Freya and shook her head.
"I can't. My father'd be unhappy. I'm not supposed to," the girl finally stammered out.
Freya turned around to see a man standing near an alleyway, sending a glare at the little girl.
"Is that him? Is that your father?" Freya asked. The girl hesitated before shaking her head.
"He's my guardian. I wasn't supposed to talk to you," the girl whispered. Freya smiled at her and pulled the girl into a hug.
"Well, I for one am glad you did. Now run along! Run along and have a fantastic Christmas," Freya urged her. The girl smiled at Freya, an almost blinding smile. Then, without another word, she took off running.
She ended up jumping at the man, who immediately pulled her up and placed her on her hip, as if she were an infant instead of a girl of her age. The girl didn't seem to mind. The man glanced at Freya and hesitated before tentatively waving. Freya smiled and waved back before heading back up the stairs.
When she entered the room, the Doctor was at her side instantly.
"You took awhile," he told her.
"We waited on you. Food's nearly cold," Jackie complained, but it wasn't in mean spirits.
"There was a little girl out there. I tried inviting her in, but she couldn't," Freya admitted.
"A little girl?" Rose asked curiously. Freya nodded.
"Yeah. She was staring up at you guys. Looked like she wanted to be here so bad," Freya said with a sigh.
"Enough talk! Let's eat," Jackie told her, ushering her towards the seat.
And eat they did. It was lovely. Even when they saw the telly reporting how Harriet Jones was stepping down, it was a lovely evening.
And when it started to snow, it was still lovely. It was still lovely even after the Doctor told them what the snow truly was.
It was out there, with the Doctor's arm wrapped around her, that she saw the little girl again. Her and her guardian were watching them from an alley. The girl waved at her before the man pulled her away.
Freya didn't know why, but she had a feeling that wasn't the last time they'd see the two of them.
What do you think? Sorry for the long wait. It's been really stressful and will be another stressful month. Chapters will come; I can't just leave you guys hanging, especially when you guys are so fantastic with your reviewing! Let me know what you think!
-Andi