The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe
Spaceship…
The Doctor is making a phone call to the Tardis. Jared is standing next to him.
TARDIS…
"Amy. Amy? Hello? Amy, it's me, the Doctor. I'm with Jared. Hello. Bit of a situation." The Doctor said, his voice over the speaker.
Spaceship…
"Intruder alert." The computer said.
"I've got my finger on a button, which is fine, but as soon as I take my finger off the button, the spaceship is going to explode." The Doctor said,
"Doctor, it's good and bad!" Jared said, while the spaceship sparks. "The spaceship we're on is about to attack the Earth! Your fault for not stopping it. And we're able to get all smithereened. Please tell me you have a plan for us to get out of this!"
"I do. Amy, I'm going to send you the coordinates so you can fly the Tardis here and rescue us." The Doctor said.
"For god's sake! There are three flaws to that plan. We don't have the coordinates. Amy can't fly the TARDIS at all. And Amy is not even in the goddamn TARDIS. She left ages ago!" Jared said, crossing his arms.
"Oh, well. I think we just wanted a chat before all the smithereens. Merry Christmas, Amelia." The Doctor said, closing his eyes and releasing the red button.
The spaceship starts to go KaBOOM!
"Time to run, Spaceman." Jared said, annoyed.
Earth orbit…
Cannons of mass destruction protrude from the flanks of an impossibly long spaceship.
"People of Earth, you stand alone." An alien said, over the speaker.
Boom. Parts of the spaceship explode and it starts to fall apart.
"Intruder alert. Intruder alert." The computer said, over the speaker.
Spaceship…
"Intruder alert." The computer said, over the speaker.
The Doctor and Jared run along a disintegrating corridor.
"Hurry up, Doctor!" Jared said, angrily. "This is your fault!"
The Doctor sonics their way into the spacesuit storage area by an airlock, then an explosion blows half of it away.
"How is it my fault?" The Doctor asked.
The Doctor and Jared are hanging on to the end of a frayed cable.
"You had to put us on a spaceship like this!" Jared said, angrily. "Find a fucking spacesuit and get us out of here."
"Ah! It's no fair how you have a spacesuit powered by magic and song. Come here, spacesuit. Come to Doctor." The Doctor said, looking at Jared.
Another explosion blows the Doctor, Jared, and the suit into space.
Earth orbit…
The Doctor catches up with the suit and Jared catches the suit, the fanboy tosses the suit to the Doctor just before the atmosphere.
"Got it!" The Doctor said.
Country lane…
It is the late 1930s. A woman is bicycling along when she hears an Argh! and a Whumph! as something hits the ground at speed.
"Now that was a bad landing strategy for the Doctor." Jared said, looking down at the Doctor. "Thank god I managed to perfect mine."
Jared landed on the ground softly, leaving a train of music notes and water behind him, and he is right next to the crater, "Right, this looks like before World War II. Or around that time frame."
The woman falls off her bicycle into a hedge, then goes to investigate the crater in the field nearby. It contains an occupied spacesuit. And someone is wearing a futuristic suit.
"Hello? Hello? Hello, are you all right?" Madge asked, looking at the Doctor.
"Ow." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Are you hurt? Did you fall? Where did the both of you fall from?" Madge asked.
"Can you help him with his helmet?" Jared asked, looking at Madge. "He was an idiot where we came from. We were up in space."
"All right, just just let me. I don't want to hurt you." Madge said, raising the solid protective visor, then the transparent one, to reveal a lot of hair. "Oh."
"I can't see. I'm blind!" The Doctor said, worried.
"Oh no, love, no. I think you've just got your helmet on backwards. How did you manage that?"
"I got dressed in a hurry. While Jared was already dressed."
Living room…
A bespectacled young boy in pajamas is looking through a telescope.
"Cyril, what are you doing awake?" Madge asked.
His older sister is also in her night clothes.
"It's the moon's fault, apparently. It's too interesting." Lily said, annoyed.
"It's astronomy." Cyril said, happily.
"Don't make up words. He's always making up things and breathing."
"Where's your father?" Madge asked.
"In the garden." Cyril said.
"What's he doing in the garden?"
"Agriculture."
"You're not fooling anyone." Lily said, leaving the room.
"Listen, Cyril. Tell him that I've borrowed Mister Goldsmith's car. That I found spacemen in a field, possibly angels, but one of them is injured and me and his friend can't get his helmet off, so I'm having to take them into town to find a police telephone box, all right?" Madge asked.
"All right." Cyril said.
"Good boy." Madge said, leaving the room.
"Was that your mother? Where's she going?" Reg asked.
"Out." Cyril said.
Town…
There is a police box by the green. Madge stops the car by gently running into a wooden bollard.
"Ow! Did we just bump into something?" The Doctor asked.
"Nope, we didn't. Spaceman." Jared said, sitting in the back seat.
"We seemed to bump into quite a lot of things."
"Well, a lot of things get in the way. It's hardly my fault. You need to take that silly thing off." Madge said, looking at the Doctor.
"Can't. Impact suit. It's still repairing me." The Doctor said.
"Repairing you?" Madge asked.
Madge and Jared help the Doctor out of the car.
"Yeah, well, you know, that's the idea." The Doctor said.
"Won't it repair you all back to front?" Madge asked.
"No. No."
"Careful! That's a street lamp." Jared said, looking at the Doctor.
"Yes, I got that impression." The Doctor said.
"Round this way. Don't you want me to take you to hospital and have your friend visit you or something? The both of you are welcome to come to our house." Madge said.
"No, no, no. We're fine. I just need to find the, er, the key." The Doctor said.
"Do you want me to do it with a pin? I'm good with a pin." Madge said, taking out a hair grip.
"Multi-dimensional, triple encoded temporal interface. Not really susceptible to pointy things."
"Got it." Madge said, unlocking the door.
"Okay. Suddenly the last nine hundred years of time travel seem that bit less secure." The Doctor said, sadly.
"Thank you for taking care of us. You didn't have to, you know." Jared said, smiling.
"You've been very kind."
"Oh, don't be silly. It's Christmas Eve. No one should be alone at Christmas." Madge said.
"What's your name?" Jared asked. "Sorry, it's been a long day. Of running and complaining."
"Madge. Madge Arwell." Madge said.
"If there's anything that we can do for you, let us know."
"How?" Madge asked.
"I don't know. Make a wish. That usually works." The Doctor said.
"Does it?"
"It did for us. You're here, aren't you? Well, don't wait around here. Just off you go home. We'll just go and, and wait inside here."
The Doctor goes inside the police telephone box.
"Crap. That was the wrong one! Madge, do you think we can do it again?" Jared asked, looking at Madge.
Manta…
"Still can't believe it worked." Jared said, looking at Team RWBY, JNR, and Penny.
"You were the one that thought of it." Weiss said. "Using that robot."
"You could have easily done anything." Blake said. "Extending your Aura could have worked."
"But would it have lasted for hours?" Jared asked.
"I don't know." Jaune said, frowning. "Why did you fake your death?"
"Does Amy know?" Ruby asked.
"She thinks I died. So did Rory."
"Why can't you tell them?" Nora asked.
"Because I need to keep them safe." Jared said, looking at Nora.
"We helped you come up with something." Yang said. "It's the least you could do."
"How does a vacation sound?"
"Where?" Ruby asked.
"I'm thinking of Christmas."
"Christmas?" Ren asked.
"Who are you taking with you?" Weiss asked.
"Me and Team RWBY together. Like the good old days. This mother recently lost her husband." Jared said, smirking.
Outside Uncle Digby's house…
Christmas Eve outside a massive old house. Probably a Victorian rebuild of something much older.
"Is it haunted?" Cyril asked.
"Is it draughty?" Lily asked.
"Oh, this is no good. Where's Mister Cardew? He was supposed to be here." Madge said, going to knock on the door.
"Maybe it's haunted by the ghost of Uncle Digby." Cyril said.
"Uncle Digby is still alive. He's in a home in Battersea." Lily said.
"Mister Cardew!" Madge said, angrily.
"But why do we have to come here?" Cyril asked.
"Because of the bombing, stupid." Lily said, annoyed.
"I like the bombing. It's exciting."
"Will Father be here? Well, he will, won't he? You said he'd meet us at the house."
"He'll be here. Of course he will. You don't need to keep asking about it." Madge said.
Someone unbolts the door from the inside.
"Father!" Lily and Cyril said, at the same time.
"Sorry, it's the door. It's developed a fault." The Doctor said, nearby.
"Oh, hello? Mister Cardew?" Madge asked.
One of the double doors is pulled off its hinges.
"There we go. Well, come in. In you come." The Doctor said.
(Jared's POV)
Entrance hall…
Marble floor, lovely staircase up, some dustsheets.
"Watch your step." Weiss said.
"No need to worry. The back door still works." I said, putting the door back in its hole. "His fault for tinkering with it."
"Ooo. Mind if I take your bags?" Ruby asked, grabbing the suitcases.
"Thank you." Madge said,
"Thank you." Lily said.
"Thank you." Cyril said.
Ruby used her Semblance and turned into a pile of rose petals and she zoomed up the stairs, suitcases in her hand.
"Did she just…" Lily said.
"She does that." Weiss said. "We need to show you around."
"Oh no, wait!" Madge said, while the Doctor, Weiss, and I ran up the stairs. "Who are you four?"
"I'm the caretaker. You met Jared, Ruby, and Weiss." The Doctor said.
"But none of you are not Mister Cardew."
"Yup, we're not." I said, smiling,
"I don't understand. Are you the new caretaker?" Madge asked, looking at the Doctor.
"I'm usually called the Doctor. Or the Caretaker or Get Off This Planet." The Doctor said.
"Doctor, being called 'Get Off This Planet' isn't a name." Weiss said, rolling her eyes.
"Yup, it isn't." I said, grabbing Weiss' hand. "Hello, Madge Arwell."
"Hello." Madge said.
"And Cyril Arwell. And Lily Arwell. The family trio. Man, that reminds me so much of Momoko, Rena, and Kaede. I miss them. I should see those three again someday."
"Come on!" Ruby said, nearby. "There's a lot to see in this house!"
"Let's do a whistle stop tour. Take notes, there will be questions." The Doctor said, looking at the family of three.
Small sitting room…
"This is a small living room. There's only chairs here." Blake said. "It's a bit pointless without a television. At most you could read a book here. Even though I don't have a problem with it. I love reading."
"She's right. So I made some repairs." The Doctor said, pressing a button by the door and the easy chairs move around on their own.
"It's like the teacup ride at Disney!" I said, excitedly.
"I know." The Doctor said, looking back at Lily and Cyril.
Kitchen...
"Here's the kitchen." Weiss said, looking around. "I think that's a stove."
"Oh yeah." Ruby said, running to the faucets. "These are the taps."
"They're hot water, cold water, and lemonade." I said, grabbing Ruby's hand.
"Lemonade?" Cyril asked.
"I know!" The Doctor said.
Staircase…
"Staircase. It seems to have broken down. We'll have to walk up." The Doctor said.
Landing…
"I sleep up there with Jared and Team RWBY. Stay away. Beware of panthers." The Doctor said.
"Panthers?" Lily asked.
"He means Blake." I said, happily.
"She's terrifying." Yang said, looking at Blake. "As in you don't want to mess with her. Have you not seen Blake after she wakes up?"
"Cyril!" The Doctor said, looking at Cyril.
Madge's bedroom…
With a huge canopy over the bed.
"Mum's bedroom. Grown up. Your, basic boring." The Doctor said. "Basically similar to Weiss' room in Atlas. I've seen photos of it."
Children's room…
More toys than you can play with in a month.
"This is Lily and Cyril's room!" I said, excitedly. "This room is a masterpiece. It's the ultimate bedroom."
"It is." The Doctor said, running around the bedroom. "A sciencey wiencey workbench."
"There's a jungle and a maze." Ruby said.
"A window disguised as a mirror. A mirror disguised as a window."
"You're able to have late night snacks. And secretly read at night. Due to there being a selection of flashlights." Blake said.
There's a zen garden, mysterious cupboard, zone of tranquillity, rubber wall, dream tank, exact model of the rest of the house, not quite to scale. Apologies. Dolls with comical expressions…" The Doctor said.
"The Magna Carta is an interesting read." Weiss said, her hand on her hip. "Better than a foot spa. Clue is a fun game. And there's a yellow fort."
"Where are the beds?" Cyril asked.
"The Doctor couldn't fit everything." I said, happily. "Sacrifices had to be made. Like how Team RWBY tried to fit in four beds into an already cramped room. Which was their Beacon dormitory room. But this is a lot of fun for anyone."
"Beds? Bunk beds are awesome. But who needs them when you've got…" Ruby said, pulling a lever and down from the ceiling come two hammocks. "...hammocks!"
"I know." The Doctor said.
"But how do you get on?" Cyril asked.
"Watch and learn, kid." The Doctor said, taking a run, jumps, and falls right between the two hammocks.
"For God's sake!" Madge said, angrily.
"This hammock has developed a fault."
"Can you all please stop talking? Can you please just stop!"
"Sorry." I said, grabbing Ruby's hand.
"Children, go downstairs." Madge said.
"Why?" Lily asked.
"Are we leaving?" Cyril asked.
"Yes. No. I don't know. Just please go downstairs!" Madge said.
"You don't need to shout." Lily said.
Lily and Cyril leave.
"Why are you doing all this?" Madge asked.
"I'm just trying to take care of things. I'm the caretaker. And this is Jared and Team RWBY." The Doctor said, looking back at me and Team RWBY.
"That's not what caretakers do."
"So, why are they called caretakers?" I asked.
"Their father's dead."
"I'm sorry."
"Lily and Cyril's father, my husband, is dead and they don't know yet, because if I tell them now, then Christmas will always be what took their father away from them, and no one should have to live like that. Of course, when the Christmas period is over, I shall. I don't know why I keep shouting at them." Madge said.
"Because every time you see them happy, you remember how sad they're going to be, and it breaks your heart." The Doctor said.
"Mother, come and see!" Lily said, nearby.
"Mother! You've got to see this!" Cyril said, nearby.
"Because what's the point in them being happy now if they're going to be sad later." The Doctor said.
"Mother."
"Mother, are you coming?" Lily asked, nearby.
"The answer is, of course, because they are going to be sad later. Now, we'd better get downstairs. I think they may have found the main sitting room." The Doctor said.
"Mother!" Cyril said, nearby.
"I repaired it."
Main sitting room…
"Thanks for distracting them long enough." Jaune said, smiling.
A massive Christmas tree with rotating aeroplane section and lots of other cool stuff.
"We needed a lot of time." Ren said. "To set this up."
"It's the least we could do. After losing the Relic of Knowledge." Nora said, frowning.
"I know." The Doctor said.
And a very large box.
"Look at that present. It's for me." Cyril said, running up to a box.
"No, it says it's for all of us." Lily said.
"I'm the youngest. I get to open it first."
"Doesn't say who it's from. Mother, who left this here?"
The Doctor, Team RWBY, Team JNR, and I disappeared. I motioned my friends away from the Doctor.
"So, what now?" Ruby asked.
"We wait." I said, smiling. "I have a plan."
"What's the plan this time?" Jaune asked.
"Weiss, you stay with Cyril. Bumblebee, you stay with the Doctor and Lily. Ruby, you're with me and Madge."
"Why are we splitting up?" Blake asked.
"We're making sure a mother reunites with her loved one safely." I said, smirking. "Team JNR, you stay here and make sure that no one breaks into the house."
"That shouldn't be too hard." Yang said.
"Yeah." Jaune said, looking at me. "You can count on us."
(Open POV)
Children's room…
Night time. Lily and Cyril are in their hammocks.
"Lily? Lily, can you sleep? Lily!" Cyril said, angrily.
"Shut up." Lily said, annoyed.
"What do you think that present is? We could just sneak down and have a look."
"Go to sleep."
Cyril does.
Entrance hall…
Madge is lying awake clutching the telegram when Lily sneaks out of the room.
"Okay." Blake said, her hand over the earpiece. "She left the room."
"Got it." Jared said, his voice over the earpiece. "Follow her."
"Whatever you say." Yang said, her hand over the earpiece.
Blake and Yang began following Lily. Lily hears noises and she looks behind her to see Blake and Yang there.
"What are you doing here?" Lily asked, seeing lights from the Doctor's wing of the house and went to investigate with Blake and Yang. "You can start with that."
Then Cyril comes out of the room with a torch.
Attic…
The Tardis fits neatly under the eaves. Moonlight is coming in through a heart-shaped hole in the roof and the Doctor is working on a gizmo.
"You were lying about Blake being a panther." Lily said.
"Famous last words." Yang said, smirking.
"Why have you got a phone box in your room?" Lily asked. "And how can all of you fit inside this room?"
"It's not a phone box, it's our wardrobe. We've just painted it to look like a phone box." The Doctor said.
"Well, what are you doing?" Lily asked.
"Rewiring."
"Why would you rewire a wardrobe?"
"Have you seen the way he dresses?" Blake asked. "It's a bow tie."
"Who are you? Really, who are all of you?" Lily asked.
A small alarm beeps.
"Your brother, where is he?" The Doctor asked, looking at Lily.
Main sitting room...
Cyril is downstairs, untying the big present.
"Cyril?" Weiss asked, walking up to Cyril. "What are you doing?"
"Opening the present." Cyril said, opening the box and light streams out, along with some snowflakes.
Weiss and Cyril crawl inside and look out on a snow covered forest.
"Stay with me." Weiss said, looking out of the box. "Bigger on the inside…"
The box is suspended off the ground.
"Bigger on the…" Cyril said, looking back at Weiss. "What?"
Weiss and Cyril back out into the main sitting room as Lily looks into their room.
Attic...
"Still in bed, asleep." Lily said, entering the room.
"Okay. Faulty, then." The Doctor said.
Not Narnia...
"Come on.�� Weiss said. "We have to go back."
"No. I have to go." Cyril said. "You can go back if you want."
Cyril summons up his courage and goes into what is definitely Not Narnia because he didn't get there through the back of a wardrobe. Weiss crawled through the box and jumped down and she landed on the ground.
A nearby tree grows some big glass baubles.
"Where are we?" Cyril asked, looking at Weiss.
"This is a forest." Weiss said, picking up a big glass bauble, and it gets bigger in her hand.
Weiss drops it and it grows again, then begins to crack, "We have to go."
"Right." Cyril said.
Cyril and Weiss run back through the box.
Attic...
The Doctor's alarm beeps again.
"You're sure he's still in bed?" The Doctor asked.
Not Narnia...
Cyril and Weiss return to their winter wonderland.
"Cyril, I can't have you wander here alone." Weiss said, looking at Cyril.
Whatever was in the bauble has hatched and gone, leaving tracks.
"Okay. But this place is really cool." Cyril said, smiling.
Children's room…
"See?" Lily asked.
"Shush." Blake said, whipping the cover off Cyril's hammock.
"This is what Ruby used to do all the time as a kid. The old bear and comforter." Yang said, smiling. "Cyril knows his stuff."
Main sitting room…
They arrive just in time to see Weiss' hand grab Cyril's torch and she and Cyril disappear inside the box.
"Cyril! Weiss!" The Doctor said, worried.
"What's happening? I don't…" Lily said, while the Doctor, Blake, and Yang dive into the box. "What is that?"
"With me and Bumblebee. Quickly, come on."
Not Narnia…
Blake helps Lily out the other side, "That's it. You're through."
"Snow again?" Yang asked, looking around. "Solitas was full of snow. But this was as cold as where the Apathy was."
"Never mind their nonsense." The Doctor said. "Cyril! Cyril!"
Blake finds the hatched bauble.
"Where are we?" Lily asked.
"In a forest, in a box, in a sitting room. Pay attention. Cyril and Weiss are about twenty minutes ahead." The Doctor said.
"Twenty minutes?" Blake asked.
"Great…" Yang said, annoyed.
"But we just saw them." Lily said, angrily.
"Time moves differently across the dimensional planes. What do they teach you in schools these days?" The Doctor asked.
"But I don't understand where we are."
"We went through a dimensional portal." Blake said.
"Well, what's that supposed to be? Where did it come from?" Lily asked.
"It was a present, and it wasn't supposed to be opened till Christmas Day." Yang said, looking at Lily. "Jared loves winter wonderlands. Despite it being slow at times."
"Honestly, who opens their Christmas presents early?" The Doctor asked.
"Guys, I hear something." Blake said, while the forest whispers.
Further ahead, the tracks Cyril and Weiss are following are getting larger and larger.
"Cyril." Weiss said, holding her Myrtenaster. "Stay with me."
"Why do you have a sword?" Cyril asked.
"It's my weapon against Grimm."
"And what's Grimm?"
"I don't understand. Is this place real, or is it fairyland?" Lily asked.
"Fairyland? Oh, grow up, Lily. Fairyland looks completely different. Now, these are Cyril and Weiss' footprints, and these are the ones they were following. Notice anything?" The Doctor asked.
"The other footprints are getting bigger."
"By the looks of things, they're growing. The footprints. Whatever Weiss and Cyril are following." Blake said, studying the footprints.
"Well, we have to get after them." Lily said, running forward, brushing against a tree and knocking some of its snow off.
It grows baubles.
"Definitely different from our world." Yang said, enabling her Ember Celica. "It's okay, you're fine. Don't worry."
"Is that tree alive?" Lily asked.
"Of course it's alive. It's a tree." Blake said.
"But is it dangerous?"
"Every rose has its thorns. Especially Ruby."
"They're like Christmas tree decorations." Lily said, happily.
"Yeah. Naturally occurring Christmas trees. How cool is that?" The Doctor asked.
"I don't understand."
"It's a big universe. Everything happens somewhere. Call it a coincidence. Call it an idea echoing among the stars."
"It was supposed to be a nice, relaxing Christmas trip." Yang said, frowning.
"Or it should have been." Blake said. "At least Weiss is with Cyril. So he isn't alone."
"Do you know the difference between wind and trees talking to each other?" The Doctor asked.
"What?" Lily asked.
"No wind. I've been here many times, but I've never heard the trees so active. Something's wrong. What are you doing? What are you up to?" The Doctor asked, looking at a bauble and his reflection turned into the image of a wooden man. "I'm sorry, Lily, Blake, Yang, I really am, but there is something very wrong in this forest, and Cyril and Weiss are right in the middle of it."
Main sitting room…
"Lily and Cyril Arwell, where are you?" Madge asked.
Madge investigates the open box. Ruby and Jared are behind Madge.
Not Narnia…
Cyril has arrived at steps up to a door in a stone tower with a glass dome roof, "What is this place?"
"I don't know." Weiss said, holding Cyril's hand. "Be careful."
Madge has put on a coat, got a torch and followed her children through the box with Jared and Ruby, "Why are you two here?"
"We wanted to follow you." Jared said, happily.
"And protect you." Ruby said. "Better explore a forest covered in snow with others."
"Fine." Madge said. "But you have to make sure I find my children."
Tower…
Cyril and Weiss go inside the tower and the ex-heiress closes the door behind them.
"A tower?" Cyril asked.
There are no floors, just a staircase around the walls, and they can see all the way to the top.
"Better explore this place." Weiss said. "While we can."
There is also a wooden King sitting on a throne. Cyril and Weiss start to walk up the stairs. The wooden King blinks and turns his head.
Not Narnia...
"Why would you bring us to this place?" Lily asked.
"It was supposed to be a treat. This is one of the safest planets I know. There's never anything dangerous here." The Doctor said, smiling.
The ground shakes.
"You were saying?" Blake asked.
"Okay. Fine. There are sentences I should just keep away from." The Doctor said.
Tower...
Cyril and Weiss look out of a window to see a search light sweeping the forest.
"Wow…" Weiss said, in awe. "This place is…"
Not Narnia...
Whatever is making the ground shake is close to Madge, Jared, and Ruby. The metal foot of something stomps down, knocking them over.
"This tree farm is private property. You are trespassing." Droxil said, over the speaker.
Armed and armoured figures come out of the foot. One of the soiled yellow Stormtroopers scans her.
"Unarmed, sir." Ven Garr said.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Droxil asked.
"No, wait, armed! No, unarmed. Sorry, sir. They're wearing wool, sir. The natural fabrics, they interfere with the…"
"So, what now?" Ruby asked.
"We wait and see what will happen." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "It's been awhile since I last watched this adventure."
"You don't know what will happen."
"I do, it's just…"
"Oh…"
"We were just…" Madge said, sadly.
The lady Stormtrooper scans Madge, Jared, and Ruby.
"Sir, I think they're time travellers." Billis said.
"We're sure it's not the older woman's cardigan?" Droxyl asked.
"Who are you? It was Christmas." Madge said.
Madge starts crying.
The tower…
Cyril and Weiss go through an open door. It closes behind them.
"This is bad…" Weiss said, holding her rapier. "Should have seen this coming."
Not Narnia…
Meanwhile, on Weiss and Cyril's trail.
"It's just irresponsible. How can you do this to my brother and to their friend?" Lily asked.
"It was meant to be a supervised trip." Blake said, holding Yang's hand. "By the Doctor."
"To the future?"
"Yeah. The future is nice." Yang said, smirking. "Welcome to the future."
"The future on a different planet." Lily said.
"It's not that bad. It's a bit different from what you're used to."
"Where Christmas trees happen."
"They're sort of Christmas trees." Yang said, sadly.
"They're not really Christmas trees." Blake said.
Tower...
Cyril and Weiss have reached the top of the tower, where a wooden Queen is standing behind a throne, holding a circlet to place on the sitter's head.
"Stay behind me." Weiss said, looking at Cyril.
The wooden Queen blinks and looks at Cyril and Weiss.
"Okay." Cyril said, standing behind Weiss.
Outside the tower...
The Doctor, Lily, Blake, and Yang arrive at the tower.
"Oh, look at that!" The Doctor said, excitedly.
"What, are we going in?" Lily asked.
"Cyril and Weiss did." Yang said.
Tower…
"Interesting." The Doctor said.
"What's that? Is that a statue? What is it? It's like a King." Lily said.
"A King, possibly, but not a statue."
"Is it a Weeping Angel?" Blake asked.
"Y'know those statue things that send you back in time." Yang said, crossing her arms.
"No, because the Weeping Angels are made out of stone." The Doctor said. "Look at the floor. This is what Cyril and Weiss were following. The growing thing. Hatched from a bauble on a tree. Grew to this size in less than an hour, I'd say. Impressive. And so is this building. Yes. It's grown, see. This building, it isn't a building. It's a group of trees grown in the shape of a building. Disguised as a building. Ooo, clever. I love. Clever, clever old forest. So, a forest grows a building. Why would it do that, Lily, Blake, Yang?"
"I don't know." Yang said.
"Why is there honey in a honey trap?"
"Because it's a trap?" Blake asked.
"Exactly. Thing about people, we can never resist a door." The Doctor said.
"So this is a trap. What, we've just walked straight into a trap?" Lily asked.
"A people trap. Question is, why does a forest need people?"
"We should go. We have to get out of here." Lily said.
"Except?" Blake asked.
"Except Cyril and Weiss were here." Lily said, taking the Doctor's offered hand.
"So let's find Cyril and Weiss. They have to be here somewhere." Yang said, happily.
Not Narnia…
"Ma'am, please stop crying. I can't interrogate you or your friends while you're crying. This is a military engagement! There's no crying in military engagements. Corporal Ven Garr, are you…" Droxil said.
"I'm fine, sir." Ven Garr said.
"Are Weiss, Blake, and Yang safe?" Ruby asked.
"They should be." Jared said, smiling.
"Should be?"
"Fine. As long as they're in the same place."
"Which is?"
"How should I know?!"
"You did watch this on TV…" Ruby said, sadly.
"That doesn't mean I remember everything!" Jared said, angrily.
"We're going off of your memory then."
"Yeah…"
"It's okay. We'll figure something out."
"I am respecting them as women, sir. And they brought a man here." Billis said.
"Okay, we're putting our guns on the ground. Okay? Happy now? We're stepping away from our guns. Now can we interrogate you? We're from Androzani Major. The year is 5345, and we mean none of you no harm. Where are the three of you from?" Droxil asked.
"England, 1941. And there's a war on." Madge said, aiming a revolver at the Stormtroopers. "Crying's ever so useful, isn't it?"
"If you say so. But there's nothing you could say that would convince me you'd ever use that gun."
"Oh really? Well, I'm looking for my children and they're looking for their friends."
Tower stairs…
"Cyril?" The Doctor asked. "Weiss?"
They come to the door.
Dome…
"Cyril, Weiss, can you hear me?" The Doctor asked, while the wooden Queen moved to put the glowing circlet on Cyril's head.
Cyril and Weiss dodged away.
"What are you doing?" Cyril asked.
Weiss used her rapier to use one of glyphs summoning her knight into the room to protect her and Cyril.
"Calling for help." Weiss said, smiling. "Whatever that wooden thing is trying to do. It's dangerous."
"Cyril? Weiss? Cyril, Weiss, can you hear me?" The Doctor asked, nearby.
Tower stairs…
"Oh, of course. It's wood. It's rubbish at wood." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"It doesn't look like wood." Blake said.
"It's disguised wood. Have you been listening?"
"How can trees grow into a building?" Lily asked.
"Never underestimate a tree, Lily. Jared, Blake, Yang, and I met the Forest of Cheem once. She fancied me." The Doctor said,
Dome…
The Queen backs Cyril onto the throne.
"Weiss…" Cyril said, sadly.
Tower stairs...
Lily looks out of a window, "Look at that."
"Busy, actually. Yes, I know, it's wood. Get over it." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"But there are stars. There are stars coming out." Lily said.
"Yes, that does happen, Lily. Cyril! Weiss!"
"Yes, but out of the trees. What is that?"
"Life force. Pure life force, just singing." The Doctor said.
"It's beautiful." Yang said, smiling. "All of this."
"It is." Blake said. "Doesn't it make you want to cry?"
"Crying when you're happy. Good for you. That's so human." The Doctor said.
A whoosh and a light from behind the door.
"What's that? What is it? Tell me what?" Lily asked.
"Cyril, Weiss, can you hear me?" The Doctor asked.
Dome...
The Queen puts the circlet on Cyril's head.
"Cyril!" Weiss said, worried.
Weiss' summoned knight froze in place.
Tower stairs...
Downstairs, the King rises from his throne and starts up the stairs.
"Oh my god. Oh my god." Lily said.
Platform control…
"Okay, the way this feels. It's like something out of Star Wars." Jared said, happily.
A small compartment at the top of the three legged version of a Star Wars Episode V AT-AT.
"You mean when they're on the snow planet. With those walking thingies?" Ruby asked.
Billis is tying Droxil to a suspension strut.
"Yeah! And those are called AT-AT's." Jared said, smiling.
Ven Garr has already been secured.
"Of course you would know that." Ruby said, placing her hand on top of Jared's.
"What is all this? Is it some kind of cockpit? My husband's a pilot." Madge said.
"It drives the platform." Billis said.
"I don't understand! How did we get here?"
"You tell us, ma'am."
"The Chronicles of Narnia." Jared said, smirking.
"The Chronicles...isn't that a children's book series?"
"What's that?" Madge asked.
"Spoilers." Jared said, looking at Madge.
"I don't know what he is saying. But we're looking for my children and their friends." Madge said, looking at Billis.
"There is nobody else in this forest. There can't be." Ven Garr said.
"Well, they found their way in. Maybe her kids and their friends did, too." Billis said.
"Then God help them." Droxil said.
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"We can do a scan for life forms. We can detect people, even though they're far away." Billis said.
"Basically like finding a smartphone or a laptop." Jared said, as Ruby squeezed his hand. "Over WiFi and cellular signals. Sorry. Too early. Or it's millennia old. I mean radar."
"Yeah."
"Then please stop patronising me and get on with it." Madge said, angrily.
"Yes, ma'am." Billis said.
"Why did you say God help my children and their friends?"
"This forest is about to be harvested." Droxil said.
"Harvested? Why? This place is beautiful." Ruby said, sadly.
"Androzani trees. Greatest fuel source ever. The entire area is being melted down for battery fluid."
"Melted down? How do you melt a forest?"
"Acid rain. The satellites are in position. Anyone still out there in five minutes is going to burn."
Tower stairs…
"Caretaker, Blake, Yang, it's coming. Open it!" Lily said, worried.
"I'm trying!" The Doctor said, scanning the door.
"Open it!"
Yang enables her Ember Celica but her eyes widened as to what happened, "What…"
The door opens.
"Yang?" Blake asked, looking at Yang.
"That wasn't me." Yang said, her hand on her hip.
"It doesn't matter." Lily said.
Dome…
"What's wrong with him, Caretaker, Blake, Yang? Is he dead?" Lily asked.
"Don't worry." Weiss said, coming into view. "He's just unconscious. It took me a while to figure out what's going on."
"So what are you? Not a King, a Queen! The Queen Bee of the forest." The Doctor said, walking around the room.
"Caretaker, Weiss, Blake, Yang, look." Lily said.
"It's like…" Yang said, sadly.
"Like what?"
"Like the life force is leaving the forest." Blake said, frowning.
The wooden King enters.
"What are they doing? Stop him!" Lily said, terrified.
The Doctor waves his sonic screwdriver around, "Annoying aliens made of wood! It was always going to happen, you know. Er, it's okay. I think they just want to talk to us."
"They're scared. Can't you hear them? The trees are screaming. Can't you hear?" Cyril asked.
"No, but you can. You're connected to them." The Doctor said.
Platform control…
"Okay, picking up life signs about half a mile away." Billis said.
"Can we go to them? Can we move this thing?" Madge asked.
"I'm not trained, ma'am. Those two are."
"I can't trust them."
"I can't drive the platform, ma'am."
"It looks a little like a plane. My husband flies a plane. He took me up once."
"It takes years of training. Scanning for an audio connection. We might be able to hear them." Billis said.
"Acid rain alert. Five minute warning. Prepare for beam out." The computer said.
"What can we do against the acid rain?" Ruby asked.
"I don't know." Jared said, sadly. "I really don't."
"Maybe we can survive this."
"But it's acid…"
"No, no, please wait. No, what are we to do?" Madge asked.
"Evacuate." The computer said.
Billis, Droxil and Ven Garr are beamed out.
"Evacuate." The computer said.
"Where have you gone?" Madge asked.
"Acid fall in five minutes. Unauthorised personnel will be incinerated."
The audio scan finally picks up voices.
"Why have the stars left the trees?" Lily asked, her voice over the speaker.
"I think they're…" Cyril said, his voice over the speaker.
"Just concentrate. What are they…" The Doctor said, his voice over the speaker.
Dome…
"...doing?" The Doctor asked.
"Evacuating. They're evacuating." Cyril said.
"Why?" Weiss asked.
"They're frightened of the rain. The rain that burns."
Platform control...
"Caretaker, please explain. I'm frightened." Lily said, over the speaker.
"Those stars." The Doctor said, over the speaker.
(Jared's POV)
Dome…
"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 said.
"Why can't they just float up into the sky?" Lily asked.
"They need to travel inside a living thing. Inside Cyril. You see, this, it's not a crown, it's a relay. They're turning your brother into a lifeboat. That's what this place is for, then. It's an escape plan, is that it?" The Doctor asked.
"Don't hurt Cyril, okay?" I asked, my voice over the speaker. "Hello! Sorry! Using my phone to talk with you guys. Don't touch him in any way!"
The wooden Queen puts her hand on Cyril's shoulder, and he speaks with her voice.
"Your coming was foretold." Cyril/Queen said.
"Oh my God, what is that? Why did he sound like that?" Lily asked.
"Hi. Are you lip syncing. Doctor, remember Midnight?" I asked, over the speaker.
"We had faith. Your coming was foretold." Cyril/Queen said.
"There's no such thing as foretelling. Trust a time traveller." The Doctor said.
"We waited, and the both of you came." Cyril/Queen said.
"Okay, you have an escape plan. Why aren't you escaping?" Blake asked.
"The child is weak." Cyril/Queen said.
"You mean he's a child." Weiss said, frowning.
"No, he is weak. The forest cannot live in him. But there are others."
"There certainly are. And, the good thing is I look great in a hat. So, let's get this thing off, eh?" The Doctor asked.
"You are also weak."
"I'm really not. Let's save a forest, eh, Cyril?"
"You are not the one. You are weak." Cyril/Queen said.
"I'm really not." The Doctor said, taking the circlet from Cyril's head. It hurts him. "Argh!"
"Let go! Just let go! Drop it! Let it go! Please, just drop it." Lily said, sadly.
"I can't!" The Doctor said.
Lily snatches it from him. It doesn't hurt her at all.
"Oh, it's funny, isn't it. It's sort of tingly." Lily said.
"Tingly?" Yang asked.
The Queen touches Lily.
"She is strong, but she is young." Lily/Queen said.
Lily pulls away and drops the circlet.
"She's strong, I'm weak. And I assume Jared is weak and Team RWBY is strong. Interesting." The Doctor said.
"Mummy?" Cyril asked.
"Cyril, it's all right. It's me. Mummy isn't here but, we're going home to her, Jared, and Ruby right now, aren't we, Caretaker, Weiss, Blake, Yang?" Lily asked.
"That doesn't look good." Yang said, grabbing Blake's hand.
A thunder storm begins.
"I don't think so…" Weiss said, letting out a sigh.
"The rain that burns. Acid rain." Blake said.
Platform control…
"We have to get out of this forest. We're in terrible danger. This tower won't protect us for long." Weiss said, over the speaker. "I may not be Ruby. But I've learned a thing or two from her."
"Where's Mummy?" Cyril asked, over the speaker.
"She's coming. You know she's coming, because…" Lily said, over the speaker.
Dome…
"...because she always comes, doesn't she." Lily said.
"Cyril. The way we came here. That door won't stay open for ever. Now, I'm not even sure if I can get us through the forest safely, but if we're going to have any chance at all, we have to go now." The Doctor said.
"No. We wait for Mummy. Mummy always comes." Cyril said.
"I don't think so, Cyril. Your mother isn't gonna make it." Blake said.
Here comes the platform, clomping through the forest and swaying a bit too much
"What's that?" Yang asked.
"It's an Androzani Harvester, but…" The Doctor said.
"You recognise that thing?" Lily asked.
"More to the point, I think I recognise the driving. Ha ha! Madge has entered the forest!"
(Open POV)
Platform control…
"And I think she's with Jared and Ruby! Come on, Madge." The Doctor said, over the speaker.
Dome…
"You can do it. You go, girl." The Doctor said.
Platform control…
"Oh, shut up, you ridiculous oaf! Jared taught me how to control it! With some support from Ruby!" Madge said, angrily. "At least those two comforted me when I was worried about my kids!"
"Come on. This way, girl. You can do it, you can do it! Excellent driving! Hello!" The Doctor said, over the speaker.
"Caretaker?"
"Yes?"
"You're fired!"
Dome…
"Doctor, this wasn't how I wanted Christmas to go!" Jared said, over the speaker. "Next time, I want a Christmas dinner! With Team RWBY, JNR, Penny, Symphogear, and the Ponds!"
But just before Madge, Jared, and Ruby reach the window, the harvester topples sideways.
"It's okay, they're fine. Don't worry. Stay here. Just stay here." The Doctor said.
Tower…
"Madge! Madge!" The Doctor said, as Madge runs in with burn holes in her coat. "You okay?"
Jared has extended his Aura to protect himself and Ruby from the acid rain, "Never gonna do that again."
"You used up a lot of your Aura…" Ruby said, holding Jared's hand. "I think we should stay inside."
"She's right. The rain is frightful. Lily? Cyril?" Madge asked.
Dome…
"Team RWBY is back together!" Jared said, excitedly. "Sorry about all that…"
"It's fine." Blake said.
"Nothing to worry about." Weiss said.
"Besides this forest not being full of Grimm." Yang said, smiling. "It wasn't half bad."
"Something like this was bound to happen. What are those?" Madge asked.
"Stay away from it. You have to stay back." Lily said.
"That's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Mummy?" Cyril asked.
"See how it shines." Madge said.
The Queen puts the coronet on Madge.
Tower…
The Doctor scans the remains of the platform, "Nice one, Madge. A complete write off."
The stars from the forest are converging on the Tower room.
(Jared's POV)
Dome...
"The stars are going inside her. She's taking the whole forest." Ruby said, happily.
"Oh, this is marvellous. Oh, this is really quite wonderful." Madge said, smiling.
Then it ends.
"That was one thing I didn't expect today…" Blake said.
"Yeah." Yang said, frowning.
"What do we do?" Weiss asked.
"We sit back and relax." I said, leaning against the console.
"You're okay. She's okay." The Doctor said.
"She is strong." Madge/Queen said.
"Ooo. That wasn't me. This is all really rather clever, isn't it?" Madge asked.
"She's strong. She's strong. Ooo, stupid me. Stupid old Doctor. Do you get it, Cyril?" The Doctor asked.
"No." Cyril said.
"Lily, you do, don't you?" The Doctor asked.
"No." Lily said.
"Course you do. Think about it. Weak and strong. It's a translation. Translated from the base code of nature itself. You, Jared, 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." The Doctor said.
"Which means Raven Branwen, Willow Schnee, and Kali Belladonna are also candidates for this." I said, smirking.
The dome detaches itself from the tower and rises into the air.
"What's happening?" Lily asked.
"Don't know. Wasn't really too fond of this adventure." I said, frowning. "Just do what we usually do when it's a bumpy ride. Hold on tight!"
The dome zooms off into space and down a familiar corridor.
"No way." Weiss said. "This is amazing."
"Where are we?" Cyril asked.
"Technically, we're not anywhere. We've flown into the Time Vortex." Blake said.
"You've 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 my protection. Now help them. How do we get home?" The Doctor asked.
"Think." Madge/Queen said.
"Sorry? What?"
"She must only think."
"Madge, did you hear that? You said it, but did you hear it? You've got to think." The Doctor said.
"Think what?" Madge asked.
"Madge, think of home! Me and Team RWBY won't work for this. Since our home is somewhere else!" I said, looking at Madge. "We're only visiting this world. "Just picture it, feel it! You have to really feel it. Can you do that?"
"Your mind is controlling this vessel. You can fly us all back for Christmas." The Doctor said, looking at Madge.
"My head is full of trees, Caretaker. Can't you fly us home?" Madge asked.
"I don't have a home to think of. And between you and me, I'm older than I look and I can't feel the way you do. Not any more. And you really need to feel it, Madge. Everything about home that you miss until you can't bear it. Until you almost burst."
"Till it hurts. Is that what you mean, Caretaker? Till it hurts."
"Yes. Yes." The Doctor said.
Madge takes the telegram from her coat pocket, "Well then, home in time for Christmas!"
Not the smoothest ride.
"What's happening? Where are we going?" Lily asked.
"Show them! Show them! Ha! The Time Vortex. Lily, Cyril, Your mother is flying a forest through the Time Vortex. Be a little impressed. What are you going home for? What's pulling you there? Please, try. Please, think." The Doctor said.
An image of Reg holding a baby, of him in his uniform waving goodbye.
"Reg!" Madge said, happily.
"Daddy!" Cyril said, smiling.
"My Reg!"
Playing in the garden, birthdays.
"That's it, focus on Reg. Be careful, but focus on him." The Doctor said.
"Oh, I don't know." Madge said.
"How did you meet? You and Reg. Tell us how you met." Yang said.
"He followed me home. I worked in the dairy. He always used to follow me home."
"Look at Father. He looks so young." Lily said.
"He said he'd keep on following me till I married him. Didn't like to make a scene." Madge said.
"Just stay focused. Think of home. This thing, it works psychically. It'll find a signal and lock on." The Doctor said.
"Shit!" I said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "This is what happened with…"
"The Leviathan…" Ruby said, her eyes widening.
The bomber appears.
"Oh no…" Weiss said, frowning.
"No. No, please. Don't show me that. Please don't show me that!" Madge said, worried.
"Is that Daddy's plane?" Cyril asked.
"Please, I don't want to see that! Please!"
Smoke is pouring from the bomber as it goes down.
"No, no, no, no, no, Madge. Don't break the signal now. We can't break it now. I'm sorry, Madge." The Doctor said.
"Not the night he died. I don't want to see him die!" Madge said, terrified.
"What do you mean, the night he died?" Lily asked.
"Oh please don't make me watch him die!"
"Mummy? Is Daddy dead? Mummy!" Cyril said.
Bomber…
"Sir, Anderson's in a bad way. Where are we?" The co-pilot asked.
"I don't know. Somewhere over the Channel." Reg said.
"What do I tell Anderson?"
"Tell him. Tell him, tell him we're going home for Christmas."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm sorry, my love."
A bright light fills the cockpit.
"Goodbye, my love. Goodbye!" Madge said, her voice nearby.
Dome…
The dome has landed with a thump somewhere.
"Talk about a bad landing." I said, looking around the place.
The Doctor and I wafts the smoke away from the figures of Madge, Lily, Cyril, and Team RWBY lying on the floor.
"What was this adventure called?" The Doctor asked.
The circlet has fallen off Madge's head.
"The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe." I said, laughing a lot. "Basically a spin on the Chronicles of Narnia."
"Cyril, Lily, are you all right?" The Doctor asked.
"Are they dead?" Madge asked.
"No, they're just wood now. They've been emptied. The forest has gone from your head too, hasn't it."
"But where is it now?"
"The life force of the whole forest has transmuted itself into a sub-etheric waveband of light, which can exist as a…" The Doctor said, and he is stopped by a look from Madge. "The souls of the trees are out among the stars, and they're shining, very happy. And you got them there. Well done, Madge."
"So, where are we?" Ruby asked.
"Home! Christmas morning." The Doctor said, while we are outside Uncle Digby's house. "We've taken a bit of a short cut. Haven't you always wanted to do that?"
"Is this adventure over?" Weiss asked.
"Almost." I said, smiling.
"What will happen next?" Blake asked.
"Do you know?" Yang asked.
"Tell us!" Lily said.
"I imagine you'd prefer to be alone." The Doctor said.
"I don't believe anyone would prefer that. Stay close with them, Caretaker." Madge said.
"We'll be right outside." The Doctor said.
"Come on, you guys." I said, smiling.
The Doctor, Team RWBY, and I leave.
"Lily, Cyril." Madge said.
Outside Uncle Digby's house…
"A few nights ago, your father, who as you know, was the best of men and the bravest of pilots…" Madge said, nearby.
Dome…
"...was flying home for Christmas. His plane was badly damaged, and his instruments failed him. Unfortunately, he was flying on a night where there was no moon, and because it was very cloudy, there were no stars to. There were no stars to light his way." Madge said.
"Did he get lost?" Cyril asked.
"Yes, Cyril. He got so very lost."
"Um, you might want to come out here!" Ruby said, holding my hand.
"Ruby, I'm talking to my children."
"Before you finish that story. You better have a look outside." I said, as Ruby squeezed my hand. "This is still impressive to this day."
Lawn…
More like a field, a bit rough and overgrown.
"No stars to light the way, Madge? There was one." Yang said.
Bomber…
"There was you." The Doctor said, his voice nearby.
"What is it?" The co-pilot asked.
"I don't know, but it's all we've got. We can follow it." Reg said.
And he does, through the Time Vortex.
Lawn…
"Madge Arwell, who flew a whole forest though the Time Vortex, plus one husband." The Doctor said, as the Bomber has landed safely. "He did it again, Madge. He followed you home. Look what you can do, Mother Christmas."
"Madge, what am I doing here?" Reg asked.
"It's Christmas Day, my love! Where else would you be?" Madge asked.
"Christmas Day? How?"
"We took a short cut."
"What's our plans for Christmas?" Weiss asked. "Since this one was ruined."
Big family reunion between the Arwell family.
"I don't know." I said, sadly.
"We need somewhere relaxing." Yang said.
"Without danger." Blake said.
"Daddy!" Lily and Cyril said, at the same time.
"Happy crying. Humany wumany." The Doctor said.
Attic...
Down in the main sitting room, the happy family are doing a jigsaw in front of a roaring fire. Later, Madge comes into the attic and sees the Tardis. The Doctor and I come out of it.
"Ah." The Doctor said.
"Of course. It's the both of you, isn't it? My spacemen angels, with one of them having his head on backwards." Madge said, happily.
"How do I look the right way round?"
"Funnier."
"Okay."
"Madge, what did you think of today?" I asked, looking at Madge. "This is what I do with Team RWBY. Stopping monsters. And saving the world."
"Bit dangerous." Madge said, sadly. "So the two of you came back."
"Well, you were there for us when Jared and I had a bad day. Always like to return a favour. Got a bit glitchy in the middle there, but it sort of worked out in the end. Story of our lives." The Doctor said.
"Yup, like this time with you was exactly that. Space 1969 was a bad day with the Silence. The middle, well, it had Demon's Run. And it worked out in the end with this." I said, smiling. "Didn't like it, in the middle. Even if it was a close call with a mech."
"Thank you. Both of you." Madge said, looking between the Doctor and I.
"Madge Arwell, getting your family back together. That was all you. Not us. But thank you for thanking us."
"Now, the last time I saw you two, I went back the next day, but the police box had gone." Madge said.
"Yeah. You want to see how it's done?" The Doctor asked.
"No. I want both of you and Team RWBY and JNR to stay for Christmas, please." Madge said.
"Ah, well, you see, things to do, people to see." The Doctor said.
"Of course. Yes. Family of your own."
"Well, no, actually."
"Oh. Yes, yes, you said no family. But there must be people who love you. Friends."
"No. Well, yes, but. It's a long story. But they all think I'm dead." The Doctor said.
"Well, they all think I'm dead too." I said, frowning. "I sort of ditched them. Without saying anything. I bet that they're singing away. Those friends of mine."
"Never mind. Anyway, watch my box do its thing. It's really cool. You'll love it." The Doctor said, happily.
"No. No one should be alone at Christmas." Madge said.
"I'm fine. I don't mind. I'm really very good at being…" The Doctor said.
"Same here. I did it before." I said, frowning. "Hiding my tracks."
"I'm not talking about you two, I'm talking about your friends. The two of you can't let them think that you two are dead. Not at Christmas." Madge said.
"It's complicated. Very complicated. It's far too complicated to explain right now." The Doctor said.
"The both of you must tell them. At once. Off you go." Madge said.
"Yes, Mum. I'll think about it." The Doctor said, kissing Madge on the cheek. "Now, eyes on the box."
"Thank you." Weiss said, peeking her head out of the door.
"We really appreciate it." Yang said, her head above Weiss'.
"Jared kept it a secret for so long." Blake said, her head above Yang's.
"I didn't know how much longer he could have kept it in." Ruby said, her head above Blake's.
"Girls, seriously?" I asked, walking towards the TARDIS. "How long were they there?"
"A while." Jaune said.
"Actually. We should really get going." Ren said.
"We can't keep them waiting." Nora said.
"Oh, Caretaker? What if I require you and your friends here again?" Madge asked.
"Make a wish." The Doctor said, while he went into the Tardis with me and Teams RWBY and JNR.
The TARDIS dematerialises as Reg comes in.
"What the hell was that?" Reg asked.
"That was just the Caretaker returning to the Time Vortex with some superheroes. It's a lovely place. I've been there myself. Shall we go downstairs?" Madge asked.
Front door…
The Doctor knocks on a blue suburban front door with a yale lock. Teams RWBY, JNR, and I are standing behind the Doctor.
"Argh! If that is more carol singers, I have a water pistol! You don't want to be all wet on a night like this." Amy said, nearby.
Amy opens the door and squirts the Doctor.
"Not absolutely sure how long…" The Doctor said, sadly.
"Two years?" Amy asked.
Squirt, squirt, squirt.
"When is this? Christmas 2013?" I asked.
"Yeah…" Amy said, sadly.
"You were with us for several weeks. You dunce!" Weiss said, looking at me. "While it has been two years for the Ponds."
"Yeah, Penny was framed again, we lost the Relic too." I said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "My bad…"
"So, Jared, you and the Doctor are not dead." Amy said, fixated at me and the Doctor.
"And a happy New Year!" The Doctor said, happily.
"River told us."
"Well, of course she did."
"She's a good girl. And Symphogear has been staying with us for these past two years. All seven of them. Comforting me and Rory." Amy said, annoyed.
"Really?" I asked, in awe. "Wow…"
"Well? I'm not going to hug first."
"Nor am I." The Doctor said.
"Ditto on that." I said, scoffing.
The Doctor, Amy, and I spend a few moments not looking at each other before laughing and hugging.
"Mister Pond! Symphogear! Guess who's coming for dinner?" Amy asked.
"Whoa. Not dead, then." Rory said, coming into view.
"We've done that."
"Oh."
"We're about to have Christmas dinner. Joining us?"
"If it's no trouble." The Doctor said.
"Doctor, there's a place set for you, Jared, Team RWBY, Team JNR, and Penny." Rory said.
"But you didn't know we were coming. Why would you set us a place?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh, because we always do. It's Christmas, you moron." Amy said, angrily.
"Come on." Rory said.
Kitchen...
"Wow…" I said, in awe. "This is…"
Amy, Rory, Team RWBY, Team JNR, Penny, and I go inside. I looked around to see Hibiki, Miku, Tsubasa, Chris, Shirabe, Kirika, and Maria there. I turned my back to see the Doctor hesitating, then he felt his face. It is wet with happy tears.