World War Three
Without thinking twice, Siwan grabbed Ganesh and pulled him to the ground, out of the way of the elongated arm. Before the alien could reach out for them again, its body is covered with electrical currents.
Siwan and Ganesh slowly stood up and exchanging looks with Seren and Harriet as the alien roared in anger and pain.
"Indra, right?" Seren asked, looking at him.
He nodded, still looking slightly faint.
"Well, Indra, run." The time-travelling brunette said and the four ran out of the room, Siwan holding Ganesh's hand while Seren held Harriet's hand. The three women had their free hands holding their purses in place on their shoulders.
They ran down the corridor.
"No, wait. Stop." Harriet cried, making them stop and look at her. "They're still in there!" At the confused expressions on the three younger faces, she elaborated, "The Emergency protocols!" she turned and ran back in the direction of the Cabinet Room.
"We're going to need those." Siwan said as they followed Harriet ran back towards the Cabinet Room.
They were stopped short in the doorway of the room by the large green alien; the electrical current having disappeared leaving a furious alien. With a slight scream, the four of them changed direction and ran back out of the room. The next several minutes were spent with the alien chasing the four humans through a series of rooms, smashing through the oak doors that they had closed behind them.
"Honestly, would it be that difficult to just open the doors instead of smash through them?" Siwan muttered as the alien smashed through yet another door to get to them.
"Apparently, it would." Seren replied as she tugged against a locked door.
Behind them, the lift made a 'Ding' sound and the doors opened, revealing a grinning Doctor.
"Hello!" he said cheerfully, momentarily distracting the alien, allowing the four humans to sneak past behind it into an open room.
Inside the Sitting Room was a large settee, a large drinks cabinet and a folding screen by the window to keep out the draughts.
"Hide!" Seren said as she and Siwan dove behind the cabinet, Ganesh hid behind the settee and Harriet hid behind the screen.
The alien entered the room seconds after they hid themselves.
"Ooh, such fun." It coed playfully. "Little human children, where are you? Sweet little human-kins, come to me. Let me kiss you better. Kiss you with my big, green lips."
Siwan rummaged through her purse and pulled out her compact Bo-staffs, eternally grateful that Adam's friend, the Highlander Duncan McCleod, had taught her and Seren how to use them. Seren pulled out her own pair of Bo-staffs before bolting from her spot behind the cabinet and hiding behind the window's drawn curtains, her heart racing as adrenalin pumped through her body.
Two more aliens entered the sitting room, making the first turn to them.
"My brothers." It said, with a happy tone in its voice.
"Happy hunting?" one asked, this one speaking in a slightly deeper voice indicating it was likely male-gendered.
"It's wonderful." The one that launched the initial pursuit, the female, replied in an excited tone, dripping with anticipation. "The more you prolong it, the more they stink."
"Sweat and fear!" The third alien, this one also male, commented.
"I can smell an old girl." The first male said, taking a deep breath and smelling the different scents. "Stale perfume and brittle bones."
At the comment, Harriet's mouth dropped in offense.
"And three ripe youngsters, all hormones and adrenaline." The female added as she moved around the room, sniffing out the terrified humans. "Fresh enough to bend before they snap."
The female alien pulled back the curtain Seren was hiding behind, surprising the time-travelling woman. Seren overcame her surprise less than a second later as she extended her Bo Staffs behind her back, ready to use them. With a move quick as lightening, Seren moved her arm in front of her and slammed the staff against her opponent's upper arm.
The sudden attack surprised the alien, making her stumble to the side, away from where Harriet was hiding, as Seren stepped forward and held her staffs out in front of her. The blow, combined with the surprise of being attacked by a human, was enough to disorient her.
The two male aliens screamed in anger and ran towards Seren, prompting Siwan to move out of her hiding place, extend her own Staffs, and use them to distract one of them. The third continued towards Seren, furious at the attack on his sister.
The female, overcoming the surprise and disorientation, also began advancing on Seren, fury rolling off her in waves.
Harriet, unwilling to let the two innocent sisters get hurt, jumped out from behind the screen.
"No!" she screamed, her hands in the air as the three aliens, and the three humans, turned to her. "Take me first! Take me!"
Ganesh, inspired by the bravery shown by the two tiny women, stood up as well, though still standing behind the settee.
"No!" he screamed. "Me! Take me first!"
The three aliens looked between the older woman and the young man, momentarily stunned at the strange actions. In all their hunts, they had never received this sort of reaction. Their prey fighting back and arguing over who gets taken first in order to protect each other.
Unfortunately, their momentary hesitation cost them. The Doctor burst into the room, carrying a fire extinguisher, primed and ready to be fired. The Time Lord looked surprised when he took in the sight of his Companion holding her Bo Staffs out in front of her, Siwan in an identical position a little further away with an older woman and Ganesh standing with their arms in the air. The room's seven occupants turned and looked at him as he shook of his surprise and sprayed the male alien closest to him with the Carbon Dioxide.
"Out, with me!" he yelled to the four humans.
Harriet and Ganesh needed no prompting and ran towards him, coming to stand on either side of him.
"Who the hell are you?" The Doctor asked Harriet, looking at her in confusion as the twins paused in their sprint long enough to hit two of the aliens' arms that were outstretched towards the two women.
The blows didn't do much, as the skin was quite thick, but it did serve to stun them once again, long enough for the sisters to run towards their friends. They came to a stop on either side of the Doctor, Seren standing in front of Ganesh while Siwan stood in front of Harriet.
"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North." Harriet replied briskly.
"Nice to meet you." The Doctor said with a smile.
"Likewise." Harriet responded as they turned back to the three aliens in front of them.
The Doctor sprayed the Carbon Dioxide on the aliens once again, this time using up the canister's entire contents. Hearing it splutter, he shook it before shrugging and tossing it to the aliens before running out of the room, followed by the four humans. Seren and Siwan retracted their Bo Staffs as they ran, putting them back in their purses.
"We need to head to the Cabinet Room." The Doctor told them as they ran down the corridor, the Time Lord in front, followed by Harriet, the twins side-by-side and Ganesh bringing up the rear.
"The Emergency Protocols are in there." Harriet told him. "They give instructions for aliens."
"Harriet Jones, I like you." The Doctor said with a wide smile.
"And I like you too." Harriet replied with a smile.
Seen and Siwan rolled their eyes, letting out identical groans at the by-play between the two.
"Now is not the time to be flirting, you two!" they yelled in unison as the aliens chased them through corridors and rooms, very reminiscent of a short while earlier.
They ran to the Cabinet Room; the Doctor using his sonic screwdriver to unlock and open the door. They ran inside, Harriet grabbing the Emergency protocols and holding them tightly to her chest as the Doctor, catching a glimpse of the aliens coming their way, grabbed a decanter of alcohol of the table, held it up at eye-level and stood in the doorway with his sonic screwdriver pointed at it.
The four humans stood behind him, Seren on his left with Siwan slightly behind her, Harriet on his right and Ganesh between Harriet and Siwan, looking over the Time Lord's shoulder.
"One more move and my sonic device will triple the flammability of this alcohol." He warned, and as if to elaborate his point, he continued, "Whoof, we all go up. So back off."
The aliens, taking the warning seriously especially since they weren't sure if it was a bluff or not, took a step further back into the outer room and looked at him.
"Right. Question time." He said, grinning and lowering the decanter slightly. "Who exactly are the Slitheen?"
"They're aliens." Harriet replied helpfully.
"Yes, I got that. Thanks." The Doctor replied sarcastically, looking back at her momentarily before looking back at the Slitheen.
"Who are you, if not human?" one of the male Slitheen asked in reply.
"Who's not human?" Harriet asked, confused.
"He's not human." Ganesh replied, gesturing to the Doctor's back.
"He's not human?" Harriet repeated in surprise, pointing to the Doctor's back.
"Can I have a bit of hush?" The Doctor asked, slightly irritated at the question and answer session going on behind him.
"Sorry." The four humans muttered in unison.
"So, what's the plan?" The Doctor asked the Slitheen, turning back to them.
"But he's got a Northern accent." Harriet commented in confusion, her curiosity and confusion making her unable to stay quiet.
"Lots of planets have a north." Seren replied, repeating what he had told her when she had asked the same question.
"I said hush!" The Doctor reminded two women, glancing at them before turning back to the Slitheen. "Come on!" he raised the decanter and the sonic screw driver in warning as he continued to speak. "You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of government. What for, invasion?"
"Why would we want to invade this God-forsaken rock?" the other male Slitheen asked in response, genuinely sounding confused at the idea.
"Then something's brought the Slitheen race here." He theorized. "What is it?"
"The Slitheen race?" one of the males repeated.
"Slitheen is not our species. Slitheen is our surname." The other male explained. "Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day-Slitheen at your service."
"So, you're family. " Seren summarized.
"A family business." Jocrassa explained.
"Then you're out to make a profit." The Doctor concluded.
"Wait, how can you do that on a God-forsaken rock?" Siwan asked, using the Slitheen's own words back at them.
"Uh, excuse me? Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?" The other male Slitheen asked.
"Is that what I said?" The Doctor asked, completely forgetting his own threat.
"Yes." Seren groaned in response as she and Siwan face-palmed in exasperation.
"You're making it up." The male exclaimed in realization.
"Oh, well! Nice try." The Doctor said, shrugging at being caught out on his lie. "Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it."
He held the decanter out over his shoulder to Harriet.
"You pass it to the left first." She replied, clutching the Red Box tightly to her chest.
"Sorry." The Doctor said, passing it to Seren.
"Thanks." She said, passing it to her sister.
Siwan took it and passed it to Ganesh, who took it knowing the two didn't drink, even if he had only met Siwan before.
"Now we can end this hunt with a slaughter." The male said, walking slowly towards them and flexing his clawed fingers as the Doctor crossed his arms over his chest.
"Don't you think we should run?" Ganesh asked, terror seeping into his voice and a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.
"Fascinating history, Downing Street." The Doctor commented before going on to explain why it was so. "Two thousand years ago, this was marsh land. 1730, it was occupied by a Mister Chicken. He was a nice man." He gave a slight chuckle as he remembered the man. "1796, this was the Cabinet Room. If the Cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain. End of lesson." He lifted a small panel by the door and pressed a button. The three of the four humans watched in amazement as metal shutters crashed shut across the windows and doors.
"Installed in 1991. Three inches of steel lining every single wall." Siwan commented, going to one of the shutters and running her fingers over the reinforced metal.
"Exactly!" the Doctor exclaimed, turning to them. "They'll never get in."
"And how do we get out?" Harriet asked.
"Ah." The Doctor smiled sheepishly as the twins groaned.
"How do you know about the history of Downing Street?" Ganesh asked Siwan as they began looking through the room for anything they could use for communication, realizing that the Slitheen would cut off all communications to protect their hunt and prevent the small group from getting help.
"Yeah. How do you know that?" Seren asked with a frown, looking at her sister briefly before returning to her task of checking cabinets – mostly trying to open them. "You had Mr. Brown for History class just like I did. That man is dryer than an old hoover."
"Yes, but while you and most of the school would sleep during his class, I actually used to read the textbooks during that time." Siwan replied, trying to open the drawers.
"No wonder you know a lot about history." Seren muttered as Harriet sat at the table, her back to the fireplace, and began reading through the Emergency Protocols.
"Right, what have we got? Any terminals, anything?" the Doctor asked, bringing the three back on track. He was using his sonic screwdriver on the metal shutters.
"No. This place is antique." Seren replied, turning around and looking at him.
"What I don't get is, when they killed the Prime Minister, why didn't they use him as a disguise?" Ganesh asked, looking at the Time Lord.
"He's too slim. They're big old beasts. They need to fit inside big humans." He explained.
"But the Slitheen are about eight feet." Siwan pointed out, slightly confused. "How do they fit inside?"
"That's the device around their necks. Compression field. Literally shrinks them down a bit." The Doctor explained.
"That's why there's all that gas." Siwan said in realization.
"It's a big exchange." The Doctor said, nodding.
"I bet Rose wishes she had a compression field. She's always going on about how she could fit a size smaller." Seren muttered.
"Excuse me, people are dead! This is not the time for making jokes." Harriet snapped, looking at the younger woman reproachfully.
"Sorry." Seren said, chastised. "You get somewhat used to this when you're friends with him."
She pointed to the Doctor in explanation.
"Well, that's a strange friendship." Harriet commented, earning a nod of agreement from the twins.
"Harriet Jones. I've heard that name before. Harriet Jones." The Doctor said with a frown on his face as he completed his circuit around the room and reached the fireplace. He turned to Harriet, looking at her back, "You're not famous for anything, are you?"
"Oh, hardly." She scoffed.
"Rings a bell. Harriet Jones?" the Doctor muttered.
"Lifelong backbencher I'm afraid, and a fat lot of use I'm being now." Harriet said, starting off matter-of-factly and ending the sentence slightly despaired. "The Protocols are redundant. They list the people who could help and they're all dead downstairs."
"Hasn't it got Defense codes or something? Couldn't we just launch a nuclear bomb at them?" Ganesh asked, sitting across from her as the twins sat on top of the table on either side of the older woman, with their legs hanging over the edge, swinging slightly.
They looked at Ganesh for a heartbeat before Harriet spoke up.
"You're a very violent young man."
"I'm serious. We could." He said, standing firm on the idea.
"Well, there's nothing like that in here. Nuclear strikes do need a release code, yes, but it's kept secret by the United Nations." Harriet replied, causing Ganesh to back down slightly since there was no way they could carry out his idea.
"Say that again." The Doctor ordered, turning to them with a thoughtful frown on his face.
"What, about the codes?" Harriet asked, looking back at him.
"Anything. All of it."
"The British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a Special Resolution from the UN." Siwan began explaining.
"Like that's ever stopped them." Seren scoffed, earning nods from the rest.
"Exactly, given our past record." Siwan continued with a nod.
"And I voted against that, thank you very much." Harriet informed them.
"The codes have been taken out of the government's hands and given to the UN." Siwan explained.
"Is it important?" Harriet asked the Doctor as they all looked at him.
"Everything's important." He replied, resting his palms against the table as he tried to draw conclusions.
"If we only knew what the Slitheen wanted." Harriet said before adding deadpanned as she took in her own words. "Listen to me. I'm saying Slitheen as if it's normal."
"What do they want, though?" Ganesh asked.
"Well, they're just one family, so it's not an invasion. They don't want Slitheen World." He walked around the table and stopped at one end. "They're out to make money. That means they want to use something. Something here on Earth. Some kind of asset." The Doctor said, summarizing what they had learned during the brief Question and Answer session they had with the Slitheen.
"Like what, gold? Oil? Water?" Harriet asked, looking at him.
"You're very good at this." He told her with a smile.
"Thank you." She replied bashfully, blushing slightly.
"Harriet Jones. Why do I know that name?" he muttered to himself, evidently the nagging feeling of knowing the woman from somewhere still bugging him.
The tune of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Ode to Joy, in the original German sounded through the room.
"Oh, that's me." Seren said, rummaging through her purse and pulling out her phone.
"But we're sealed off. How did you get a signal?" Ganesh asked in confusion, the expression mirrored by Siwan and Harriet.
"He zapped it. Super phone." Seren replied absently, pointing at the Doctor as she looked at the message.
"Then we can phone for help." Harriet said hopefully, standing and turning to the Doctor as she asked, "You must have contacts."
"Dead downstairs, yeah." He replied.
"It's Mickey." Seren said.
"Oh, tell your stupid best friend we're busy." The Doctor snapped.
"Yeah, he's not so stupid after all." Seren replied, handing him the phone and showing the message attachment.
It was a photo of a Slitheen.
Seren took the phone back from the Doctor and called Mickey. He wasted no time telling her of his encounter with the Slitheen.
"No, no, no, no, no. Not just alien, but like, proper alien. All stinking, and wet, and disgusting. And more to the point, it wanted to kill us!" Mickey told her, his tone rapid and fearful.
"Rose and I could've died!" Jackie called out. "Thank god Rhi and Johnny had taken the kids to Ru's flat when the officer arrived."
"Are they all right, though?" Seren asked, adding, "Don't put either of them on, just tell me."
Before Mickey could give a reply, the Doctor took the phone from Seren and spoke into it.
"Is that Ricky? Don't talk, just shut up and go to your computer."
"It's Mickey, and why should I? "
"Mickey the Idiot. I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but, uh, I need you." The Doctor had an expression that looked as if he had swallowed something bitter.
Seren sighed and walked over to Siwan, who was seated at the furthest end of the table, as far away from the small group as possible. Her glasses were perched precariously on her nose as she played with a lock of her dark brown hair, curling it around her finger before letting it fall loose and repeating the action. It was done in such an absent-minded manner that Seren knew the youngest Jones sister was lost far away in her thoughts.
"Siwan, how are you holding up? Seren asked, putting a hand on her younger sister's shoulder to draw her out of her thoughts and speaking softly so as not to draw attention away from the Doctor who was walking Mickey though the process of hacking into the UNIT website while fiddling with the conference phone speaker.
"I'm doing all right." She replied with a smile, pushing her glasses up her nose as the older woman pulled a chair and sat opposite from her.
"But…" Seren said leadingly.
"But I'm worried about Adam." Siwan said, her voice just as soft as she squeezed her hands together tightly. "My phone won't work to contact him, and yours is being used to try and save the world." She sighed and slumped back against the chair. "I think I'm in love with him." She shook her head. "No, I know I'm in love with him.
The last sentence was said so quietly that Seren almost missed it, but when she processed what her sister had said, a wide smile crossed the older woman's face.
"Siwan, that's great!" she said, the smile still on her face. However, seeing the sad look on her sister's face, the smile slowly disappeared as a frown took its place. "Isn't it?"
"Yes, it is." Siwan said reassuringly. "He's told me so many times that he loves me, each time reassuring me that he doesn't expect me to reply until I'm ready." She looked away for a moment before looking back at her sister. "But, with all this? We both know that the chances of people actually believing in aliens even after all this is pretty slim." The statement got an agreeing nod from the older woman as Siwan continued, "If you continue travelling with the Doctor, and I have a feeling you will should we survive this, am I going to have to keep it a secret? I told him you were back, but what am I going to tell him about how you managed to disappear for an entire year, with only a single phone call and no other communication of any sort? How am I going to tell him? After all the help and support he has given me, how can I do that to him?"
Seren sighed, seeing her sister's point, understanding it. How could she expect her sister to keep the time and space travelling a secret from her boyfriend? The man she loved. Did she even have the right to expect it of her?
Seren was drawn out of her musings when she heard the Doctor tell Mickey to repeat what he said, the phone now connected to the conference phone speaker, allowing them all to hear the conversation.
"It's asking for the password." Mickey repeated.
"Buffalo. Two F's, one L."
"So, what's that website?" They heard Rose ask Mickey.
"All the secret information known to mankind. See, they've known about aliens for years. They just kept us in the dark."
"Mickey, you were born in the dark." The Doctor snarked.
"Oh, leave him alone." Seren sighed as she and Siwan joined the group surrounding the speaker.
"Thank you." Mickey said to her before adding, "Password again."
"Just repeat it every time." The Doctor told him.
"There's something that's bugging me." Siwan said. Seeing them look at her in encouragement to continue, she said, "Big Ben - why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?"
"The Doctor said to gather the experts, to kill them." Harriet reminded them as she poured the port for them and handed the glasses out. The twins refused the drink, going instead for the water bottles that were in the small mini-fridge in the corner.
"That lot would've gathered for a weather balloon. You don't need to crash land in the middle of London." The Doctor replied as Ganesh nodded his agreement, the two accepting their glasses of port.
"The Slitheen are hiding, but then they go and put the entire planet on Red Alert." Seren said with a frown on her face as she paced back and forth. "What would they do that for?"
As she asked her question, she stopped pacing and turned to the rest of the group.
"Oh, listen to her!" Jackie muttered snidely, still upset about what she had learnt.
"At least I'm trying, Aunt Jackie." Seren said tiredly as she flopped back on one of the chairs.
"Well, I've got a question, if you don't mind." Jackie said and continued speaking, not giving anyone a chance to say anything. "Since that man walked into our lives, I have been attacked in the streets. I have had creatures from the pits of hell in my own living room, and one of my god-daughters disappear off the face of the Earth."
"I told you that I had been traveling." Seren sighed, removing her glasses and rubbing her the bridge of her nose.
"I'm talking to him." Jackie snapped at her before continuing. "'Cos I've seen this life of yours, Doctor. And maybe you get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me. Just answer me this. Are my god-daughters safe?"
"We're fine." This time, it was Siwan who answered the worried blonde.
"Are they safe?" Jackie pleaded, ignoring the twins as Harriet and Ganesh watched silently. "Will Seren always be safe if she stays with you? Will Siwan if she stays with Seren? Can you promise me that?" there was a long pause as the Doctor and Seren looked at each other, the Time Lord not saying a word as he leaned against the mantle. "Well, what's the answer?"
Before the Doctor could give an answer to the woman on the other end, Mickey said, "We're in."
"Now then, on the left at the top." The Doctor said as he moved back to the table and leaned over to speak into the speakerphone. "There's a tab, an icon. Little concentric circles. Click on that."
"What is it?" Mickey asked a second later after he had done as asked.
"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea and it's transmitting that signal. Now hush, let me work out what it's saying." The Doctor replied.
Seren and Siwan exchanged looks as the Doctor furrowed is brow, trying to make out what the signal was saying. The two sisters knew that the Doctor would have to answer Jackie one day, the woman was a force of nature to be reckoned with when it came to her children, and that included the Jones sisters.
"It's some sort of message." The Doctor said softly.
"What's it say?" Siwan asked.
"Don't know. It's on a loop, keeps repeating." He replied absently. They heard the sound of Mickey's doorbell ringing. "Hush!"
"That's not me." Mickey said before adding, presumably to Rose and Jackie, "Go and see who it is."
"It's 3:00 in the morning." They heard Rose say with a yawn.
"It's beaming out into space. Who's it for?" the Doctor asked.
They heard Jackie say something to Mickey, sounding panicked. Siwan and Seren looked at each other with worried frowns.
"They've found us." Mickey told them.
"Mickey, I need that signal." The Doctor said.
"Mickey, are you able to get out?" Seren asked, pushing aside her panic as she and Siwan leaned over the table towards the speakerphone. She understood the need for the signal as well as her own need for them to get out and to be safe.
"We can't. It's by the front door." Mickey replied, his own fear calming down at the calm and practical tone being used.
"Can you safely continue to send us the signal?" Seren asked.
"No, it'll come through in a few minutes." Mickey replied. They could hear Rose and Jackie panicking in the background.
"Okay, take your baseball bat. Use it as a defense like I had showed you a few weeks ago." Siwan said. "Their skin is incredibly thick, so it won't do much. But it'll give you a few precious moments to run."
"Okay." Mickey said, slightly breathless. "I've got my baseball bat with me."
"The moment you see the chance to run, then run." Siwan said.
"Oh, my God, it's unmasking." Mickey said, slightly panicked. "It's gonna kill us."
"There's got to be some way of stopping them!" Harriet exclaimed, slightly taken aback by the calm and practical aura the twins were exuding despite the obvious fear in their large eyes. She whirled around to look at the Doctor. "You're supposed to be the expert. Think of something!"
"I'm trying!" The Doctor snapped back.
"I'll take it on Jackie, Rose. You two just run." They heard Mickey tell Rose and Jackie. "Don't look back. Just run."
They heard the sounds of the front door splintering as the Slitheen tried to get through. The Doctor pushed away from the table as he moved back towards the wall, as if trying to distance himself from the sounds.
"That's our god-mother and god-sister." Seren said softly, looking at the Doctor. She spoke softly enough that Mickey couldn't hear her fear and panic.
In that moment, all traces of the strong woman that they saw a few minutes earlier was gone, in its place was a young woman who feared for her family. Siwan had the same expression on her face as she looked at the Doctor as well.
The Doctor looked between the two sisters and the speakerphone as they heard the sounds of the door being splintered.
"Right." He said with resolve. "If we're going to find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from. Which planet. So, judging by their basic shape, that narrows it down to 5000 planets within travelling distance. What else do we know about them?" He walked around to the opposite end of the table as he spoke. He came to a stop at the head of the table as Siwan and Seren stopped on the right while Harriet and Ganesh stood at the left side of the table. "Information!"
"They're green." Ganesh said.
"Yep, narrows it down." The Doctor said, glancing at him.
"Good sense of smell." Siwan said. "They were able to smell the adrenalin coming off us."
"Narrows it down."
"The pig technology." Harriet threw in.
"Narrows it down."
"The spaceship in the Thames, you had said it used a slipstream engine." Seren added.
"Narrows it down."
"It's getting in!" They heard Mickey exclaim.
"They hunt like it's a ritual." Ganesh said.
"Narrows it down."
"Wait a minute." Harriet said. "Did you notice? When they fart, if you'll pardon the word, it doesn't just smell like a fart, if you'll pardon the word, it's something else. What is it? It's more like, um…"
"Bad breath!" Ganesh threw in.
"That's it!" Harriet exclaimed, nodding.
"Calcium Decay." Siwan said.
"Now, that narrows it down!" The Doctor cried out excitedly.
"We're getting there, Aunt Jackie, Rose, Mickey." Seren called, looking towards the speaker phone.
"Too late!" Mickey cried.
"Calcium phosphate. Organic calcium. Living calcium." The Doctor muttered as he paced the length of the table. "Creatures made out of living calcium. What else? What else? Hyphenated surname. Yes! That narrows it down to one planet. Raxacoricofallapatorius!" He concluded with a wide grin.
"Oh, yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter!" Mickey said sarcastically as the door broke apart.
"Get into the kitchen!" The Doctor ordered as he stopped in front of the speaker phone. Harriet and Ganesh stood on either side of the Time Lord while Seren and Siwan stood across the table from him.
They heard the three follow the order, their screams mingling with the Slitheen's shrieking.
"My God. It's going to rip us apart!" Rose shrieked, panicked as they tried to barricade the door.
"Calcium, weakened by the compression field. Acetic acid. Vinegar!" the Doctor said, his grin still on his face.
"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet exclaimed.
"Just like Hannibal." The Doctor agreed looking at her before turning back to the speaker phone. "Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"
"How should I know?" Mickey asked.
Ganesh nodded in agreement.
"It's your kitchen!" The Doctor pointed out.
"Doctor, you don't know what's in your kitchen." Seren reminded the Time Lord.
"That's different." The Doctor said defensively, looking at her.
Seren just raised her eyebrow in response as Siwan and Harriet rolled their eyes.
"Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf!" Siwan told Mickey.
"Oh, give it here." They heard Jackie say as she took the phone. "What do you need?"
"Anything with vinegar!" the Doctor replied.
They heard Jackie rummage the cupboard for a second before she spoke again.
"Gherkins! Yeah, pickled onions! Pickled eggs!" As she spoke, they heard her emptying the contents of the jars into what they could assume was a bigger jug.
"Your god-sister kissed this man?" the Doctor asked the twins with a slightly disgusted look on his face.
"Not the time." Seren said as they heard the Slitheen break into the kitchen. It roared and for a few tense seconds, that was all they could hear.
"Take this!" They heard Jackie yell as she threw the contents of the jug onto the Slitheen.
For a moment there was nothing, only silence and the sounds of their rapid heartbeats. Then, the Slitheen farted before exploding.
At the sound of the explosion, they gave sighs of relief.
"That is disgusting." Rose groaned.
"What happened?" Ganesh asked.
"We're covered in this thing's innards." Jackie replied in a disgusted tone.
"Well, at least you're alive." Seren said reassuringly.
"Yeah. I guess." Rose agreed, though still utterly disgusted. "Hannibal?"
"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar." Siwan explained.
"I really need to brush up on my history." Seren muttered as Ganesh, Harriet and the Doctor raised their glasses of port while Seren and Siwan raised their water bottles and toasted the moment.
"Listen to this." They heard Mickey say to them and they turned to the speaker phone. "Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads and they have found massive weapons of destruction capable of being deployed within 45 seconds."
"What?" The Doctor frowned, as they looked at each other in confusion. Just like that, the relief and happy moment died away.
"Our technicians can baffle the alien probes, but not for long. We are facing extinction, unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg of the United Nations, pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes. A nuclear strike at the heart of the beast is our only chance of survival because from this moment on it is my solemn duty to inform you planet Earth is at war."
"He's making it up." The Doctor said, pushing away from the table. "There are no weapons up there. He just invented it."
"Do you think they'll believe him?" Harriet asked.
"They did last time." Ganesh pointed out.
"That's why they went for the spectacle." Siwan said in realization.
"Exactly." The Doctor said, pushing away from the table and walking towards the wall. "They want the whole world panicking. Because you lot," he turned and looked at the four humans. "You get scared, you lash out."
He turned and walked towards the sealed door.
"They release the defense codes…" Seren continued as they followed him.
"And the Slitheen go nuclear." Siwan finished.
"But why?" Harriet asked.
The Doctor looked at her before opening the metal shutters and looking out at the three Slitheen that were waiting in the Outer Office.
"You get the codes, release the missiles, but not into space because there's nothing there." The Doctor said, looking at them as Margaret, in her human suit, moved to stand in front of the three Slitheen. "You attack every other country on Earth. They retaliate, fight back. World War Three. Whole planet gets nuked."
"And we can sit through it safe in our spaceship waiting in the Thames." Margaret continued with a smirk. "Not crashed, just parked. Only two minutes away."
"But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place." Harriet said softly. "What for?"
"Profit. That's what the signal is beaming into space. An advert." The Doctor replied to Harriet's question, not looking away from Margaret.
"The sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it piece by piece. Radioactive chucks, capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Doctor. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel." Margaret explained, her voice dripping with disdain whenever she referred to the Earth.
"At the cost of 5 billion lives." The Doctor said in a hard voice.
"Bargain." Margaret said with a shrug, not caring.
"I give you a choice. Leave this planet or I'll stop you." The Doctor told her, still looking at her with a hard look in his eyes.
The Slitheen laughed.
"What, you?" Margaret asked mockingly, her laughter dying away, as she moved forwards slightly. She sneered at them as she asked, "Trapped in your box?"
"Yes. Me." He replied as Margaret began to laugh once more.
He reached out and closed the shutters on the Slitheen's laughing face, though there was a hint of worry on her face as she took in the Time Lord's hard look, unblinking expression.
The rest of the night passed slowly, Mickey calling every once in a while with the news updates, which admittedly wasn't anything new. The entire world was waiting with baited breath as the UN gathered in New York to decide whether or not to pass an Emergency Resolution.
"Okay. They've passed the Emergency Resolution." Mickey said when he called several hours later.
Siwan nudged Ganesh, who had fallen asleep at the table with his head in his arms. She gave him a bottle of water and he nodded to her in thanks as he drank gratefully. The man had fallen asleep about two hours earlier, his head literally falling onto the table as his eyes refused to stay open any longer.
While Siwan and the Doctor were readjusting Ganesh's posture on the chair so that his muscles wouldn't seize up and cause himself any injury, Harriet told them how she had seen him work without much break since she had arrived at Downing Street early the day before. Siwan removed her sweater, folded it and put it between Ganesh's head and his arms as a make-shift pillow.
"I think I preferred it when you didn't have any news to give us, Mickey." Seren admitted softly, rubbing her temples.
"Tell me about it." He muttered as he handed the phone to Jackie.
"All right, Doctor. I'm not saying I trust you, but there must be something you can do." Jackie said tiredly.
"If we could ferment the port, we could make acetic acid." Harriet suggested.
"Except that takes weeks. And that's with the right equipment, which we don't have." Siwan said, not dismissing the idea but pointing out that they need a plan that is slightly more immediate.
"Mickey, any luck?" Seren asked. He had been given the task of finding the emergency numbers and getting in contact with them.
"There's loads of emergency numbers. They're all on voicemail." Mickey replied regretfully.
"Voicemail dooms us all." Harriet said, only slightly sarcastic.
"Tell me about it." Siwan and Ganesh said in unison.
Both worked as assistants, they knew just how much of a pain voicemail could be, especially if the situation was urgent.
"If only we could just get out of here." Seren said, looking towards the shutter-sealed doors.
"There's a way out." The Doctor said. He had been standing quietly, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest and a dark frown on his face.
"What?" Seren asked, turning to look at him in confusion.
"There's always been a way out." The Doctor said quietly, the only person in the room who knew Downing Street better than anyone, even those that worked there.
Seren looked at the Doctor with a frown before realization dawned on her face.
"You can't guarantee our safety, can you? Mine and Siwan's. That's why we haven't used it, isn't it?" she asked quietly.
"Don't you dare, Doctor! Whatever it is, don't you dare!" Jackie yelled at the Time Lord. Her fear for her god-daughters was clear for them all to hear.
"Mum? What is it? Don't dare what?" they heard Rose ask.
"That's the thing. If I don't dare, everyone dies." The Doctor said, pushing off the wall and moving to the table, standing with his palms open on the surface as he spoke into the speakerphone. His anguish was echoing in his voice and clear across his face.
Seren looked at the Doctor, the mad man with his blue box that showed her something wonderful and terrifying. She looked at him, and in that moment, she didn't see the mad man with the manic grin; she saw a man who carried the weight of his lost world and now faces an impossible choice regarding her world.
"Do it." She said. Her voice was soft, but she might as well have shouted in the silence that echoed in the Cabinet Room, no one daring to breathe.
The Doctor looked at the beautiful brunette woman in front of him.
"You don't even know what it is. You'd just let me?" he asked, taken aback.
"Yeah." Seren replied with a shrug as though it were the most natural thing in the Universe, putting your life in the hands of another without even knowing what he was intending to do.
"Please, Doctor. Please. They're my god-daughters. They're my babies. I can't lose them too." Jackie pleaded. They could hear her sobs as she pleaded, Rose's own sobs in the background as she realized what her mother was pleading for – her god-sisters lives.
"Do you think I don't know that?" The Doctor asked Jackie, his voice soft and filled with pain. "Because this is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart, it's just standing up and making a decision because nobody else will."
"Then what are you waiting for?" This time, it was Siwan who spoke as she came to stand beside her sister and look at the Doctor with large sapphire blue eyes.
Both women, identical in every way except for their jewel colored eyes, looked at him with compassion and understanding, knowing how difficult a position he was in.
"I could save the world, but lose you." The Doctor said, replying to Siwan's question but looking into Seren's large amethyst orbs.
"You won't lose me." Seren said softly and full of meaning. "I've made my Choice."
"And mine is still yet before me." Siwan said, her voice just as soft and holding just as much meaning.
Harriet, who had been silent the entire time, watched the wide range of emotions play out on the trio's faces. It was as if they had forgotten her and Ganesh were even there as they spoke with Jackie, who had definitely forgotten that there were two other people in the room.
Ganesh looked between the three, the identical sisters and the Time Lord. As he watched them and listened as the Doctor revealed the price that would be paid if he were to save the world, he got the feeling that the Time Lord and the elder Jones sister had more feelings between them than just friends. Even if they weren't entirely aware of it.
"Except it's not your decision, Doctor." Harriet said, drawing their attention to her. "It's mine."
"And who the hell are you?" Rose and Jackie demanded to know.
"Aunt Jackie! Rose!" Seren and Siwan exclaimed in unison, aghast at the rude tone they used.
"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. The only elected representative in this room, chosen by the people, for the people. And on behalf of the people, I command you… do it." Harriet said, speaking with power and authority as she stood straight and looked at the Doctor directly in the eyes.
The Doctor looked at Seren for a long moment, searching for any sign of hesitation or fear. He saw none, absolutely none, not in Seren's eyes nor in Siwan's.
"How do we get out?" Ganesh asked as the Doctor grabbed the Red Box.
"We don't. We stay here." The Doctor replied as he took the Emergency Protocols out of the Box. He looked through the files as he instructed Mickey on what to do. Once Mickey told them he was into the servers, the Doctor said, "Use the 'Buffalo' password. It overrides everything."
"What are you doing?" They heard Jackie ask.
"Hacking into the Royal Navy." Mickey replied.
"Is that legal?" They heard Rose ask.
"Rose, at the moment, legality isn't our biggest concern." Siwan said gently.
"We're in." Mickey said before Rose could reply. "Here it is. HMS Taurean, Trafalgar Class submarine, ten miles off the coast of Plymouth."
"Right, we need to select a missile." The Doctor told him.
"We can't go nuclear. We don't have the defense codes." Mickey reminded him.
"We don't need it. All we need is an ordinary missile." The Doctor replied, involuntarily glancing up at Seren before looking back at the speakerphone. "What's the first category?"
"Sub Harpoon, UGM-A4A."
"That's the one. Select."
"We could stop you." They heard Jackie tell Mickey.
They looked at each other and back at the speakerphone. Seren and Siwan knew that Jackie was fully capable of stopping Mickey. The two sisters glanced at each other, each silently praying that Jackie wouldn't, not when they were about to save everyone. It didn't even occur to either of them that the older blonde believed that the two of them were unlikely to survive, so focused on saving the 5 billion innocent lives on their beloved home.
"Do it then." They heard Mickey tell Jackie.
"You ready for this?" the Doctor asked him, wanting to be sure. "There's no going back once you've pressed that button."
"Yeah. I know."
"Mickey, the Idiot. The world is in your hands." The Doctor said softly and somberly. "Fire."
They heard the mouse click as Mickey fired the missile on their location.
"How solid are these?" Harriet asked, looking at the walls after the missile had been launched.
"Not solid enough." Ganesh replied. "They were built for short range attacks, nothing this big."
"All right, now I'm making the decision." Siwan said determinedly, looking around the room. "I'm not going to be making my Choice because of a missile strike, thank you very much. We're going to ride this one out." She tugged at the door of one of the cupboards, opening it, as she continued her explanation. "Similar to how you can ride out an earthquake, by standing under a doorframe. Now, this cupboard's small so it's strong. Come and help me. Come on."
Harriet, Ganesh and Seren hurried over and began helping Siwan empty the cupboard so there was room for them all to squeeze in.
"It's on radar." Mickey said as they worked. "Counter defense 556."
"Stop them from intercepting it." The Doctor ordered.
"I'm doing it now." Mickey said as they heard the sound of keys clicking.
"Good boy." The Doctor said with a grin, though it was slightly half-hearted.
"556 neutralized." Mickey said as the Doctor unplugged the mobile from the speakerphone.
They heard the fire alarm ring through the building as the Doctor followed the four humans into the now cleared out cupboard, the women pausing to grab their purses. It was a tight squeeze for the five of them until Seren and Siwan sat in the Doctor and Ganesh's laps respectively with Harriet between the two men. Both men curled their larger bodies around the tiny women, holding them close with one arm.
"Nice knowing the four of you." Harriet said cheerfully as she held out her hands to them.
Seren and Siwan each took hold of one hand while the other held the men's free hands.
"Hannibal!" Harriet exclaimed.
There was a loud KaBOOM as the missile hit its target, the cupboards shaking for several tense moments, tossing its occupants about as they tightened their grips on each other. The five occupants screamed as it began rolling the remains of the building, still inside its steel shell.
Once their safety shell stopped rolling and shaking, Seren and Siwan stood on slightly shaky legs, the only two that could stand in the cramped space, and kicked the door open with a series of swift kicks. The two sisters got out once the door gave way after the third set of double kicks.
"Made in Britain!" Harriet said with a large smile as she got out, patting the side of the doorway and looking around at the wreckage.
The Doctor and Ganesh followed her out as Seren and Siwan looked at the wreckage that surrounded them.
"This is going to be hell to clean up." Ganesh muttered with a slight groan, looking around.
Sergeant Price ran up the mountain of rubble when he spotted them.
"Oh, my God! Are you all right?" he asked, looking at them all.
"We're all right, Sergeant Price." Siwan replied with a smile.
"Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North." Harriet said, taking charge and flashing her ID card at him. He glanced at the card and back at her as she continued to speak. "I want you to contact UN immediately. Tell the ambassadors the crisis is over. They can step down." He stood in shock, staring at her. Seeing the expression, she gently and firmly urged, "Go on, tell the news."
"Yes, Ma'am." He stammered slightly before hurrying off.
"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out." Harriet gestured to the slightly smoking rubble that surrounded them, small fires in various places. "Oh, Lord." She looked back at them in surprise. "We haven't even got a Prime Minister!"
"Maybe you should have a go." The Doctor suggested with a smile.
"Me?" Harriet scoffed. "I'm only a back-bencher."
"After today and after seeing how level headed you were in the face of the unexpected and the unknown, I think you could do it." Ganesh said to her with a smile. "Believe me. Not many people could keep their heads when confronted with something out of a science fiction novel."
"Don't I know it." Seren and Siwan muttered in unison.
"Now, don't be silly." Harriet told Ganesh. She gestured towards the approaching emergency personnel, heralded by the sirens. "Look, I'd better go and see if I can help. Hang on!"
She carefully made her way down the mountain of rubble.
"I'd better go as well." Ganesh said. "I'd like to say it was fun, but honestly," he turned to Siwan as he continued, "next time can we meet up when the world isn't ending? Or about to end?"
She laughed and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
"I'll see what I can do." She said as she let him go. She brushed away some of the dust from the rubble that had settled on his shoulders and in his hair, giving the dark locks a quick run through with her fingers before stepping back with a satisfied smile.
"Okay, now you can go." She said.
He shook his head at her in exasperation as he turned and carefully made his way down the rubble, joining Harriet on the street as she said loudly, "We're safe! The Earth is safe!"
The twins and the Doctor slowly made their way down as well, the two women on either side of the Time Lord.
"I just realized something." Siwan said when they were about halfway down the pile.
"What?" Seren asked.
"We remembered to grab our purses, but I forgot to grab my sweater." She replied.
"Huh, you're right." Seren muttered as she noticed her sister's bare arms.
"I thought I knew the name." The Doctor commented when they reached the street, glancing down at the sisters on either side of him. "Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister." They stopped and watched as Harriett, with Ganesh, called out to the media, drawing their attention towards her and announced that they were safe. "Elected for three successive terms. The architect of Britain's Golden Age."
"Indra was right about her." Siwan said softly as they walked towards the Powel Estate, after giving one last smile to the future Prime Minister's back. "Not many people can remain calm and keep their heads the way she did."
The Doctor dropped Seren and Siwan off at the Estate before returning to the TARDIS. Inside the Tyler/ Jones flat, the twins were met with Rhiannon, Johnny, Rose and Jackie. They all exchanged rounds of tear-filled hugs, relieved that the two were still alive. They broke apart when they heard a knock on the door.
David, seeing that the adults weren't about to let each other go any time soon, went and opened the door.
"Dr. Adam!" he cried out joyfully when he saw who it was.
"Hi David." Adam said with a smile, picking the little boy up and holding him tightly. "Is Auntie Siwan here?"
Dr. Adam Pearson, head Surgeon and Chief-of-Staff at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup, London, stood at 6'3" with a lean yet muscular build. He had short hair, high cheekbones and eyes that seemed to change colors between hazel, brown, green and blue, never truly settling on one particular color or shade.
He had come straight from the hospital, so he was wearing a suit with a long overcoat on top, and his hair was in a professional comb back.
"Mhmm." He replied, nodding. "Her and Auntie Seren just got back."
"I see." Adam said, nodding.
He wondered if it had anything to do with Seren's year-long disappearance. Siwan had called and told him about the older woman's return, though she didn't say anything about where she had been for the past year.
"David! Who's at the door?" Siwan called out.
"It's Dr. Adam!" David called back before turning to Adam. "Come on, let's go in."
Adam laughed as he walked into the flat. He joined the family in the sitting room, setting David back on the ground.
"Seren, it's good to see you back." He said sincerely when he saw her. "We missed you."
"I missed you all as well." Seren replied. She turned to Siwan as she said, "Can I talk to you for a moment." She turned back to Adam and said, "Just give us one second. Tyler/ Jones sisters moment."
He nodded as Johnny groaned theatrically.
"One second, more like one hour. If we're lucky." The large Welshman muttered as he flopped backwards onto the coach.
Rhiannon poked him lightly in response as she passed by his large sprawled form, making her way into the kitchen with Rose, Seren and Siwan.
"What's up Seren?" Rose asked once they were inside and the door and shutters were closed, giving them some privacy.
"Siwan, if you want to tell Adam about the travelling, then you should." Seren said, looking at her sister.
"What?!" the three asked in unison, though thankfully their voices weren't very loud, so they didn't startle anyone in the sitting room.
"I thought about what you had said in the Cabinet Room. And it isn't fair to either of you to keep it a secret." Seren replied softly, hopping up to sit on the counter. "I mean, you love him. And he loves you, he has for a very long time. Do you really think you can be in a relationship filled with secrets and lies?"
Siwan was quiet for a long moment, pondering what her sister said. Seren was right. She couldn't be in a relationship that was filled with secrets and lies, not after everything Adam had done to help her. Even before Seren had disappeared, Adam was always there for her. He was her best friend before he became her boyfriend, and she had always been honest with him. The only thing she hadn't told him was her being a Chosen One adn the truth about the accident that killed her parents.
She voiced this to the three, leaving out the part of the Chosen One since Rose was unaware of it.
"What if he can't handle it? What if he breaks up with me because he thinks I'm making it up? Or because he can't handle it?" She finished.
"Look, Siwan." Rhiannon said softly. "You are the only one who can make this decision. Your fears are very real, it's something everyone fears. But ultimately, the question remains, do you have the strength to overcome your fears and talk to him? Whichever way it goes, you will only come out all the more stronger for it."
Siwan sighed and bit her lip.
"Have you told Johnny?" She asked, looking at her eldest sister.
"Yeah, I did. While we were at Ru's flat."
"How'd he take it?" Rose asked.
"At first, he didn't believe me, at least the time-traveling bit, though he did believe the space-travel bit." Rhiannon admitted. "Then I reminded him that we grew up in Cardiff. Time travel, space travel. Not the weirdest thing we've seen."
"So true." Seren said with a giggle.
Siwan took a deep breath and let it out.
"I'm gonna tell him." She said with a determined expression on her face. "He at least deserves to know the truth about where you've been for the past year and about what happened today. Ad we know that mankind isn't ready to accept that the Universe is much bigger then they thought, so they're going to find a way to explain it away."
The last statement earned the Welshwoman a round of nods form her sisters and god-sister as they walked out of the kitchen. In the sitting room, they found Adam, Johnny and Jackie watching the news while David played with Mica under Johnny's watchful eye. The three looked up when they heard the kitchen door open.
"Everything okay?" Adam asked, seeing the determined yet hesitant expression on Siwan's face.
"Yeah. Everything's fine." Siwan said with a hesitant smile. Rhiannon gave her an encouraging nudge as she passed by her, joining Johnny on the couch. "Can we talk? In my room?"
"Sure." Adam said, a worried look on his face as he stood up and maneuvered his way around the tiny limbs that were spread out on the ground.
Siwan led him to her room as Seren and Rose joined Johnny, Rhiannon and Jackie on the couches.
"What was that about, then?" Johnny asked.
"Siwan's telling him about the travelling, and about what had happened with the Slitheen." Seren replied.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jackie asked, her worry for her children expressed on her face.
"Yeah, Aunt Jackie." Seren replied with a nod. "I think it is. He deserves to know, and I get the feeling that he will be able to handle it a lot better than she thought."
"Besides, they're in a relationship. How can they build and grow together if they are kept apart by lies and secrets?" Rhiannon asked.
Jackie nodded understandingly. However, despite understanding their point, she wasn't about to stop worrying until she knew for sure that Adam could handle the knowledge. He was a good and admirable man, slightly strange with eyes that sometimes seemed too old for his youthful face, but she knew that not everyone could handle the knowledge. She hadn't been able to handle it in the beginning until she had no choice but to push through for the sake of her babies. Her attention was drawn to the TV as she saw Harriet Jones make her announcement.
"Mankind stands tall, proud…"
"Harriet Jones. Who does she think she is?" Jackie sneered. "Look at her, taking all the credit." She looked at Siwan as she continued her tirade, "It should be you and your sister on there." She turned back to the TV, adding with a raised voice, "My god-daughters saved the world!"
She didn't yell, though she wanted to, because of Mica and David who had fallen asleep on the floor where they were playing.
"Aunt Jackie, the Doctor and Mickey saved the world, Siwan and I helped." Seren said with a gentle smile, leaning back on the couch as she looked at the screen.
Harriet was standing in front of the media, still in her light salmon pink and black skirt suit, with Ganesh behind her as she addressed the country.
"Oh, all right, then. The Doctor and Mickey too." Jackie agreed reluctantly. "You should be given knighthoods."
"That's not the way the Doctor is, Aunt Jackie. Or the way does things." Seren said softly, curling up on the chair after removing her heels. "He doesn't like the fuss, he just moves on."
"He's not that bad if you give him a chance." Rhiannon said, much more open-minded than the two blonde women. She leaned against Johnny, curling up against him as he out his arm around her and held her close.
"He's good in a crisis. I'll give him that." Jackie amended, slightly.
"Ay now. The world has changed." Johnny said with a chuckle. "You're saying nice things about him."
"Well, I reckon I've got no choice. There's no getting rid of him since Seren's infatuated." Jackie replied.
Seren whipped her head around to look at Jackie, her jaw dropping.
"I am not infatuated with him!" Seren cried out indignantly. The looks she received in response portrayed that none of them believed her.
"What does he eat?" Jackie asked randomly.
"What do you mean?" Seren asked, her head cocked to the side in confusion.
"I was going to do shepherd's pie." She replied. "All of us. A proper sit down, 'cos" she cleared her throat as she leaned back into the sofa. "I'm ready to listen. I wanna learn about you and him and that life you lead. Only, I don't know, he's an alien. For all I know, he eats grass and safety pins and things."
"He can eat shepherd's pie, Aunt Jackie. I just don't know if he'll agree, or even be comfortable, with it." Seren replied. "He doesn't really stay in one place for very long."
"Well, he can manage one meal, can't he?" Rose asked with a frown.
"Aunt Jackie, are you planning on cooking for him?" Rhiannon asked her god-mother.
"What's wrong with that?" Jackie asked with a frown.
"He's finally met his match." Seren said with a laugh.
The laugh was echoed by the others as Jackie glared at the beautiful Welshwoman.
"You're not to old for a slap, you know." Jackie told her with narrowed eyes as she stood up and walked to the kitchen. "And you can go and visit Grandma Tyler tomorrow. It's a good thing you and your sister know French. Siwan and I told her you were in France. We said you were au-pairing."
Seren's phone rang, Ode to Joy. She pulled it out of her purse and looked at the caller ID, her eyes widening when she saw that it was the TARDIS.
"Hello?"
"Right, I'll be a couple of hours, then we can go." The Doctor said in lieu of a greeting.
"I don't know why I'm surprised that you have a phone." Seren said with a laugh as Rose got up and joined Jackie in the kitchen. "I mean, 900 years of time and space, who wouldn't have a phone?"
"Exactly. Like I said, a couple of hours. I've just got to send out this dispersal. There you go. That's cancelling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up."
"Aunt Jackie's cooking." Seren told him, slightly hesitantly.
"Good, put her on a slow heat and let her simmer."
"That's not what I meant." Seren said. "Would be okay with having dinner with us? She wants to get to know you."
"I don't do that, and I've got better things to do." The Doctor replied after a moment's pause.
"I figured as much. I thought I should still ask." Seren said, not at all bothered by his reluctance. To an extent, she even understood it.
"Well, you can stay there if you want, but right now there's this plasma storm brewing in the Horsehead Nebula. Fires are burning ten million miles wide. I could fly the Tardis right into the heart of it then ride the shock wave all the way out. Hurtle right across the sky and end up anywhere. Your choice."
"Sounds incredible." Seren breathed, the Time Lords words creating incredible images in her mind as she thought about the opportunity. She glanced over at Johnny and Rhiannon, who were talking quietly with each other, and to David and Mica, who were fast asleep on the floor, before looking over to the hallway that led to Siwan's room where the younger Jones sister was talking with Adam. She glanced towards the kitchen where Rose and Jackie were puttering around, making tea. She sighed, torn between wanting to experience something unimaginable and not wanting to put her family through such pain again. "Let me think about it? At least, talk to the others, I can't leave again without telling them."
"Yeah, sure." The Doctor replied. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."
"Okay."
With that, they hung up the call. Seren tapped the phone against her chin in thought.
"Well, what are you going to decide?" Rhiannon asked, having heard enough of the conversation to know what had the younger woman lost in thought.
"I want to go, but I can't just leave again." Seren replied, the indecision clear on her face.
"Go with him." Siwan said from behind her, making her jump and turn around.
Siwan and Adam walked into the sitting room hand-in-hand and with smiles on their faces, indicating the result of their discussion. They also had a slightly rumpled look to them that showed that talking wasn't the only thing that had been going on. Adam sat on the single sofa with Siwan sitting on his lap.
"We'll be okay." Siwan said softly. "It might take a little longer for Aunt Jackie and Rose to come around, but they will."
Seren nodded and a bright smile crossed her face, lighting her eyes.
"Let's go and pack." Rhiannon said, standing up. She looked at Seren as she added, "You need to change. You've been wearing that for two days. Siwan, you're changing too."
"Yes, ma'am." The twins replied in unison before running towards their rooms.
Rhiannon growled and went after them, though at a much more sedate pace. When she entered Seren's room, the younger woman was already dressed in a black lace over white tank top, light blue wide leg denim jeans, black wrap around wristwatch and black ankle boots, with a grey pea coat and black purse* on the bed. She had a travel sized suitcase open on the bed, several articles of clothing and accessories already in.
Siwan walked in as Rhiannon was properly arranging all the items in the suitcase so that there was room. She was wearing an olive green sleeveless cross-neck top, fading and well worn slim-fit denim jeans and black ankle boots with a small stack of silver bangles on her right wrist and a pair of dangling earrings*were hanging from her ears. Her glasses were perched on her face.
"You're not taking more than this?" Siwan asked, seeing the small case on her bag.
"No. The TARDIS has a Wardrobe, so if necessary, I would wear clothes that she gives me." Seren replied.
Siwan nodded as she sat down on the bed opposite Rhiannon while Seren stayed standing as she packed.
"So, I take it your conversation with Adam went well." Rhiannon said with a smirk.
Siwan blushed brightly.
"He took it surprisingly well." She said. "He also told me somethings about himself that he hadn't known how to tell me before. And honestly, if he had told me before, I probably wouldn't have believed it."
"What did he tell you?" Seren asked, her curiosity piqued.
"It's not my story or secret to tell." Siwan replied, slightly apologetic but firm as well.
The two nodded in understanding.
"Seren, I was thinking." Jackie walked out of the kitchen, only to see that the girls weren't in the sitting room. Adam pointed towards Seren's bedroom and Jackie nodded as she and Rose made their way to the Jones' side of the flat. "We've still got that bottle of Amaretto from New Year's Eve. Does he drink?"
Jackie trailed off when she entered Seren's room and saw the three girls, packing's Seren's travel case. They looked up when Rose and Jackie entered the open room.
"Mum was wondering if he drinks or not." Rose said softly to Seren.
"He does." Seren replied, nodding.
"Don't go, sweetheart" Jackie pleaded, her eyes filled with tears. "Please don't go."
"Please." Rose said tearfully.
Seren looked at them sadly.
"I don't know why, but I have the feeling that I need to, Aunt Jackie, Rose." She said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "This time, you know where I am, and where I'll be. You also have a way to contact me."
Jackie nodded reluctantly as Seren zipped up the suitcase, picking it and her coat up, before they walked out of the room, joining Johnny and Adam in the sitting room. The kids were now awake, looking at the suitcase in Seren's hand in confusion.
"Auntie Seren, you going bye?" David asked, looking up at her with large hazel eyes that he got from his father as Johnny took the case.
"Yes, baban, I am. But this time, I'll be back soon." Seren replied, putting her coat on.
David nodded happily as he stood up and Seren picked Mica up as they walked out of the flat, Rhiannon walking beside Johnny behind David who was running in front of them, Siwan with Adam's arm around her waist behind them and Rose, Seren (Mica in her arms) and Jackie bringing up the rear.
"I'll get a proper job. I'll work weekends. I'll pass my test, and if Jim comes round again, I'll say no. I really will." Jackie was saying to Seren as they walked out of the block, still trying to convince her to not leave, believing that the younger woman was leaving because of her.
"Aunt Jackie, I'm not going because of you." Seren said, pulling the older woman to a stop a few feet away from where the Doctor was standing in front of Mickey, who was sitting on a trashcan. Siwan, Adam, Rhiannon and Johnny moved away slightly to give them some semblance of privacy, though they could still hear the conversation. "I'm travelling. Just a little further than you'd expect, that's all. I will come back, I'll always come back home. You know that, don't you?"
"But it's not safe." Rose said softly, looking down at the tiny woman.
"If you guys could see it, what it was like. The wonder and the amazement, you'd understand that it's worth the danger." Seren replied gently, a look of wonder in her eyes as she remembered the two trips she had been on. "But I promise, I will do what I can to come home to you. Can you accept that?"
Seren looked at the two blonde women as the rest of the group looked on, all of them knowing that this was the defining moment – if, in that moment, Jackie and Rose asked her to stay, she would do so, regardless of her own desire to travel with the Doctor. It was just the way she and Siwan were, always putting others before themselves. It was something that always irritated them all.
Jackie was torn, on one hand, she could tell her god-daughter to stay and she would obey, but Jackie knew that Seren would never be happy. She would never voice it, always respecting the request, but it would be worse for her than if she were to go.
Rose looked between her mother and god-sister. She could see the indecision warring on her mother's face, the desire to keep them safe but knowing that it would do the opposite if the beautiful Welshwoman were to stay. As much as she wanted Seren to stay, she knew that the older woman had to go.
"Okay." Jackie said softly, nodding. "But I'm holding you to your promise. You do whatever you can to stay safe and come back home to us. I'm not asking you to go against your beliefs, I know that if someone is in trouble and you can help, then you will. It's who you are and how you were raised. But I wouldn't be able to bear it if I lost you. So you come home, okay. You come back home to me and Rose and your sisters."
By the time Jackie finished, the tears that she had valiantly tried to keep at bay were streaming down her face.
Seren nodded as her own tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I promise, Aunt Jackie." She said nodding tearfully, though there was a wide smile on her face.
Mica, who was still on Seren's hip, looked at the woman in confusion. She lifted a tiny hand and brushed away the tears. When they turned to look at her, she looked up at them with large cerulean blue eyes filled with trust and love.
"You're right, Mica. No more crying." Rose said with a smile.
"Got enough stuff?" The Doctor asked, looking at the travel-sized suitcase that Johnny had handed to him in surprise. He had expected her to bring much more.
"Last time I joined you, it was spur of the moment. Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with me." She replied, turning to him. "Besides, the TARDIS said that I didn't need to pack too many things, since she could give me whatever I would need."
Mica babbled at him.
"Mica's right. Be happy that's all she's bringing." Siwan said with a laugh as Seren went to Mickey, who was watching silently. He had gotten off the trashcan and was now standing with David on his shoulders.
"Siwan." The Doctor said, continuing when the woman turned to him "If you want, you can come, you were quite brilliant."
Siwan looked up at him.
"Thank you for the offer, but… I have a relationship that I need to work on." Siwan replied, reaching out and taking Adam's hand. "Besides, I don't entirely trust your landings. But if you could tweak our mobiles the way you did Seren's, I'd really like that. It would give us all a definite way to communicate."
The Doctor nodded in acceptance and held out his hand for their phones. They handed the mobiles over and he tweaked them with his sonic screwdriver, handing them back seconds later.
"Why don't you come with us, Mickey?" Seren asked. "There is more than enough room."
Mickey opened his mouth to reply but the Doctor beat him to it.
"No chance. He's a liability, I'm not having him on board." The Time Lord said, causing Seren to turn and look at him.
Behind her, Mickey shot the alien a grateful look. Seren raised her eyebrow, looking between the Time Lord and her best friend, missing the look that Mickey shot him.
"I don't believe that's what it is." She said, looking back at the Doctor. "Mickey was the one that had saved us, without his strength we would've been dead."
Siwan, Adam, Johnny and Rhiannon looked at each other and had to bite back their laughs. Rose and Jackie had wide grins on their faces as they watched the Time Lord that had whisked the woman away one year earlier get taken to task by the tiny stubborn Welshwoman.
"My decision is final." The Doctor said firmly.
"It's okay, Seren." Mickey said, knowing that if the woman put her mind to it, the Doctor didn't stand a chance. "Like you said last year, this your chance to see the stories you've been told all your life for real. When you came back, you'd better tell me all about it."
"It's a deal." Seren said with a nod.
She didn't believe for a second that he wasn't coming because the Doctor didn't want him to. She believed it had more to do with his own reluctance to face the unknown and the dangerous, despite what they had been through over the past 24 hours.
In a move reminiscent to the one a year earlier, she reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a gentle Eskimo-kiss, rubbing her nose against his.
"Good luck yeah. And be safe." Mickey said when they parted.
"You still can't promise me." Jackie, who had been watching them with her arms crossed, burst out, turning to the Doctor. "What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you, Doctor, and she's left all alone standing on some moon a million light years away. How long do we wait then?"
"Aunt Jackie…" Seren said, handing Mica to Adam before gently putting her hands on the older woman's shoulders and making her turn to face her. "Did you forget? The TARDIS is a time machine. I could travel to suns, moons, planets and stars all the way to the furthest reaches of the Universe, and when I get back, it would've only been ten seconds that could pass. Just ten seconds, that's all." She smiled up at the older woman, understanding the worry. "I won't ask you to stop worrying, because that's what you do. But please trust that he'll bring me home." Seren gave a slight laugh as she added, "And if not him, then the TARDIS will definitely make sure she does."
Jackie nodded and the two women hugged each other tightly, Rose wrapping her arms around them as well. Before Seren knew it, she was in the middle of a big group hug, with her, Mica and David being squeezed from all sides. The Doctor looked on with a smile, a pang in his heart as he remembered a time he used to do the same with his family.
The group hug broke apart when Mica loudly vocalized her displeasure at being squeezed.
Once they separated, Seren gave a last round of hugs and kisses to them before following the Doctor to the TARDIS.
She stopped in the doorway and turned, looking back at them.
"Always by each other," Seren started.
"Always together," Rose, Siwan, David and Rhiannon continued.
"Always and forever." Mickey, Johnny and Jackie finished.
Seren smiled radiantly at them and turned, going inside the TARDIS, letting the door close behind her. The group watched as the TARDIS dematerialized with the typical grinding noise of her engines and strong breeze. Jackie looked at her watch with baited breath once the ship completely disappeared.
She looked at Mickey, Adam, Siwan, Johnny, Rose and Siwan briefly before looking at the spot the TARDIS had been.
"Ten seconds." She said softly, lowering her hands as she waited.
When there was no sign of the TARDIS for several seconds, her shoulders slumped slightly as she and Rose headed back to the flats. Rhiannon and Johnny followed with David and Mica, both wanting to put the kids back to bed before they ended up staying up all night and keeping their parents up while they were at it. Adam and Siwan went the opposite direction, intending to take a midnight stroll while Mickey sat on the rubbish bin once more and resumed reading the newspaper, intending to keep vigil until Seren returned.
Links (on pinterest):
*Seren outfit - .ca/pin/318629742379815261/
*Siwan outfit - .ca/pin/203576845632836985/