Chapter Thirty-Six

The Doctor had to admit. The fresh air and sunshine did help to boost his sagging spirits. Even though so much had happened in seven months, there was still much to be thankful for. The Master hadn't completely blasted the planet into atoms. Rose was at his side and safe, away from his enemies' clutches. Her head no longer held a chip in it. His friends were still alive. There was an ongoing resistance which meant that the human spirit hadn't been crushed completely. Martha was alive and well and busy working on their plan. Yes, there were still blessings that could be counted even when sometimes it didn't seem like it.

They turned a corner and paused when a Toclafane flew past. They stood still and let it fly by them. Then, once it was out of sight, they continued on.

As they passed by buildings, occasionally they would duck inside any open doors and observe the people. They would stand against the wall and watch as the survivors tried to make as normal a life for themselves as possible. The Doctor smiled knowing that his beloved humans were still surviving and adapting to their situation even after all the horrors they had been through. It was the reason why they had managed to survive and thrive even to the end of the universe.

They kept on walking and observing until they came to a house and heard a child crying inside. They glanced at each other and went inside. The house was dark and cold due to the lack of electricity. They walked into the living room and saw a haggard lady trying to soothe her crying child. Both the mother and the little girl were dressed in several layers of old clothing trying to protect themselves against the chill of the November day. The Doctor and Rose stared at them sadly. The mother's leg bore evidence of Toclafane attack and she had a severe limp as a result. They could tell it took a lot of effort for her just to walk.

"Mummy, I'm hungry." The girl said.

"I know, honey, but we don't have that much food. We have to wait until night before we can eat." She said.

"I miss Tobey, when is Tobey coming back?" she asked.

The Mother swallowed hard and the Doctor and Rose could see she was trying not to lose it.

"Honey, Tobey's in Heaven." She said as gently as possible. "Your little brother is watching over us, but he can't come home."

"I want Tobey!" the child cried. "I miss him!"

The mother gathered her into her arms and wept with her. Rose felt an aching in her heart. She had to do something to help them. She glanced over at the Doctor and saw there was a mixture of anger and sadness in his eyes. She looked back at them and suddenly she had an idea.

"Doctor." She whispered in his ear. "Follow me, I have an idea."

The Doctor looked at her. Curious, he let her lead him out of the house.

They walked down the street until they found an abandoned shop. Rose guided the Doctor inside, grabbed a couple of paper bags and began to load them up with canned goods. The Doctor's eyes widened in understanding and with joyful hearts, he helped Rose gather supplies for the family.

When they finished filling the bags with canned goods, some toiletries, and a couple of other essentials; Rose got another idea. She looked around and found some paper and pens. She grabbed one of the pens, and as the Doctor watched over her shoulder she wrote…

MUMMY AND SISSY,

I LOOKED DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND SAW YOU CRYING. I WENT TO GOD AND ASKED HIM TO MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER FOR YOU AND HE GAVE ME THIS TO GIVE TO YOU. I LOVE YOU BOTH VERY MUCH,

TOBEY

She glanced up at the Doctor.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Perfect." He said.

She folded the note, put it in her bag and both of them carried the supplies out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they returned to the house, they found that the living room was empty. They walked through the house until they reached the kitchen. They saw the mother standing at a cabinet looking with dismay at the two cans inside. Rose glanced at the Doctor and they sat the bags on the table and stepped back. They stood up against the wall and the Doctor pounded hard once on the wall. The mother spun around and her eyes widened with shock when she saw the bags sitting on the table. The Doctor and Rose smiled as they watched her looking around the room trying to find who could have left them there. She walked to the bags, found the note and the Doctor and Rose took each other's hands as she put her hand to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears.

"Thank you, God." She said looking up at the sky. "Thank you."

The Doctor glanced at Rose and he guided her outside.

"Rose," he said once they were out of earshot. "Have I ever told you how brilliant you are?"

"No, usually you're going on about how brilliant you are to tell me that." Rose replied with a wink.

The Doctor smiled and kissed her cheek.

"That felt good. It felt good to do something to be able to make a difference even if it was a small gesture."

Rose shrugged.

"Hey, it's the little things that count you know." She said.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yes, and I think we should help them out even more. Follow me."

He led Rose back into the house. They waited until the mother and daughter left the kitchen and then they went down into the basement. They found the fuse box and the Doctor opened it up and took a look at it.

"Fuses are blown." He said examining it. "I can replace them and hopefully restore the electricity in here so they won't freeze. Come on, let's go back to the shops and see if we can find anything."

They hurried back out of the house, pausing a moment to listen to the woman tearfully explain to her daughter about the bags. They smiled at each other and hurried on. They went back to several shops and filled up more bags of food and supplies for them. He found the fuses and some tools in another shop and when their bags were filled, they hurried back.

They went to the fuse box first; the Doctor clicked on a torch, gave it to Rose, opened it and began to repair the damage. Rose held the torch while he replaced the fuses.

"Times like this; I wish I had my sonic screwdriver." He said to Rose.

It was slow work, but when the last fuse had been replaced they were rewarded by the sight of the lights coming on in the house. The Doctor grinned when he heard the joyful yell of the mother and Rose turned off the torch. He stuck it back in his bag, and they went back up the steps. The Doctor glanced in and saw that the woman and daughter were standing by the stove, turning it on and talking excitedly to each other. They crept into the room and quietly sat the bags on the table. They backed up and the Doctor pounded the wall again. They grinned when the woman turned around and yelled with delight.

"Julie, honey, look more food!" she said.

"Yeah, Tobey brought us more stuff!" Julie exclaimed.

The Doctor and Rose grinned at each other. As they went through the bags, the Doctor ushered Rose out into the living room. He walked over to the heater, turned it on and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it running. They stood and looked around the house listening to the sounds of joy coming from the kitchen before they quietly slipped out the front door and closed it behind them.

"That was so great! I feel like Father Christmas!" Rose said.

"Yes, I'm so glad we were able to help them out." The Doctor replied. "It makes me feel good knowing that they won't freeze and starve this winter."

"We oughta come back here from time to time then." Rose said. "And make sure they have what they need."

"I agree. I think we should make these two our little project." The Doctor replied.

They took each other's hands and squeezed them. They glanced once more at the house before they continued on their way.