Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who that goes to the BBC
"Cyril? Cyril?" The Doctor said as he, Rose and Lily approached a closed door around the tower's stairs before he handed Lily the flashlight and took his sonic screwdriver, "Can you hear me?"
"Cyril, if you're okay in there, just hold on," Rose told Cyril, "We'll be in there in a second."
"Cyril? Cyril? Cyril, can you hear us?" The Doctor asked him before realising why he couldn't open the door with his sonic screwdriver as he closed and slapped it, "Of course, it's wood! It's rubbish at wood!"
"We really need to get a wood setting for our sonic screwdrivers," Rose stated.
"It doesn't look like wood," Lily told them.
"It's disguised wood," the Doctor explained, "Have you been listening?"
"How can trees grow into a building?" Lily asked both Gallifreyans.
"Never underestimate a tree, Lily," the Doctor told her as he walked away from the door, "I met the forest of Cheem once. She fancied me."
"Oh, the Forest of Cheem? I remember her," Rose said with a smile as she recalled when she and the Doctor went to Platform One to watch the Earth get destroyed in the year 5 billion after they reunited when she was still chameleon-arched and in her second incarnation before the Doctor reactivated his sonic screwdriver again as he pointed it upwards, "She did have quite the crush on you, didn't she?"
"Look at that!" Lily muttered as she looked through the window as the Doctor tried to get his sonic screwdriver to work.
"Busy, actually," the Doctor told her before speaking to his sonic screwdriver, "Yes, I know it's wood. Get over it!"
"Doctor, you're being rude again," Rose muttered to herself before she looked out the window, "I've never seen that ever happen on any planet that we've been to."
"But there are stars," Lily told the Time Lord, "There are stars coming out."
"That does happen, Lily," the Doctor said as he walked back over to the door, "Cyril!"
"Yes, but out of the trees," Lily stated as she continued to stare out the window.
"And it's something that I never thought that I would see," Rose added before the Doctor did a double-take before he walked over to the window and looked out it as well and what he saw looked like what they say as he saw that there were stars indeed rising from the trees.
"What is that?" Lily asked them.
"Life force," the Doctor explained, "Pure life force, just... singing."
"And it's only seen on a few planets that we know of," Rose added.
"Beautiful," Lily stated, "Doesn't it make you both want to cry?"
"Crying when you're happy. Good for you," the Doctor said as he put his hands over Lily's shoulders, "That's so human."
They suddenly heard a hissing sound that almost sounded like something electrical, coming from behind the locked door, causing Lily, Rose and the Doctor to rush towards the door.
"What's it?" Lily asked them, "What is it? Tell me, what?!"
"Cyril! Can you hear me?" The Doctor called out to Cyril as he pounded his fist on the door.
"Yeah, can you hear him, Cyril?" Rose asked Cyril.
Downstairs the tower, the statue that they found when they entered the building slowly stood up and headed for the stairs.
"Oh, my God!" Lily whispered as she, Rose and the Doctor heard the sound of the statue's footsteps as they turned around, "Oh, my God!"
As the Doctor worked on getting the door open, Lily and Rose both saw the shadow of the statue getting closer towards them.
"Doctor, it's coming," Lily told the Time Lord, "Open it!"
"Doctor, we don't have much time! Hurry!" Rose said nervously as she looked at her husband.
"I'm trying!" The Doctor told them.
"Open it!" Lily urged him.
"As I said before, Doctor, we don't have much time left!" Rose reminded her husband, "Hurry!"
"I'm trying!" The Doctor told them when the door suddenly unlocked with a loud click before whispering to them, "That wasn't me."
"It doesn't matter!" Lily said as she stared at the door.
"Well, whoever or whatever it was, we need to move. Now!" Rose stated as she stared at the shadow of the statue for a second.
Lily then rushed into the room with Rose and the Doctor before the statue turned its head and saw Cyril unconscious sitting on a chair in the room with a giant circlet around his forehead as Lily ran over to the throne and kneeled in front of her brother.
"Doctor, Rose, What's wrong with him?" Lily asked both Gallifreyans, "Is he dead?"
"It's Okay, he's just unconscious," the Doctor assured her as he leaned over and checked Cyril's pulse before he stood back up and walked over to a statue that was in the room, but looked female instead, "So, what are you, then? Not a king, a queen! The Queen Bee of the forest."
"He's going to be okay, Lily," Rose assured her before she turned towards the Doctor, her brows furrowed in thought, "But what's with the circlet? And this queen... What's her role in all this?"
"Doctor! Rose! Look!" Lily said as she stood up and turned towards a window in the room as she heard a tinkling noise in the distance before booth Gallifreyans followed her as they watched as the lights lifted from the trees within the forest.
"It's like…" The Doctor began to say.
"Like what?" Lily asked him.
"Like the life force is leaving the forest," the Doctor explained to her.
"But why is it happening here and on this planet?" Rose asked herself, "I never heard of this happening in the Androzani system."
Just as she said that, the male statue arrived in the room and began walking towards them as they looked around towards it.
"What are they doing?" Lily asked them, "Stop him!"
The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver and used it on both the wood statues as they advanced towards them, only for it to do nothing as expected.
"Aliens made of wood?" The Doctor said with surprise, "This was always going to happen, you know."
"How about the Forest of Cheem, Doctor?" Rose reminded her husband, "They're made from wood."
"I mean ones that don't look living, Rose," the Doctor explained as the wooden statues stopped walking and stood next to the chair on both sides as he placed his sonic scredriver back inside one of his jacket's pockets, "It's Okay. I think they just want to talk to us."
The wooden statues then looked at Cyril as the circlet around his forehead began to light up as he regained consciousness.
"They're scared," Cyril told them, "Can't you hear them? The trees are screaming. Can't you hear?" Lily then ran back to her brother as Rose took out her sonic screwdriver and used it on the circlet.
"We can't, Cyril," Rose stated, "But, you can with the circlet. You're connected to them."
"Cyril, tell us what they're saying," the Doctor urged him as he kneeled in front of him as Rose placed her sonic screwdriver back inside one of her jacket's pockets.
"Why have the stars left the trees?" Lily asked her brother.
"I think they're…" Cyril began to answer.
"Just concentrate" the Doctor told him, "What are they doing?"
"Cyril, we're here to help," Rose said as she looked at him, "Try to relay what the trees are saying. It's crucial for us to understand."
"Evacuating. They're evacuating," Cyril answered.
"Why?" The Doctor asked him
"They're... frightened of the rain" Cyril answered, "The rain that burns."
"Rain that burns?" Rose muttered with confusion, "There's only one type of rain that I know of that can burn."
"Doctor, Rose, please explain," Lily requested both Gallifreyans, "I'm frightened."
"Those stars. They're pure life force. Souls, if you like. And they're trying to escape because they think their home is going to burn," the Doctor explained.
"Why can't they just float up into the sky?" Lily asked him.
"Because they need to travel inside a living thing," Rose explained.
"She's right and they're going inside Cyril," the Doctor said, agreeing with her before he turned back around and pulled his sonic screwdriver back out, "You see, this…" He then scanned the circlet with his sonic screwdriver, "It's not a crown, it's a relay. They're turning your brother into a lifeboat!" He then put his sonic screwdriver away, "That's what this place is for, then. It's an escape plan, is that it?" The Queen then reached a hand towards Cyril and wrapped it gently around his neck, "Don't you harm him. Do not touch that child!"
"Your coming was foretold," the Queen told them as she was speaking through Cyril in a distorted voice.
"Oh my God, what is that?" Lily asked both Gallifreyans, "Why does he sound like that?"
"Oh, hello!" The Doctor greeted the Queen, "Are we lip-synching now?"
"We had faith," the Queen told them, "Your coming was foretold."
"There's no such thing as foretelling," the Doctor stated, "Trust a time traveller."
"We waited, and you came" the Queen told them.
"And we're here," Rose said as she crossed her arms, "So, what's next?"
"So, you've got an escape plan, why aren't you escaping?" The Doctor asked the Queen.
"The child is weak," the Queen answered.
"You mean he's a child," the Doctor realised.
"No, he is weak. The forest cannot live in him," the Queen explained, "But there are others."
"Others who are strong enough," Rose stated as she nodded her head, "We can help."
"There certainly are, and the good thing is, I look great in a hat," the Doctor said as he walked towards Cyril, "So, let's get this thing off, eh?" He then reached for the circlet.
"You are also weak," the Queen told the Time Lord.
"Weak?" Rose said with surprise as she raised an eyebrow, "You clearly don't know my husband."
"I'm really not," the Doctor stated, agreeing with his wife, "Let's save a forest, Cyril?"
"You are not the one," the Doctor argued, "You are weak."
"No, he's the one who's going to help us save Cyril and your forest," Rose said as she shook her head.
"I'm really not," the Doctor told the Queen before he grabbed the circlet from Cyril's head, causing it to shine fiercely in his hands as it struggled against it, gasping, groaning and screaming.
"Let go of it, just let go!" Lily ordered the Doctor, "Let go of it! Just let go! Please, just drop it!"
"Do what she says, Doctor," Rose said, agreeing with her, "Let go of it!"
"I can't!" The Doctor told them before Lily grabbed the circlet from the Doctor, causing it to glow softly in her hands as the Doctor panted heavily on his knees.
"It's funny, isn't it?" Lily said as she stared at the circlet, "It's sort of... tingly."
"Tingly?!" The Doctor said with confusion as the Queen placed her hand over Lily's neck.
"She is strong, but she is young," the Queen stated as she spoke through Lily before she pulled away with a gasp, dropping the circlet as it fell to the floor.
"She's strong, I'm weak," the Doctor muttered to himself, "Interesting."
"Let me try," Rose said as she quickly ran over towards the circlet and picked it up with her hands before feeling the same sensations from it that Lily did before she looked at the Queen as it approached her, "I've been through a lot, seen a lot. I'm not as weak as you might think."
"You are strong, but not strong enough... yet," the Queen stated as she spoke through Rose as she placed her hand over her neck for a second before pulling away from the Time Lady's neck.
"Yet?" Rose said with surprise and Rose an eyebrow, intrigued by what she meant by that, "Well, that's something to look forward to."
"Not strong enough... yet?" The Doctor muttered as he rose an eyebrow and looked at his wife, "Rose, are you sure you're not keeping any secrets from me?"
"Honestly, Doctor, I have no idea what she meant by that," Rose said as she shrugged her shoulders and looked at him, "But I guess we'll find out soon enough."
"Mummy?" Cyril muttered as he regained consciousness again.
"Cyril, it's all right. It's me," Lily said as she walked over to her brother, "Mummy isn't here, but we're going home to her right now. Aren't we, Doctor and Rose?"
"No. I don't think we are," the Doctor told her as he heard thunder outside and rain falling from the sky.
"He's right, the rain that frightens them has begun to fall from the sky," Rose said, agreeing with him as they looked outside and saw that the rain had begun falling outside.
"The rain that burns" the Doctor muttered, "Acid rain. We have to get out of this forest, we're in terrible danger. This tower won't protect us for long."
"Where's Mummy?" Cyril asked them.
"She's coming," Lily assured him, "You know she's coming, because she always comes, doesn't she?"
"Cyril, the way we came here, that door won't stay open forever," the Doctor told Cyril as he walked back over to him, "Now, I'm not even sure if me and Rose can get us through the forest safely, but if we're going to have any chance at all, we have to go now."
"No," Cyril refused as he crossed his arms, "We wait for Mummy. Mummy always comes."
"Sorry, Cyril, but not this time," Rose apologised to him when they suddenly heard a loud thudding sound as the ground shook before they turned around and through the window, they saw a harvester walking on three legs.
"What's that?" Lily asked both Gallifreyans as they walked over to the window.
"It's an Androzani Harvester, but…" the Doctor answered.
"They're used by humans in the Androzani system in the 54th century," Rose added.
"You both recognise that thing?" Lily asked them.
"More to the point... I think I recognise the driving!" The Doctor told her as Cyril stood up and walked towards them.
They saw that Madge had entered the forest and was at the controls of the harvester as it headed for the tower.
"Madge has entered the forest!" The Doctor said, happily, "Come on, Madge, you can do it! You go, girl!"
"Who knew that she could pilot machinery 2000 years her time," Rose muttered with surprise as the Doctor gave Cyril a noogie.
"Shut up, you ridiculous oaf!" Madge told the Doctor, "And Rose, can you tell your husband to keep quiet."
"Sorry, but I think that's beyond me," Rose apologised, "He's always been like that."
"Come on. This way ... you can do it, you can do it!" The Doctor urged Madge, "Excellent driving! Hello!"
"Doctor?" Madge called out to him.
"Yes!" The Doctor said, wondering what she was going to tell him.
"You're fired," Madge told him.
"Oh," the Doctor muttered before Madge over compensated her driving the harvester, causing it to fall over sideways onto the ground below, "It's OK, she's fine, don't worry. Stay here. Just stay here." He then began to walk towards the door, "Rose, watch them."
"Sure thing, Doctor," Rose replied with a smile on her face.
As he left the room, the Doctor ran down the tower towards the entrance.
"Madge? Madge?" The Doctor said, calling Madge's name before he reached the button of the tower as she entered the building, wearing her coat with its hood over her head with burn marks over it, "You okay?"
"Stay inside, the rain is frightful!" Madge warned him before she began to run upstairs, "Lily? Cyril?" The Doctor then looked out the door at the harvester.
"Cyril!" Madge said as she entered the top room of the tower and hurried over to her children.
"Mum!" Lily muttered as she saw her mother.
"Lily!" Madge said as she hugged them, "What are you doing? How dare you leave the house?! Cyril, what have I told you about opening your presents early?"
"Sorry, Mummy," Cyril apologised to her.
"Something like this was bound to happen," Madge told them.
"Madge, I understand your worry. As a parent, it's our instinct to protect our children. But remember, adventures like these are a part of growing up. They teach us valuable lessons that we carry for the rest of our lives," Rose assured her, "Cyril didn't mean any harm, and I'm sure he's learned his lesson."
Lily then pulled Cyril away with a gasp as the Queen came up behind Madge as she was holding the circlet.
"What are those?" Madge asked them.
"Stay away from it," Lily urged her mother, "You have to stay back."
"Do what she says, Madge, and stay back from them," Rose said, agreeing with her.
"That's beautiful, isn't it?" Madge asked them as she was mesmerised by the glowing circlet.
"Mummy?" Cyril muttered as she stared at them as the Queen began to place the circlet over the top of Madge's head.
"See how it shines?" Madge said as the Queen finished placing the circlet over her head.
Back on the bottom floor of the tower, the Doctor stood in the doorway with his sonic screwdriver in his hand as he used it to scan the harvester.
"Nice one, Madge," the Doctor muttered as he deactivated his sonic screwdriver, "A complete write-off!"
He then looked up at the sky and saw the 'stars' from the trees converging towards the tower.
"Oh, no," he muttered as he rushed back inside and ran back upstairs.
As the Doctor reentered the tower's top room, he arrived in time to see the 'stars' being absorbed by Madge, who was now sitting on the throne with the circlet over her head. Rose, standing beside him, watched in awe.
"The stars are going inside her," Lily told the Doctor, "She's taking the whole forest."
"Oh, this is marvellous," Madge stated, "Oh, this is really quite wonderful."
When she had absorbed them all, the Doctor, Rose and Madge's children stared at her with shock.
"Madge! Are you all right?" The Doctor asked her as he tapped on her left cheek for a second, "Talk to me. Madge, can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can hear you," Madge answered, "I'm perfectly fine, thank you."
"Fine?!" The Doctor repeated with disbelief as he walked back over to the window, "You've got a whole world inside your head!"
"I know," Madge said as he turned back around towards her, "It's funny, isn't it? One can't imagine being a forest, then suddenly one can. How remarkable!
"It's not just remarkable, it's extraordinary," Rose stated, "But Madge, you need to focus. Can you control it?"
"You're okay?" The Doctor said with shock, "She's okay?"
"She is strong," the Queen stated as she placed her hand over her shoulder.
"That wasn't me," Madge told them with shock, "This is all really rather clever, isn't it?"
"She's strong? She's strong?" the Doctor repeated with disbelief before he began to realise what the Queen meant, "Oh! Oh! Stupid me! Stupid old Doctor! Do you get it, Cyril?"
"No," Cyril answered.
"Lily, you do, don't you?" The Doctor asked Lily.
"No," Lily answered.
"But I do," Rose stated, "It's not about physical strength, Doctor. It's about the strength of her heart. She's a mother that is currently looking after children of her own, after all."
"Rose is right," the Doctor said, agreeing with the Time Lady, "Think about it! Weak and strong, it's a translation. Translated from the base code of nature itself. You and I, Cyril, we're weak. But she's female. More than female. She's Mum. How else does life ever travel? The mother ship!"
Just as he said that, the room disengaged and lifted off from the rest of the tower, powered by rockets as it began flying towards the sky.
"What's happening?" Lily asked both Gallifreyans.
"No idea," the Doctor answered.
"I also have no idea, Lily," Rose said, agreeing with her husband.
"Do what I do," the Doctor told them, "Hold tight and pretend it's a plan."
They all then held tight onto the sides of the room as the ship zoomed off through and into the Time Vortex. Once things had smoothed out, the Doctor moved towards the window with Rose.
"This is... amazing," the Doctor stated as he stared out the Time Vortex.
"Well, this is another way to travel through the vortex without our TARDIS or a Vortex Manipulator like Jack's," Rose realised.
"Where are we?" Cyril asked both Gallifreyans.
"Technically, we're not anywhere. We've flown into the time vortex," the Doctor explained before looking at the Queen, "You've got what you wanted... those idiots down there can burn your old home and you'll be safe out here. But these people helped you, and they're in me and my wife's protection. Now help them. How do we get home?"
"Think," the Queen answered as she spoke through Madge again as she placed her hand over her shoulder again.
"Sorry, what?" The Doctor asked her.
"What do you mean by that?" Rose said, agreeing with him.
"She must only think," the Queen explained.
"Madge, did you hear that?" The Doctor asked Madge as he kneeled in front of the chair, "You said it, but did you hear it? You've got to think."
"Think... what?" Madge said with confusion.
"Madge, think of home. Picture it in your mind, every little detail. The smell of your kitchen, the colour of your curtains, the sound of your children's laughter. But don't just picture it, feel it. Feel the warmth of your home, the love you have for your family. Your mind is an incredibly powerful tool, and right now, it's controlling this vessel. If you focus hard enough, you can fly us all back. Just in time for Christmas," Rose explained to her, "Can you do that, Madge?"
"Doctor, Rose, my head is full of trees," Madge told them, "Can't you two fly us home?"
"We both don't have a home to think of," the DOctor answered, "And, between you and us, we're older than we look, and we can't feel the way you do, not any more. And you really need to feel it, Madge. Everything about home you miss, till you can't bear it, till you almost burst."
"Till it hurts?" Madge asked them, "Is that what you mean, Doctor? Till it hurts?"
"Yes," the Doctor answered, "Yes."
"Yeah, that's what he means, Madge," Rose said, agreeing with him before Madge reached into her pocket with her hand and pulled out the telegram reporting her husband's death and gripped it tightly in both of her hands.
"Well, then... home in time for Christmas!" Madge muttered as she took a deep breath before she moaned as the others gripped the throne as they travelled through the Time Vortex.
"What's happening?" Lily asked, "Where are we going?"
"Show them!" The Doctor ordered the Queen, "Show them!"
"Do what my husband says and show Lily and Cyril what's happening," Rose said, agreeing with her husband as she looked up at the Queen before the wooden statue raised her hand and some of the translucent panes around the room's windows cleared to make it easier to view what's outside.
"Ha! The time vortex. Your mother is flying a forest through the time vortex. Be a little impressed!" The Doctor told Lily and Cyril, "What are you going home for? What's pulling you there? Please, try. Please, think."
"Madge, the Doctor is right. You're doing something extraordinary right now. You're not just flying us home, you're flying us through time and space. It's okay to be scared, but remember, you're not alone," Rose said, agreeing with her husband, "We're here with you. And Lily, Cyril, your mother is showing incredible strength right now. This is a moment to remember, a story to tell. So, hold on tight, we're almost there."
A memory of Reg holding one of the children as a baby suddenly flashed in front of them before switching to him in an army uniform waving goodbye.
"Reg!" Madge muttered, happily as she looked at the memory of her husband.
"Daddy!" Cyril said, happily before more memories of Reg and the children appeared before them.
"My Reg!" Madge stated as she continued to stare at the memories of her husband.
"That's it. Focus on Reg," the Doctor told her, "Be careful, but focus on him."
"Do what he says, Madge," Rose said, agreeing with her husband, "Continue to focus on him, but be careful about it.
"I don't know…" Madge began to say.
"How did you meet?" The Doctor asked her, "You and Reg, tell me how you met."
"He followed me home," Madge answered as a young version of Madge and Reg, who had a full head of hair appeared on the viewscreen as they were walking through the forest, "I worked in the dairy, he always used to follow me home."
"Look at Father," Lily said with a smile on her face, "He looks so young!"
"He said he'd keep on following me till I married him!" Madge added, "Didn't like to make a scene!"
"That is so beautiful," Rose muttered, "Ulike the two of you, me and the Doctor knew each other since we were kids."
"Just stay focused. Think of home," the Doctor told her before he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, "This thing, it works psychically... it'll find a signal and lock on."
He then used his sonic screwdriver on her as an RAF plane suddenly appeared on the screen.
"No. No, please, don't show me that! Please, don't show me that!" Madge pleaded, tearfully.
"Is that Daddy's plane?" Cyril asked her.
"Please, I don't want to see that!" Madge told them.
"Please, no! No, no, no, Madge," the Doctor said as he looked back at her, "We can't break the signal now, I'm sorry!"
"Madge, I know this is hard," Rose told her, "But we need you to stay strong, for just a little bit longer. We can't break the signal now. I promise, we'll get through this."
"Not the night he died!" Madge said as she began to cry, "I don't want to see him die!"
The Doctor and Rose both suddenly gripped her arms as Cyril and Lily looked up at her with shock.
"What do you mean...the night he died?" Lily asked her.
"Please don't make me watch him die!" Madge repeated herself.
"Mummy? Is Daddy dead?" Cyril asked her, "Mummy!"
Madge then gasped as she thought of Reg and the telegram reporting his death.
"Goodbye, my love," Madge muttered to herself, "Goodbye!"
The ship then continued to fly through the vortex.
Sometime later, the ship landed somewhere on Earth with everyone being knocked unconscious. The Doctor regained consciousness first and stood back up before Rose did the same as they went to check on the Arwell family, where they laid on the floor.
"Cyril! Lily! Are you all right?" The Doctor asked Lily and Cyril as they and their mother slowly regained consciousness.
"Madge, are you okay?" Rose said as she looked at Madge, "That was quite a landing. Just take a moment, catch your breath."
"Yeah," Lily answered.
"Yeah, me too," Madge said, agreeing with her daughter as the Doctor scanned the Queen with his sonic screwdriver as she laid on the floor as Madge sat back up, "Are they dead?"
"No. They're just wood now," the Doctor answered, "They've been... emptied. The forest has gone from your head too, hasn't it?"
"But where is it now?" Madge asked both Gallifreyans as the Doctor bent down towards her.
"The life force of the whole forest has transmuted itself into a sub-etheric waveband of light, which can exist as a…" the Doctor began to say before he tried explaining in simpler terms as Lily and Cyril stood back up, "The... The... The... souls of the trees are out among the stars, and they're shining, very happy. And you got them there."
"I could have explained it simpler, Doctor," Rose told her husband, "But you explained it well."
"Thanks, Rose," the Doctor smiled at her before he looked back at Madge, "Well done, Madge."
"And where are we?" Madge asked both Gallifreyans.
"Home!" The Doctor answered as he and Madge stood back up, "Christmas morning!" He then walked over to one of the windows and wiped it to show the house, "We've taken a bit of a short cut. Haven't you always wanted to do that?"
"Mother?" Lily said as she looked at her mother.
"Oh, Look at you. You've been so brave," Madge stated as she looked at her children with her arms open before they backed away from her, "You... Look, we're home again, see?"
"What did you mean, watch him die? Where's Father? Where is he? Where's Daddy?" Lily asked her before noticing that she was holding a telegram in her right hand, "Why are you holding a telegram? Well, what does it say?"
"Please, just tell us," Cyril requested her.
"Tell us!" Lily ordered her.
"I imagine you'd prefer to be alone," the Doctor told her.
"Yeah, I think you'd want to be alone as well," Rose said, agreeing with her husband.
"I don't believe anyone would prefer that," Madge told both Gallifreyans as she looked at them, "Stay close, Doctor and Rose."
"I'll be right outside," the Doctor stated, "Come along, Rose."
"Madge, we'll be right outside. If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to call us. You're not alone in this. And remember, it's okay to grieve. It's okay to let it out. We're here for you," Rose told Madge as she and the Doctor left the ship.
"Lily... Cyril…" Madge said as she walked towards her children and kneeled in front of them as she grabbed their hands.
As the Doctor and Rose stepped out of the ship, they heard birds chirping as they looked in wonder at something off in the distance.
"A few nights ago, your father, who, as you know, was the best of men and the bravest of pilots," both Gallifreyans heard Madge begin to tell her children from inside the ship.
"…was flying home for Christmas. His plane was badly damaged, and his instruments failed him," Madge went on, "Unfortunately, he was flying on a night where there was no moon, and because it was very cloudy, there were no stars... There were no stars to light his way."
"Did he get lost?" Cyril asked her.
"Yes, Cyril," Madge answered, "He got so very lost."
The Doctor and Rose both suddenly reentered the ship and walked back up the stairs as they looked at them with excited expressions on their faces.
"Sorry to interrupt," the Doctor told them, "You might want to pop out here for a moment."
"Doctor, I'm talking to my children!" Madge reminded the Time Lord.
"We know, Madge, but it's really important," Rose told her.
"She's right," the Doctor said, agreeing with his wife, "And before you go any further, I think you'd better come and look."
As they left the ship again, the Doctor straightened his bow tie, while Rose repositioned her jacket as they smiled at each other as Madge and her children caught up to them.
"No stars to light the way, Madge?" The Doctor repeated in disbelief, "There was one."
"What my husband is trying to say is that there was you," Rose told Madge.
"Madge Arwell, who flew a whole forest through the time vortex... plus one husband," the Doctor added as they saw Reg's plane on a field in front of them with Reg, who looked puzzled standing in front of it, "He did it again, Madge. He followed you home. Look what you can do! Mother Christmas!"
"And Madge, remember this. You were the beacon that guided him home. Your strength, your love, they shine brighter than any star. You've done something extraordinary today," Rose told Madge, "You've shown us all the power of a mother's love."
"Madge!" Reg called out to his wife with a coat over his uniform and wearing a white coloured scarf, "What am I doing here?"
"It's Christmas Day, my love!" Madge answered as she stretched her arms out, "Where else would you be?"
"Christmas Day? How?" Reg asked her with surprise.
"We took a short cut," Madge explained before she, Lily and Cyril ran over to Reg.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Lily and Cyril said, happily as the four of them had a family hug as the Doctor and Rose watched from a distance.
"Happy crying," the Doctor stated, "Humany-wumany."
"Yeah, you can say that again, Theta," Rose said, agreeing with her husband as she grabbed his right hand with her left hand.
Inside the house's sitting room and later that day, the Arwells were sitting on the floor, wearing different clothes as the children opened their presents as the Doctor and Rose both watched from the hall with smiles on their faces before turning away to leave the family as they continued to open their Christmas presents.
A while later in the attic, Madge entered the room and closed the door behind her and saw the TARDIS as the Doctor and Rose both stepped out of the TARDIS.
"Ahh!" The Doctor said as Rose giggled.
"I had a feeling it was the two of you," Madge stated as she pointed at the Gallifreyan couple, "My spaceman angel, with his head on backwards and his wife!"
"How do I look the right way round?" The Doctor asked Madge as he spun around in a circle.
"Funnier," Madge answered.
"Okay," the Doctor muttered.
"Well, I think you look sexy, Doctor," Rose said as she kissed him on the cheek.
"So, you both came back," Madge stated.
"Well, you were there for me when I had a bad day. Always like to return a favour," the Doctor explained as he walked towards her, "Got a bit glitchy in the middle there, but it sort of worked out in the end. Story of our lives."
"He does that a lot, Madge," Rose told her.
"Thank you," Madge said as she hugged him.
"Oh, you did it all yourself, Madge Arwell," the Doctor told her, "But thanks for thanking us."
"Yeah, thanks for thanking us, Madge," Rose said with a smile on her face.
"Now, the last time I saw the two of you, I went back the next day, but the police box had gone," Madge told them.
"Yeah," the Doctor said, excitedly before he began to head towards the TARDIS, "You want to see how it's done?"
"Yeah, do you want to see how our ship disappears and reappears, Madge?" Rose asked her as she followed her husband towards the TARDIS.
"No," Madge answered, "I want you both to stay for Christmas, please."
"Ah, well, you see, things to do, people to see," the Doctor muttered as he and Rose turned back around towards her.
"Madge, we would have loved to stay," Rose told her, "But as the Doctor said, we have things to do, people to see."
"Of course, yes," Madge muttered, "Family of your own."
"Well... no, actually…" the Doctor began to say.
"In a way, yes, we have a daughter," Rose told her, "But she's all grown up."
"But there must be people who love you both," Madge stated, "Friends…"
"No. Well, yes. But... It's a long story... but they all think we're dead," the Doctor told her, "Never mind. Anyway, watch our box do its thing. It's really cool, you'll love it." He then turned back towards the TARDIS.
"Madge, you're right. No one should be alone at Christmas. But sometimes, our adventures take us away from the people we care about," Rose stated, "It's the price we pay for seeing the stars. But don't worry, we have each other, and in a way, that's a family too."
"No, no-one should be alone at Christmas," Madge said as both Gallifreyans walked back towards the TARDIS.
"We're fine, we don't mind," the Doctor said as he and Rose walked back towards her, "We're really very good at…"
"He's right, we don't mind them thinking we're dead at all," Rose stated, agreeing with her husband.
"I'm not talking about the two of you. I'm talking about your daughter and friends," Madge told them, "You both can't let them think that you're dead, not at Christmas."
"It's complicated, very complicated, it's far too complicated…" the Doctor stated as he pointed at her with his index finger.
"You both must tell them, at once," Madge said as she pointed her index finger at them as well, "Off you go."
"Yes, Mum. I'll think about it," the Doctor muttered as he shook her hand.
"As will I," Rose said, agreeing with him as she shook her hand as well.
"Now, eyes on the box," the Doctor ordered Madge as Rose reentered the TARDIS.
"Oh, Doctor?" Madge called out to the Time Lord as he walked back towards the TARDIS, "What if I require you or Rose again?"
"Make a wish," the Doctor answered as he smiled before he also reentered the TARDIS before both Gallifreyans set their ship in motion as Madge watched as it dematerialised when Reg suddenly entered just in time to see it disappear.
"What the hell was that?" Reg asked with surprise.
"It was just the Doctor returning to the time vortex with his wife," Madge answered, "It's a lovely place, I've been there myself. Shall we go downstairs?" She then left the attic and after a few seconds Reg nodded his head and followed her out of the attic.
About half an hour later, the Doctor and Rose stood in front of a bright dark blue door of a house in London in the early 2010s before the Doctor knocked on the door.
"If that is more carol singers, I have a water pistol!" They heard Amy groan from inside the house.
"Amy sure hasn't changed," Rose chuckled with a smile on her face.
"No, it looks like that she hasn't changed one bit," the Doctor said, agreeing with her before he knocked on the door again.
"You don't want to be all wet on a night like this," Amy went on as she opened the door holding a water pistol in her hand as she looked at both Gallifreyans with a shocked expression on her face.
"Not absolutely sure... how long…" the Doctor began to say.
"How long has it been, Amy?" Rose asked her.
"Two years," Amy answered before she squirts water at him with the water pistol before doing the same to Rose.
"So, it's 2013?" Rose asked her.
"Yeah," Amy confirmed.
"Okay. Fair point," the Doctor muttered as he wiped his face from the water that Amy squirted at him with the water pistol.
"Sorry for not arriving earlier," Rose apologised to her.
"So... you're both not dead," Amy told them.
"Merry Christmas!" Rose said, happily.
"And a happy New Year!" The Doctor added as he smiled at Amy.
"River, Jack and Jenny told us," Amy told both Gallifreyans.
"Well, of course they did," the Doctor stated.
"I'm glad that they did, Amy," Rose told her with a smile on her face.
"River's a good girl," Amy stated, "Well? I'm not going to hug first."
"Nor am I," the Doctor told her.
"Or me," Rose said as the three of them awkwardly tried to ignore each other before their eyes met as they smiled and laughed before hugging each other.
"Mr Pond? Jack? Jenny?" Amy called out to her husband, son-in-law and Jenny, "Guess who's coming for dinner!"
"Whoa! Not dead, then," Rory said as he walked towards the door with Jack and Jenny as he looked at the Doctor and Rose as he closed his cardigan that he was wearing over a dress shirt and crossed his arms.
"Nice to see you again, Doc," Jack told the Doctor as he looked at him before looking at Rose, "And you too, Rosie."
"Yeah, Mum and Dad, it's great to see you both again," Jenny said with a smile on her face as she looked at her parents.
"Rory, we've done that," Amy told her husband.
"Oh," Rory muttered to himself.
"We're about to have Christmas dinner," Amy told the Doctor and Rose as she looked back at them, "Joining us?"
"If it's no trouble," the Doctor answered.
"Yeah, we'd love to spend Christmas with you," Rose said, agreeing with her husband.
"There are place sets for the two of you," Rory told them.
"But you didn't know we were coming," the Doctor told them, "Why would you set me a place?"
"Yeah, why would you set places for us if you didn't know we were coming?" Rose asked them.
"Because we always do," Amy answered, "It's Christmas, you morons."
"Mum, Dad, it's always a pleasure to have you with us. And Amy's right, we always set places for you," Jenny told her parents as Amy headed back inside the house, "After all, it wouldn't be a proper Christmas without you two."
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Jenny. Doctor, Rose, you're always part of our family, no matter where in time and space you are," the former Time Agent said, agreeing with her, "And there's always a seat at our table for you. After all, what's a family gathering without a little bit of timey-wimey, right?"
"It sure is," Rose chuckled, "How've you been, Sweetheart?"
"I've been doing well, Mum. I completed my studies at university and I've taken a new step in my career. I applied to be a Scientific Advisor at UNIT like I was planning. It's a great opportunity to put my knowledge to use and make a difference," Jenny answered, "And guess what? I've been working under someone named Kate Stewart. It's going to be an exciting new journey!"
"Kate Stewart, you say?" The Doctor repeated with surprise in his voice, "That wouldn't happen to be any relation to the late Brigadier, would it?"
"Yes, actually! She's his daughter," Jenny answered with a smile on her face, "Seems like the apple didn't fall far from the tree."
"Well, it looks like our family continues to have ties with the Lethbridge-Stewarts," Rose muttered with a smile on her face.
"It sure does," the Doctor stated as he looked at her with a smile.
"Come on," Rory said as he nodded his head with Amy following him as they left the front room of their house.
"Well, you heard the man. Let's not keep the Christmas feast waiting!" Jack stated as he followed Amy and Rory.
"Right behind you, Rory," Jenny said as she followed them as well.
"You heard them, Theta," Rose told her husband as she entered the house and followed them as well.
The Doctor hesitated a moment before stepping into the house. He paused and raised a hand to his eye and wiped away a tear as he stared at his fingers before chuckling and closed the door behind him.
"Right behind you, Arkytior," the Doctor said as he followed his wife and the others.
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