As much as he wanted to stay for the afterparty, it was a probably a good idea for Mike to get back before anyone could notice he was gone.

As he stood in line, Mike noticed the antics of the Elves reattaching the passenger car and laughed slightly.

Up ahead, the Doctor punched Glasses's ticket, passing it back to the boy.

"Lean." The boy read with a scowl. "Whatever that's supposed to mean!"

"Lean," The Doctor began as the boy shoved the ticket back into his hand, "Is spelled with four letters, I believe I punched five." He stated, holding it in the kid's face.

"Hey, are you saying I don't know how to-" Glasses snatched it back. "Oh, I'm sorry, it says 'Learn.'" He corrected himself. "My mistake." He apologized, stepping back on the train.

"Lesson learned." The Doctor remarked, as Billy approached next. "Ticket?"

Billy handed it to the Doctor, and he quickly punched it, handing it back to the boy.

'Depend On,' it read. Billy flipped it over, and suddenly, the holes that were punched in it changed to 'Rely On,' and with one final flip, 'Count On.'

Billy looked around, confused.

The Doctor chuckled. "That's one special ticket."

Billy nodded shyly. "It is."

"Santa was right, you know." The Doctor said. "If others can depend on you… You can depend on them. So, we depended on you to be our passenger, so do you think you can depend on us to get you home, safe and sound?"

"Absolutely." Billy responded, looking momentarily at Mike and Clara. "Me, and my friends." He said, before stepping onto the train.

Clara approached next.

The Doctor took her ticket, punching it.

"It says lead." Clara read. "Like a lead balloon."

"It's also pronounced 'lead.'" The Doctor told her. "As in leader. Leadership. Lead the way." He smiled, giving her a comical salute. "I'll follow you anywhere, ma'am."

Clara smiled, stepping back into the train.

"Ah, yes…" The Doctor turned to Mike. "The young man with all the questions… I hope the trip was everything you expected it to be?"

"Better." Mike answered. "…some Christmas gift."

The Doctor laughed, taking the ticket. "Yep. Yeah, the train ride wasn't the gift. It was meeting Santa Claus. You know, in case you needed that spelled out. Count yourself lucky, Mike. You got something only a few others on the planet have gotten to do." He outlined, punching the ticket behind his back, before handing it over to Mike.

Mike's eyebrows furrowed. "It says-"

"Ah!" The Doctor's hand shot out. "It's nothing I need to know."

Mike smiled and stepped onto the train.


"Come on, let's see the bell!" A little girl requested, as Mike stepped into the passenger car.

"Yeah, let's see it!" Another child requested.

"Yeah, come on." Clara agreed, excitedly pulling Mike over to a seat. "Show us the bell."

"Yeah!" Glasses hopped up and down excitedly. "Let's see the bell."

Mike sat down, smiling, as he reached into his pocket. His fingers poked out of the hole he'd torn when grabbing it earlier, and his smile dropped, as he felt around, to no avail.

"…It's gone." Mike stated just loud enough for the others to hear. "I lost it. I lost the bell…"

"Don't worry!" Billy said. "We'll help you find it!" The other children clamored in agreement.

"Yeah," Clara shot to her feet, "Let's find it, before-"

The car rocked, as the train set into motion.

Clara moved back over to the window, looking as the scenery outside moved past, elves beginning to slowly dance as the party died down. "It's too late…"

Mike got up from his seat, running over to the Doctor. "We have to stop the train!"

"What?" The Doctor questioned. "Why?"

"The gift from Santa!" Mike outlined. "I lost it!"

The Doctor bit his lip, taking the fob watch out of his pocket, looking at it.

The arm went into the part of the face with the red background, words in a little curved section on the bottom flashing by with little dings.

'RUNNING A BIT LATE. SHOULD NOT STOP UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.'

The Time Lord looked to the boy sadly. He'd bend heaven and earth for El's friends… but there were other kids he had to worry about. "I'm sorry, Mike… But we really can't afford to stay any longer."

"Gee," Glasses began, like he was trying to find something to say. "That's really too bad… Really."

Mike's head fell.


"11344, Edbrooke," The Doctor quietly spoke into the microphone at the front of the car, the children inside tuckered out. "Next stop, 11344, Edbrooke." He placed the microphone back, and began walking down the car, towards the steps.

Billy got to his feet and began to follow.

"Hey!" Glasses addressed. "Where ya going?"

Billy shifted on his feet, not liking his own answer. "Home."

"Oh…" Glasses said. "Merry Christmas."

Billy nodded shyly in response, and began walking, coming to another stop at the seat where Mike and Clara were sitting.

Billy shifted awkwardly. "Thanks… For stopping the train." His hand shot out.

Mike smiled gently, shaking the boy's hand. "You're welcome." He said, releasing him.

Clara followed Mike's example by hugging the boy. "Have a wonderful Christmas, Billy." She wished.


The Doctor threw down a metal step for the child, Billy coming down.

"Watch your step." He advised. "And Merry Christmas."

Billy nodded awkwardly and turned to his house. He noticed something, and his finger shot out, pointing.

The Doctor smiled and gestured.

The young boy ran, across the yard, up the steps to his house, as the Doctor stepped back on, and the train began moving again.


"Look!" Clara pointed, grabbing Mike's attention, as Billy came running back out, holding the same box from the North Pole. "Santa visited Billy's house already!"

Indeed, Billy's own repeated shouting confirmed it.

"Isn't that amazing?" Clara asked.

Mike smiled. "It is amazing."


The Polar Express kicked up snow, as it came back to Mike's house. The train began to slow down, and the Doctor hopped out from the front, as the train came to a stop, putting the passenger car's exit right beside him.


Mike, Clara, and Glasses stood at the top steps.

"Hey," Clara quietly told Mike. "I'm sorry about the bell."

"Well, you know what they say. It's the thought that counts." Glasses stated.

"Yeah…" Mike agreed despondently.

"Well… See ya." Glasses awkwardly waved, before going back into the car.

The Doctor cleared his throat, checking his watch.

Mike shook his head at the older man. "Merry Christmas, Clara." He said, stepping down to exit, as Clara too went back into the car.

"Watch your step please, Mikey." The Doctor advised.

Mike looked to the man. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," The Doctor retorted. "Thank El. It was all her idea. Now, I know you have questions, but get inside." He ordered. "You're going to need all your energy tomorrow. We'll talk then."

Mike slowly nodded and looked to the falling snow, and the stuff gathering on the ground out in front of the house.

"How long have I been gone?" Mike asked.

The Doctor said nothing, merely offering a smile and a wink, before stepping back on board, and Mike waded through the snow, towards the house.

"…Merry Christmas!" The Doctor called as Mike opened the door.

Mike turned around, holding the door open. "What?" He yelled as the train began to speed up.

The Doctor cupped his hands. "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" He shouted, waving as he went up into the train car.

Mike returned it the wave awkwardly, and the train began to speed away.

As the train departed, the teenager could see the ghostly hobo on top, playing his instrument, before he too waved, vanishing into a puff of lightning. The train turned the bend into the woods, lights fading into the distance.

Closing and locking the door, Mike slowly walked back to his room, the living room devoid of anything that implied Santa had visited.

He sighed, and fell back into his bed, falling asleep.


"Guys, wake up!" Holly hollered, practically kicking the door open. "It's Christmas, it's Christmas!" She repeated excitedly, sprinting back out. "Mom, dad, wake up!"

Mike let out a breath, as his eyes cricked open.

He got to his feet, walking over to glance out the window.

Yep, the trees in the woods were right where they should've been… But there was an odd set of lines running in the snow through them, and down the road. How did the Doctor do it?

Mike grabbed his robe and frowned.

The hole in the left pocket was ripped even wider as he grabbed it.


The house's inhabitants, sans the parents, sat gathered in the living room, attention focused on all the presents. A little model train of the Pere Marquette 1225 moved down tiny little tracks, pushing bits of wrapping paper to the wayside, as Mike and Nancy looked at what they had received as well.

"This was the most bestest Christmas ever!" Holly proclaimed, clapping happily.

"Hm," Nancy, looking under the tree, pulled out a tiny gift box, no bigger than her hand. "There's one we missed."

"Who's is it?" Mike asked.

"Yours." The older teenager answered, passing it over.

"Thanks." Mike said as he took it, pulling off the bow. Taking off the lid, he looked inside, and gasped, pulling out the bell.

Mike smiled, ringing it, hearing the beautiful sound, and judging by the way Holly looked at it, she'd heard it too.

Mike glanced back at the box, reading the little note inside.

'Found this on the seat of my sleigh. Better fix that hole in your pocket. -Mr. C.'

"Oh, what a beautiful bell…" Mike's mother remarked, looking at the glittering, polished silver. "Can I see?"

Mike nodded, carefully passing it over.

Karen held it up to her ear and rung it, frowning. Though Mike and Holly could hear it, the others frowned.

"Hm. Broken." Karen passed it back over.

"Sorry about that, son." Ted stated, as he and Karen went back to do whatever else it was.

Mike looked to Holly, who was very obviously confused, and he winked, telling her nonverbally to keep silent about it.

The boy looked back to the bell, smiling, before his head suddenly shot up, and he heard it. The same, metallic scraping that had heralded the Doctor's arrival back during November.

Mike shot to his feet, running over to the window looking out into the front yard. Peeking through the blinds, he gasped.

There it was. The big blue box belonging to the Doctor, parked inside the house just across the street.

"Tell mom I'm going out!" Mike told Nancy, running outside, ignoring her calls for him to come back.