The TARDIS control room was silent and dark. Only the central console remained on a low-power mode and shed a fraction of its usual its blue-green light across the darkened room.
Gemini peeked over the ledge as she crept up the stairs from below the console. Despite knowing no one would be there, there was a sense of exhilaration in darting through the darkened TARDIS halls. She slipped around the console and up the stairs and raced through the upper level hallway until she caught a glimpse of an open door ahead of her. She slowed her pace and took a glimpse inside.
The space served as one of the common rooms for the residents of Westfall to gather in during their time aboard the TARDIS. It had a full kitchen, various and ample seating, a stocked bookshelf, and even a small fireplace. Many of the residents had added their own touches, like their preferred pillows and blankets in their favorite sitting areas.
That morning, however, the room was currently only occupied by Carla, slumped over the table with her head in her hands.
“Hey,” Gemini stepped inside, brows furrowed in worry. “Is everything okay?”
Carla looked up, attempting a smile. “Hey, Gemini,” the smile soured, “I’m all right, just... I feel like I’ve been sick since we’ve got here.”
“Uh oh,” Gemini stepped over to her. “I don’t see how it could be motion sickness since we aren’t exactly moving, but being in a time machine could still be messing with your head a bit, I suppose.”
“That’s all I can I come up with.”
Gemini noticed a pot of coffee had been brewed, so she diverted her path to pour a cup before joining her friend at the table. “Where’s Thomas?”
“He’s still sleeping, the bum,” she sneered weakly. “I think he’s enjoying his time off from his duties.”
“Well-deserved time off, too,” Gemini grinned.
“Yeah.” Carla attempted to sip her own coffee, only to grimace and push it away.
“Do you need me to grab Lillith—or The Doctor?”
“No,” she moaned, “I usually start feeling better once the day goes on.”
“Hmm,” Gemini’s eyes narrowed. She had been gathering a few pieces over the last few weeks, and the latest piece had just filled in a vague picture.
The two sat in silence for a moment before Carla looked up, meeting a curious grin on Gemini’s face.
“What?”
Gemini leaned an elbow on the table. “Have you heard of morning sickness?”
Carla blinked. “Well, yeah. But ain’t that something pregnant women get—”
The table rocked from Carla’s sudden departure. She was now on her feet in front of her chair. Her eyes were bugged and focused more inward than on any point within the sitting room.
Gemini’s lips were quickly tugging into a wide smirk.
Carla lurched forward, gagging.
Gemini scrambled to her feet and rushed the young woman to the bathroom at the other end of the room without a moment to spare.
A few moments later, Carla was racing out of the room and down the hall. “Thomas!!” She shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Gemini knew she would never catch up, and she shook her head with a laugh as the woman disappeared down the hall. She finished her coffee and then continued on her quest to Hudson’s room.
She knocked on the door and waited, hearing the commotion continuing around the corner from Carla’s news quickly spreading through the corridor. She was still grinning over her shoulder when the door opened.
“Hey, Mrs. Smith!” Hudson answered excitedly. “What’s going on?”
She took his hand with exuberance. “Come with me.”
Without another word, the two hurried back down the hallway and into the TARDIS control room. They came down the steps and around the console to reach the metal bridge.
Hudson finally pulled back as they approached the TARDIS doors. “Wait—where are we goin’?”
“Nowhere,” she smiled, “I just wanted to show you something.”
Her fingers gripped the doors and pulled them open.
The star-filled bands of a spiral galaxy spread out before them.
Hudson’s mouth hung open as he gasped, a hand thudding against his chest as he fell back a step. He continued panting softly, the light from a thousand stars reflecting in his dark eyes as he viewed the expanse. The corners of his mouth tugged into a smile as tears stung the corners of his eyes.
Gemini watched his reaction for a moment longer before stepping beside him and looking out herself.
“Oh, my word,” he breathed, an awestruck grin on his still-parted lips.
“I thought you might like to see the view from up here,” she smiled.
“It’s... beautiful,” he whispered, “unlike anything I could imagine...”
She stretched out her hand, leaning closer to allow him to better follow her pointed finger. “See that little blue speck out there?”
“I think so.”
“That’s Braecia,” she lowered her hand. “Not too long ago, we were specks on that speck... in this galaxy, that’s also a speck among infinite others.” She glanced at him, her smile warming. “And God still knows every hair on our heads.”
Hudson shook his head, a tear finally escaping one of his eyes. “If there was a greater way to see the vastness of God’s love and the beauty of his creation, I sure can’t think of one.”
“What’s that verse,” she paused in thought, “The heavens declare the glory of God!”
“And the skies proclaim the work of his hands!” Hudson finished.
A pair of footsteps turned their heads from the view.
The Doctor was grinning wide as he casually approached from the lower staircase.
“I had to,” Gemini admitted, leaning around Hudson to get a better view.
“Oh, it’s great,” The Doctor flashed the grin toward Hudson. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a fresh face witness it for the first time.” He leaned against the railing beside them. “Believe it or not, it’s easy to forget how incredible it can be.”
“I can’t see how.” The preacher shook his head. “Although you and Mrs. Gemini are different; you both see so much more time—and more things like this—than us humans do. We must seem so small...”
“No,” The Doctor put a hand on Hudson’s shoulder to coax his eyes back to him. “I think you look like giants.”
The man smiled. “Even with a view like that whenever you want?”
“Especially then, because you can have faith and hope based on what little—in comparison—you do experience. And I find that incredible.” He rocked on his heels almost sheepishly, “Almost gives us Time Lords no excuse, eh?”
“It does make the view seem different now that I know God,” Gemini admitted. “It’s much more humbling.”
“Much,” Hudson nodded in agreement. “And, if it’s okay with you, I think I may take it in a bit longer.”
“Of course. Take all the time you need. We’ve got plenty of it.” The Doctor accepted his wife back to his side as Hudson turned back to the doors.
He sighed and crossed his arms casually, looking out into the vast expanse of the universe in fascination.
- - -
With daylight hours far outweighed by darkness in the town of Christmas, most events took place long after the sun had set for the day. That didn’t stop these events from being some of the brightest spots in town, and tonight’s event was no exception. The town square was brightly lit by gas lanterns and strings of electric lights as people gathered by the dozens to celebrate the re-dedication of the town and its newest residents.
Mayor Thomas of Westfall stood proudly beside Mayor Nicholas of Christmas, and they were flanked by other high-ranking members of their respective towns. Two members in particular were the newly elected Sheriff of Christmas, a dapper man in a plum-colored coat, and his Deputy, a woman in a white shirt, black jacket, and silver goggles pulled up on her forehead. The semicircle of officers faced the townsfolk as Nicholas clapped his hands to regain their attention.
“Attention, everyone! We’ve a special announcement to make!” Nicholas waved his hands as the last of the conversations died out. “Our humble town here has witnessed more than a little struggle in the past couple of months. But we have been blessed to have the fine people of another planet join us, and together, I feel we have reached the strongest point in the history of Christmas!”
A short burst of applause spread across the town square.
“So, allow me to turn this over to Thomas Hiller, my new co-mayor and friend, as he has his own remarks to make.” Nicholas bowed with his hands outstretched toward Thomas as another spattering of applause filled the gap.
“Thank yeh, Nicholas,” Thomas began with a nod, “I don’t believe I could’ve said it any better. The town of Westfall was upon its last leg, an’ I feared I would be the one to witness its downfall. But then, almost twenty years ago, a young woman crashed on our planet just outside o’ town.” He looked down the line of people. “Gemini,” he said with a kind smile, “can yeh step forward, please?”
She glanced at The Doctor, who gently nudged her out of the line. She huffed a short sigh and stood between the leaders and the crowd with her hands crossed at her waist. She could see the grateful smiles of Carla, Lillith, Hudson, and the others she knew from Westfall beaming back at her.
“When you first arrived on Braecia, you were nameless an’ seemingly hopeless, an’ we were concerned with the prospect of another mouth to feed. As a much younger man an’ newly designated mayor, I was cautious and untrustin’—as I’m sure no one here would ever believe me to be,” he paused as a few Westfallians chuckled at the remark, “but, despite the struggles with adjustin’ from your old life into ours, yeh almost immediately took it upon yerself to protect us. At once, I was shown someone who truly cared about our town and its people. And I apologize for ever questioning your worth to us.”
Gemini gave a humbled smile as Thomas turned from her to continue addressing the others.
“And now, thanks to yer new husband...”
“Oh no, don’t get me involved,” The Doctor began dismissively waving his hands, but Gemini was quick to grab his hand and pull him into the spotlight beside her.
“...We have not only learned yer name, but we have learned that our hope now resides upon you both. You’ve brought us here to live with new neighbors an’ new purpose... therefore, with all due respect to Nicholas, I would like to propose an honorary name for this town: New Westfall!”
Despite the applause and scattered cheers, The Doctor’s face had donned a somewhat miffed expression.
“What’s that for?” Gemini asked under the sound of the crowd.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. “I’ve never understood the concept of naming something ‘New;’ why call it ‘New Westfall’ when it can just be something else entirely?”
The two turned as Mayor Thomas and Carla stepped beside them.
“Because we, the people o’ Westfall, have been given another chance. Callin’ it New Westfall shows that this a new start fer us fer a new future.” With a contented grin, he brought his arm around Carla’s waist, accentuating the fact she was pregnant. “I would guess that yeh both understand the feelin’.”
The Doctor glanced at Gemini, his lips tugging to one side. “I suppose we would,” he offered humbly as his wife tucked herself under his arm.
“Sheriff,” Nicholas shuffled over one the crowd began to disperse around them, “not to bring work into this festive occasion, but I wanted to check with you on your recent findings.”
“Ah, yes,” the Time Lord nodded. “So far, no one has tried to make another move; I believe our show of force upon arrival has made them think twice,” he winked at Gemini.
“But, the ships in the sky are still there.”
The five instinctively turned their eyes to the sky. Hundreds of ships, piloted by The Doctor’s enemies, had flooded Trenzalore’s orbit. They had come when they had heard the prophecy had not yet been fulfilled, which caused Christmas to reach out to The Doctor for help—which proceeded to trap The Doctor and Gemini there in the process.
“The ships will be there until they give up, and they’re not the best at giving up—especially the Daleks,” he offered a mild sneer toward the sky. “Our goal will be to defend against them when they make their move, to confront them whenever necessary, and, most importantly, to outlast them.”
“I don’t believe you could make it sound any simpler,” Nicholas chuckled. “I’m just glad you both are here!”
As the two mayors returned to their duties, The Doctor and Gemini were left in a slowly emptying town square. Their eyes darted between conversations, people watching until most of the residents had stepped out of earshot.
“It’s not going to be as simple as that, is it?” Gemini asked quietly.
He shrugged. “It could be. But we will need more reinforcements. We lucked out that the Cybermen’s collective consciousness remembered you and retreated rather quickly,” he cracked a smile. “Honestly, if we gave Thomas a gun with actual ammunition, we may not need anyone else.”
Gemini laughed. “I still can’t believe he pulled that on you.”
“Thankfully, James was there to protect me.”
“He’s good at that.” Her smile grew sad. “I miss him.”
“I do too. Every day.” The Doctor sighed and slipped his arm around her back in comfort. “In all of time and space, there will never be another like him.”
“Ah, so here you are.”
The two turned toward the older man’s voice, quickly shifting their expressions into varying states of puzzlement.
A tall man in a gray coat, a white knitted scarf, and dark dress slacks stood before them. His dark hair was peppered gray, with the tufts around his ears a more solid gray. His hair was not as long as it once was, and his face was thin and bore many years of life in its wrinkles. But his brown eyes, behind thin-framed glasses, were still clear.
“I got a visit from myself, after all my work in the battle against ORBIT was done,” he closed the flap of the heavily worn vortex manipulator on his arm. “I was told I’d f—find you here. It seems I was right.” His smile warmed as he stepped closer and reached for his sister’s shoulder. “Gemini, it’s so good to see you, safe and sound, just like the one we just rescued.”
Gemini’s eyes lit up as she brought her other hand to her mouth.
The Doctor broke into a smile. “Elder Sentinel,” he said, bemused. “Come to retire with us, have you?”
James Harley straightened up as much as he could. “There’s nowhere else in the universe I’d rather be.”
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Chapter Notes