After this fluffy chapter, Hero and the Doctor will have to face their last challenge as a new couple before the end of this episode... What do you think is going to happen? COMMENT and let me know your guesses! ;)

The hugged me fiercely as soon as we were back inside the TARDIS, and I squeezed my eyes very tightly shut as I lay my face against his jacket. The tweed smelled of spices and peppermint, like him. He patted my back awkwardly for a moment as I attempted to get my eyes to be dry again; seeing my mom, knowing now who she really was to me, knowing that she could never know who I really was, well... It sucked.

"It... sucks."

The Doctor gently stroked my hair, leaning his chin against the top of my head. "I know. I'm very sorry."

I sniffed. "It's okay." I snuggled deeper into his embrace, and felt my hearts gradually relax against his.

"I have an idea that may cheer you up," he murmured, and I raised my face to look at him. He smiled faintly. "Would you like to see someone else?"

I nodded, and he smiled even more and led me over to the console.

"Rory! Get the big saucepan, I think those carolers are tryin' to break in!"

The Doctor and I stood in front of Amy and Rory's little blue house, me struggling not to laugh as we heard the fiery redhead shouting at her husband and he shouting back that he was not, under any circumstances, about to hit anyone over the head.

I reached up and knocked on the door again, which was followed by a lot of crashing sounds inside the house. We were both shivering; it was just starting to snow in this part of England, and I certainly wasn't dressed for the occasion.

"Alright, alright, hold ya horses..." Amy flung the door open, a wicked-looking pan in one hand and, for some unknown reason, a handful of lettuce in the other. She froze when she saw us, blue eyes wide, then she cheered and jumped forward to embrace the pair of us. Down clattered the saucepan, and the lettuce fluttered down to the ground in a forgotten heap.

"Hey! It's you two! Oh blimey..." She squeezed the breath out of the Doctor and I, and Rory appeared behind her, looking first surprised and then pleased.

"How long..." the Doctor gasped, massaging his ribs once Amy had released him.

"Almost a year, ya numpty," the redhead scolded, scooping up the saucepan from the ground and carefully sweeping the lettuce into the planter with her shoe. When she saw my astonished face, she added, "He's usually getting the times all mixed up, we're used to it..." I blinked, but then smiled as Rory bounded up beside his wife and grinned at the pair of Time Lords in front of him.

"Well, come in!" he cried, grabbing the Doctor's hand and shaking it firmly. He smiled at me and patted my arm a bit carefully as Amy tugged us inside the warmth of their house.

"So... if we're almost a year late, then what day is it?" I asked, letting myself be tugged along into a cozy little sitting room.

Amy and Rory gave me a she-must-be-crazy look, and the Doctor cleared his throat.

"Sorry, Hero, I forgot, but it's actually Christmas Eve here on Earth..."

"Ah – oh..." I managed, still trying to adjust to how easily the Doctor jumped from one time and place to another.

"Here, sit down, we were just about to get supper going," Amy said, nudging us into a couple of handy chairs. Then she pulled the Doctor back up again by his braces and called for Rory. "Why don't the two of you go and check on the chicken, hm?" She shooed the two men out, Rory smirking slightly and the Doctor looking thoroughly confused. Then Amy plopped herself down in the chair next to me and stared at me avidly.

"Well?"

I was confused. "Well what? Have you had a good year, Amy? I'm sorry we missed it..."

She waved a casual hand, "Ah, it's nothin', yeah it was good and lovely and what about you and the Doctor, then?"

I blinked, suddenly catching on to her meaning, and before I could control it I felt my face grow hot.

"Ooh!" she exclaimed, her face shining with glee, "so it worked out like I told ya it would?"

"Well..." I continued to blush as Amy grew more and more happy, "It didn't start out well, and then for a few hours he was a statue, and then he turned back into himself and we... um..." Amy was listening eagerly, tilting her head to the side and wagging her auburn eyebrows as me. She smirked wider as I paused, not saying what had happened between the Doctor and me, but I couldn't help the happy smile that curved across my mouth.

"I thought so!" she cried triumphantly, practically hopping up and down in her seat. "So, Hero, have you an' the Doctor..." She raised her eyebrows, "you know... have you..." I still hadn't said anything, so she went on, "have ya done it yet?"

I gaped at her, not knowing whether to laugh or be even more embarrassed. I chose to laugh. "What? Amy!" I mock-scolded her, blushing more, "No, we... How could you ask me that? We haven't... We sort of talked about something to do with it, I... not yet..." She smiled genuinely at me, and I thought I could read a bit of relief in her eyes, but I wasn't sure.

"He's kind of like our kid, you know, me and Rory's, I know it sounds strange, but..." She gestured mutely, thinking of what to say, "We've been through so much with him, helped 'im and been there when he needed us, and he's done the same in return..." She now looked at me a bit seriously now, "I'm... glad... he's found someone like you, you're... one of a kind." I felt so pleased when Amy said this, I grinned happily.

"Thanks, that's a nice thing to say," I began.

"... But, when the two of you, you know, do anything... interesting... I'm all ears." She winked at me, then laughed to show that she was only half-serious. I gasped and laughed aloud, happy that I had a friend, a girl, with whom I could joke around like this. We were still giggling madly when the Doctor and Rory stumbled back into the room, covered in grease and charcoal. They regarded our laughing faces for a moment in silence, and we quickly sobered and surveyed the destruction of their wardrobes in confusion.

Amy raised her eyebrows at the pair of stricken men, asking the question that didn't really need to be spoken.

"Um," Rory muttered, rubbing a bit of soot off of his chin, "according to the Doctor, the chicken... kind of... exploded."

"I see," I choked, and then Amy and I couldn't hold back our laughter any more. We clutched at each other as the boys looked very hurt that we could possibly laugh at such a situation. The Doctor met my eyes through blackened, messy hair, and I winked at him. His shy smile was enough to make any past sadness leave my mind immediately.

"So..." Amy clapped her hands together, "Chinese food?"