Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, Paris, or A Christmas Carol.

"It's alright, everyone's alright, we're all alright…" I was trying my hardest to comfort Morgan. The minute she'd stepped outside, she'd almost fainted. I guess she just wasn't quite prepared to see a completely different sky; not to mention a different species.

"They were blue…" She moaned into her hands.

I gently rubbed her back, and looked to the Doctor. He was staring at my mother with an empty expression as she frowned up at him. Her mouth was moving a million miles an hour, and I had no doubt that she was inquiring after who he was or something like that.

I jumped as a large hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to see Ian smiling down at me.

"I can take your spot, if you have somewhere else to be." His head jerked in the direction I'd just been looking.

I nodded and started towards the Doctor's side. I probably couldn't help him much, but I could hold my mother off of him at least a bit. I grabbed for his hand as I reached him, and he glanced down at me with a smile. However, the look faded back to emptiness as he started ignoring my mother again.

"Cat, how did this happen?" She obviously didn't want an answer because her mouth started moving again before I could even open mine. "Where did you really meet? Do we really know him at all?"

Suddenly, I understood why the Doctor was ignoring her.

I sighed as her words started to go in one ear and right out the other. I wasn't focused on her anymore. I was more focused on the Doctor's hand. He had surprisingly warm hands. And his fingers were so long; they wrapped completely around my hand and still overlapped. Although increasingly common between us, I still felt that little jolt of heat I always got when he touched me.

"Catherine?"

I blinked a few times, and refocused on my mother. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

Her eyes were concentrated on mine, filled with worry and curiosity. "Are you leaving with him?"

I was startled. I hadn't expected this question. I wasn't prepared to answer it. I was caught between two different answers. I could say no, and save my mother's heart, or I could say yes and succumb to my own. There were so many different pieces of the puzzle I had yet to put together.

My eyes shifted to the Doctor. He was looking down at me, hope in his eyes. He was a new piece to the ever-lasting puzzle. I hadn't considered his feelings until now.

I cleared my throat and looked back to my mother, trying to ignore the guilt building inside me for not considering the Doctor a factor. "I'm not sure yet…" I mumbled. I suddenly felt the grip the Doctor had on my hand. It was loosening. And then he let go.

"I think I'll…" He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, and then looked at my mother. "Morgan doesn't look so good, I think I'll show her a place she can… clean herself up." With that, he walked away, and left my mother and me on our own beside the glowing Console.

I cleared my throat twice, and forced myself to smile at her. "What d'you think?"

She frowned at me, seeing my falseness, but ignored it otherwise. "I'm not sure what I think," She mumbled, looking at the bright blue cylinder beside me. "It's not possible."

I smiled and saw the similarity everyone saw between my mother and I. "That's what I thought, too," I said. "The Doctor managed to change my mind."

She chuckled to herself. "What a remarkable man."

"You really have no idea."

She turned to me again, a genuine 'mom' smile on her face. "If you want to go with him, you should."

I shook my head. "I don't know if I want to, that's the thing." I sighed. "It's all so complicated."

"I stand by what I said before. Don't regret staying here and missing the chance of a lifetime."

I nodded, and reached over to pull her into a hug. The hugs my mother gave were the most comforting things in the world, and I'd hugged the Doctor so you know it must be true. You couldn't think about anything else when my mom had you wrapped up in her thin arms. Then again, she was my mom. Maybe everyone feels like that when they hug their mother.

Christmas. It hadn't felt like Christmas. It had felt like a normal day, with the normal people, and the normal things. Still, that didn't stop it from actually being Christmas. That's why, when everyone left the house and the Doctor decided to do some tinkering, I slithered off to the library to find his copy of A Christmas Carol. After my eighth grade literature class had read it as part of the curriculum, I'd read it ever year at Christmastime. Or, I at least tried to. I didn't always have a schedule that allowed it.

In the three years the Doctor had been away, I'd forgotten what a wonderful place the library was. It was bright, and warm, and definitely roomy. I hadn't spent much time in here, but the time I did had been enjoyed quite a bit. I hadn't even bothered trying to find something to read because I knew I wouldn't be able to make a decision on where to start. Occasionally, I'd found something the Doctor had left out and read that, but he didn't normally spend much time in here either.

The library was darker than I'd remember it. I noticed it immediately, and thought it safe to assume that the Doctor had been trying to fix something that didn't need fixing and instead had broken something else.

I smiled and took in the gentle scent of books and chlorine as I stepped into the room. I'd completely forgotten the pool. Because of the dim lighting, the clear water was throwing odd shapes of bright light across the walls of books. It was a beautiful sight, even if only because it wasn't something you saw much in your life. I don't think the human race was stupid enough to put a pool in a library.

With another deep breath, I slowly moved further into the room until I was at the edge of the pool. My eyes scanned the dark room until they fell upon the leather furniture at the far end of the large room. There were a few tables there, as well as a sofa and a few armchairs. I could see a few books stacked on one of the tables, most likely meant for light reading.

After deciding to go there once I'd found the book I was looking for, I headed off towards the left section of the library. I was sure it would take me a while to find the right century, but I'd do it eventually. A good way to pass some time, I suppose.

I'd found it. It had taken me a good half an hour, but I'd found it. I wasn't surprised when I saw it was a first edition copy. He didn't seem to have anything other than the originals. Movie copies, bah humbug! Yes, I did just say that, and yes, it was an intended pun.

I smiled down at the red cloth bound book in my hands and admired the gold imprinted leaves surrounding the title and authors name in the center of the cover. It was beautifully crafted, and I knew that it would've been rather expensive for someone in the nineteenth century to make such a wonderful book. Actually, I knew that it had. We'd talked about it in my eighth grade literature class.

With another grin, I gently placed the book under my arm and skipped to the staircase giddily. As I started jumping down the stairs, I repositioned the book so it was tightly pressed against my chest in fear of dropping it. Ruining this beautiful thing would be a crime!

At the last step, I jolted into a fast-paced run. I moved quickly past the pool, slowing down only slightly. Finally, when I was in range, I threw myself onto the leather sofa. The book was still clutched tightly in my arms as I landed on my back and a blanket fell of the back of the couch and onto my face. It smelled like the Doctor. Well, no, it smelled like books, but that's what the Doctor smelled like, so I wasn't completely wrong.

I pulled it away from my face, righted my glasses, and sat up so I could drape it across my lap. Once warm and happy, I set the book gently in my lap and opened to the first page. I'd never seen a first edition copy of A Christmas Carol, so I was fascinated by the picture beside the title page. I knew the character featured in it. I'd read the book so many times, I knew who it was. It was Fezziwig! Fezziwig and his wife, dancing at the party the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge.

I smiled and went to turn the page, my eyes lingering on the actual title page for only a moment. However, before I could start reading, a shape on the table beside me caught my eye. It was flat and rectangular and easily recognizable. A photograph. A picture, though I couldn't tell what of. Instead of drowning in curiosity, I did what any human being would've done and picked it up.

It wasn't what I'd expected. It looked like any regular picture you'd find in a family photo album. There were two people. One was the Doctor, dressed in his suit and overcoat. His hair was styled slightly differently, but he looked otherwise the same. Standing beside him was a woman. She had medium length blond hair and hazel eyes, as well as a very distinct structure in her bones. Not to say that she wasn't pretty. No, she was beautiful. She was dressed casually in a pair of denim cutoffs and a T-shirt. In the background, the Eifel Tower could be seen.

As I stared, I started to wonder which traveling buddy this was. I knew of a few of the women he'd traveled with. Martha, Rose, and Donna. It might've been one of them.

I sighed, and set the photo back where I'd found it. My eyes went back to the first few words of the book, and I'd barely started moving them along the strands of words when they'd jumped back to the picture. Sooner than I could stop myself, it was back in my hands and I was staring again.

I don't know how long I just observed and looked at every detail of the picture. It was fascinating to me. The Doctor had told me a lot of stories, but something bad had always happened in them. Perhaps there actually were trips that were just that. Just trips. No crazy aliens attacking, no accidental destruction of the world, just a trip somewhere he hadn't been yet. Or, perhaps, just a trip somewhere they hadn't been yet. The travel buddies. The companions. Maybe that's why they went with him. Because they could see things they hadn't.

"That's Rose,"

I jumped several feet in the air, my heart hammering roughly against my ribcage. My eyes leapt from the photo to the spot several feet away where the Doctor stood, his hands in his pockets and a sad smile on his dimly lit face.

"Took that, oh, ages ago!" He sighed, and came over to sit beside me. He leaned into me and looked at the picture. "Paris! Oh, that was a great day! Well, that's what she thought. I thought it was a bit boring. Not much to do other than museums. Not really my cup of tea."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "She's very pretty."

I remembered the stories of Rose. There had been so many.

"Yeah," He mumbled, suddenly sounding very awkward. "Yeah, she was."

"Is, you mean."

He seemed confused. "Sorry?"

"She's still alive, right?" He nodded. "So she is very pretty. Not was, is."

He flashed me an amused look, plucked the photo from my fingers, and set it aside. Then, he looked and the book in my lap, now closed due to all of the jumping I'd done.

"Y'know, I met Charles Dickens once." He announced as he grabbed the book and reached up to scratch his jaw. "He didn't really believe in ghosts."

I snorted, and snatched the book away from him. "Can I read now?" I smiled, gently poking him with my elbow.

He grinned and leaned closer, making my pulse race. His long fingers pulled the book open to the first page and his brown eyes started moving along the strings of words. I watched him read for a moment, taking in his expression, and then started reading as well.

Well, no, I tried to read. I couldn't really focus on the story, though. I could see the words in front of me, but I could also feel the Doctor's warm arm pressed against mine. I could smell the familiar scent of books and metal that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. In a few words, the Doctor was a very distracting person.

When the Doctor asked me if he could turn the page, I nodded even though I hadn't read anything. I knew the story well enough that I didn't have to read it to know every detail. I could recite the entire thing by heart if I had to.

As the Doctor continued reading and I pretended to, my mind started wandering. I asked myself why. Why did I refuse to go with the Doctor? It didn't make sense anymore. Apparently, the universe wasn't at stake because of a picture of Einstein on a bike. My mother had given me the okay. Really, the only thing I could think of that would possibly hold me back was homesickness. I'd miss my life here in the state of Minnesota on planet Earth in the year 2014. Still, I'd be able to come back. I'm sure the Doctor would let me visit. There wasn't anything that could stop me now.

My thoughts went back to where they'd been before the Doctor appeared in the library. The companions. It was my belief that they went with him because they wanted to see things they couldn't if they stayed on Earth. Did I want to see those things? A part of me said yes and a part said no. Mostly yes.

My eyes shifted from the book that I wasn't really looking at to the alluring man beside me. He looked completely entranced by the book, his brow furrowing slightly as he read with his long legs crossed and his head set gently in his large hand. He'd taken out his glasses and placed them on his nose. I adored those glasses.

"Doctor?"

His eyes remained focused on the words. "Hm?"

I smiled. "Could I come with you?"

He lost interest in the book like a dog would lose interest in dog food if you brought out a giant ham. His glasses slid down his nose and his eyes focused on me. A large grin spread across his face.

A/N: I can not believe my eyes, how the world's filled with filth and lies, and it's plain to see evil in side of me... is on the rise...

I apologize, I'm just a bit hooked. Since I'm assuming a few of you, if any, have no idea that those are Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog lyrics. I've seriously been humming this song to myself all day, and I'm seriously considering buying it on iTunes... because that's how much I love it. Oh, what a wonderful voice Niel Patrick Harris has...

Anyways, the game begins! Oh, and there's my Sherlock Holmes affliction. Anyways, The next chapter is their first sort of adventure. It's not really... but it kinda is. I'm sure you'll see when I post it. They do a few trips that wouldn't normally be part of the Doctor's area, but I'm hoping you'll enjoy it anyways. The one I'm writing now is pretty great! I don't mean to sound conceited, but it's pretty awesome. And, if you're an American citizen like me, you can go to your history teacher the day after you read it and tell them you learned some stuff. Yes, I incorporated history!

So, I've been updating regularly. I actually think this might even be a little bit early. I won't be home much the next three days, so that's part of the reason. And, when I am home, I'll be working on science. Yes, my teacher is being a mean word again... We have eleven pages of homework due in four days... Yeah, not fun.

I'll work hard, and hopefully have a bit more done by the time I'm suppose to post the next chapter. Should be good, too. See you guys in a week or so!

Allons-y!