Chapter 1 – The Busy Streets of London Town
The first thing Rose noticed was the cleanliness. She had never lived in the nicest of places, but she knew the level of clean her Estate was capable of, and this was far beyond that. "Doctor?" she asked quietly. "Doctor, something's wrong."
"Yeah," he said. "We're far too close to your mother for my liking."
"No, Doctor. Look. Look at the Estate. No graffiti, no garbage, no broken beer bottles. It's too ... clean."
"Oh, Rose," he sighed, almost in mocking. "You're too paranoid. So the people of London decided to clean up for Christmas. Good on 'em. After the Slitheen, everyone knows aliens exist – well, the smart ones do, anyways. They probably want to make a good impression, should the aliens come knocking again." He grinned as Rose sent him a scathing glare.
After a moment, he sighed. "Okay," he said. "I'll keep an eye out. Anything to distract me from the wrath of your mother ..."
Rose grabbed his hand and smiled up at him. "Thank you. Now come on. If I know Mum, she'll have loads for us to do."
Everything was ... different. Rose had been gone for months, but it had only been 2 weeks for Jackie. Two weeks. Not enough time for all the changes Rose saw in the apartment.
Everything was in its place. All the walls had a new layer of paint. New carpets had been put in, no dishes were in the sink, and a new bookshelf stood tall in the living room, filled with How-To books worn with use and dog-eared paged.
"Mum?" Rose asked hesitantly. "What's -"
"Rose, it's so great to see you! D'you like the apartment? I've been working on it for more than a week – to surprise you for Christmas! Oh, before I forget, I've made you a list, I need some things. You don't mind, do you? 'Course not. Alright. Here's some money and the list. Thank you!" She exclaimed as she shoved them both out of the door, closed it and locked it.
Rose was stunned. "Did she just ...?"
"Looks like she doesn't want me here almost as much as I don't want to be here," said the Doctor with glee. "What d'you say, Rose? Trip to—"
"We're staying," she insisted.
"But Rooooseee!" he whined. "It's planet made of diamonds! Think of the things we could bring back for Jackie! We can be back in 5 minutes ..."
"I'm not taking the chance of you getting it wrong again and showing up in July. Besides, something is wrong here. We're staying," she said with finality, walking away.
"Alright, alright," he said, running after her.
Within minutes, The Doctor was lost. He and Rose had left the Estate, separated only by the little space they generally kept when they weren't holding hands. As soon as they had they'd gotten to the main road, Rose had been lost in the crowd.
"Rose?" the Doctor shouted over the crowd, looking for her bright blonde hair. "Rose? Rose Tyler!"
When he failed to get a response, he walked up to a booth where an older man sat, selling newspapers.
"What's going on here?" The Doctor asked. "Why is it so busy? It's late on Christmas Eve. Shouldn't everyone be home? Or, y'know ... Drunk?"
"Where've you been?" the man said, looking at the Doctor with a wary eye. "No one sleeps 'round here. Not anymore. They're all too busy."
"Busy with what? What can keep them so busy they don't sleep? Surely not the holiday ..."
"Well, I don't know! Stuff. Things they need to get done? I don't know, it's not me, is it? My daughter, though, and my granddaughter, Donna, they don't stop. I lie in bed, trying to sleep, they burst in, start cleaning, nag me for sleeping too much. I've given up. I came out here, see if I could sleep in my good ol' booth, but the crowds! It's like the whole world's gone mad!" he exclaimed.
What else is new, he thought. "When did this all start?" asked the Doctor.
"Oh ... Nine, ten days ago? Well over a week, anyways. I'd be sending them to the hospitals if the doctors weren't in the same state. Even the news – since they're working all day round – say coma patients are showing increased brain activity, say they're getting closer to finding cures for everything ... The whole world just doesn't stop."
"Ten days ..." the Doctor repeated. "And no one has slept since?"
"Not a wink."
Well this'll be an interesting Christmas, thought the Doctor. Jackie Tyler, never sleeping.
"Ten days with no sleep. Great. I have twelve hours to save the city. Tell me, is this just London, or is it worldwide?"
"Oh, worldwide. No one gets a break."
"Even better. 12 hours to save the world. I'm the Doctor, by the way," said the Doctor, extending his hand for a handshake.
"Wilfred Mott. Wilf, for short," said Wilf, shaking his hand.
"Well thank you, Wilf. You'll rest well soon enough. Now I've got to go save the world!"
The Doctor turned just as the crowd pushed Rose right into him. "There you are!" she exclaimed. "I was looking all over for you. It's mad out here!"
He smiled down at her. "Come on, then. Let's get the stuff for your mother before she kills me. Besides, I've got one hell of a surprise for you, Rose Tyler."
"Danger?" she asked, grinning.
"Danger," he grinned back.