Wilfred took his eye from the telescope eyepiece and glared at the starry night. It was a crispy autumn night. The sky was crystal clear and the stars had shined harshly like tiny newly polished diamonds. Jupiter was a large white sphere in the sky that could be seen with the naked eye. The moon had just appeared from her dark phase, being a thin C on the sky.

Wilfred flopped back in his chair and stared the sky above his head. Some traveler meteors passing by Earth's atmosphere on their mysterious journey across the heavens left white tracks on their passage.

The old man rose his hot chocolate cup in a toast with a heavy heart. "To you, my dear Doctor, wherever your after world might be. I miss you, my friend. There are few decent men like you in this world and you were one of those that truly made a difference. Why did you have to depart so soon? Why people like you leave so early and monsters remain here for so long?"

The stars seemed cold and uncaring to his broken heart. As an amateur astronomer, Wilfred used to wait with anticipation for the end of the day when he would be able to come here, at the top of the hill, and spend his evenings gazing at the stars and at the planets.

Then, he and his granddaughter had met an extraordinary traveling man from the stars and the evenings got even more attractive with the possibility of the star man might show himself up again. The chances were minimum for the Universe is so infinite and the Doctor, as he called himself, traveled everywhere and his appearances were random and sparse.

However, Wilfred was used to cosmic events. A tinny possibility was still a possibility and he wouldn't miss such event if he had anything to do about it.

Donna, his granddaughter had traveled with the star man and brought back with her wonderful space stories. Wilfred kept going to the hill and watching the stars with renewed enthusiasm, imagining what adventures his little grand girl might have been having.

Then, the tragedy struck. One day, the Doctor knocked on his door with Donna unconscious on his arms. Donna had touched a previously cut hand from the Doctor and his stellar energy had flowed to her. But as Donna weren't from the stars, the Doctor had to wipe out her memory of her adventures out, for if she remembered, her brain wouldn't be able to cope with it, it would fry and she would die. Donna was saved, but she had never more been the same. Her inner light was gone.

Wilfred never blamed the Doctor for what happened. He knew the good man had done all he could to help her. He kept his watch of the skies. He did it partially for Donna's sake once she could no more do it and partially for his own sake. He had never lost hope of seeing the star man again.

Wilfred saw the Doctor thrice before the star man died. The first time they reencountered, the Doctor told Wilfred that he was dying. It had something to do with a prophecy. Wilfred had been shaken with the news. Of course he knew everyone died, he was conscious that himself was an old person; death could knock at his door at any moment.

The old man had survived two wars. Death didn't scare him, or so he thought. But when Lady Death knocked so close to his home (body), through such a close friend, someone that Wilfred considered almost immortal, for he saw the Doctor as being made of stuff of the legends are made off, Wilfred was deeply shaken. Death was closer than he thought and that wasn't nice thing.

He still saw the Doctor again twice before he died. Once he, Wilfred, had been part of an adventure with extraordinary man, Unwillingly, however, Wilfred had ended up being the trigger to the events that had lead to ending the Doctor's life, sealing his destiny.

Wilfred still met his friend one last time before he was gone forever at his granddaughter's marriage. The Doctor had come to say good-bye and to give Donna his wedding present - a future winning lottery ticket. This time Wilfred knew it was for real. He wouldn't be seeing his dear friend again.

He kept returning to the hill, night after night, after such tragic events. His granddaughter was now married and happy with her husband. Donna had lost her interest into the star gazing since she lost the part of her memory related to her adventures up there. The Doctor was dead. His blue box, his ship wouldn't appear ever again. Yet, Wilfred had made a promise to come here and look up for him and his blue box among the stars in her behalf. Now he came in memory of his deceased friend as well even if his heart felt heavy and stars seems to have lost part of its wonder and its shine to him.

The months after the tragic events had been the hardest to him to come back here, but he kept forcing himself to do so. It hurt too much. Now there was just a dull pain on his heart.

Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile

The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yea

They're swept away and nothing is what is seems The feeling of belonging to your dreams(Listen to your Heart-Roxette)

Lately however, he felt his interest to come here to the top of the hill and watch the heavens again being renewed. Wilfred didn't know why, but he felt the hills and the heavens were calling for him. Also he had been having dreams with a strange woman that he had seen three times in his life, during one of the worse Christmas that he could remember- the Christmas' year which his friend had died.

In his dreams, the woman and he tried to contact each other but there was always something in the way: a country border that one of them could not pass, a mobile that didn't work, he or her being in a departing bus or train, a missing passport or money that didn't allow one of them to proceed.

Her image persisted on his mind, even when he was awake. Little things brought it back; a particular shade of gray in someone's hair, a pearl necklace at a woman's neck, a burgundy woman's night robes at a shop window.

Sometimes a lost voice in the streets was so close to hers that he turned the head as to look for her. Then he slapped himself mentally for his silliness. Of course it couldn't have been her. She wasn't even from this world.

Wilfred found himself missing her. It was unlikely he would see that woman again, but his stubborn heart insisted on producing the images. Now, sitting under the stars again, he wondered what still brought him here. Maybe it was time to stop. He wasn't breaking his promise. He had promised to come here and look for the Doctor's blue box, for him among the stars. Now that he knew it wouldn't appear anymore, his promise had no more sense.

Every night in my dreams

I see you, I feel you

That is how I know you go on

Far across the distance

And spaces between us

You have come to show you go on (My heart will go on- Celine Dion)

"Doctor." The lyrics of an old song kept drumming in his head and brought tears to his eyes. They echoed his feelings and never seemed so cruelly made for his exact situation.

Wilfred couldn't find a better way to express his feelings. The music was bitter sweet, it cut him as knife, and still he kind of couldn't let it go. The lyrics made him think about the woman as well.

"He is still alive." A soft voice said by his side.

Wilfred dropped the hot chocolate mug that he had been sipping. Standing by his side, a little behind him there was an elderly lady. She had an elegant cut short hair, with gray strokes. Her face was marked with sadness, dignity and a tiny bit of permanent stern.

Wilfred had dropped the hot chocolate startled not only because the woman appeared from nowhere- she literally materialized herself by his side. Had she came by the usual pathway he would have seen or heard her- as well as because he knew her. She was the image that followed him everywhere and he had seen before thrice. His heart accelerated like he hasn't felt it doing since his younger years.

"I've seen you. Thrice. You…You are one of his people… you were there with your eyes covered. Who are you? What are you doing here? Why me?"*Why I cant take you from my mind? *

The woman smiled sadly. "Yes. I see that your mind is filled with questions and you heart is heavy with sorrow and mourning. I came because you are one of few people I can call a friend. I came to see you because I felt your heart was unnecessarily heavy. You helped me when I needed. I'm returning the favor."

"It's not unnecessary sorrow. I lost a great a friend, someone that meant a lot to me. To both of us."

"You haven't lost him, Wilfred. He lives. He followed on with his life." She stared at the stars. "Keep up your search for his carriage. He will show up one day when you less expect."

"Lady. He said he was dying. He wasn't a man of lies. The last time that I saw him, at my granddaughter's marriage, I knew I would never see him again. Don't joke with an old man's feelings."

She looked at him again. "The apparent death of my son has shaken you really deeply." She said with sympathy. "Forgive me. It's had to me to picture how is it like having just one life."

"Apparent death? Your Son? Only one life?' Wilfred had stood up upon her arrival and now he used all his strength to not collapse back into the chair.

"Please." She extended her hand toward his chair, inviting him to seat. "I can explain, but please don't interrupt me. I'm not supposed to be here and if they find out what I'm doing they will cut my communication with you permanently."

*Who are they? Those robed guys that were with you and that sick-minded guy? The Master, was it his name? * Wilfred remained silent upon her request, but his mind didn't.

She nodded lightly. "Yes, they are the ones."

It took a little to Wilfred understand that she had heard his mind.

"Ma'am. My thoughts are private. Please stay way from them."

"Forgive me again, Wilfred. Our people have telepathic abilities, so we have learnt how to put barriers on thoughts that we don't want to share. Your mind was open. I had not realized that it wasn't because you didn't want to share it, but it was because you didn't know how to close it for me. It won't happen again. I'm truly sorry." She lowered her head in shame. Wilfred accepted her apologies. He pulled another chair for her and sat slowly. She sat across him.

"You know my name. Do you mind if I know yours?"

"That's a difficult request. My name cannot be pronounced by you species' speaking apparel."

"Is that why the Doctor doesn't say his name?"

"Yes. Doctor is an easier name for you to call him." * among other reasons, that I must not discuss about. * You can call me whatever your like."

"I Like Halley. It's the name of a comet that appears on Earth's orbit every 75 years. A beautiful comet. A star traveller."

"Halley. I like it. Yes, you can call me Halley. You guessed right about some things, my friend, and guessed wrong about others. I am from the Doctor's people. I'm his mother. He is not dead, Wilfred. Not in the way you think, anyway.'

"What do you mean by the way I think? Either he is dead or he is not. There is not such a thing as half dead, dead in a way. There's only one way to be dead. How can he be dead in a way?"

"His body is dead. The one you knew. Our people have the ability to regenerate ourselves, to change bodies' appearances. When a body is dying, it just changes its form; new hair, new face, new everything. Our true hearts, true selves continue the same, but well, with a different superficial personality. If you look deep inside his new body, his new personality, you will find him.

So, Wilfred, please, lightens up your heart. My son's alive and his blue box is still flying around as always. Keep an eye on the skies and you may be lucky to see it."

Wilfred breathed like the world had been removed from his shoulders. His heart flipped like a bird found a cage door open. He offered her a hot chocolate mug.

" Sorry. I can't." She refused it politely.

"Don't be silly. The night is chilly. It will help heat you."

"Its not that, Wilfred. I am not really here. This is just my mental form. I cannot touch it. My real body is still in Gallifrey."

"Of course." He lowered the mug by his side. "I thought you were here, I mean, your people have so many astounding capabilities, I wouldn't be surprised if you found a way to materialize yourself here somehow."

She smiled. " That would have been a nice ability, no doubt. But if we did have such powers, Lord President Rassilon wouldn't have had to go so far as to torture an 8-year-old child's mind to get out of that place. The council members would just have teleported themselves out, and, with their collective minds, probably be able to bring Gallifrey with them. Neither would your people have to suffer the consequences of that sick mind and I'm not referring to the poor Master. He was a victim. No, Wilfred. I am In Gallifrey still. I can only reach you through my mind and even so for a limited time. If they find out what I am doing, they will cut our communications permanently. I have to go now."

"So soon?"

"It's for the best Wilfred. I'll be back, I promise. I have to go now before they find out."

"Tomorrow?"

"If I feel its safe I will. I'll try to meet you here, at this same Earth local time. If I doesn't show up it's because it wasn't safe for me to try. But wait for me Wilfred, as you waited for my son." She stood up and began to shimmer.

Wilfred got up as well and waved good-bye.

Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on(My Heart will go On-Celine Dion)