Thanks for the feedback on the prologue. As promised, here is the first chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter I - The Christmas Encounter

Snow fell gently on the streets of London, covering the wet ground in a thin layer of beauty. It seemed to cleanse the air and purify the city from the harm it had encountered in its lifetime. The snowflakes drifted with the wind as they fell to the ground-the epitome of peace. Everything was still, strange for a city where a terrible family of renegade Ghastlies had possessed a wealthy family.

Surely aliens knew that the whole Robin Hood 'steal-from-the-rich-give-to-the-poor' thing only worked in books. Especially when it concerned children, even if the intent was good at heart. Taking children from rich homes to give them as Christmas gifts to couples without children was problematic on so many different levels.

Fortunately, the Doctor had swung in just in time, as always, and saved the day. Amy and Rory Pond (technically, Williams, but they all knew that was wrong) helped out, of course, and it was the husband of this young couple who was able to finally suck it up and take care of the Ghastlies, banishing them into space without a physical form. Clearly the Roman Centurion's bravery and force had not deserted him when the Doctor rebooted the universe nearly four years before.

Maybe it was because he longed to have children so much, or maybe it was just because he was rarely blinded by emotions (unless it concerned his wife), but Rory Williams had no mercy when it came to taking children from loving homes.

Returning the children was no easy feat, as some were too young to know where they lived, and some were too confused as to what was going on to give a proper address. It was unfortunate the aliens were not around to help. However, only a few hours passed where the Doctor, Amy, and Rory were busy shuffling kids around the TARDIS, acting as babysitters while they tried to track down the residence of each child.

Only one boy remained, and he was clearly entranced by the Doctor and his time-traveling machine. Andy was eight years old, and an orphan. He did not want to go back to his foster family, even if he was cared and provided for. Insecure and nervous, he followed the Doctor around like a lost puppy. The time lord seemed to think that maybe he could keep Andy, but Amy and Rory were forced to pull him aside and remind him that humans were not pets. (Which begged the question, was that how the Doctor really saw his companions?)

Time passed with the playing of board games and cards until it was nearly three in the morning. Andy was practically falling asleep in Amy's arms as he leaned up against her on one of the many sofas in the library. Rory looked on fondly as Amy stroked the child's hair absentmindedly, before the Doctor stood and announced (wearing the tiara from 'Pretty Pretty Princess' on his head), "It's time this young fellow gets home."

"Doctor," Amy protested, "we can't just dump him at his house so that he thinks that it was all a dream. It's not fair."

"We can't keep him!" the Doctor exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.

Rory didn't really see the argument. "I don't want to take him back either, Amy, but the TARDIS is hardly safe for a kid."

Amy sighed and looked down at Andy. "I guess you're right. Even we have problems staying alive sometimes."

"Not to mention in the same place," the Doctor added under his breath. It was rule one after all, not to run off. Well, rule one behind 'The Doctor Lies.' So rule two, then. But then they would all be shifted down a ranking. Perhaps it would just be simpler to say rule one-and-a-half.

Andy was gently woken up, and the three time travelers had to explain that it was necessary for him to go back home so that Father Christmas could come and bring him presents. The jolly man wouldn't come if he wasn't at home in bed. Still a child, Andy believed them wholeheartedly and was practically itching to get into his bed, having long forgotten the promise of adventure he'd seen before.

His human companions were exhausted and practically falling asleep on their feet, so the Doctor sent the Ponds off to bed and took Andy home himself. While noticeably full of awe for the Doctor, Andy was completely taken by Amy and Rory. He kept speaking about how "great" they were. For once, the Doctor was not the center of attention, but it didn't completely bother him. It was probably just the Christmas spirit in the air. He always did get more emotional around Christmas time.

Tiny hand in larger one, the two boys (one a child and the other a child-at-heart) stepped through the TARDIS doors and into the night. Under his breath, the Doctor mumbled, "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light," to a deaf audience.

While Christmas was what made him happiest-seeing the joy on the faces of others-it also made him the saddest. He was often reminded of the many companions he had found and lost. Many of them had shared a Christmas with him, and the memories were too fond to forget. And now most were on their own, sometimes together with others whom he'd left behind or left him. The holiday reminded him that he was, indeed, alone.

How long would Amy and Rory stay? They were his best friends, but he knew that they wanted domestics, and he was unprepared and unwilling to lower his standards on his TARDIS. He loved them, but the Doctor never wanted to settle down. That's why he ran in the first place.

Always running from the heartache that caught up with him in the end.

The Doctor's attention was brought back to the present when he heard Andy giggle. Staring up at the falling snow with wide eyes, the child was amazed. Grabbing the boy's attention with a squeeze of his hand, the Doctor stuck his tongue out to catch the snowflakes. Andy did the same, and they laughed their way down the street.

Andy's foster home was in a council estate, which is why it was somewhat surprising that he was taken by the Ghastlies. The aliens seemed to want to give children from rich homes to barren parents, but maybe they took pity on the poor orphan and wanted to give him a good home.

Good intentions did not always yield good results.

A sign outside the complex identified the place as Powell Estate. The buildings looked worn down, with an old playground currently occupied by thuggish looking teenagers. The Doctor hoped that Andy did not feel the urge to hang out with them after school. All wearing leather, smoking cigarettes, and drinking what was probably not water from a bottle that was being passed around, the boys were dressed like a cliche rebel and the girls looked like they belonged on a street corner.

As the Doctor and Andy passed, they went unnoticed, fortunately, mainly because two other teens had chosen the same moment to enter the vicinity opposite the Doctor and his young friend. The main group of teenagers called out to the passing boy and girl. "Hey, look it's Mickey the Idiot and his sluttish girlfriend!" "Yeah, did you have to pry her from the hands of those rockers?" "Always did think she was better than us, that bitch of yours." "She'll always just be another bum from the slums."

Neither male or female made any indication that they had heard the insults, but only continued on hand in hand towards the stairwell. Andy saw the Christmas tree lights in his window, and sprinted towards the door. He didn't want to be his home to be passed by by the elusive Santa Claus.

The Doctor followed more slowly, taking his time up the stairs. Seeing Andy's excitement just made him sad. He longed to have children around him again. Call him an old man (which, of course, he was), but spending time with so many young people today made him miss his own children and grandchildren more than ever. What he wouldn't give to have their hands in his as they saw the wonders of the universe. That was his favorite part: seeing the beauty of the cosmos through their eyes. It made everything new and brilliant again.

Andy banged on the door with his fist repeatedly until the door was opened by a petite woman with dark hair. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him inside. Andy didn't even look back, having forgotten to say goodbye to his friend. It was better that way.

A sad smile on his face, the Doctor turned and left the way he came. He was able to slip past the disgruntled teenagers without being subjected to any pitiful insults. If it weren't Christmas and they weren't precious to him (as all humans were nowadays), they would risk facing the wrath and fury of a time lord.

The journey back to the TARDIS went by more quickly, even with the Doctor dragging his feet as he contemplated his lonely life. No wonder the inhabitants of the universe insisted on calling him the Lonely God. His fingers brushed up against the blue wood of the police box door, deftly flitting over the lock as he reached for the key in his jacket pocket.

"You alright, mate?"

The voice took him by surprise. Spinning around, the Doctor saw that it was the girl from earlier who had taken the brunt of the insults from the teens in the Powell Estate. She had been heading home, hadn't she? Why was she back out here in the cold snow and icy wind? He looked her over. She was average height with long, blonde hair and brown eyes. A kind look could be seen on her face, and proved by the amount of pink she was wearing.

It took the Doctor a few seconds to regain speech capabilities, so he only managed to stutter, "Uh, um, yeah."

The girl smiled and nodded, completely aware that she had interrupted his thoughts and she was unwanted. She looked down at her feet and shoved her hands in her pockets before meeting his eyes again and giving the ancient man a smile. "See ya."

The Doctor glanced up at the sky and smiled, filled with an unexplainable hope. She scampered off back toward the council estate, causing the Doctor to wonder who she was, and why she had spoken to him. Had she followed him back out? Why did she talk to him in the first place? No matter what the real reason was, the Doctor was pleased with the kindness she had offered him. Not many people would stop on the street and ask a stranger what was wrong, especially if they were the one being verbally assaulted previously.

By the time his frozen fingers managed to unlock the TARDIS door, she was completely out of sight. The console room was warm and empty. Even though Amy and Rory were here somewhere, it seemed just as lonely as ever. The Doctor hated nights for this particular reason.

Hours ticked by slowly, and no matter what he did to occupy his time, the Doctor's thoughts kept returning to the girl from outside. He managed to get into the TARDIS files and find a recording of their encounter outside. The Doctor wasn't entirely sure where the TARDIS camera was, but he was fortunate for its occasional uses such as this one.

Why had she been so kind to him, a complete stranger?

Buried in his thoughts as he watched and re-watched the clip, another voice took him completely by surprise. "What's that?" asked Amy, walking over to the Doctor with Rory. The couple looked at the girl's face, frozen on the monitor. Her smile seemed to light up the room, and the Ponds were not oblivious to the effect that it had on the Doctor-which even he probably didn't realize.

Their suspicions of his lack of understanding (or maybe he was just being purposely enigmatic) were proved with his answer. "A woman."

"Well," Rory said, "we can see that."

"Who is she, Doctor?" asked Amy, folding her arms over her chest as her husband wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Joking like she always did in conversations surrounding River-who may or may not be his wife-Amy teased, "Does the Doctor have a new crush? Sounds like River's gonna be disappointed."

The Doctor scowled and gave the Scot a glare. "No. I don't even know her name. She was just kind to me, that's all."

"She was nice to you?" asked Rory. That shouldn't really have been something that made the Doctor so thrilled, but at the same time was something that they didn't come across too often. They were always busy running from the people who weren't nice. "That's it?"

As if it were the most obvious thing in the world, the Doctor answered, "Yes. It was a weird Christmas, alright?"

This was a side of the Doctor that Amy and Rory rarely got to see. Usually, he was so upbeat and childlike that they forgot that he really was a heartbroken old man with so many horrifying memories. Simple kindness probably seemed like a breath of fresh air to he who had been walking in a haze of smoke for his entire life.

"What are you going to do about it?" Amy asked.

The Doctor paused, thinking. He had no idea, but maybe another person on the TARDIS wouldn't be a bad thing. She could keep him company when Amy and Rory were off on a date doing couple stuff. River was hardly ever around except when needed, leaving the Doctor all on his own. While that didn't necessarily bother him, being on his own, he often grew lonely.

Therefore, the only offer the Doctor could give was: "I don't know."

Please review! I've been working very hard on this and I want to hear your opinions. Thanks! x

Next time: Rose