The sun was just beginning to come up as the wind whipped at the strands of brown hair that dangled from underneath her blue and white bobble hat.
This was Alice Stokes’s second Christmas back in Little Pebbleford since her excursion into time and space with the mysterious time traveller called the Doctor. It had been a brief, but eventful stay with him. She had seen the most amazing wonders and then experienced the most awful and terrible things. But she still couldn’t help but smile.
“Christmas day, eh?” came a familiar voice from behind her.
She smiled and turned to face the man – a well-built, handsome, dark-skinned man with shaved dark hair. He was wearing a green coat with a scarf wrapped tightly around him.
“Merry Christmas, Quinn,” she said, smiling at him.
Quinn Maxus had also travelled with the Doctor for some time. Although his journey hadn’t started with Alice, it most certainly had overlapped it in the most bizarre and tragic way.
“I thought it was the first of every month you came up here,” he said, standing next to her and gazing across the ever-brightening panorama.
“Usually it is,” she said, narrowing her eyes as the cold morning sunlight began to appear on the horizon, “but I don’t know...I just fancied coming up here today. It’s Christmas. We should be happy to be here.”
“I think of it every day,” he said, nodding. “I think of her every day.”
“I know,” said Alice, smiling sadly at him.
“And I’ve handed in my letter of resignation,” said Maxus.
“Thought you might. I’ll miss you, you know? All the kids will as well. The school won’t be the same without you.”
“I know, I know. Ever the joker,” he smiled.
“I can’t twist your arm and make you change your mind?” asked Alice, looking up at him hopefully.
“How much further are you gonna try and twist this arm?” he laughed.
“It’s always worth a try,” she laughed with him. “I guess there’s more to you than being a caretaker.” She looked back to him. “Have you even decided what you’re gonna do? Where you’re going to go?”
“I thought I’d go travelling for bit,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets and staring towards Harry Cooper’s farm at the bottom of the hill, a small wisp of smoke rising from the chimney. “Maybe wind up in London.”
“Oooh,” she said frowning, “give me the peace and quiet any day. Too much hustle and bustle down there.”
Before meeting the Doctor, Alice had been a school teacher in Little Pebbleford. A race of aliens called the Daleks had awoken underneath her school, the Doctor had shown up, defeated them, blown up the school and then whisked her away into time and space. When she’d returned from her travels she’d wanted normality. Something familiar and something she loved doing so she stayed in Little Pebbleford to begin work at the newly-built school.
She was content and happy.
Quinn Maxus, meanwhile, had certainly had a rough road. He’d come from the future, working for an agency called the Eyeglass. A ruthless agency that outlawed all alien tech and sought to do things for the better of the Human race. Maxus hadn’t entirely held with these beliefs, but he did his duty. He had met Alice and the Doctor in the most difficult of situations – his partner, Tylaya, had secretly possessed Alice to infiltrate the Doctor’s life. Alice soon became aware of this and Tylaya took over her body. Maxus and Tylaya were remorseful for what had been done. Alice’s body eventually rejected Tylaya and the young woman had died minutes after marrying Maxus.
It had taken the both of them a long time to come to terms with what had happened, but Alice and Maxus had opted to remain friends to help each other heal.
They had both healed, but Maxus had become restless.
“Looks like Harry’s out early,” said Maxus, nodding down the hill towards the farm.
Alice frowned. Harry’s pick-up truck was coming back from somewhere and there was an item underneath a tarpaulin on the back.
“Where the hell’s he been at this hour?” said Alice.
The truck suddenly stopped with a lurch not far from the outer wall of his farmhouse. Harry got out of the driver’s seat and slammed the door angrily. He frowned as he opened up the bonnet and stared down at the engine, scratching his head.
“We should help him,” said Alice.
“He’s right next to his house,” said Maxus, “he’ll be fine.”
“Oh come on, Quinn,” said Alice, “where’s your Christmas spirit?”
Maxus sighed and nodded his head. “Lead the way.”
The walk to the farmhouse wasn’t a very long one. They passed a couple of frozen over fields before hitting a dirt track which led across to the farmhouse. As they approached the building Alice smiled at the simple white and black building. She loved her cottage in the middle of the village, but she wouldn’t have minded somewhere like this. Surrounded by nothing but fields and trees. Peace and quiet.
“Everything alright, Harry?” asked Maxus.
Harry looked up from underneath the bonnet and frowned at them. He was a man in his late 50’s. He wore a black, woolly hat, grease-stained overalls and had white, wispy hair. But he smiled when he saw Alice.
“Merry Christmas, teacher,” he said.
“Merry Christmas, Harry,” smiled Alice. “What do you have here?”
“Engine trouble,” said Harry. “It just won’t start. It was working fine half hour ago when I set off. It just cut out on me for no reason.”
Maxus pushed his way past and looked down at the engine. “Looks like an electrical failure.”
“Good job I’m near home then,” laughed Harry.
There was a shudder from the back of the truck. The three of them looked towards the item under the tarp.
“What is that anyway?” asked Alice.
“Jim called me. Asked if I’d be interested in using it as scrap metal. He found it not too far away from the construction site. Odd looking thing though.”
“The construction site of the new school?” asked Alice.
“On the top of the hill, yeah. It was down at the bottom. He’d been keeping it in his shed.”
Although a large part of the cliff that the old school had been sat on top of had been blown away, the construction workers had managed to re-landscape the site and the new school was almost complete. Alice had been working in makeshift classrooms near to the village sports hall since then.
“Can I take a look?” asked Alice.
“It’s just scrap. Some kind of machinery,” said Harry, walking to the back of the truck. “Jim’s grandson said he was gonna turn it into some kind of futuristic bird bath or something. You know what students are like.” Harry chuckled.
“Futuristic bird bath...” said Alice, slowly.
Harry reached out to the tarp and grabbed the corner and began to pull.
Alice tensed up.
“Are you okay?” asked Maxus, leaving the engine to join her by her side.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” said Alice as the tarp was slowly pulled away to reveal...
“Cover it up! Cover it up!” yelled Alice, backing away from the object. It may have been battered and damaged and pock-marked with dents, but it was unmistakable. The silver dome, the limp eye stalk, the plunger and egg-whisk-style gun and the blue hemisphere’s dotted around its lower half.
A Dalek.
“What’s up love?” asked Harry. “Odd looking thing, isn’t it?”
“You need to listen to her,” said Maxus. “Cover the bloody thing up now.”
“Do you know something I don’t?” asked Harry.
There was a shudder from the Dalek and its eyestalk momentarily twitched.
“It’s still alive,” hissed Alice. “I thought we’d got them all.”
“Got all of what? What’s going on?” asked Harry.
“This thing caused the destruction of the old school,” said Maxus. “Well, not just this one - a group of them.”
“This thing? This little pepperpot.” Harry tapped the dome affectionately and the Dalek shuddered again. Harry jumped back.
“It’s a weapon,” said Maxus. “Don’t touch it!”
“A weapon from who?”
“Ex...” came a low, gurgle of a voice from within the Daleks casing.
“Oh, Christ Almighty,” said Alice, closing her eyes and backing away. “Please not again.”
“Ex...” it came again, this time its eyestalk twitching.
“It speaks?” said Harry.
“Back away from it,” said Maxus.
“Ex-ter...”
“Three guesses as to what’s it’s trying to say,” said Alice. “We need to run! Now!”
“But it’s harmless,” said Harry, lifting its plunger arm and letting it fall limply.
“It’s not harmless!” said Alice.
“Ex-ter...min...ate...” came the voice.
“Beg your pardon, chief?” said Harry, frowning at the battered creature.
“EXTERMINATE!” yelled the Dalek, its dome swivelling to look at Harry.
Harry backed away from it nervously. He wasn’t sure what he was seeing, but something was telling him to get away from it. Then, slowly the rest of the Dalek scraped itself on the back of the truck to turn around until it was fully facing the old man.
“Harry, run!” yelled Alice.
“EXTERMINATE!” screamed the Dalek.
A bolt of bright, blue light erupted from the Daleks gun-arm and hit Harry full-force in the chest. For a moment his body went a negative colour before the blast from the gun caused him to fly backwards, landing beside the dirt track still and silent.
“Run!” said Maxus as the two of them legged it towards the farmhouse.
“We can’t hide inside,” said Alice as he grabbed her hand and guided her towards the side of the house.
“We don’t have to hide inside,” said Maxus. “We just need to get some distance between us and it.”
They turned the corner and almost slipped on the ice as they skidded to a halt. Standing there on the other side of the house was something Alice thought she’d never see again. Well, apart from the Dalek of course. She had hoped to have never seen one of them again. Standing there shining bluer than she’d ever seen it before was a police box – the TARDIS.
The pair of them stared, unblinking at the time machine as the door opened. Alice gasped. Maxus swallowed. They waited. A man stepped from the box...
A man they didn’t recognise.
“Oh,” said Alice, her face falling.
“Hello, Miss Stokes,” grinned the man. He was young – possibly in his late 30’s – with short dark hair, a beard and a long, grey coat. His eyes were shining a brighter blue than the TARDIS and he was quite handsome.
“Do I know you?” asked Alice, suddenly forgetting about the slowly resurrecting Dalek around the corner.
“Do you know me?” he smiled, and then realisation dawned. “No. No of course you don’t.”
“Are you with the Doctor?” asked Alice, looking from the man to the TARDIS behind him.
The Doctor smiled and leant against the side of the TARDIS. “Do you mean a man about ye high, bald head and looking like a game show host?”
“That’s the one,” said Alice, nodding, her eyes transfixed on him.
“No,” he said bluntly. “No, I’m not with him. That man has gone. Well,” he said, scratching at his beard, “he’s not technically gone. He’s still living on, you see.” He leaned in closer to Alice and pointed to his eyes. “He’s still here if you look hard enough.”
Alice narrowed her eyes as she stared into the bright blue of the mans eyes...and then she gasped and stepped backwards almost colliding with Maxus, who was busy looking behind him to see for any sign of the Dalek.
“Penny dropped, Miss Stokes?” asked the man, smiling at her.
“It’s really you? You’re really him? The Doctor?”
“It’s really me. I’m really him. The Doctor,” he replied, nodding his head.
“But...you’re so different. You...You’ve got hair.”
“Be fair, Miss Stokes,” said the Doctor, checking his hair was still there, “you know about regeneration. You’ve seen echoes of my other incarnations.”
“Yeah, I know, but still. It’s a bit of a shock. And you’re not bad looking either.”
“Steady,” he laughed, holding a finger up. “That’s quite enough of that.”
“Listen, you two,” said Maxus, “I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but there’s a Dalek on that pickup truck and if we’re not careful -”
“Maxus!” said the Doctor, walking past Alice and holding out his hand. “Quinn Maxus. It’s good to see you.”
“Yeah, good to see you, too,” said Maxus, taking his hand and shaking it, “but we’ve gotta deal with the problem at hand first, yeah?”
“Oh, the Dalek,” said the Doctor stuffing his hands into his coat pockets and wandering around the side of the building. “I haven’t forgotten about Pepper pot Paul over there.”
“What happened?” asked Alice. “How is it still here? I thought they were all destroyed.”
“I don’t know. It could have escaped I suppose. We don’t realistically know how many Daleks were in that shuttle, do we?” said the Doctor, wandering over to the truck. “It could have skulked out and got itself lost. I picked up a signal from here and thought I better check it out.”
“Harry said it was in his mates shed,” said Maxus.
“Hmmm,” said the Doctor, looking at the Dalek, which had now seemed have powered down again. “Where have you been hiding, eh?”
“You...are...the...Doctor,” said the Dalek slowly.
“Got it in one, chief,” said the Doctor.
The Daleks dome slowly rotated to look at him, its eye twitching. “I...escaped my...my...my craft.”
“Before the explosion?” said the Doctor, nodding knowingly. “Yes, I suppose I was a bit sloppy. I should have checked you’d all been wiped out. Let me guess? A short-range transmat?”
“That...is correct...correct...”
The Doctor looked at Alice and Maxus. “It probably randomly appeared not far from the blast zone.”
“And then wound up in Jims shed?” said Alice.
“Where it remained dormant. Until now that is.” The Doctor frowned at the Dalek. “The question is, what do I do with you now?”
“It’s dying, isn’t it?” asked Maxus. “Can’t you just push it on.”
“Is it dying though?” asked the Doctor, peering closer at the creatures slowly opening aperture on the end of the eyestalk. “Or is it just injured.”
“What does it matter?” asked Maxus. “It’s a Dalek. It needs to die.”
“It’s Christmas, Quinn,” said the Doctor. “Even I’d have trouble killing a Dalek on Christmas day.”
“I...I...we...will exterminate...y...you.”
“Ultimately,” said the Doctor, his nose almost touching the eyestalk, “I can’t allow a Dalek to remain at large.” He stepped away and folded his arms. “I’m not going to fix you. You’re damaged, but you can be repaired, but only with my help. And I’m not going to help you.”
“You...must...”
“Look at me,” said the Doctor. “I’m your sworn enemy. The Oncoming Storm. The Warrior.” He shook his head. “I’d never advocate not helping a creature in need, but for the greater good....” He sighed. “You know what you have to do.”
“It is my duty to...ex...exterminate...you.”
“And it’s my duty to make sure I stop you.”
The Doctor reached out for the Daleks dome and felt around. A few seconds later there was a click and the dome lifted up with a release of air. Or was it gas. Alice wasn’t sure, but it smelt awful.
“Doc, what are you doing?” asked Maxus.
“Giving it a helping hand,” said the Doctor, reaching into the Dalek and fiddling with something. “Ah-ha! It’s as I thought. The main cabling between the case and the creature has come loose. It needs reattaching. It won’t fix the Dalek, but it’ll give it a bit of a helping hand.”
“Are you mad?” asked Alice, looking horrified.
“Quite possibly,” smiled the Doctor, “but I’m not going to just murder this creature.”
“But you’re giving it its power back. You might not be able to beat it?”
“When have I not been able to beat them?” said the Doctor.
There was a click and the Doctor pulled his arm out quickly, the dome lifted up and flipped shut. There was a hum of power from somewhere deep in the Dalek as the dome lights began to glow brighter and brighter.
“How do you feel?” asked the Doctor.
“I...I....I am alive!” it screeched, its head swivelling to face the Doctor.
The Doctor smiled. “Your move, Dalek.”
The Dalek shifted about on the truck for a few moments as Alice and Maxus backed away. It then raised itself into the air and aimed its gun at the Doctor.
“Go on then,” he said, folding his arms.
“Doctor, no,” said Alice, grabbing his arm.
“Exterminate!” yelled the Dalek.
The gun twitched, but nothing happened.
“Did you really think I’d let you use your gun?” asked the Doctor, looking up at the hovering Dalek. “I said I’d give you a fighting chance. A fighting chance to run.”
“I do not understand.”
“Your kind – the Daleks. The most evil creatures ever created. Every fibre of who I am says I should kill you now, but I can’t? And do you know why? Because I am a Doctor. I heal. I make things better. And there’s one other very, very important reason behind why I’m letting you go.”
The Dalek looked at him. “Explain.”
“It’s Christmas. And sometimes – not very often – but sometimes....a Dalek can live.” He unfolded his arms and put them in his pockets. “So go. Get out. I’ve given you a fighting chance. See how far your built-in transmat gets you. There’s nothing for you here.”
“It is only a short-range transmat.”
“Not my problem, chief,” said the Doctor, turning away and heading towards the prone body of Harry.
“I cannot locate a focus point.”
The Doctor turned around, his face looked as though darkness itself had crept into his eyes. “Leave or Christmas is cancelled. There’s nothing for you here.”
“But I will-”
“LEAVE!” he thundered.
The Dalek twitched for a moment, looked away and then back at him.
“Remember who I am, Dalek,” he said, his eyes fixed and unblinking.
“Emergency transmat,” said the Dalek as it shook, shuddered and then disappeared leaving no trace.
The Doctor dropped to Harry and felt for a pulse. “He’s still alive.”
Later...
“Are you okay?”
Alice was standing in her dimly-lit cottage kitchen. She had been stirring her mug of tea for a little longer than was really needed. She stared out straight ahead watching the snowflakes gently fall from the orange-grey night sky.
“Sorry?” she asked, turning to Maxus.
“I asked if you were okay?”
“I think so,” she said. “I still think about her, you know? Tylaya. Sometimes I feel like she’s still in there.”
“It’s comforting to know,” smiled Maxus. “Did the Doctor say when he’d be back?”
“No,” said Alice, turning to face him. They had helped to wake up Harry, taken him to hospital and then the Doctor had disappeared inside his box, promising to return to say goodbye. “Where do you think the Dalek went?”
There was a knock on the door and Alice put her mug down and the both of them went to answer it. The Doctor was stood there, the snow gently collecting on top of his head and melting in his dark hair.
“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back,” said Alice, a smile playing on her face.
“I had to check for signs of the Dalek.” The Doctor looked sad for a moment. “I found it drifting in deep space. It’s dead.”
“So it killed itself?” said Alice.
“It didn’t have a choice, Alice,” said the Doctor. “I wasn’t going to let it go. It knew that. It also wasn’t going to survive on its own.”
“Sorry, Doc,” said Maxus, nodding sadly.
“It’s Christmas,” smiled the Doctor. “No need to be sorry. Be happy.”
“Oh,” said Alice, quickly, “are you coming in? We’re about to sit down and watch that sci-fi programme – the Christmas special. I’ve put the kettle on.”
The Doctor smiled and shook his head.
“Please,” said Maxus.
The Doctor looked at both of his travelling companions, scratched behind his ear and then nodded. “Okay. Just for an hour though.”
One hour had turned to two hours and the Doctor was on his third glass of Bailey’s. They’d sat and watched through a number of Christmas TV shows and Alice was beginning to feel sleepy.
“I really must be going,” said the Doctor, putting his glass down on the side.
“Do you have someone to get back to?” asked Alice.
“Sort of,” said the Doctor. “I’ve been travelling with a number of different people each with their own problems and issues to work out.”
“Why don’t you invite them in?” asked Maxus, looking towards the door.
“They’re not with me. I just hopped away for a few minutes. They’re sat in a cafe in 2032 enjoying coffee and cake. It’s a lovely Spring day there as well.”
“Are you happy?” asked Alice, looking at him sadly.
He slumped back in his chair. “I’ve had better days. Things have been difficult for a while now.”
Alice and Maxus looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
“I lost someone. Can you remember Caleb, my nephew?”
Alice nodded.
“It was an accident, but...well, it’s been difficult for all of us. But we’re getting there.” He got up and crossed over to the window and watched as the snow continued to land on the TARDIS. “I fear there are darker days to come though.” He shook his head and then turned to his two friends. “But how about you two? How’s the caretaking job?” he smiled at Maxus.
“I’m done with that, Doc,” he said. “It was good while it lasted, but not forever. I’m off to broaden my horizons a bit. Do something that I can get my head around.”
The Doctor smiled and then went into his inner pocket. “Maybe, if you’re in London at some point, you might want to check out these friends of mine.”
“Not Torchwood. Not Eyeglass,” said Maxus shaking his head, remembering the corrupt company he had previously worked for.
“No, no, no,” said the Doctor, “nothing like that. Ask for Roger Stark, he might be able to help. It’ll give you a chance to show the world what you’re made of.”
Maxus took the card and looked at it. “UNIT:X?”
“I’ve met some of the team. Good people. They’ll help you out.”
“Hmmm, maybe,” he said, popping the card into the back pocket of his jeans. “I fancy doing a bit of travelling first.”
“Good idea,” he said. “And you, Miss Stokes! There’s a place for you at UNIT:X.”
“Oh, no,” she said, finishing her glass of wine. “I’m quite happy teaching. I’m happy and settled.”
“She’s getting married, you know?” said Maxus.
“What? Where is he?” asked the Doctor, his eyes flitting around the room.
Alice smiled. “He’s visiting his parents in Blackburn. He’ll be home tomorrow if you want to meet him.”
“Oh, no, I’ll be long gone by then.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “But seriously, I’m happy for you two.”
“Three,” said Alice, smiling.
The Doctor looked down at her tummy and gasped. “But there’s nothing there! No bump. Nothing.”
“Only two months gone, you daft sod. I’m not showing yet.”
The Doctor laughed and gave her a hug. “You’re going the whole hog then. Husband and baby. A lovely little Stokes family.”
“Ah, except his name’s David Cooper, meaning she’s gonna be changing her name to - ”
“Alice Cooper, yes I know, Quinn,” said Alice, rolling her eyes.
“Hilarious,” said Maxus, laughing.
The Doctor gave her another hug and pulled her in tight. “I’m so happy for you, Miss Stokes. At least not everyone’s life I touch gets blown apart.”
They broke away and she looked at him sadly. “It’ll work out, Doctor. You’re a good man. It’ll always work out for you.”
He smiled and then turned to Maxus, shaking his hand. “And I’m proud of you, Quinn. How far you’ve come...”
“Thanks, Doctor,” he said.
“But I really must be going now,” he said, backing towards the door. “I have other friends out there whose lives need fixing. Holly’s needs to get her girl back and Richard needs his family back. Things to do and people to see.”
“Take care, won’t you? And don’t be a stranger,” said Alice.
“No,” said the Doctor, “I’m tired of being a stranger. You – you and Quinn and Holly and Richard and Lilly and all the others – you’re all so precious to me. And I love you all.”
He opened the door and a few snowflakes blew into the porch.
“Merry Christmas, Doc,” said Maxus.
“Merry Christmas, Doctor,” said Alice.
“Merry Christmas,” he smiled and then closed the door behind him.
Alice waited for a moment as she heard his crunching footsteps disappearing down the garden path. And then there was that familiar sound of the TARDIS; the wheezing and groaning of its old engines grinding into life. And then all was still. All was silent.
Alice turned to Maxus and smiled.
Midnight
Alice awoke with a start. Her first thought was to check her tummy. It was instinct really. And then she realised it wasn’t her body that had woke her up. It was something outside.
She rushed to the window. Somewhere over in the distance towards the park the clouds were glowing blue and something was falling from them leaving a trail of ice-white fire in its wake.
And then there was a splash of water as the object hit the pond.
She put on her dressing gown and slippers and raced out of the house making her way through the darkened streets of the village until she reached the small park with the duck pond. Sitting in the duck pound, steam rising from it was a person. The person was wearing what looked like some kind of advanced form of Kevlar body armour. It was grey and black and padded. The wrist had an overly complicated strap around it and the helmet looked like something out of Star Wars that the stormtroopers wore. It was black-grey with a black, glass visor.
“Are you okay?” asked Alice, shivering in the snow.
The figure got up out of the pond and waded to the edge.
Alice stepped back a bit as the person stepped onto the bank and then sat down on the ground. It then reached around the back of the helmet and pulled it off. Underneath the helmet was a young, female woman with long blonde hair. She must have only been in her early twenties.
“Is this Little Pebbleford?” asked the woman. She had a Scottish accent.
“It is,” said Alice, folding her arms and looking down at the new arrival.
The woman smiled. “Thank god for that.” She ran her hand through her hair and then leant back a little.
“Who are you?”
“I’m looking for the Doctor. My name’s Lilly Galloway, and I’ve come a long way to find him.”
The End
Doctor Who: Resurrection returns in January 2017 with its third and final series, kicking off with the opener "UNIT: X". More details to follow.
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