infinitum tenens (The Sentry Reports Book 2)

The Christmas Invasion

"Jackie?" the Emissary called as she walked into the Tyler flat. "I'm just heading down to the market, is there anything you need?" There was no answer. Frowning, the Emissary walked into the living room to see Jackie staring sadly at a present.

"Is that for Rose?" she asked. Jackie nodded. The Emissary didn't comment, but something on her face must have shown as Jackie looked at her.

"I'm telling you, she's alive," Jackie insisted. "You and Mickey, you can doubt it all you want but a mother knows. Rose is still alive."

"Alright," the Emissary sighed, letting it go. "Anything from the market?" Jackie shook her head and the Emissary left.

She just left the building when she paused, a familiar wheezing noise reaching her ears.

"No," she breathed. "Can't be."

She took off in the direction of the sound.
~~~
Mickey looked up from the car he was working on when he heard the wheezing of the TARDIS. "Hey, turn that down," he told his coworker. "Turn it off, Stevo. Turn that off! John, shut up!"

He grinned when the wheezing became clearer and ran out of the garage.
~~~
Jackie looked up as the wheezing seeped into the flat, her face breaking into a smile. Quickly, she ran downstairs.

"Mickey!" she called as she saw the man running in the same direction.

"Jackie, it's the Tardis!" he told her.

"I know, I know, I heard it," Jackie nodded. "She's alive, Mickey. I said so, didn't I? She's alive!"

"Just shut up a minute," he said as he looked around, listening.

They stopped walking as they reached the Emissary, who was staring up at the sky.

"Well, where is it then?" Jackie asked.

"There," the Emissary said after a moment, pointing up.

As the three of them watched, the TARDIS popped out of nowhere in midair. The Emissary cringed as it bounced off of three buildings and narrowly missed taking out a postal van.

"Oh no," the Emissary sighed. Jackie gave her a questioning look. She explained quickly. "He's not a great driver, but he's not that bad. Something's happened."

When the TARDIS finally landed, it knocked over a set of trash bins. The door swung open. The Emissary blinked when a skinny man with spiky hair leaned out.

Something happened, indeed.

"Here we are then," he said cheerfully. "London. Earth. The Solar System. We did it." He stumbled out of the TARDIS and grinned. "Jackie! Mickey! Emissary! Blimey!" He paused, frowning. "No, no, no, no, hold on. Wait there. I've got something to say. There was something I had to tell you, something important. What was it? No, hold on, hold on. Hold on, shush, shush, shush, shush." He swayed, smiling. "Oh, I know! Merry Christmas!"

He collapsed. The Emissary fell to her knees beside him, catching his head before it could hit the pavement. The TARDIS door opened again and Rose stepped out.

"What happened?" she asked when she saw the Doctor on the ground. "Is he all right?"

"He's fine," the Emissary assured her.

"I don't know," Mickey said at the same time. "He just keeled over." He looked away from the Doctor to Rose. "But who is he? Where's the Doctor?"

"That's him, right in front of you," Rose said, pointing. "That's the Doctor."

"What do you mean, that's the Doctor?" Jackie asked. "Doctor who?"
~~~
Between the four of them, they got the Doctor upstairs and tucked into the guest room of the Tyler flat. Jackie had found a pair of men's pajamas from... somewhere. The Emissary didn't really want to know.