Author's Notes: The end is getting near, people, I will get this story finished before Christmas or God help me I'll… you get the idea.

Chapter 9: Christmas with the Jones

"So remind me again: why am I doing this?" Though the answer had been given less than five minutes ago, Martha still could not shake the feeling that something wasn't right. As she backed her car up against the Jones family drive, the young man she has picked up locked his gaze at the house, which was slightly more comfortable than having him staring at her.

"The Doctor owed me a favour and all I'm asking for is some shelter." He repeated his answer without shifting his vision, as though some incredible answer was hidden within the walls of the detached house before him. Martha gave him a sceptical look as she climbed out with her keys in her hands. Even from out here, she could here her sister's relentless voice as she singed along to her collection of Christmas Carols, and just for a moment, Martha considered driving elsewhere. The dazzling lights that covered every inch of the neighbour's houses made the Jones dwelling seem tame by comparison, for Martha though, there was little to celebrate.

"You behave yourself."

With slight regret, she opened the front door and just as she suspected, her sister bolted through the hallway like a gazelle and embraced her as though they haven't seen each other in decades, even though Martha gave her a lift to work that very morning. "Martha! Come inside and play Sing Star with me," She yelled gleefully, the smell of strong alcohol nearly knocked Martha out, "Mum says it's childish and Dad's voice is just terrible!"

"Dad?" Martha gasped as she saw her father standing near the kitchen with his hands in his pockets and a large grin on his face. Bewildered, Martha forced her sister to release her before embracing her father, whose face suddenly seemed ten years younger, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't spend Christmas without my girls," He whispered quietly, as though embarrassed, "Your mum was kind enough to let me stay for a while." At the other end of the house, Martha saw her mother observing them with a faint smile, as though she hasn't seen such spectacle for years. "Don't tell your mother yet, but I've finished with that girl." Mr Jones hushed with a small sign of pride on his expressions and by coincidence or not, Martha saw her mother chuckling slightly as she went back to her roast.

Still drunk, her sister stumbled towards the living room and dragged out her brother, who still had the remote in his hands. "Stop being such a pig and say hi to Martha!"

And such was the ways of a family; depressed when separate, joyful when reunited. The young man watched on as snow began to fall from the silent night and for a brief moment, he wished he could capture the image and hang it up somewhere in the Tardis before a sudden urge of pain shot across his skull as he remembered a simple truce: he had no one left…

"Martha?" Her sister called lazily as she pointed at the doorway, "Who is that gorgeous hunk standing on our driveway?" Martha gasped as she remembered her guest, who remained where he was despite how he looked like a complete idiot in his summer cloths. Red in the face, she dragged him into the house and slammed the door shut whilst the rest of the family began to notice this stranger.

"Mum, dad, guys," Martha shoved the young man into the living room, "This is…umm… a friend of mine who's going to be staying for Christmas." With a grunt, she pushed him into the sofa and tried to regain her composure, as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, her family simply looked at her like someone would when going to the zoo and she couldn't blame them. "Look, he is very well behaved, you wouldn't even notice that he's here!"

Her family shifted their gaze back to the stranger, who could only smile back in the hope that they would turn their attention to something else. "Martha," Her dad exclaimed, "why didn't you tell us you were bringing a guest? I thought we were going to have a family Christmas this year, just us and no one else!" He pleaded for he dared not to make a spectacle and yet even the blind could tell that the stranger was not exactly wanted.

"Your father is right, Martha," Mrs Jones stepped forwards, the way she always did whenever Martha got herself into trouble, "We can't just accept a random stranger into our house, especially not at this time of year. And besides, you didn't even say anything."

Desperate, Martha looked back at the young man, who could only return her questions with a shrug. Every pair of eyes was focused onto her being and for some reason, she felt more afraid than ever; this was perhaps the only chance she will ever get to find the Doctor again and no matter what it takes, she must get the answer one way or another. "Mum," She stepped forward and whispered, "Remember a few months ago? When the Doctor saved us from the Master?" Her mother shivered at the memory but she pressed on, "He saved us all that day, not just everyone here, but the whole planet! Now we owe him for that whether you like it or not, and now is the time to pay him back." She gestured at the young man, who seemed more fascinated than anything else, "The Doctor asked me to look after him and that's what I'm going to do. And there's nothing you or dad could do to stop me from achieving that."

"But…" Mrs Jones looked at her ex-husband for support, who could only say that it was her call; it was after all, her house. "We can't keep him here indefinitely…"

"We won't need to, we just need to keep him from trouble for twenty four hours. Just a day, mum!" She remained still in the hopes that her message would be understood, and whilst she cared little for the small decisions in life, this was one thing she could not change her mind on.

"One day, that's all I can promise. One day."

It has never before occurred to the Doctor that there is perhaps joy in ignorance; he has already accepted this identity as he watched the Jones family dig into their meal whilst the gossips of the season were passed along back and forth without even a hint of slowing down. In the last few hours, the Doctor has questioned himself numerous times whether if he should have simply stayed in the Tardis until the morning but since then he had wondered that perhaps, this was part of the plan to remind him of his past.

As he looked from one end of the table to the other, the faces he saw had become quite familiar; Mr Jones and Mrs Jones, the ones who assisted him and Martha in disabling the Master's plan; Martha's brother, the only one in the Jones family who escaped capture; and Martha's sister, the one who was forced to scrub the deck of the Master's ship. Each and every one of them had fought beside him and yet at this time, they seemed no different from any other family the Doctor could remember seeing in his life.

"So I was like, 'if you think you're so sexy, why don't you sweep me away right now?'" The laughter echoed round all corners of the room as Martha's sister, who seemed even more drunk than before, giggled uncontrollably.

"Why John," Martha's mother gestured to the Doctor, who only just snapped his attention back to the table, "You haven't touched your food yet." John, that's the name he gave them all. He could understand that the Doctor would need a secret identity every now and again, but why specifically John Smith he never worked out. "You need to be reminded what common sense is, young man. Wandering around dressed like that at this time year can't possibly be good for you."

Martha's sister roared into laughter again as her brother shook his head at the state she was in. "You must be the luckiest girl in the world," She pointed at the Doctor, who tried to stay as far away as possible, "Getting that for Christmas!"

"Stop being so silly!" Martha snapped back, her face suddenly red, "Just because you're jealous…"

"Oh fine then," Her sister gave her an evil look, "Just remember, you can't open him until tomorrow!" And with that, she carried her dishes as her laughter trailed behind her; somehow, the Doctor felt relieved that she was no longer in the premise.

An awkward silence fell over the table as Martha desperately tried to hide her blush whilst her mother gave the Doctor a look that said: it's not always like this in our house, honest. The truce was though; the Doctor couldn't help but feel out of place. He appreciated every effort the Jones family has done to make him feel at home, but he didn't. It was because of him that they were separated with Martha; it was because of him that the Master arrested them, and it was because of him that they had to fight for their lives. He felt achingly guilty as the rest of them cleared their plates and headed to the kitchen until only he and Martha was left.

"So, how much do you remember now?" Martha mumbled.

"I recognise your family but I still can't remember much about the technical stuff."

Without bothering to find out what that meant, Martha shrugged and left the table for he has gotten her into enough trouble as it was. As silence fell, the Doctor felt lonelier than ever; he did not know why he shouldn't simply tell her that he was the Doctor, perhaps he was afraid that she wouldn't believe him, or was it because of something more sinister? With frustration, he frowned as he wondered why he felt so intimidated, even more so as he settled down on the settee and watched the children outside as they played in the snow and with a sudden leap in his hearts, he felt terrified. It was this time of the year, something always happens on this time of the year…

The doorbell rang as Martha's mother hurried to answer it. From the window, the Doctor could make out dark, short shapes that carried what appeared to be a tree. Both of his hearts pounded hard in his chest as he approached the hallway just in time to see six short men dressed in red and white with plastic masks over their faces; they carried a massive Christmas tree that was already decorated and upon the tip, sat snugly was a tiny golden star the size of a coat button.

"So if can just sign here, love, and we'll be on our way." One of the men mumbled through his mask as he handed over a clipboard and pen. As Martha's mother signed enthusiastically, all six of the men suddenly turned their eyes upon the Doctor, like hungry sharks that have just spotted their prey. With a gasp, he retreated back into the living room and out of their sight. The moment he did, the six men dragged the tree into the hallway without further comment and walked straight out.

"Martha!" Mrs Jones called, "Help me get this tree hooked up, get your brother and father whilst you're at it." She appeared round the hall and smiled at the Doctor, who concentrated his gaze upon the mysterious tree. "It's lovely isn't it? I really wanted to make a change this year." From behind, Martha and her father lifted the roots and stand and together, they heaved the monstrously large tree into the corner, the tiny star at the top was just short of scrapping on the ceiling.

"Tell me again why this tree is any better than the last one," Martha panted and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "I mean sure it's electrical and it's bigger but it doesn't look all that different."

Mrs Jones gave her a slightly annoyed look as she adjusted a few of the decorations that have been knocked out of position. "Of course it's different, it glows and sing carols, watch." She plugged the tree in and within seconds, the top, middle and bottom sections began to spin slowly in opposing directions whilst Jingle Bells was played through some unseen speakers. Whilst Mrs Jones giggled excitedly, the Doctor stared wide eyed at the newest addition to the Jones' house for he just remembered why for him, Christmas can be a VERY bad time of the year…