Disclaimer: Okay guys, we've been through four of these stories. If you haven't gotten it by now, I suggest you go get a MRI to check for some sort of brain damage.

A/N: Okay, so popular vote says that A Christmas Carol comes first, so here you go. There will be four chapters of this, two chapters for Time and Space, and then, as much I hate to say it, If Today Was Your Last Day will go on hiatus until the complete end of Series 6. As much as I would like to say screw it, we'll take it as it comes, I'm just really afraid of writing myself into a corner I can't get back out of. But never fear, I am watching every week, formulating a plan in my head. So far, Lily has fit into all the episodes. And if this doesn't continue, we'll just track down Moffat down, kill him, and replace him with a controllable puppet! Hey, maybe we'll even get Lily as a real character that way!

Ch. 2:

"Would all passengers please return to their seats and fasten their safety belts?" the computer called. "We are experiencing slight turbulence."

The Captain arrived on the pitching bridge as the ship crashed through the cloud layer and couldn't find its way out.

"Both engines failed, and the storm-gate's critical." She called. "The ship's going down! Christmas is cancelled."

"Entering atmosphere now!" one of the pilots yelled. "Level – keep her level!"

"Level with what?" his co-pilot demanded. "I can't see! What is that stuff?"

"Clouds?" the Captain suggested.

"What kind of clouds?" the first pilot demanded.

The Captain checked the computer.

"Are you sending a distress signal?" she asked.

"It's not me!" the first pilot replied.

She quickly checked where it was coming from.

"Who's in the honeymoon suite?" she demanded.

Behind her, the door opened and Amy entered the bridge, dressed in her policewoman's outfit.

"I've sent for help." She told the Captain.

"Who the hell are you?" the other woman demanded.

"Look, there's these friends of mine, okay, and they can help us." Amy told her. "They'll come!"

"And what ARE you wearing?" the Captain demanded.

Amy tugged at her skirt's hemline, self-consciously.

"That doesn't matter." She replied.

"Are you from the honeymoon suite?" the Captain asked.

"Oh, shut up!" Amy shot back.

The door opened again and Rory joined them, dressed as a Roman soldier. He was tossed into a wall as the ship shuddered and in his hand was a device.

"Amy, the light's stopped flashing…" he said. "Does that mean they're coming?"

"Honeymoon suite?" the first pilot guessed.

"Oh, oh, the clothes, um…" Rory sputtered. "It's just a bit of fun."

"Really, shut up!" Amy ordered.

"Sensor-loss on 80% of the hull…" the second pilot reported.

"So does this mean they're coming?" Rory asked again. "Or does it mean I need to change the bulb?"

"They'll come." Amy assured him. "They always come."

"Right, well, they're cutting it kind of fine!" he shot back.

"If we can't stabilize the orbit, we're finished." The Captain said.

"There's nothing to lock onto." The second pilot shouted. "I am flying blind."

"Come on, Doctor." Amy whispered. "Come on…"

"There's something coming alongside us." The second pilot called. "Something small, like a shuttle."

"Lily, just this once, don't let him be late." Amy continued.

"Ma'am…" the first pilot said. "Incoming message. It's from the other ship."

"On screen." The Captain ordered.

The message flashed onto the screen.

Come along, Pond.

The TARDIS flew by and Rory glanced at Amy as she sighed in relief.

"What does that mean?" the Captain demanded.

"It's Christmas!" Amy replied.

Below the clouds, a red beam shot into the atmosphere from the tip of the tallest building in the large city.

"On every world, wherever people are, in the deepest part of the winter, at the exact mid-point, everybody stops and turns and hugs as if to say, 'Well done. Well done, everyone, we're halfway out of the dark.' Back on Earth, we called this Christmas or the Winter Solstice."

An older man stood in the building, looking out into the stormy sky.

"On this world, the first settlers called it the Crystal Feast." He continued. "You know what I call it?" He turned from the window. "I call it expecting something for nothing!"

He walked away and further into the room where a man was standing with his wife and son.

"Sir." He pleaded. "Mr. Sardick. We're only asking for one day. Just let her out for Christmas."

Two men wheeled a large pod into the room, with a young blonde woman inside.

"She loves Christmas." The father added.

"Does she?" Sardick replied. "Oh, does she? I see! Hello!" He tapped on the window with his cane. "Wakey-wakey – it's Christams! Do you know what? I think she's a bit cool about the whole thing."

He was the only one to laugh.

"That was funny." He told them.

The servants laughed.

"She's frozen." The son said.

"She's what, sorry?" Sardick demanded.

"She's in the ice, she can't hear you." The boy replied.

"Oh, what a clever little boy." Sardick said to the boy's parents. "You must be so irritated."

He turned to one of the servants.

"How much?" he demanded.

"Er…it's 4,500 Gideons, sir." The man replied.

"You took a loan of 4,500 Gideons and Little Miss Christmas is my security." Sardick said.

The phone began to ring and the servant answered.

"We're not asking for her back." The father said. "Just let her have one day. Let her have Christmas with us."

"Sir, it's the President." The servant called.

"Tell him I'm busy." Sardick replied, turning back to the father. "Now…where were we? Oh, yes! She's pretty, thought, your daughter. Maybe I should keep her."

"She's not my daughter, sir." The man told him.

"She's my sister." His wife added. "She volunteered for the ice when the family were in difficulties many years ago."

"Sorry, sir." The servant said, walking over. "The President says there's a galaxy-class ship trapped in the cloud layer and…well, we have to let it land."

"Or?" Sardick asked.

"Well…or it's crash, sir." The servant replied.

"Oh." Sardick said. "Well, it's a kind of landing, isn't it?"

"It's from Earth, sir, registering over 4,000 life forms on board." The servant told him.

"Not if we wait a bit!" Sardick replied, chuckling.

"You can't just let it crash, sir." The servant protested.

Outside, the son heard a grinding sound.

"Says who?" Sardick asked. "Oh, give it here." He took the phone. "Look, petal, we already have a surplus population. No more people allowed on this planet."

The son looked at the fireplace and saw soot falling from the chimney.

"I don't make the rules." Sardick continued. "Oh, no, hang on…I do." He hung up. "Right, you lot…poor, begging people, off home and pray for a miracle."

The father began to usher his family out, but the son looked back to see a large amount of soot fall, spreading embers in a gust. A second later, the Doctor came tumbling out. He jumped back to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "Yes, blimey. Sorry! Christmas Eve on a rooftop, saw a chimney, my whole brain just went, 'What the hell'!"

There was a flash of gold and Lily appeared, leaning against the fireplace.

"For your brain to actually go 'What the hell', that would imply you actually have a brain." She told him in a bored tone. "And, as evidenced by the fact that you just threw yourself down a chimney, you apparently don't have one!"

"You should've done it!" he told her excitedly as he moved to stand in front of her. "It was so much fun!"

She smiled indulgently and leaned forward to wipe off his cheek before kissing it.

"Just try not to kill yourself before the wedding, alright?" she asked.

"I promise." He replied, smiling as he ran a finger across her cheek, leaving a soot mark behind and kissing her gently. "Love you. Anyway, don't worry, fat fella will be doing the rounds later. I'm just scoping out the general…chimney-ness. Yes." He leaned next to Lily. "Nice size, good traction…big tick!"

"Fat fella?" the father asked.

"Father Christmas, Santa Claus…" The Doctor replied. "Or, as I've always known him, Jeff."

"Liar." Lily coughed.

"There's no such person as Father Christmas." The son told him.

"Oh, yeah?" the Doctor asked.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out the black white photo.

"Me and Father Christmas, Frank Sinatra's hunting lodge, 1952." He told the boy, smirking at Lily. "See him at the back with the blonde…Albert Einstein. The three of us toether…hrroom! Watch out! Okay? Keep the faith, stay off the naughty list."

"Let me see that." Lily said, snatching the picture out of his hand. "No way. Where was I? How could you go see Einstein without me? Please tell me this is from when you and Jack took off on your own while I went with the girls to look at dresses. I don't think history could survive Jack meeting Einstein."

"Focus." The Doctor told her. "Ooh! Now, what's this? And I love this, a bit flashy lighty thing – that's what brought us here."

He walked over to a large control panel as Lily walked around the room, walking over to study the girl in the chamber.

"Big flasy lighty things have got me written all over them." The Doctor continued, sitting down in a chair and swiveling to face Sardick. "Not actually, but give me time and a crayon."

"No, really don't." Lily called. "I'm still trying to get the permanent ink off my stomach."

"That was a fun night." The Doctor said, grinning and Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "But anyway, this big flashy lighty thing is connected to the spire in your dome, yeah, and it controls the sky."

He stood up and walked forward.

"Well, technically, it controls the clouds, which technically aren't clouds at all." He continued. "Well, they're clouds of tiny particles of ice. Ice clouds, love that. Don't you love that, Lily-girl?"

"Adore it." Lily replied. "Who's the girl?"

She pointed to the girl inside the chamber.

"Nobody important." Sardick replied.

"Really?" Lily asked, surprised, as she turned back to the girl. "Can we wake her up? Cause I've been alive for 200 plus years and he's been alive for 900 and we've never met anyone who wasn't important. I think meeting a truly unimportant person would be fascinating."

She start checking out the chamber as the Doctor went back to the console.

"Now, this console is the key to saving that ship, or I'll eat my hat…if I had a hat." He said. "I'll eat someone's hat. Not someone who's using their hat – I don't want to shock a nun, or something."

"We're not getting you a fez." Lily told him. "And you're rambling. Having problems, love?"

"This isn't working!" he exclaimed, surprised.

"The controls are isomorphic – one to one – they respond only to me." Sardick told him.

"Oh, you fibber…" the Doctor told him. "Isomorphic! There's no such thing."

"What about Koschei's screwdriver?" Lily demanded. "Granted, it didn't exactly work correctly, 'cause the screwdriver worked for me too."

"The Master was a genius." The Doctor said dismissively.

Sardick reached across and flipped a switch, shutting down the machine. Then he turned it back on. The Doctor reached over and flipped the same switch to no avail. He ran his screwdriver over the controls and over Sardick.

"These controls are isomorphic!" he said, surprised, as he checked the readings.

"The skies of this entire world are mine." Sardick told him. "My family tamed them, and now I own them."

"You can't own the sky." Lily scoffed. "And what do you mean, 'tamed the sky'? What does that mean?"

"It means I'm Karzan Sardick." The man replied. "How can you possibly not know who I am?"

"Well, I have a hard enough time remembering who I am with him around." Lily replied, annoyed as she pointed to the Doctor. "Excuse me if I don't know some random person on some backwater planet."

"Look, we need your help." The Doctor told him.

"Make an appointment." Sardick replied.

"There are 4,003 people in a spaceship trapped in your cloud belt." The Doctor said. "Without your help, they're going to die."

"Yes." Sardick agreed.

"You son of a-" Lily started, but the Doctor help up a hand to stop her.

"You don't have to let that happen." He told him.

"I know, but I'm going to." Sardick replied. "Bye-bye. Bored now…Chuck!"

Theta, I'm going to rip him limb from limb, I hope you don't mind. Lily told the Doctor. He's going to kill Amy and Rory! Again, in Rory's case!

Just…hold on a minute. The Doctor told her as one of Sardick's men came over and took him by the shoulder.

He ducked out his grip and stood in front of Sardick, who was now sitting in his arm chair, and Lily simply glared at her guard, who backed off after her eyes flashed gold.

"Ooh, look at you two, looking all tough now." Sardick said.

"There are 4,003 people I won't allow to die tonight." The Doctor told him. "Do you know where that puts you?"

"Where?" Sardick asked.

"4,004." The Doctor replied.

"Was that a sort of threat-y thing?" Sardick demanded.

"Whatever happens tonight, remember…you brought it on yourself." The Doctor told him.

"Yeah, yeah, right…" Sardick said, dismissively. "Get them out of here. And next time, try and find me some funny poor people."

Lily started forward and the Doctor grabbed her arm, pulling her along as they and the family were forced out. As they neared the door, the son picked up a lump of coal and threw it at Sardick, hitting him in the head. The old man stormed over and raised his hand to hit him.

"No, stop, don't!" the Doctor shouted.

"Don't you dare!" the Father yelled. "You leave him!"

Sardick hesitated for a moment before lowering his hand.

"Get him out of here!" he ordered. "Get that foul-smelling family out of here! Out!"

The family was led out.

"We're going!" the son shouted.

Sardick headed back to his chair, but stopped when he saw that the Doctor and Lily were still there, watching him thoughtfully.

"What?" he demanded. "What do you want?"

"A simple life." The Doctor replied.

"A mate who isn't determined to drive me insane." Lily answered, turning to the Doctor. "And actually, a simple life? That's very sweet, Theta." She turned back to Sardick. "But you didn't hit the boy."

"Well, I will next time!" Sardick assured her.

"No, you see, you won't." the Doctor said. "Now why? What am I missing?"

He walked past Sardick, looking around.

"Get out!" Sardick ordered. "Get out of this house!"

"The chairs!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Of course, the chairs! Stupid me, the chairs!"

"The chairs?" Sardick asked.

"There's a portrait on the wall behind me." The Doctor said. "Looks like you, but it's too old, so it's your father. All the chairs are angled away from it. Daddy's been dead for 20 years. But you still can't get comfortable where he can see you. There's a Christmas tree in the painting, but none in this house, on Christmas Eve. You're scared of him and you're scared of being like him. And good for you, you're not like him, not really. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Sardick demanded.

"Because you didn't hit the boy." Lily said softly, making Sardick turn to look at her. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Sardick."

"I despise Christmas!" Sardick seethed.

"You shouldn't." the Doctor told him, walking past him to take Lily's hand. "It's very you."

"It's what?" Sardick demanded. "What do you mean?"

"Halfway out of the dark." The Doctor murmured.

He and Lily left as the servants returned.

"Get her downstairs with the others." Sardick ordered, motioning to the chamber. "Clean up this mess!"

"Everything's offline!" the second pilot yelled. "Secondary furnace just vented."

"Have you got a plan yet?" Amy demanded as she talked to Lily and the Doctor on the phone.

"Yes, I do." The Doctor said as he and Lily stood outside Sardick's house.

"Are you lying?" Amy asked.

"Of course he is." Lily replied.

"Don't treat me like an idiot." Amy ordered.

"Was he lying?" they heard Rory ask.

"No, no." Amy answered.

"Okay, good news." The Doctor said as he walked out into the street and Lily followed. "I've tracked the machine that unlocks the cloud belt. I could use it to clear you a flight corridor and you could land easily."

"Oh, hey, hey, that's great news." Amy said.

"But I can't control the machine." The Doctor continued.

"Less great." Amy replied.

"But I've met a man who can." The Doctor said.

"Ah, well, there you go!" Amy exclaimed.

"And he hates me." The Doctor added.

"Were you being extra charming and clever?" Amy asked.

"Why do you think he hates him?" Lily asked.

"Hey!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You were the one who wanted to kill him!"

"I didn't say he didn't hate me too." Lily said, shrugging.

"Sir…" the father called. "Ma'am."

"Hang on." The Doctor said into the phone, walking over to the father with Lily following.

"I've never seen anybody stand up to Mr. Sardick like that." The father told them. "Bless you, ma'am, sir, and merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." The Doctor replied. "Lovely. Sorry, bit busy."

"You'd better get inside, sir." The father warned. "The fog's thick tonight, and there's a fish warning."

"Oh, right, yeah." The Doctor said. "Sorry, fish?"

"Yeah." The father said. "You know what they're like when they get a bit hungry."

"Yeah, fish, I know fish." The Doctor replied, confused.

'Fish?' Lily mouthed, raising an eyebrow.

The Doctor shrugged.

"It's all Mr. Sardick's fault, I reckon." The father told them. "He always lets a few fish through the cloud layer when he's in a bad mood. Thank you. Bless you once again, both of you."

He walked away, leaving them staring after him.

"Fish?" Lily repeated, even more confused.

"Doctor, the Captain says we've got less than an hour…" Amy called. "What should we be doing?"

The Doctor looked at a streetlight and saw small fish swimming around it.

"Fish…!" he murmured.

Lily followed his gaze and stared at the fish in wonder.

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked.

"Fish that can swim in fog." The Doctor said. "I love new planets."

"Theta, there are fish." Lily said. "Swimming through the air."

"Yes, there are." The Doctor agreed.

"Oh, good, you see them too." Lily murmured. "I thought I might be having some sort of fit."

"Doctor!" Amy called. "Lily, don't you two get distracted!"

"Now, why would people be frightened of you tiny little fellas?" the Doctor asked himself, holding up his hand to let the fish investigate. "Look at you, sweet little fishy-wishies."

"900 years old, and little fish drop your vocabulary down to that of a two year old." Lily said, smiling fondly.

"Mind you, fish in the fog, so the cloud cover…" the Doctor continued, ignoring her. "Ooh. Careful up there."

"Oh, great, thanks, Doctor, because there was a real danger we were all going to nod off!" Amy said, sarcastically. "We've got less than an hour!"

"I know." The Doctor replied, glancing at a nearby clock.

The speakers began to play Ding Dong Merrily on High.

"Doctor?" Amy called. "Lily, how are you guys getting us off here?"

"Oh, just give me a minute!" the Doctor exclaimed before beginning to talk to himself. "Can't use the TARDIS, 'cause it can't lock on, and Lily can't jump because there's no vortex-being to jump to. So that ship needs to land, but it can't land unless a very bad man suddenly decides to turn nice, just in time for Christmas Day!"

"Doctor, I can't hear you." Amy called. "What is that? Is that singing?"

"A Christmas carol." The Doctor said.

"A what?" Amy asked.

Lily stared at him, her mouth hanging open.

"A Christmas carol." The Doctor repeated.

"No way." Lily said, shaking her head.

"A what?" Amy repeated.

"A CHRISTMAS CAROL!" the Doctor shouted excitedly.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled.

The Doctor grinned at Lily.

"You're insane." Lily told him.

His smile got wider and he looked up.

"Karzan Sardick!" he called.

"Lily!" Amy yelled.

"Merry Christmas, Kazran Sardick!" the Doctor shouted.

Lily covered her face with her hand.

A/N: AND WE'RE OFF!

I know it's going to be a long break, but please, when I'm done writing this part and the comic relief episodes, stick with me? You guys are my favorites, no matter what anyone else tells you!

Let me know what you thought!

Abbey