𝔏𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔫, 𝔈𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡, 𝔈𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 2005
There was something about looking an alien in the face which never got old. It was different every time, a new greeting or threat, and it would never be experienced by anyone else in the same way again.
The Sycorax were no different. They were a clear threat to Earth, and had the Doctor been awake, or indeed alive, he would know how to stop them. It was a problem for EJ and Rose, especially, because despite these experiences, they didn't understand a single word spoken. The Tardis wasn't working any longer. She wasn't translating anything, and it left them completely in the dark.
"Vos koonik!" The only Sycorax without a bone mask pointed at them, it's face all muscle. So when it approached them, it was menacing. "Del panja zu krimit tak saya. Vol, kufa zu prendis."
Without the Tardis, they only understood what was happening because of Harriet Jones' right hand man, Alex. He held a translator in his hand, and spoke, directly after the Sycorax. "The yellow girl. She has the clever blue box. Therefore, she speaks for your planet."
"But she can't!" Harriet cried out, panicking, for lack of authority. She must have been so used to it by now.
Rose whispered to herself, and to no one else. "Yeah, I can."
"Don't you dare." Mickey retorted like he really had a say in her decision; he had no idea what was going on.
"Shut up." EJ scolded him, hardly looking his way. "Just keep your mouth shut."
There was an air of confidence in Rose which came naturally to her, now. "Someone's gotta be the Doctor."
Though, as she stepped forwards, Harriet lunged to grab onto her arm. "They'll kill you."
EJ just pulled her back, and held her hand so she might not feel so useless. Rose smiled their way, but it was nauseous. "Never stopped him."
As his friend stepped forwards with baited breath, the Thompson boy wondered about a few too many things. Harriet kept squeezing his palm too tight, pulling him back into reality, but there was only one thought which mattered to him in that moment. He needed to know what was happening to the Doctor. He was on his own.
Without someone there to care for him, he could choke on his own tongue. If he died now, would he be able to regenerate again, or could it only happen once? EJ didn't know enough to be confident in any theory. His efforts were futile.
The Sycorax cheered at Rose, but it certainly wasn't friendly. They jeered, and it was like a war cry. If they were to declare anything, then Earth would have to go to war. EJ couldn't be apart of it; it didn't matter how fucked up everything got. War was where he drew the line.
"I er... I address the Sycorax... according to Article 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." Rose stumbled almost immediately, but she cleared her throat instantly. "I command you to leave this world, with all the authority of the Slitheen Parliament of Raxacoricofallapatorius..."
EJ whispered to himself, not wanting to mess up Rose's attempt, but it wasn't heading in the right direction. "Oh, Jesus Christ on a unicycle."
"And um... the Gelth Confederacy... as... uh... sanctioned... by the Mighty Jagrafess and... ooh, the Daleks! Now, leave this planet in peace!" When she was finished, she realised that it hadn't gone as well as she planned. So, she whispered to herself, almost futilely. "In peace."
They took almost no notice, and laughed, it boomed and echoed the room. "Zu gan gan frak jil ay."
Alex translated. "You are very, very funny."
"Zu gan chak, chifuki!"
"And now you're going to die..."
Instantly, Harriet cried out. "Leave her alone!"
"Don't touch her!" Mickey scrambled, attempting to grab onto her, but there was a Sycorax taking hold of him.
"Look, I apologise for my friend. She's just trying to help." EJ stepped forwards, weaving his way through to stand by Rose. His voice tremored, but he wouldn't let it stop him as he stared the only maskless creature. "She's not qualified for this, none of us are, but you cannot be on this planet. This planet has done you no harm. Please, leave us."
"Zu gas gil fayna."
"Did you think you were funny with your stolen words?"
"Gora ve Sycorax!"
"We are the Sycorax." It was hard to hear the original when Alex was translating. "We strike in the darkness. Next to us, you are but a wailing child. If you are the best your planet can offer as a champion..."
"Then your world will be gutted."
"Then your world will be gutted..." Alex repeated it, not realising that the Sycorax had started to change the way they were speaking.
It was only when they both spoke that EJ's ears pricked. "And your people enslaved."
"Hold on," He furrowed his brows. "That's English."
Harriet agreed. "He's talking English."
"You're talking English." Rose grinned.
EJ smiled, widely, relived. "Oh, thank God, it's English."
The Sycorax spat at them, furiously. "I would never dirty my tongue with your primitive bile."
The Thompson boy could scarcely hide his growing grin. "I mean you say that..."
"But that's English." Rose was almost jumping up and down. "Can you hear English?"
Mickey confirmed. "Yeah, that's English."
"Definitely English." Alex agreed because his translator was no longer doing him any favours.
"I speak only Sycoraxic!"
"If I can hear English..." She pondered, eyes widening at the same time that EJ's mind whirred at a million miles an hour.
The energy was bursting out of him, bouncing on the spot. "Please, please, come on, come on..." His eyes were trained directly on the Tardis as he hoped and prayed. "Please, please, please!"
"Then it's being translated." Rose's heart began to beat faster. "Which means it's working. Which means..."
Now, everyone was staring at the blue box, and they were all hoping for the very same thing. And though it all happened very quickly, it happened all the same. The doors opened from the inside, revealing a man, who wasn't really a man, still dressed in pyjamas.
There was a smug grin on his face, almost relaxed in such a tense environment. "Did you miss me?"
It took everything in EJ not to embrace the Doctor right then and there. He had so many things to say, but it was obviously not the time. The Sycoraxic leader was offensive, and didn't waste time making quips, instead choosing to lash an electric-charged whip at him. A warriors cry confirmed its purpose, but the Doctor never seemed frightened.
His hand clasped the tail firmly, and yanked it from the creature's grip. Then, he tossed it aside. He didn't have a use for it, and it was best in no one's hands. There might be a place in the Tardis for him to keep it out of harms way.
"You could have someone's eye out with that!"
The Sycorax jabbed a crook at the Doctor instead, but found it taken from his grip, too. "How dare-"
"You just can't get the staff." He snapped it over his knee in one blow, destroying it. "Now you just wait, I'm busy."
It was no secret that the Doctor was a bit all over the place right about now. His mind worked faster than anyone on a bad day, but presently, he was in pique condition. His oddly authoritarian tone took EJ by surprise, even more so when it switched back into the more fun-loving tone that he was acclimatising to. It was like audio whiplash.
"Mickey, hello." He grinned. "And Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North. Blimey, it's like This Is Your Life. Tea! That's all I needed, a good cup of tea, a superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin. Just the thing for healing the synapses. Now..." He turned to EJ and Rose, deadly serious, which only made the Thompson boy worry. "First things first, let's be honest... how do I look?"
A hundred words instantly flashed inside EJ's mind. None of them were appropriate. Yet another reason he was grateful for Rose's presence.
"Um..." She stalled, trying to think of a good word. Then, she found it. "Different."
"Good different or bad different?"
Before he could stop himself, EJ blurted. "Good different."
"Just different." She responded, almost sheepishly.
Then, as if the last topic didn't matter, the Doctor moved on. "Am I... ginger?" He seemed to care more about this than the rest of his looks... it was an interesting request.
Rose shook her head. "No, you're just sort of brown."
"Oh, I wanted to be ginger. I've never been ginger. And you, Rose Tyler." He pointed at her, accusingly, starting to pave back and forth. "Fat lot of good you were! You gave up on me. Ooh, that's rude. Is that the sort of man I am now? Am I rude? Rude and not ginger?"
EJ wanted to laugh, but he didn't. "You're not rude."
"EJ Thompson!" He pointed towards the black haired boy now, but it was more cheerful. "You carried me, didn't you? That was weird. I felt that... three times?"
"Yeah..." He smiled back. "Three times."
"I'm sorry, who is this?" Harriet stared at the Doctor like he was a complete stranger.
"I'm the Doctor." He replied, almost upset that he wasn't being recognised.
Rose agreed. "He's the Doctor."
"Very much the Doctor." EJ nodded.
"But what about my Doctor? Or is it a title that's just passed on?"
"Give him a break." The Thompson boy retorted before he'd really thought. He'd just back chatted the prime minister. "He's not James Bond."
"I'm him." The Doctor stepped towards her, sincerely. "I'm literally him. Same man, new face. Well, new everything."
"But you can't be."
"Harriet Jones." He said her name like he was reminiscing one of his greatest memories. "We were trapped in Downing Street, and the one thing that scared you wasn't the aliens, wasn't the war, it was the thought of your mother being on her own."
Suddenly, she gasped. "Oh my God!"
"Did you win the election?" The Doctor asked, still a little out of the loop.
Her response was a wide grin. "Landslide majority."
After waiting so long, the Sycorax leader finally spoke again. "If I might interrupt..."
"Yes, sorry." The Doctor acknowledged him, and nodded, turning back towards the vast numbers against them, stuffing his hands in the front pockets of the dressing gown. "Hello, big fella."
"Who exactly are you?"
"Well, that's the question." He smiled, which only made everything feel that little bit calmer. EJ felt like he knew this man, Doctor or not.
He growled, voice booming. "I demand to know who you are."
Naturally, the Doctor mimicked in response. "I don't know!" When he reverted back to his usual tone, he shrugged, nonchalantly. "That's the thing. I'm the Doctor, but beyond that, I just don't know. I literally do not know who I am."
EJ understood, more than most. There was a long time where he didn't know who he was supposed to be anymore. In that time, he learnt more about himself than ever before. This was the Doctor's chance to relearn everything about his life. The boy would be damned if he missed a moment of it.
"It's all untested. Am I funny? Am I sarcastic? Sexy?" For a moment, he turned his head back, and winked their way. Rose began to blush, but EJ just smirked. "A right old misery? Life and soul? Right handed, left handed? A gambler, a fighter, a coward, a traitor, a liar, a nervous wreck?" He stepped through them like they hadn't been captured. "I mean, judging by the evidence, I've certainly got a gob. And how am I going to react when I see this?"
At the other side of the ship, where the Doctor had meandered over, was an orb. It sat on top of a pedestal, sort of misty, and unclear. Why he hadn't noticed it before, EJ didn't know, but the fact that he kept missing so many clues was beginning to annoy him.
"A great big threatening button." He ran over to it, without much warning, and the others followed, curiously. "A great big threatening button which must not be pressed under any circumstances, am I right? Let me guess, it's some sort of control matrix. Hold on, what's feeding it?"
The pedestal opened like a cupboard, and the Doctor wasted no time in investigating. He dipped his finger into an unknown substance before he even questioned it.
"What have we got here? Blood?" Then, he tasted it, and EJ winced. "Yeah, definitely blood, human blood, A Positive, with just a dash of iron." It mustn't have tasted nice, because he stuck his tongue out. "But that means... Blood Control. Blood Control! Oh, I haven't seen Blood Control for years! You're controlling all the A Positives! Which leaves us with a great big stinking problem. Cos I really don't know who I am. I don't know when to stop. So, if I see a great big threatening button, which should never, ever, ever be pressed, then I just wanna do this!"
"No!" Rose cried out, just before his hand slammed down on the button, but it was too late.
The Sycorax leader was almost smiling as he spoke. "You killed them!"
EJ froze. If they were dead, then Zoë no longer had a boyfriend. If they were dead, Taylor no longer had a fiancé. His friends would be heartbroken, and it would be the fault of the Doctor.
"What d'you think, big fella?" The Doctor replied, practically smug. It didn't make any sense. "Are they dead?"
Forced to speak, the Sycorax gritted its teeth. "We allow them to live." The Thompson boy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Allow?" The Doctor scoffed. "You've got no choice! That's all blood control is, a cheap bit of voodoo. Scares the pants off you, but that's as far as it goes." He began to wander around, spinning off on a tangent. "It's like hypnosis. You can hypnotise someone to walk like a chicken or sing like Elvis, but you can't hypnotise them to death. Survival instincts too strong."
"Blood Control was just one form of conquest." They retaliated. "I can summon the Armada and take this world by force!"
"Well, yeah, you could. You could do that, course you could. But why? Look at these people. These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet, and blinking, step into the sun... there is more to be seen, than can ever be seen, more to do than... no, hold on. Sorry, that's the Lion King." He pushed himself up from a rock where he was leaning. "But, the point still stands. Leave them alone."
"Or what?"
"Or..." The Doctor pondered momentarily, before drawing the sword of one of the Sycorax and sprinting in front of the leader. "I challenge you!"
They cackled with laughter, clearly underestimating the Doctor. It was only to be expected. He was still dressed in pyjamas, and EJ knew the effect that had on people. It was one of his favourite things to wear, purely because people would forget he was there. Only, the Doctor naturally made a spectacle of himself, so it was slightly different.
"Oh, that struck a chord." He mumbled. "Am I right that the sanctified rules of combat still apply?"
As he removed his dressing gown, throwing it to EJ, the Sycorax drew its sword. "You stand as this world's champion?"
"Thank you. I've no idea who I am, but you've just summed me up. D'you accept my challenge or are you just a cranak pel casackree salvak?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows tauntingly, almost enjoying the chaos.
They raised their swords, blades prepared to touch the ceiling. Then, they kneeled, like a knight might to receive a blessing from the monarch. The Sycorax only spoke once to confirm, to which the Doctor confirmed.
"For the planet?"
"For the planet."
It was the Sycorax who struck first. Their blades clattered against one another, ringing out as the Doctor swung. He stumbled, and they laughed at his misstep. It didn't stop the Doctor from swiping at least twice more before losing his balance. He was susceptible to attacks; it made EJ worry more than he cared to admit.
Rose called out to him, in panic. "Look out!"
The Thompson boy laughed. "Really?"
Even the Doctor, who was quite clearly occupied, had time to criticise. "Yeah, that helps. I wouldn't have thought of that otherwise. Thanks."
As he clambered back up his feet, the Sycorax elbowed the Doctor in the ribs. It pushed him backwards towards a wall, and directly left to a button. It was clear to EJ that he had a plan, finally, something they had been waiting on for quite some time.
"Bit of fresh air?"
The outside of the ship was exactly how it looked from the ground. All sort of rocky, and bland. However, there was no sort of barrier or fencing at the edge; just a heavy drop to their death. The Doctor needed to ignore that it was there, EJ did too, otherwise he would start to panic.
They continued to fight. The Sycorax was obviously more skilled than the Doctor, but he was much faster. It was only half an advantage, really, because power almost always came out on top, and it was unclear who that was. It only seemed to get dangerous when the Doctor received a blow to the face and Rose dove forwards.
EJ clasped her hand as the Doctor warned. "Stay back! Invalidate the challenge and he wins the planet."
The next phase of their battle didn't last half as long as they thought it might. The Sycorax pushed the Doctor towards the edge, and despite all of his strength and energy, his back was against the ground, hanging over London from a height. His blade swung down as he lay helpless, and quickly sliced off the Doctor's sword hand. Both appendage and weapon dropped.
He looked at himself in disbelief. "You cut my hand off!"
"Jah! Sycorax!"
"And now I know what sort of man I am." He stood, facing them, with only one hand. Yet, there was not a trace of worry. "I'm lucky. Cos quite by chance, I'm still within the first 15 hours of my regeneration cycle, which means I've got just enough residual cellular energy to do this..."
The Doctor held up his stump, and they watched as it glowed the same sort of golden that he had been breathing out. Then, from it, grew a hand. From nothing, the Doctor grew himself a new hand, and EJ was in awe of it. His brother would have killed for such a talent. Then again, it didn't seem to be something he could do on command. He always left the Thompson boy with questions he couldn't answer himself.
The Sycorax hissed at him. "Witchcraft."
He just smiled, smugly. "Time Lord."
"Doctor!" They seemed distracted, so Rose took the opportunity to nick one of the swords from another guard, and throw it over to him.
He grabbed it with ease, but it made him smile. "So I'm still the Doctor, then?"
"No arguments from me."
EJ grinned, his teeth bared brightly. "Definitely not."
"Wanna know the best bit?" They waited expectantly for some sort of answer. "This new hands... it's a fightin' hand!"
From then, ironically, it seemed as if the Doctor had the upper hand. There was much more conviction to his moves, and suddenly, he was pushing the Sycorax further. He managed to take the sword rather swiftly, stabbing the creature, and kicking him to the ground. Now it was his body lying over the edge.
It was interesting, the way that parallels naturally occurred in life. The Doctor could have died. He should have died. But it was the Sycorax's turn.
"I win." Said the Doctor, and looked to them, blankly.
"Then kill me."
"I'll spare your life if you'll take this champion's command. Leave this planet and never return. What do you say?"
It considered for a moment, but quickly agreed. "Yes."
The Doctor would do nothing if it was just a promise with nothing to compare. "Swear it on the blood of your species!"
"I swear!"
He let the Sycorax go, and within moments, he was happy once again. His emotional dexterity was giving EJ whiplash, but he was just glad to have the Doctor back. "There we are. Thanks for that. Cheers, big fella."
"Bravo!" Harriet cheered, excited, as he stabbed the sword into the stone.
"That says it all." Rose clung to his arm, handing him back the dressing grown as they went to walk back inside. "Bravo!"
"Yeah." EJ agreed, shrugging. "Bravo."
"Not bad for a man in his jim-jams." He grinned at them. "Very Arthur Dent. Now, there was a nice man. Hold on, what have I got here?"
"An orange..." The black haired boy trailed as he saw the fruit revealed from his pocket.
"A satsuma!" The Doctor corrected. "Ah, that friend of your mothers, he does like his snacks. But doesn't that just sum up Christmas? You go through all those presents, and right at the end, tucked away at the bottom, there's always one stupid old satsuma. Who wants a satsuma?"
"Wouldn't know." EJ shrugged, nonchalantly, as the Doctor threw the fruit up and down in his hand, like it was a game. "I didn't celebrate Christmas 'til I was 15, and even then, you brought the gifts, I think."
They heard a Sycorax roar, but before they could turn around to see who was chasing them, the Doctor threw the satsuma. It hit against a button by the opening, and the ground split, retracting, as the creature fell to its death. There was no way it would survive, and it was sure to be dissected eventually. EJ didn't envy it at all.
"No second chances." He said. "I'm that sort of a man."
When they marched back to the Tardis, everything felt odd. There was more control now, they had the upper hand. The Doctor stood in front of them, as he spoke, stating his case. Though, not once did he plead.
"By the ancient rite of combat, I forbid you to scavenge here for the rest of time. And when you go back to the stars and tell them of this planet, when you tell them of its riches, its people, its potential... when you talk of the Earth, then make sure you tell them this- it is defended."
The Doctor stood by the Tardis, the others gathered around him, when the teleport transcended down onto them. Within a moment, they were back on solid ground, around the back of the Powell Estate where they had been not too long ago. EJ couldn't have cared less where he ended up, as long as it was Earth.
Rose paused for a moment before asking. "Where are we?"
"We're just of Bloxham Road." Mickey said with a sudden realisation, jumping up and down with excitement. "We're just around the corner! We did it!"
"Wait a minute, wait a minute." The Doctor halted him as they watched the ship fly away and out of the atmosphere. Only then, he grinned. They were in the clear.
"Go on, my son! Oh, yes!"
"Yes," Rose sighed in relief as she jumped onto his back. "Don't come back!"
"It is defended!" Mickey quoted the Doctor, obviously impressed.
They hugged a lot, the group, but there was no way that EJ could get out of it. So, first, he tackled the Doctor. His arms tightened around the Time Lord, enjoying having a friend a little closer to his height.
"Thank you, Doctor." He sighed into the man's shoulder, finally able to breathe a little more normally.
His brows furrowed. "For what?"
"For getting us home, for making sure I can see my son tonight, for waking up." The boy listed, smiling at the Doctor. "I didn't think you'd come back to us."
They grinned at each other, just as they had before, and it was as if nothing had changed. "Course I'd come back to you."
EJ wished that he could say more, but Harriet Jones still had so much she wished to get off her chest. "My Doctor."
"Prime Minister!"
They hugged, and she sighed, practically in love in more ways than one. "Absolutely the same man. Are there many more out there?"
"Ooh, not just Sycorax." Said the Doctor as he followed her gaze to the sky. "Hundreds of species, thousands of 'em. And the human race is drawing attention to itself. Every day, you're sending out probes, messages and signals. This planets so noisy. You're getting noticed. More and more. You'd better get used to it."
"Rose!"
"Mum!"
As they turned their heads to see Jackie running towards them, the Doctor hummed. "Talking of trouble."
"Oh, my God!" She sighed, embracing not only her daughter, but Mickey as well. EJ watched for a moment, glad that they were comfortable with each other, until she beckoned him over too. "Come on, love. You must be knackered."
He wished that his mother was as loving as Jackie, or at least half as warm. Rose was bouncing up and down, still. "We did it, Mum! You did it too! It was the tea! Fixed his head!"
"That's all I needed!" The Doctor smiled, brightly. "Cup of tea!"
"I said so!"
Rose could hardly contain herself. "And look at him!"
"Is it him, though? Is it really the Doctor?" Jackie asked, but the answer was obvious for them. They'd just watched as he saved the world. "Oh my God, it's the bleeding prime minister!"
"Come here, you!" The Doctor embraced her, and the others joined suite, but it didn't stop her questions.
"Are you better?"
When EJ remembered this day and all of its wonders, he was always confused to why the Doctor didn't answer. It was a perfectly reasonable question, but the Doctor just smiled. He was distancing himself from the emotion, but it didn't make sense. He didn't want people to care about him. But they did.
That was when the beams of light shot up above London and straight into the sky. Five points joined together into some sort of super laser, the ship never stood a chance. Within moments, it had blasted into smithereens. It burned.
Rose seemed rattled as she queried. "What is that? What's happening?"
"Doctor?" EJ asked, turning his head, slightly concerned, but a little softer. "What happened?"
The Doctor replied, but it was cold and harsh. "That was murder."
"That was defence." Harriet responded, and it ensured they all knew it was her doing. "It's adapted from alien technology, a ship that fell to Earth ten years ago."
"But they were leaving!"
"You said yourself, Doctor, they'd go back to the stars and tell others about the Earth. I'm sorry, Doctor, but you're not here all the time. You come and go. It happened today. Mr Llewellyn and the Major, they were murdered, they died, right in front of me while you were sleeping. In which case, we have to defend ourselves."
"Britain's Golden Age." He barely mustered the will to spit the words.
She, however, didn't seem remotely bothered. "It comes with a price."
"I gave them the wrong warning. I should have told them to run as fast as they can, run and hide. Because the monsters are coming. The Human Race."
EJ could feel his chest sink, drastically. There was something about the word monster. It revolted him. Perhaps it was the fact that the first girl to see him shirtless after it happened took one look at him, and that was the word she used. Monster. That was forever him, in her eyes.
"Those are the people I represent." Harriet countered, her face remaining strong. "I did it on their behalf."
EJ wanted to run at her, and scream. She didn't represent him. Not in the slightest. But the Doctor had it all under control. The boy could see it in his eyes. "And I should have stopped you."
"What does that make you, Doctor? Another alien threat?"
"Don't challenge me, Harriet Jones, cos I'm a completely new man." He stepped towards her, threateningly. His voice quietened, but EJ still listened to the whole event. "I could bring down your government with a single word."
She laughed. "You're the most remarkable man I've ever met. But I don't think you're quite capable of that."
"No, you're right." It was odd, that he agreed. "Not a single word. Just six."
"I don't think so."
"Six words."
"Stop it!"
"Six."
The Doctor dealt no more with Harriet Jones from that day forth, but he did one more thing with her in mind. Alex had been stood behind her, communicating with base, so that was who he spoke to. He whispered something into Alex's ear, and then walked away.
Whilst EJ never knew what he said, part of him was thankful for it. England could move on, the world could move on. She was holding them back. Even as they walked together, back to the flat, as a five, she called for him. For her Doctor.
That man had died long before the regeneration.
The Doctor said that he would meet them back at the flat; he wanted to get out of the pyjamas and into something a little more flattering. However, Jackie made a point of inviting them all for a Christmas supper. After everything she had done for him in the past day or so, EJ could hardly turn her down.
Angel and the boys would be able to get over it in a heartbeat- but Josh wouldn't. He was five. Five year olds didn't have a concept of duty.
"Aren't you coming in, love?" Jackie asked him as they stood outside her flat. His fingers were playing with the hinges on his flip phone.
EJ found himself stumbling before he even began. "Just a minute, Jackie. I've got plans with someone to cancel."
"Just one person?" She questioned, and he nodded. "Go on then, invite them over."
"Are you serious?" The Thompson boy could hardly believe his luck. "Cause it's not a funny joke, you know."
"Yeah, just make it quick. Ovens been on for hours."
One short phone call ensured that Zoë would bring Josh around the house. With a little prompting, she also handed over a Christmas jumper so that the father and son duo could match. It was all very adorable.
As they climbed up the stairs, EJ took Josh's hand in his own. It was so small, and he felt so fragile. Sometimes he had to remind himself that Josh wasn't going to break.
"Beanie?" He looked up. "Do you remember my new friends?"
"Wose?"
"Yeah, Rose." EJ nodded, his cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. "And the Doctor. You remember them?"
"Yeah."
"Did you like them?"
Josh's smile turned into one big enthusiastic movement. "Yeah! They were tall!"
"They are." Some of the stuff he came out with was amazing, but this was not one of them. It was adorable, however. "We're gonna eat with them today, yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"And some of Rose's friends too."
Josh's face never faltered as they reached the flat, and they spent a moment there before he spoke again. "Uncle Angel... he eats with us too."
"Uncle Angel is working today, Baby." EJ regretted saying it, but Josh just nodded, like he'd forgotten what they were talking about. "Do you want to meet everyone?"
"Mm... Kay!"
The Thompson boy pushed the door open to see that everyone was already by the kitchen, helping out. The Doctor had yet to arrive, he must have still been in the Tardis. It was one less conversation to have; why he looked different. Maybe, Josh wouldn't ask, maybe it didn't matter as much as everyone thought.
Rose bound around the corner to greet them, and smiled as she saw Josh stood there. They hugged, and laughed, and when she got the chance, she leant over to EJ.
"I tried warning Mum, but she was having a panic about the carrots so I don't think she was listening."
He sighed, grinning. "Thanks, anyway."
"Mezzy Kistmas!" Josh shouted to her as she walked away, waving.
She waved back and responded in much the same way. "Merry Christmas!"
"EJ?" Jackie called through from the kitchen. "Is that you back? Is your guest here? Are they allergic to anything? Do they need-" She moved out of the room to see the black haired boy, and a short, blonde child by his legs, holding onto him. "A high chair?"
"Jackie, this is Josh." He said, awkwardly. "Josh."
She stared at him for a moment, but it didn't seem like Josh was staying still as he stepped towards her and waved. "Hi."
"Hiya, sweetheart." Jackie replied warmly. It made him a little less nervous.
"Jackie is Rose's mam."
"Ah!"
Mickey appeared just when things seemed to be settling, and EJ sent him the sort of look which forced chills to run down his back. There was no way he was going to ruin this day for anyone, especially not his son. Thankfully, he didn't ask anything. He stayed silent. It was for the best.
When the door opened, things were a little different. The Doctor was there, but he was no longer in pyjamas, or clothes which didn't look like his own. Instead, he wore a brown suit with pinstripes down it, a tie, and dirty white converse to bring it all together. The leather trench coat was a bonus.
He looked like himself, and yet, different entirely. A remarkable achievement. But, there was only one thing running through EJ's mind. One word.
Doctor.
Whatever doubts he might have had, vanished. This was the Doctor. This was his Doctor. It didn't matter how many people met him, knew him, owed him, loved him. This was his Doctor. The Doctor who looked after them, despite the cost.
Just as EJ had suspected, Josh didn't care that the Doctor sported a new face. Instead, he was more bothered about the peas on his plate touching the carrots. He sat at the head of the table, Rose and EJ on either side of him. And though the Thompson boy had a chosen family, this certainly felt like a real one. As real as he could recognise.
They did all of the usual Christmas activities that would be expected. Crackers were pulled, bad jokes were told, and there was a pile of Brussels sprouts left in the centre of the table by the end of the night, to no one's surprise. They even wore paper hats, though Josh's turned into more of a necklace when he tilted his head ever so slightly.
The tv played in the background; Harriet Jones was being questioned about her health. The accusations had come out of nowhere, but EJ would have bet the Doctor had something to do with it. For a women he once liked, it was amazing how swiftly his opinion changed.
And then, Jackie got a phone call. She was quick to answer, and quick to talk to everyone else than the person on the other side of the line.
"It's Bev. She says go look outside."
Rose furrowed her brows. "Why?"
"I dunno, just go outside and look." She hurried them, pushing away the table. "Come on, shift!"
"Daddy?" Josh pulled at EJ's jumper. "Can we go?"
"Coat, hat and gloves first, Joshy." Was his response, already helping him down from the chair. "You'll get a cold, and then Mummy will kill me."
They wasted no time in covering themselves in winter-clad clothing just so they could go inside. But when they did, they saw the most beautiful thing. It was snow. A White Christmas. It was almost unheard of.
The Doctor and Rose were stood by the Tardis together, and talking about something. Naturally, EJ would have joined them, but Josh was running all over the place. He threw himself into the snow to make angels, and it was hard to resist. EJ picked up his son, and ran around with him, like he was an aeroplane. All the while, he could hear parts of their conversations.
Mickey was looking at his feet. "You're never gonna stay, are you?"
"There's just so much out there." Rose shrugged, her eyes full of wonder. "So much to see. I've got to."
"Yeah."
"Well, I reckon you're mad." Jackie replied, airily. "The three of you. It's like you go looking for trouble."
The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulder like they had been friends for years. "Troubles just the bits in between. It's all waiting out there, Jackie. Everything's brand new to me, all those planets, creatures and horizons. I haven't seen them, yet. Not with these eyes. And it is gonna be... fantastic!"
He outstretched his hand for Rose to take, his fingers wiggling. "That hand of yours still gives me the creeps." Even so, she took it, and looked to him with wonder. "So, where are we gonna go first?"
"Um... that way. No, hold on." He directed his finger towards the starts. "That way."
"That way?"
"Mmh... you think?"
"Yeah." She grinned, wistfully, like nothing would ever happen. "That way."
As they stood there together, EJ looked at them. For a moment, his eyes caught the Doctor's, and they beamed at one another. It was like being in a crowded room, and seeing the person you love most. In that moment, EJ knew that he was making the right choice. Only, it was ruined when Josh plummeted him with snowballs.
When his son was a little more tired, and Rose was keeping him occupied, EJ stood by the Doctor, and leant against him. Perhaps he shouldn't have been. Perhaps it was a little bit too comfortable of him. Yet, neither of them complained, or stopped to change it.
"So..." The Doctor trailed, half looking the the taller man. "Are you coming?"
Suddenly, EJ became nervous. He'd never given it a second thought, but if the Doctor was, then maybe he should have. "Why? Do you not want me to? Cos I can stay, I just... I thought... maybe I shouldn't have..."
"No, I want you to stay." The Doctor looked at him, honestly. "I'd love for you to stay."
"Oh," He replied, rather pleasantly surprised. "Okay."
"Do you not want to come?"
Suddenly, it felt like it was a few days ago. The Doctor was asking if they wanted him to change back. The answer was no. Although, this was only a little bit different.
"I do." He nodded. "I really do. I'll need to drop Josh off with his Mum, but then... then I'm ready to go."
The mere idea that the Doctor still wanted to travel with him made everything feel a little calmer. However, there was still one thing that he needed to know. Part of EJ felt bad for continuing to ask similar things, but if he stopped, then he would never be able to forgive himself.
So, he asked. "Doctor?"
The man turned back to him, content, and smiling. "EJ?"
"Did you mean what you said when you called us... monsters?" His throat was dry as he asked. Almost like he was going to cry. The water welling in his eyes was confirmation enough. "The human race."
Perhaps he should have known better, the Doctor, but then he understood. He could see it in the way that EJ held himself, in the way that he protected his son, in the way that he dressed, that EJ Thompson didn't think of himself as beautiful. Never once had he seen himself that way. In fact, some of the time, he could hardly bare to look himself in the mirror. Sometimes, he didn't feel remotely human, never mind beautiful.
It was a throw away comment. The Doctor should have known better. EJ was traumatised from his childhood, and they were friends, and he should have known better.
"No. No, of course not." He took EJ's tattooed hand, and held it, tightly, and close. "I meant that people make awful decisions, monstrous decisions."
"Okay."
"You're not a monster, Ezra." The Doctor promised, and for that time, he allowed himself to believe it. Just for that time. "You're not a monster."
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Disclaimer!!!
I do not own Doctor Who, it's characters and original storylines. The only things I do own are my own characters, my addition to the series and my own storylines. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental.