Lyssa looked up at a faint noise that sounded vaguely like her name, distracted from her book. She'd curled up in the library with one of her old favorites and had been lost in the pages for... probably the last several hours, if she had to guess.

She also may or may not have been avoiding awkward conversations about where she'd been before she'd jumped here, but that wasn't really relevant. She realized her finger had been rubbing her lips as she thought about where she'd been just a few days ago - more specifically what she'd been doing, or rather, what had been done to her - and promptly pulled it away with a blush. Forcefully gripping the book with both hands, she tried to focus her attention back on the pages when she heard the noise again - and this time it was definitely her name.

She glanced around and smiled when she saw the young blonde girl standing nervously by one of the bookshelves, half hidden behind the old wood. "Bria! Hello!" she called in greeting, hoping her cheeks were back to a normal color. "Do you want to come sit by me?" she asked, patting the open space on the couch next to her in offering.

Bria stepped forward hesitantly, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. "Are you sure I wouldn't bother you?" she asked timidly, not moving too far from the security of the shadows.

"I promise," Lyssa kept her voice quiet and calm as she carefully coaxed the younger girl forward. "I don't know you very well yet, you see, but I'd like for us to be friends, if that's what you want, and friends like to spend time together."

"Oh. I don't think I've ever had friends before," Bria stated matter-of-factly, slowly inching forward. "But I've read stories about them, and I think it sounds nice." She paused, chewing on her lower lip nervously. "Do you think the Doctor would like to be my friend, too?"

Lyssa kept the smile on her face with some difficulty. "I think he would love to be your friend," she said honestly. "And I would too. But only if you want too," she added, not wanting to rush her.

"I think..." Bria lowered her eyes as she sat on the far end of the couch, close to the edge and poised to flee if need be. "I think I'd like that," she admitted, wide blue eyes finally lifting to look Lyssa in the eye.

No longer fearing she'd scare the blonde off, Lyssa let her smile bloom wide and genuine. "I'm glad," she said honestly, placing a marker in her book and setting it on the nearby end table. "I didn't get to see you for very long last time I met you, so it'll be nice to actually get to know you this time."

She didn't mention that the last time she'd seen Bria, they'd been running for their life most of the time before Bria was taken by the Master.

It had been difficult at first when she'd jumped here, realizing that Bria was alive and well, but wouldn't be in the future. To make matters worse, this Bria had only just escaped her awful life with the Master and was still trying to adjust to being treated with kindness. The happy, eager girl she remembered was nowhere in sight. In the end, Lyssa had resolved to make her life as good as she possibly could, and to try and find a way to save Bria from the Master, if she could.

And possibly punch the Master in the face next time she saw him, but that was a subject for another time.

It was easy to like the girl - underneath her timidity was a kind, intelligent person who was working hard to adapt to her new surroundings and learning about the world with an eagerness that delighted the Doctor, who took every opportunity to teach her something new. Thankfully, she also seemed to understand - at least partially - that Lyssa was not the same person who had helped her escape, and didn't have those memories.

"Did you have something specific you wanted to ask, or did you just want to stay with me?" Lyssa asked after several moments of quiet. "I'm fine with whatever you want, and I don't mind answering questions," she added with a smile.

"Well..." Bria toyed with one of her short curls nervously. "I was reading a book, and it mentioned the people celebrating a holiday." She paused, scrutinizing Lyssa for any hints that she was unwelcome. Finding none, she took a deep breath and carried on, avoiding Lyssa's eyes. "It talked about Christmas. And I was... I was wondering what that was."

Lyssa waited a moment for her to say something else, but when none was forthcoming, she blew out a low breath. Feeling something heavy sink in her gut, she tried to clarify. "Do you... what do you know about Christmas? Just the name, or the idea, or...?"

The blonde shrugged. "I know that it's a holiday with snow. And it's supposed to celebrate... happiness?" She scrunched up her nose. "All the people who were part of it were happy, and they spent time with friends and family."

Lyssa closed her eyes, once more shoving down the urge to find the Master and do something violent. "Happiness is... a big part of it, yes," she said, forcing a smile. "But that's not all it's about. It's about peace, and hope, and..." She paused, an idea occurring to her. "Actually, you know what? If this is your first time really learning about Christmas, let's do it right." She turned to fully face the blonde, drawing up her legs and folding them beneath her. "Let's start at the very beginning. A long, long time ago - about two thousand years ago from my time, probably quite a bit longer for you, on the planet Earth, there was this little town called Bethlehem..."

xXx

"So, next step is the flour, and we want to add that in carefully, because -"

"What are you doing?" the Twelfth Doctor asked curiously, appearing in the kitchen out of nowhere and accidentally cutting Lyssa off as she prepared to add a cup of flour to the mixing bowl.

Not expecting his sudden appearance, she flinched, wrist jerking and bumping the lever on the electric mixer as the flour spilled from the cup and all over the bowl and counter. The mixer turned on with a whir, moving rapidly around the bowl and sending flour flying everywhere.

Bria shrieked in surprise and flung her hands up to protect her face. Unfortunately, she had been holding the opened baking powder in preparation, and while she thankfully kept hold of the container, the Doctor got a face full of powder. He sputtered as Lyssa scrambled to turn off the mixer. She finally found the lever and silence filled the room.

She turned around to face the Doctor and Bria and winced when she saw that they were both covered in white - as was she, the counter, and most of the room. "Oops," she said apologetically. "That's... why I wanted to add it carefully."

He cautiously opened his eyes and blew out a breath, sending little white particles flying. "When the TARDIS warned me that trouble was brewing I expected it to be because one of you had opened the room of carnivorous reptiles, not from the resident baker in the kitchen, of all places. Usually creating a disaster here is my job," he teased, grabbing a clean towel from a drawer and using it to carefully wipe off his face, handing another to Bria.

"Sorry," Lyssa grimaced, brushing herself off as best as she could. "In my defense, I was trying to be careful. But you startled me, and, well, flour and high speeds don't mix."

"You don't say?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow, leaning his head forward and brushing out his hair, the color darkening to its more natural silver state. "I would never have guessed."

"Well, at least next time you say I give you white hair, it'll be completely truthful," Lyssa tried, stifling a grin when he shot her an unamused look. "Hey, at least it's not permanent."

"Not permanent yet," he grumbled. "I'll have you know I'm grayer than I have been for over a thousand years." He stood up straight, evidently deeming himself as clean as he could be at the moment. "My earlier question still stands. What are you doing?"

"Lyssa's showing me how to bake cookies," Bria spoke up, carefully setting the baking powder tin on the counter. "I've never made them before."

"Not just any type of cookies, though," Lyssa interposed, brushing the flour off the counter and into her hand. "These are Christmas cookies! Or, at least, they're going to be," she corrected herself, eying the raw batter in the bowl. "Bria's never had a real Christmas before, so I figured even if it's not actually Christmas I could at least tell her about it, show her some of the best parts of it. And obviously one of the best parts is the treats!"

"No?" the Doctor turned to Bria, then shook his head in realization. "Ah, well, that's not a surprise, unfortunately." He paused. "Well, then. Let's get started!" He pushed up his sleeves and went to wash his hands in the sink.

"What are you doing?" Bria asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. "The flour doesn't make your hands that dirty, does it?"

"No, but it's important to always have clean hands when working with food," he instructed her, shutting off the water and drying his hands. He raised an eyebrow at their surprised looks. "What? It's Bria's first ever proper Christmas, and you think I won't be involved? I'll have you know I was declared the most knowledgeable about Christmas in the Keflor Galaxy." He paused. "Although the runner up was a Sontaran who kept trying to take out the judges for the glory of the Empire, so perhaps they weren't the most discerning."

"Wait, is it actually Christmas?" Lyssa asked in surprise as the Doctor measured out a small amount of flour to replace what was now coating the kitchen. "I thought we were just floating in the Vortex. How can you tell?"

He turned to her with a smirk, tapping her gently on the nose. "Time machine, fairy-girl," he reminded her. "It can be whatever time you want it to be, and the old girl and I are in agreement - it's Christmas!" He hummed for a moment thoughtfully. "Although we'll need time to get presents, so how about this," he offered. "We have twelve days until Christmas. That should be enough time for Bria to learn all the important bits, and for us all to prepare."

"Twelve days?" Lyssa raised an eyebrow with a grin. "Does that mean we need to start to finding twelve drummers drumming? And then eleven pipers piping, and whatever the rest of them are? Because that's a tall ask, just saying. Even with a time machine."

"Don't be ridiculous, that's far too many," he dismissed, carefully stirring the flour in. "Our general habit in the past has been to get each other one present apiece - otherwise, it's not quite so meaningful a hundred years in. You can get more if you like, but that's been our practice." He paused, allowing Bria to measure out the next ingredient and slowly add it in. "That is an interesting idea, though." He turned to her, eyes twinkling with mischief. "How do you feel about a partridge in a pear tree?"

xXx

"Please hold on tight, this ladder feels shakier than I feel comfortable with," Lyssa asked the Doctor as she carefully started up the wooden ladder, one hand lightly holding several ornaments. Christmas carols played softly in the background, both the traditional hymns and newer songs from both Lyssa's time and Bria's.

"If you fall, I'll catch you," the Doctor promised, gripping the ladder securely. "Although I'm not sure this tree is supposed to be so tall - I'm fairly certain it was shorter when we cut it down." He eyed the top of the tree several feet above him - a distance that had most definitely grown since they'd first found the tree - and shook his head, hanging a small gold bauble on one of the lower branches with his free hand.

Lyssa felt a teasing nudge in the back of her mind and shook her head in amusement. "I think the TARDIS might have been responsible for that," she grinned as she reached the top of the ladder and started hanging the delicate ornaments around the silver sash and lights. "Because I know for a fact the tree was not this tall when Bria picked it!"

"I thought plants stopped growing when you picked them," Bria frowned, pausing in her work of hanging ornaments around the lower branches. "Are trees different?"

"No, they stop as well," Lyssa assured her, smiling at the thought of picking a tree like a flower, even though she knew that hadn't been what the younger girl had meant. "I'm pretty sure the TARDIS is just messing with us. I don't know how, but it's definitely something she's capable of."

"Oh." Bria was quiet for a moment in thought, then shrugged, returning to her work. "Well, I guess that means more for us to decorate, then," she decided with a small smiel. "I didn't know trees could keep their leaves in winter, but it looks really pretty!"

"It does, doesn't it?" Lyssa agreed, cautiously moving down the ladder and returning to stable ground. "And these ornaments will make it look even better." She dug around in the large box the Doctor had pulled out of one of the many storage rooms and lit up when she found what she was looking for. "Here we go!" she grinned, pulling out the tree topper. "Bria, do you want the honor?" she offered, holding it out to the girl. "It goes at the top, just like in the pictures you saw."

"Okay," the blonde agreed hesitantly, though she climbed the ladder with ease as the Doctor secured it and carefully placed the large star on the tip of the tree. She plugged it into the strand of lights already wound, and the star lit up, emanating a bright silver glow from within. "Oh! It really glows," she said in wonder, cautiously tapping it with one finger experimentally. "I've never seen that before!"

"Would you like to see real stars?" the Doctor offered as she rejoined them on the ground. "You won't be able to touch them, I'm afraid, but I could show you what many consider to be the Christmas Star." He paused. "Technically it's not a star, it's a conjunction of planets, but to the naked eye it appears to be a particularly bright star. It's appeared around Christmas several times over the years, hence the name."

"Like before? When we left?" Bria tilted her head to the side, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Yes, please. I would like to see the stars again."

xXx

"All right, does everyone have their credit sticks?" the Doctor asked, looking at them both.

Bria nodded, holding the small piece of metal securely in her hand. "And I remember how it works, too!" She tucked it into her pocket and tugged her hat lower over her ears.

"When should we be back?" Lyssa frowned, hopping idly from foot to foot for warmth as they stood in the open marketplace on some far away planet with an unpronounceable name. Silver snow dusted the cobblestones, idly blowing about as the odd breeze blew through. "And do we have a credit limit on these?" Not that she was likely to go over, but it was nice to be aware.

"No credit limit, although try not to buy anything too overpriced , we don't want to encourage the vultures." The Doctor turned and eyed the clouds in the distance. "If you don't want to be caught in a snowstorm I'd say be back in two hours. We'll meet back by the TARDIS, and remember - hide any presents you buy if you don't want the others to see them."

"Got it," Lyssa nodded. "Oh, Doctor?" she added as he turned to leave. "Where's the magistrate's office, or the closest thing to it?"

He raised an eyebrow, but pointed to a small building a few hundred yards away. "The building marked by the purple flag. Anyone wearing the same insignia will likely be guards. Why?"

She grinned. "I want to know where to go if you're not back here in two hours. I figured the local jail would be a good place to start."

He scoffed.

xXx

"Not. A. Word," Lyssa bit out, crossing her arms with a huff and avoiding the Doctor's delighted gaze as one of the guards slid open the door to her cell.

"I didn't say anything," the Doctor pointed out as she stood up from her cot and joined him in the hallway, escorted by two guards.

"I could feel the smugness radiating from you before you even turned down this hallway," she muttered, knowing him well enough to see the smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth. "How was I supposed to know saying 'thank you' was akin to placing yourself in servitude to the person and was considered a criminal offense? What was I supposed to say when they did something nice for me? Something nasty?"

She reluctantly ceased her complaints when the magistrate came into view as the Doctor signed for her at the front desk and gathered her purchases, still radiating smug amusement. At least she'd gotten everything she'd wanted to at one place before making the apparent mistake of being polite.

"Next time you visit try to stay out of trouble," the magistrate instructed her in a bored tone as he unlocked her handcuffs. "We have the laws in place for a reason."

Lyssa shot him a withering glare, yanking her wrists out of his grip and biting her tongue to keep from saying anything that would land her back where she started.

"All right, my darling wife, let's go," the Doctor interposed hastily, placing a hand on her back and guiding her towards the exit. He paused just before they reached it and sent her a mischievous look that instantly had her wary. "Thank you for your understanding," he called over his shoulder as they reached the door, moving his hand down to grip hers.

Lyssa whipped her head up to stare at him as chaos erupted behind him. What was he thinking?

He grinned fiercely, pushing the door open with his other hand and revealing a swirling flurry of snow outside. "Run."

xXx

"This is what a snowman is supposed to look like?" Bria frowned, tilting her head to the side. "I'm not sure I understand. It does not look like the ones I have seen in books."

Lyssa grinned, rolling the large snowball on the ground just a little farther before straining to lift it up. "It's not finished yet," she grunted, struggling to get a grip underneath the heavy ball.

"It comes in three parts, and this is the head," the Doctor explained, crouching down to help. With him on the other side, Lyssa was able to heave it up and place it atop the rest of the snowman. The Doctor held it in place as she scooped up some fresh snow and patted it around the head to secure it, then both stepped back to admire it.

"Do you want to make the face?" Lyssa offered, holding out the bag of supplies to Bria.

"Like Frosty?" Bria asked, studying the snowman. "I remember the songs. Will this one come to life as well?" She looked disconcerted at the thought.

"Nope! No magic hat here," Lyssa assured her. She eyed the Doctor. "Or at least, there better not be."

He shrugged, sending her a mysterious smile. "I really couldn't say. I have yet to see a magic hat, although I have seen living snow." He frowned at the thought. "And I'd really rather not see it again," he muttered, sending a glance up at the purple sky and moving so he stood closer to Lyssa.

She frowned, sending him a concerned glance as the words struck a chord. Was he referring to the first encounter with Clara that he remembered? Or rather - with one of her echoes? She couldn't recall any other episode that might come close, although it was always possible it was one of the original adventures, or even something set before the seasons she'd seen. Still, she could understand that - after a snowman tries to eat you, it probably takes a little of the fun out of it.

"Eyes are done!" Bria announced, stepping back to reveal two pieces of coal carefully placed to resemble eyes in the snowman's head. "Then the nose..." She muttered, placing a long carrot in the exact middle of the face. "And now for the mouth." She pulled several more pieces of coal out of the bag and started to arrange them. "This snowman is a happy snowman," she decided, giving an upward tilt to the corners of the mouth.

"Don't forget the pipe for blowing bubbles," Lyssa added, sticking a small pipe alongside one of the pieces of coal.

"Nor the bubbles," the Doctor spoke up, revealing a small transparent sphere of ice that resembled a bubble from nowhere and placing it carefully atop the pipe.

"Where did that come from?" Lyssa frowned at him. "There's no ice around here, and ice would melt in your clothing, it'd be too warm!"

He winked at her. "Ah, but a magician never reveals his secrets, my dear."

She rolled her eyes, tugging her scarf up over her nose to hide her heated cheeks at the affectionate term. "I've got the arms," she stated, grabbing the two pre-selected branches and sticking them on opposite sides.

"Look out, he's armed," the Doctor joked, placing three pieces of coal in a vertical row to resemble waistcoat buttons.

"Well, consider me al-armed," Lyssa retorted with a snicker, grabbing the scarf she'd nabbed from the wardrobe and wrapping it around the neck of the snowman.

"Your jokes are ch-arming," a new voice spoke up quietly, and they turned to see Bria biting her lip nervously. "Did I do it right?" she asked, twisting her fingers together. "That's how you're supposed to do it, right? It had 'arm' in it, and I think that was the joke."

Lyssa sent the blonde a warm smile. "You did great, Bria," she promised the younger girl. "It fit right in. Here. Why don't you do the finishing touch?" she asked, holding out the final piece.

Bria cautiously took it with a tentative smile. Turning back to the snowman, she stood on her tiptoes and placed the black silk hat on the very top of its head and stood back with the others to admire their work. "Can we call him Frosty?" she asked, looking at the others hopefully and lighting up when they agreed.

Considering it was her first time building a snowman, she'd done a great job with them - all three snowballs were smooth and round, the face looked natural, and the long, multicolored scarf draped down to the ground, its tasseled ends brushing the snow. The two moons, already risen in the sky, came out from behind the clouds and lit up the clearing, adding what looked like a gleam of life to the snowman's eyes for the final touch.

"Let's get a picture, quick, while there's still light!" Lyssa urged, ushering Bria to stand next to her. "We can take turns getting pictures so we're all in them!"

The pictures quickly got taken, even several with all three of them thanks to the Doctor tinkering with the camera and a more-elaborate-than-it-needed-to-be pulley system. Tucking the camera away in his pocket, they prepared to gather their items and return them to the TARDIS before moving to the next item on their agenda.

Which, she hadn't told the Doctor yet, involved snowball fights. Once she'd been assured that there would be no actual fighting, Bria was more than excited for it, and even now was sending Lyssa eager glances.

Lyssa sent her a mischievous smile in turn, holding one gloved finger to her lips while the Doctor's back was turned. She lowered it before he could see, only for them all to freeze as a new voice boomed out from just behind them.

"Happy birthday!"

xXx

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lyssa called out, seeing a shadowy figure attempting to clamber up the side of a house and failing. They froze and turned to face her, holding their hands up to reveal a small bag in one hand that clinked as it moved.

"I know what this looks like, but it's not anything bad, I swear!" the figure said, revealing the voice of a young man.

"You know, when I say that, usually it is actually something bad," the Doctor spoke up, standing a hair in front of Lyssa and Bria, his posture ready to move. "I mean, it's the middle of the night and you're trying to sneak into someone's house, and you've a bag full of clink-y stuff. That's pretty suspicious, even for me."

"No! I'm not - I'm not trying to rob anyone, I promise!" the figure said, pushing down their red hood and stepping further into the moonlight to reveal a young man around Lyssa's age, wearing well-made clothing. He nodded at their frowns, evidently taking it for recognition of some sort. "Yeah, exactly. I have no need for anyone's money, I have more than I know what to do with myself." He paused, sending a solemn glance at the ramshackle house next to him. "And besides. These people have nothing worth stealing. The father can't even afford a wedding for any of his daughters."

"So what are you doing then?" Bria frowned, speaking for the first time. "You're not supposed to go into people's houses without asking. You're supposed to knock first and wait for them to let you in."

He sighed. "I know. But I wasn't trying to get in." He gestured up to the roof. "The chimney isn't big enough for me to fit through. But it is big enough for this," he hefted the bag in his hand.

"And what's in there?" Lyssa asked suspiciously. She wasn't getting any bad vibes from the guy, but it was best to be wary.

The man frowned, glancing around at the empty street before turning back to them. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

Lyssa raised her eyebrow. "We're not from around here. Who would we tell?"

The Doctor nodded. "We're travelers, just passing through. As long as you mean no harm, we'll likely be gone by tomorrow."

"Like I said, I have no need for more wealth," the man stated. He studied them for a moment before relaxing a little. "I'm actually trying to get rid of this," he gestured to the clinking bag. "I have no need of it, and it can go to more use elsewhere, like this house for example. The father can use it to pay for the weddings of his daughters. Otherwise... there aren't many good prospects for them."

"So you're trying to give them the money," Lyssa thought aloud, frowning when the man nodded. "Why don't you just give it to them? Why all the subterfuge?"

The young man laughed a little. "You're obviously not from around here. My people are very proud. They would never accept it if I just tried to give it straight to them. This way, they'll never know, and be more inclined to take it. To them, it will just be a blessing, not charity."

"Any why the chimney?" Bria continued. "Isn't the front door easier?"

He shrugged. "This way I can be sure it reaches them. If I just left it by the door, it could be stolen or hidden by debris. But they'll see it in the morning when they go to set the fireplace to cook in the morning."

The Doctor leaned over next to her ear. "I checked with the sonic. The contents of the bag are made up of precious metals, and there are no possible entrances to the house on the roof besides the chimney, which is too small for him to fit. And there are no buildings close by for him to leap to. I'd say he's probably telling the truth, for whatever the reason."

Lyssa eyed the young man a moment longer, then smiled. "How can we help?"

xXx

Several hours later, they'd assisted the young man in dropping off small bags of coins at a number of houses in the poorer district, and had placed the last bag just before dawn.

"Well, that does it. Thank you for your help, you've been a great blessing to my people," the young man said with a bow.

"We're always glad to help," Lyssa smiled, bowing slightly in turn. "And just following your example. It seems like you were the blessing first."

He dismissed the compliment. "I did not earn the wealth, merely inherited it. You were the ones who stepped in to help when it profited you nothing except lost sleep."

"We were all good people today, and we should be proud of that," Bria said firmly, and that settled the manner.

"Well, I must be off before it's revealed that I'm not home," the young man said. "So I must bid you all farewell, and God's blessing on your journey." He waved and turned to leave.

"Wait. What's your name?" Lyssa called just before he rounded a corner.

He turned back and smiled. "Nicholas." Then he lifted his red hood to cover his face and disappeared down an alley.

"No." Lyssa stared after him with wide eyes. "He's not -" She turned to the others. "Tell me he was joking."

"Why would he joke about his name?" Bria frowned. "Is that custom, in this land, to joke about your name?"

The Doctor just shook his head, his lips quirking up into a smile. "St. Nicholas, indeed."

xXx

"Caught you!"

Lyssa jumped back with a startled shriek as Bria's triumphant call rang out of nowhere. The Doctor, who had entered the library with her, steadied her with a hand. "Bria?" he called, glancing around the room as they paused in the entryway.

"I caught you!" the blonde said gleefully, dancing out from behind a bookshelf. "I caught you both!"

"Caught us where? And in what?" Lyssa frowned, glancing at her feet, then around her, for any signs of entrapment and finding nothing.

The Doctor did the same, keeping his hand on her arm, then glanced up. "Ah."

"Ah? Ah wha- oh." Lyssa followed his gaze and froze when she saw the sprig of green with bright red berries dangling above their heads.

"I was asking the TARDIS about more Christmas traditions, and she gave me a book that talked about mistletoe!" Bria grinned. "You hang it above doorways and you catch people in it!" She paused. "I don't know why you're supposed to catch them, but it sounded like fun, and the TARDIS really wanted me to do it, so I did it!" she said proudly. "And the TARDIS helped!"

The hum in the back of Lyssa's head took on a smug note, confirming Bria's statement.

The Doctor glanced down at the still frozen Lyssa - she was pretty sure her eyes were the size of dinner plates at this point - and smiled. "When two people get caught underneath the mistletoe, it's customary for them to exchange signs of affection," he informed Bria, his hand absently rubbing Lyssa's back and leaving a trail of sparks along her skin beneath her shirt. "Only what they're both comfortable with, and if neither of them are comfortable with it, they move on and that's okay, too."

Which was absolutely true. The only problem was, Lyssa wasn't sure what she was and wasn't comfortable with at this point - the line kind of got blurred into oblivion a few days ago after an incident she still wasn't ready to think about.

But, of course, the Doctor would never do anything she was truly uncomfortable with, and so he merely tucked a loose curl behind an ear with a smile and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her cheek, and then moved on without saying another word about it.

Lyssa checked the entryways after that (and found one hanging right above her bedroom door).

xXx

"Happy New Year!" someone shouted as they exited the TARDIS, and Lyssa flinched as confetti exploded in her face.

"Out with the old and in with the new!" someone else exclaimed, lifting a glass of sparkling liquid in the air in toast. Some of it spilled over the edge, sparking a round of laughter and more cheers.

"I may have landed us at the wrong time," the Doctor admitted, glancing around the plaza filled with dancing people and the enormous glittering ball dangling in the center of the square.

"You think?" Lyssa laughed, ducking another explosion of confetti.

He nodded, taking her question seriously. "We need to go forward. We're a bit early."

"Don't you mean late?" Bria pointed out, picking pieces of confetti out of her hair.

"Nope! Treflegul Square celebrates New Year's first, and then Christmas a week after," the Doctor informed them. "But they have the best parties in a trillion light-years, so we'll come back next week."

"Hey, look! It's Father Time!" someone shouted as the Doctor led them back through the room.

He sent them a glare, then switched it to Lyssa and Bria when they snickered. "He's obviously inebriated."

"Don't people say that drunk people and children always tell the truth?" Lyssa pointed out thoughtfully.

"Fairy-girl, you're not helping," he sighed.

She smiled sweetly. "Wasn't trying to!"

xXx

"Merry Christmas!" Bria exclaimed happily, a Santa hat sitting askew on her ringlets as she handed out her presents and then took her own spot on the chair to the left of the fireplace in the library.

"Merry Christmas!" Lyssa returned with a laugh, carefully setting down the mugs of hot chocolate she'd made for the group on the table. "Take whichever one you like, I made them all the same. You can choose between whipped cream or marshmallows," she added, adding a healthy - or unhealthy, rather - dollop of whipped cream to her drink, sprinkling it with chocolate shavings and placing it on her end table. "Presents, however, are different," she specified, handing her own two gifts out to the others.

"I've never been one to buck the norms, so I might as well give in and say it," the Doctor sighed, sounding very put out. "Merry Christmas." He made it sound very gloomy, but his eyes twinkled as he gave out his own boxes and took a sip of hot chocolate absolutely buried in marshmallows. "What?" he frowned, when Lyssa just stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Can't a man enjoy hot chocolate in peace?"

"That's not what - " she sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind. Let's just open our presents."

"Bria first, since you're the youngest," the Doctor instructed her, sitting upright in his end of the couch.

The blonde chose the bag from Lyssa, carefully taking out the tissue paper and lifting out a large purple blanket, gasping when she felt the texture and rubbing it against her cheek. "It's so soft!" she exclaimed, standing up and wrapping herself in it and sitting back down, thoroughly cocooned. "I'm never taking this off again, it's amazing," she declared. "Thank you, Lyssa!"

"You're welcome! I'm glad you like it," Lyssa grinned. As soon as she'd seen it she'd known it was perfect for Bria, especially knowing that she came from a house of little to no comforts.

"And now for the Doctor's present," Bria said, lifting the box and slowly unwrapping it, careful not to tear the paper. Setting it off to the side, she opened the lid and lifted out part of a strand of white material, colorful shapes appearing every so often on the string. "What is it?" she asked curiously, lifting it further in the air and revealing that the shapes were butterflies.

"These are called fairy lights," the Doctor explained. "You hang them around the ceiling in your room, and they light up at night. Not as bright as an actual light, so it allows you to sleep, but it provides what I'm told is a comforting glow and allows you to see around your room."

Bria's face lit up in turn. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, hugging the lights to her chest. "I've been using the light from my closet door, but this will work much better!"

He nodded, sending her a soft smile. "The TARDIS or I can help you hang them up, all you have to do is ask."

She smiled, carefully packing the lights back in the box and turning to Lyssa. "Your turn!" she announced.

Lyssa picked the box from Bria and carefully opened it to reveal a simple sheet of paper in the box. She lifted it up and turned it over to reveal a lifelike drawing of her, the Doctor, and Bria in the TARDIS. She and the Doctor were standing on either side of Bria in the open doorway, almost protectively, proud smiles on their faces as they held the doors open. Bria had drawn herself in the middle under their arms, a look of wonder on her face as she took in her surroundings with wide eyes. And all around them was an explosion of shining stars and shimmering colors coming together to reveal a beautiful galaxy.

Everything was colored in lifelike colors in except for Bria, drawn in simple black and white, although Lyssa could see traces of colors seeping in where she touched Lyssa and the Doctor. It was almost as if...

... as if their touch was bringing her to life.

She had to blink back the tears in her eyes when she looked back up.

"Do you like it?" Bria asked hopefully, biting her lip nervously. "I know I'm not very good at drawing, but I tried to make it look like you and the Doctor and the TARDIS. I don't know if you remember this or not, but this is when you guys took me to see a real galaxy! There were stars everywhere! I'd never seen a star before, I didn't know there were so many!"

Lyssa swallowed hard, blinking rapidly to clear her vision before smiling weakly at the girl. "I love it," she said truthfully. "It's beautiful, you're a very skilled artist."

Bria smiled bashfully, twisting her hands together behind her back. "I'm glad you like it. It took me a long time to draw it."

"You did an excellent job, Bria," the Doctor reassured her, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She beamed at him, clearly thrilled by his praise.

"This is going on the wall in my room," Lyssa promised, placing the page back in the box and putting the lid back on to protect it from damage. Grabbing the Doctor's present, she eyed it with interest. It was thicker than Bria's, but shorter, and definitely heavier. Opening it curiously, she gasped at the contents, lifting out a small but sturdy chestnut box. Her first and middle name were carved into the corner of the lid in elegant font, and the rest of the lid was decorated with elaborately carved flowers and leaves.

When she opened the box, a simple yet pretty tune began to play, that danced at the edges of her memory without ever coming close enough for her to place it. In the middle of the box, two tiny figurines twirled about on ice skates in small circles in tune to the music. One either side were drawers and ledges for displaying jewelry.

"This is beautiful, Doctor! I love it, thank you so much," she exclaimed, carefully shutting the lid and placing the little music box off to the side with Bria's gift.

"You're very welcome, fairy-girl," he smiled, taking Bria's present to him and opening it, much to the blonde's glee. He lifted out a small packet and looked it over with interest.

"It's seeds for a carnivorous plant, I thought you'd like it," Bria said hopefully. "It doesn't get very big, and doesn't need much to live on, so you could probably just plant it in a garden and let it be."

"Thank you, Bria," he told the blonde. "I've been meaning to get one of these for a few centuries now and never got around to it. I've always wanted to study one up close, and all the bigger ones kept trying to eat me. This will work just fine."

She beamed. "Last present!" she declared, taking a large gulp of her hot chocolate.

Lyssa watched nervously as the Doctor slowly unwrapped her present. His eyebrows slowly raised as he opened the book and flipped through the pages, stopping on the title page.

"An autographed copy of Agatha Christie's first published book?" he said, running his fingers over the title and then the scrawled name at the bottom of the page. "Original edition?"

"Obviously I couldn't actually get it autographed myself, it came that way when I found it." She shrugged. "But I know you like her books, and I figured - since this one was carefully preserved for however many years since it first came out, that you'd like it. The autograph was just a bonus." She also may or may not have gotten jailed for it, but she wasn't that bitter about it.

He gently closed the book and set it off to the side. "I have a copy, of course, but not an original, and definitely not autographed. This one's going in my room. Thank you, Lyssa." He shot her a genuine smile and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Time for food!" Bria exclaimed, bouncing in place, still wrapped in her blanket. "I helped Lyssa make rolls for breakfast! And then later we can have the cookies we made!" She grinned. "This is the best Christmas ever!"

xXx

"Lyssa? Could you come here a minute?" the Doctor called later that day, just before Lyssa was about to head to her room.

"Oh. Sure," she shrugged, following him into the library. "What's up?"

He just gestured for her to join him on the couch, so she did, watching him curiously. He pulled a tiny wrapped package out of his pocket and held it out to her.

She took it, curiosity growing. "What's this? We already exchanged presents." Her gifts had already been arranged in her room - the music box on her bookcase, and Bria's artwork carefully framed and hanging on the wall.

He smiled. "I know. Open it and see."

The size of the package and the setting both felt very familiar, and that sense grew stronger when she tore away the wrapping paper to reveal a small jewelry box. She turned to him. "Did you... is this another charm for my necklace?" she asked with interest.

He shook his head. "It's not time yet for me to give you a charm. Open it and find out."

She carefully pried open the lid and gasped. There was no necklace charm inside the box this time. Oh no. Nestled into the padding were two deep blue sapphire earrings, rimmed in tiny diamonds set in silver. They were studs, small enough that she could wear them every day with ease no matter the outfit, and the same color as the gem in her snowflake charm. They were gorgeous, and exactly the type of jewelry she preferred on the odd occasions she wore earrings. She looked back up with wide eyes and found the Doctor smiling at her fondly.

"Happy birthday, fairy-girl," he told her, eyes crinkling up at the corners as he swept her into a tight hug.

"Wait - what?" she stammered, still clutching the jewelry box in her hand. "I don't understand. Today's Christmas."

He released her and pulled back. "Yeah, I know. And it's also your birthday."

She shook her head. "But, but - my birthday's not on Christmas. It's in September."

"September 23, 1997," he confirmed. "I remember."

"So how is it both?" she frowned, completely confused.

"Easy," he said casually. "Today's Christmas, and also the day you turn twenty-two years old. Ergo, happy birthday, and Merry Christmas."

She let out a tiny laugh. "Time travel?"

He grinned. "Time travel."


A/N: I know what you guys are thinking - it's a bit late for holidays, isn't it? Wrong! I'm not late, I'm actually super early - I am way on top of the ball here guys, this is the Christmas chapter for 2021. That's right. You're welcome. :D

For a refresher on Bria, check chapters 34-39. :)

In other news, I have finally found a face claim for Lyssa! This is my personal headcanon, so feel free to ignore it (I know some of you guys have been reading for four-ish years now and probably have your own mental image) but this is the closest image I've found for my mental picture of Lyssa. I see her looking roughly similar to young Keri Russell (specifically young because the actress is currently several decades older than Lyssa actually is). So - feel free to use or ignore this information, just thought I'd share as I've had a couple people ask over the years :)

I hope you all had wonderful holidays! I do apologize that this was so late, and unfortunately I can't make any promises as to when the next chapter will be out due to the fact that things are taking a sharp turn after this and will be requiring a lot of planning. So. Buckle-up, things should be getting pretty interesting after this ;)

The convergence that the Doctor refers to is the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn like what we had about a month ago - I actually got to see it with my sister, so that was super cool! It's been referred to as the Christmas Star over the ages, hence why I chose to use it here :)

Nicholas came from one of the legends about St. Nick's orgins, I thought it was fitting.

Special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed, and shout-out to all my reviewers! You guys are amazing and kept me writing when this chapter had me pulling my hair out :D

Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! :)

General Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, just Lyssa and Bria.