Strong

"Look at that..." Lily breathed, having looked out the nearby window.

"Busy, actually," the Doctor called, turning to the door. "Yes, I know, it's wood. Get over it."

"But there are stars. There are stars coming out."

Adelaide didn't look over, busy attempting to unscrew her sonic. "Yes, that happens every night."

"Cyril!"

"Yes, but out of the trees," Lily said. Adelaide gave the Doctor her sonic and walked over to stand by Lily as the Time Lord worked. "What is that?"

"Life force, pure life force. Like...singing."

"Beautiful," Lily breathed. "Doesn't it make you want to cry?"

Adelaide allowed herself a small smile. "Crying when you're happy...wonderfully human."

There was a sound behind the door and a burst of golden light. "What's that?" Lily asked as Adelaide ran back over. "What is it? Tell me what!"

"Cyril!" The Doctor banged on the door. "Can you hear me?"

"Cyril?"

Lily crept to the edge of the stairs, looking down to the king as he stood and made to move up the stairs. "Oh my God...oh my God. Caretaker, it's coming! Open it!"

"We're trying!"

"Open it!"

"We're tryi-" he was cut off as the door swung open. "That wasn't me..."

Lily pushed between the Time Lords. "It doesn't matter!" They hurried inside. Cyril was sitting on a wooden throne with a metal band around his head, his eyes closed, while a wooden queen statue stood behind him. Lily ran up to her brother, looking him over. "What's wrong with him? Is he dead?"

The Doctor scanned the boy. "It's okay, he's just unconscious."

Adelaide frowned at the queen. "What are you?"

"Queen Bee of the forest!" The Doctor called, making Adelaide sigh without looking at him.

Lily looked over her shoulder, seeing another window, and watched the 'stars'. "Caretaker, look."

The Doctor followed her to the window, Adelaide observing from where she stood. "It's like..."

"Like what?"

"Like the life force is leaving the forest."

"We have an arrival!" Adelaide said, making them spin as the king entered, walking towards Cyril.

"What are they doing? Stop him!"

The Doctor attempted to use his sonic on the statues, before groaning again. "Annoying aliens made of wood! It was always going to happen, you know."

Adelaide frowned at the statues as they made no move to attack. "They want to talk to us."

The statues looked at Cyril, who opened his eyes as the band glowed. "They're scared." Lily knelt before him. "Can't you hear them? The trees are screaming. Can't you hear?"

"No," the Doctor scanned the band, "but you can. You're connected to them."

"Why have the stars left the trees?" Lily asked her brother."

"I think they're..."

"Concentrate," Adelaide told him. "What are they doing?"

"Evacuating. They're evacuating."

"Why?"

"They're frightened of the rain. The rain that burns."

The Doctor and Adelaide looked at each other again. "Caretaker, please explain," Lily asked them. "I'm frightened."

"Those stars..." The Doctor ran to the window again. "They're pure life force. Souls, if you like. And they're trying to escape because they think their home is going to burn."

"Why can't they just float up into the sky?"

"They need to travel inside a living thing. Inside Cyril." He ran back to Cyril, scanning him again. "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?" He turned just as the queen leaned forward. "Don't you harm him. Do not touch that child!"

But the queen touched Cyril's shoulder, making him speak with a distorted voice. "Your coming was foretold."

Lily gasped. "Oh my God, what is that? Why does he sound like that?"

"Oh, hello. Are we lip-syncing now?"

"We had faith," the queen continued. "Your coming was foretold."

"There's no such thing as foretelling. Trust a time traveler."

"Technically..." Adelaide began before the queen spoke again.

"We waited, and you came."

"So, you've got an escape plan. Why aren't you escaping?"

"The child is weak."

He frowned. "You mean he's a child."

"No, he's 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." He knelt before Cyril. "So, let's get this thing off, eh?"

"You are also weak."

The Doctor reached for the band. "I'm really not. Let's save a forest, eh, Cyril?"

"You are not the one. You are weak."

"I'm really not!" He lifted the band but fell back as it burnt him, making him scream in pain.

Lily, closest to the Time Lord, grabbed it from him. And Adelaide, though she didn't want to see a child harmed, was impossibly thankful.

The Doctor in pain was not a sight she wanted to see, ever.

"Are you alright?" She asked him, taking his hands to study them.

Lily, as neither Time Lord looked at her, frowned at the band. "This doesn't hurt, it's...funny. It's sort of tingly."

The Time Lords looked at her. "Tingly?"

The queen touched Lily's shoulder. "She is strong, but she is young."

Lily dropped the band, stepping away. "She's strong, I'm weak? Interesting."

"Mummy?" Cyril asked, wincing.

Lily, taking a wide berth around the statue, walked up to her brother. "Cyril, it's alright. It's me. Mummy isn't here but we're going home to her right now, aren't we, caretaker?"

Rain began to fall outside, the Time Lords looking to the window. "No, I don't think we are...the rain that burns. Acid rain."

"We have to get out of this forest," Adelaide said. "This tower won't protect us for long."

"Where's Mummy?"

"She's coming. You know she's coming because she always comes, doesn't she?"

The Doctor walked back to the boy. "Cyril...the way we came here. That door won't stay open forever. 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."

Cyril crossed his arms. "No. We wait for Mummy. Mummy always comes."

"Not this time, Cyril. I'm sorry, but not this time."

But then the ground started to shake, and everyone turned to watch as a large three-legged robot stumbled through the forest.

"What's that?"

"It's an Androzani Harvester, but..."

"You recognize that thing?"

Adelaide frowned at the device. "More importantly...I recognize who's driving it."

The Doctor laughed. "Madge has entered the forest! Come on, Madge, you can do it. You go, girl! Come on. This way, girl. You can do it, you can do it! Excellent driving! Hello!" He waved when Madge got close enough to see them properly.

"Caretaker?"

"Yes?"

"You're fired!" The harvester stopped right before the tower, falling sideways.

Both children looked at the Time Lord with terror. "It's okay, she's fine. Don't worry, stay here." He ran for the stairs. "Just stay here!"

Adelaide stayed with the children as Madge ran up, embracing them, and Adelaide left the room to call down to the Doctor. "Don't get too distracted!"

"Stay away from it!" Lily shouted, making Adelaide turn. The queen had spotted Madge and started walking forward, the band held out. "You have to stay back!"

"That's beautiful, isn't it?" Madge stepped forward.

"Mummy?"

"See how it shines."

Adelaide didn't stop the queen as she placed the band on Madge's head.

Strong...weak...young...

The window started to glow as the stars converged on the top of the tower. Lily looked at Adelaide as even the room started the glow. "The stars are going inside her. She's taking the whole forest!"

"It's fine..."

Madge smiled. "Oh, this is marvelous. Oh, this is really quite wonderful." The light vanished just as the Doctor ran up.

Adelaide walked up to Madge. "Are you alright, Madge? Can you hear us?"

"Yes, I can hear you." Madge nodded. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

She raised her eyebrows. "You have a whole world inside your head." She knew what it felt like, having too much stuffed inside her head. Her memories of Caroline may be blurry, but she remembered the sensation of the Library.

"I know! It's funny, isn't it? One can't imagine being a forest, then suddenly one can. How remarkable."

The Doctor, coming to stand beside Adelaide, scanned her quickly. "You're okay...she's okay."

"She is strong," the queen said.

"Oh!" Madge laughed. "That wasn't me. This is all really rather clever, isn't it?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "She's strong...she's strong...ooo, stupid me. Stupid old Doctor."

Adelaide laughed. "Took you long enough."

He spun. "Do you get it, Cyril?"

"No."

"Lily, you do, don't you?"

"No."

"Weak and strong, it's a translation," Adelaide explained, "from the base code of nature."

The Doctor nodded. "You 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 room shook as it flew into the air.

Lily clutched her brother. "What's happening?"

"No idea. Do what I do...hold tight and pretend it's a plan!" He laughed. "This is amazing!"

Cyril looked out the window, watching the time vortex Madge was currently bringing them through. "Where are we?"

"Technically, we're not anywhere," the Doctor explained. "We've flown into the Time Vortex." He looked at the queen. "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?"

"Think?"

"Sorry? What?"

"She must only think."

Adelaide looked at Madge. "Did you hear that? You must only think."

"Think what?"

"Think of home. Your mind is controlling this vessel."

Madge frowned. "My head is full of trees, caretaker, can't you fly us home?"

He swallowed hard. "I don't have a home to think of, neither does Adelaide. And, between you and me, I'm older than I look...don't ask Adelaide her age, she gets cranky...and we can't feel the way you do. Not anymore. 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?"

Adelaide nodded. "Yes. Yes, Madge, yes."

Madge pulled something from her pocket, clutching it with all her strength. "Well then, home in time for Christmas!"

They all jerked around the room, Time Lords attempting to keep the children from getting too injured.

"What's happening?" Lily asked. "Where are we going?"

"Show them!" The Doctor cheered. "Ha! The Time Vortex. Your mother is flying a forest through the Time Vortex." He laughed. "Be a little impressed."

"What are you going home for, Madge? What's pulling you there? Think of it, Madge."

An image of a man, Madge's husband, appeared in the vortex holding a baby.

"Reg!"

"Daddy!"

"My Reg!"

Various points of their life together. Birthdays, playing in the garden, being a family.

The Doctor nodded. "That's it, focus on Reg. Be careful, but focus on him."

"Oh, I don't know."

"How did you meet?" Adelaide asked. "Tell us how you met."

"He followed me home." The image shifted to that story. "I worked in the dairy. He always used to follow me home."

Lily smiled at the image of her father. "Look at Father. He looks so young."

"He said he'd keep on following me till I married him. Didn't like to make a scene."

"Just stay focused. Think of home." The Doctor scanned her again, quickly. "This thing, it works psychically. It'll find a signal and lock on."

The image darkened, a plane appearing among the clouds. Madge's eyes widened. "No. No, please. Don't show me that. Please don't show me that!"

"Is that Daddy's plane?"

Madge shook her head, tears in her eyes. "Please, I don't want to see that! Please!"

The Doctor knelt before Madge, begging her. "No, no, no, no, no, Madge! Don't break the signal now! We can't break it now! I'm sorry, Madge."

"Not the night he died. I don't want to see him die!"

Lily and Cyril froze. "What do you mean, 'the night he died'?"

"Oh please don't make me watch him die!"

"Mummy?" Cyril's voice was shaking. "Is Daddy dead? Mummy?"

They watched Reg kiss a picture of Madge he always kept in his cockpit, the plane beginning to go down. A bright light filled the room, and everything stopped.

|C-S|

When the Doctor woke, the first person he checked on was Adelaide. He should have checked the humans, as he would know immediately if Adelaide wasn't alright, but he needed to see it himself.

He may be uncertain of his feelings for her at this moment in time, but...he cared for her. He cared for her more then he could possibly describe.

He cared for her more then he should dare because he had no way of knowing if she cared for him the same amount.

Adelaide woke as he knelt next to her, frowning the moment they meet eyes. "Doctor..." She caught herself. "The Arwells?"

They both turned as Madge sat up, rubbing her head. Lily and Cyril did the same thing a moment later.

The Time Lords stood, moving to the statues. "Are they dead?" Madge asked them, standing.

They both scanned the statues. "No, they're just wood now. They've been emptied."

Adelaide turned to Madge. "The forest has left your head, correct?"

Madge shook her head. "But where is it now?"

"The life force of the whole forest has transmuted itself into a sub-etheric waveband of light..." Adelaide began, only for both the Doctor and Madge to give her a look. However, the one she focused on was the Doctor. "You, of all people?"

He shrugged, before turning to Madge. "The souls of the trees are out among the stars, and they're shining, very happy. And you got them there." He grinned at her. "Well done, Madge."

"And where are we?"

"Home! Christmas morning!" He wiped the window clear to show them that Madge had landed them in the manor's front yard. "We've taken a bit of a shortcut. Haven't you always wanted to do that?"

"Mother?" Lily called.

Madge turned to her children. "Oh, look at you. You've been so brave, you," she moved to hug them, but they stepped back. "Look, we're home again, see?"

"What did you mean, 'watch him die'? Where's Father? Where is he? Where's Daddy?" Madge looked down, unfolding whatever she had been gripping as she piloted the forest home. "Why are you holding a telegram? Well, what does it say?"

Cyril crossed his arms. "Please, just tell us."

"Tell us!"

Adelaide stepped forward, taking the Doctor's shoulder. "I believe you'd prefer to be alone."

Madge looked at them in tears. "I don't believe anyone would prefer that. Stay close, caretakers."

They nodded. "We'll be right outside." They left the room, leaving Madge to tell her children what had happened, only to stop right after leaving. "Is that?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes."

"I'm going to go get them." The Doctor turned and ducked back into the room. "Er, sorry to interrupt. You might want to pop out here for a moment."

Madge didn't look at him. "Caretaker, I'm talking to my children."

"I know, and before you go any further, I think you'd better come and look." He ran back out, stopping beside where Adelaide stood on the ground. "No stars to light the way, Madge? There was one. There was you." He spread his arms out wide at the plane that sat on the lawn. "Madge Arwell, who flew a whole forest through the Time Vortex, plus one husband." Reg walked out of the plane, looking extremely confused. "He did it again, Madge. He followed you home. Look what you can do, Mother Christmas."

"Madge," Reg asked, walking up to his wife, "what am I doing here?"

"It's Christmas Day, my love!" She laughed. "Where else would you be?"

Reg frowned. "Christmas Day? How?"

"We took a shortcut!" The family ran together, embracing with tears and smiles.

The Doctor and Adelaide smiled at the reunion. "Happy crying," the Doctor said. "Humany wumany."

|C-S|

Adelaide and the Doctor collected everything he'd spread throughout the attic as he'd worked. She'd given him full control of adapting the home, essentially just following behind to ensure he didn't do anything too drastic. But now, as the family celebrated below them, the Time Lords prepared to leave.

They had just gathered everything, pausing around the console, when the Doctor noticed something.

She'd been wearing a sweater since she'd regenerated, but now that she'd given it to Lily to keep the girl warm he could actually see her wrist for the first time.

And she was wearing the bracelet he'd gotten her the previous Christmas.

A reminder of the few months where they'd been perfectly happy, where they'd loved each other without caring. Before their relationship had been cut short by learning they were Aligned.

"You..." He caught himself, but Adelaide had already noticed. She followed his gaze and studied her own wrist.

She said nothing, just twisted the bracelet around her wrist, and then looked up at him again.

The main problem was...the Doctor loved Adelaide. He'd loved Caroline, and he'd loved Adelaide.

But she'd regenerated and become something new and now the Doctor didn't know how Adelaide felt about him. Or, honestly, how he felt about her. He didn't know this regeneration enough to say for certain.

Normally, Time Lords were expected to love regardless of regeneration. They were expected to recognize the similarities between regenerations and love despite the change. There had been occasions, of course, where a pair just couldn't maintain a relationship after regeneration, but those had been rare.

Of course, normally Time Lords didn't spend over a year as a human inside a faulty Chameleon Arch. Normally, Time Lords didn't feel so out of place in a regeneration that they felt they had to die to feel happy again.

There was no saying how close the Adelaide he'd loved actually was to how Adelaide wanted to be.

So now he didn't know what to do.

The monitor beside the Doctor flickered on, showing Madge stepping into the attic. When he looked at Adelaide, apparently she could see the same thing as she gestured towards the door.

The Doctor stepped outside, Adelaide following to lean in the open doorway, and smiled at Madge. "Ah..."

Madge pointed at him, eyes wide as she recognized the TARDIS. "Of course, it's you, isn't it? My spaceman angel with his head on backward."

"How do I look the right way round?" He spun around to show off.

"Funnier."

"Okay."

Madge chuckled. "So you came back."

"Well, you were there for me when I had a bad day. Always like to return a favor, especially with her around," he jerked a thumb back at Adelaide. "Got a bit glitchy in the middle there, but it sort of worked out in the end. Story of my life."

"Thank you." Madge stepped forward and hugged the Doctor, stepping over to give Adelaide a hug as well.

"Oh, you did it all yourself, Madge Arwell," the Doctor laughed. "But thanks for thanking me."

Madge turned to the Doctor again. "Now, the last time I saw you, I went back the next day, but the police box had gone."

He ran back to the box, coming to stand beside Adelaide. "Yeah. You want to see how it's done?"

"No!" The Time Lords paused. "I want you to stay for Christmas, please."

"Ah, well, you see...things to do, people to see."

Madge nodded. "Of course, yes. Family of your own."

"Well, no, actually."

Madge nodded again, remembering. "Oh...yes, yes, you said no family. But there must be people who love you. Friends."

The Doctor shrugged. "No. Well, yes, but...it's a long story."

Adelaide leaned forward. "They all think I'm dead and he's wallowing in his grief."

He grinned. "Never mind! Anyway, watch the box do its thing. It's really cool. You'll love it."

"No. No one should be alone at Christmas."

"We're fine. We don't mind." He gestured between himself and Adelaide again. "We're very good at being..."

"I'm not talking about you," Madge said. "I'm talking about your friends." She looked to Adelaide. "You can't let them think that you're dead. Not at Christmas."

Adelaide twisted the bracelet on her wrist. "It's...complicated. Far too complicated to explain right now."

"You must tell them. At once. Off you go."

Both Time Lords smiled. "Yes, Mum."

The Doctor stepped forward and kissed Madge's cheek. "Now, eyes on the box." They both stepped back to the doorway of the TARDIS.

"Oh, caretaker? What if I require you again?"

"Make a wish."

They stepped into the TARDIS, disappearing together.

|C-S|

The Doctor and Adelaide, now, stood together in front of Amy and Rory's home. Originally, Adelaide hadn't wanted to tell the companions that she was still alive, that the Doctor hadn't abandoned the Universe, but the Doctor had managed to convince her that, out of anyone, Amy and Rory deserved to know the truth.

So now they were knocking and hoping the humans would open the door.

"Argh!" Amy shouted from inside. "If that is more carol singers, I have a water pistol! You don't want to be all wet on a night like this!" She opened the door, aiming the water pistol at them, and froze.

The Doctor managed a smile, though Adelaide didn't. "Not absolutely sure how long."

"Two years." Amy squirted both of them with her water gun.

He wiped his face clean, Adelaide brushing it off her arm. "Okay, fair point."

Amy looked to Adelaide. "So, you're not dead."

The Time Lady smiled. "Surprise."

"River told us."

She sighed. "Of course she did."

"She's a good girl." Amy crossed her arms. "I'm not going to hug either of you first."

The Doctor crossed his arms. "Nor am I." There was a moment before they both leaped forward, grabbing Adelaide and forcing her to join the hug.

Amy stepped back into her house once they parted. "Mr. Pond! Guess who's coming for dinner?"

Rory popped into the hall. "Whoa! Not dead, then."

"We've done that."

"Oh."

Rory came to stand beside Amy, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "We're about to have Christmas dinner. Joining us?"

"If it's no trouble."

"There's a place set for both of you."

Adelaide frowned. "You didn't know we were coming. Why would you set a place?"

"Because we always do. It's Christmas, you moron."

Rory gestured for them to follow him. "Come on." The Ponds walked back to their dining room.

Adelaide smiled after them, unable to help herself. "Thank you, Doctor."

"For what?"

"For making my second Christmas almost as wonderful as my first." She entered the home and the Doctor, after watching her for a moment, joined her.

A/N: A lovely happy ending for this story, for once. Maybe there is hope for these two little Time Lords after all :)

The next story of this series will be posted shortly - Stars in Mind. You can find it through my profile ;)