Doctor Who One Shots and Crossovers!

A Wave of Christmas

I know it's late, but Merry Christmas!! It's the last day of 2023, so here's a little Christmas One-Shot I randomly thought up (after starting Torchwood, which I somehow hadn't yet watched?)!  Hope everyone has/had a wonderful New Years!

"Bye." called Gwen to the room, just in case there was anyone there to hear her. It was Christmas Eve, and she was fairly sure Owen, Tosh, Ianto and Jack had all left earlier. Walking to the huge mechanical cog shaped door, that existed partly for protection, but mostly to be impressive, Gwen clicked off the lights.

"Oi!" came a voice, and a she hurriedly flicked them back on. A bright flash, and the room was lit up to show....no one. Gwen inhaled sharply, taking a step forward and peering around the base. Her heartbeat started to increase, until Jack's head poked around his office door.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she asked, "What are you still doing here?"

"Change of plans." He said, smiling, though it was a little forced. "I'm staying to monitor the Rift over Christmas."

"But what about your family?" Asked Gwen. "I'm sure you left earlier."

"Nope, still here" he replied, emerging further into the main room. Gwen sighed. She should have known better than to mention his personal life - she knew he pretty much lived at Torchwood, but she had assumed there would be someone for him to visit - somewhere for him to go at least - on Christmas.

"Go to Rhys, Gwen." Said Jack, leaning down to shuffle some papers on a desk.

Gwen nodded and shrugged. "Bye then. Merry Christmas."

Jack smiled a little. "Merry Christmas."

She slowly turned and left the room, her conscience questioning if leaving someone alone on Christmas was the right decision.

"Go, Gwen." Said Jack, without looking up. She smiled too, and quickened her pace, entering into the cold night air with thoughts of Rhys, the family, and the festivities to come.

*******

Jack sat at his desk, absent mindedly fiddling with a small paperweight as he thought. He didn't really need to stay at Torchwood of course, they had programs to alert them if there was problem, it was just that thoughts of Christmas and families being together only reminded him of what he had lost. The people he had once had, lost to war, lost to illness, lost to time. This immortality was not the precious gift people would assume - it was really a curse. Cursing him to be forever alone, to always know that his friends and family would die, and he would live on, the burden of all of that lost love forever weighing him down.

He knew one other person with this common experience. But even they had left him, for a reason he did understand. That was the day everything changed for him. But he had the hand now, he would find them, and he would get the answers he so desperately needed.

A loud beeping from the console awoke him from his stupor. There was something in the bay, something that had presumably come through the rift, based on the readings. He grinned, grabbing his coat and racing for the exit. In his hurry, he missed the gentle thrum of the box with the hand, the sound of which may have excited him even more.

*****

The TARDIS landed, and the Doctor strolled out, checking his positioning. It was bang on. He grinned, looking at the water tower that stretched above his beautiful blue box. With any luck, the gang at Torchwood would be out for Christmas, and he'd be able to let it absorb rift energy for an hour or two, and then he'd be off. A quiet Christmas. No Alien invasions, or murderous Christmas trees, or stars bringing death. He smiled, wandering through the peaceful Cardiff night, towards the bay. It was beautiful, to look out at all the glimmers of light, knowing that behind each one was a family celebrating together. Beautiful, yet sad, because this year he had no one. Rose was trapped in another dimension. Rose. And he was lost to a tidal wave of memories and emotions.......until a real tidal wave began to form in the bay in front of him. He stared at it, frozen for a split second,  when an American voice from behind him burst his bubble.