Merry Christmas! Nollaig Shona Dhuit! Feliz Natal! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël! Zalig Kerstfeest! Fröhliche Weihnachten! Buon Natale! And a Happy Holidays to everyone!
I hope I said all those greetings correctly. :) I'm sorry if I missed a greeting from where you're from. I also really hope that everyone is having a brilliant holiday season! Enjoy the special Christmas gift from me to you. ;) Sorry that it's not very long of a chapter. Wish I could give you all a better gift. You all deserve so much more!
XxXxXxXx
Chapter 26: Christmas with the Ponds
Upon Wanda's request, the Doctor took her back to the warehouse. Back to the cloning room where the clones of her and Martha had been made. They had to go back anyway, to get Donna who was still with UNIT. While Martha and the Doctor went to the UNIT trailer to get the woman, Wanda stayed behind in the cloning room. She collected her coat from the room she had left it behind in. The rest of her clothes she left on the clone, wanting to leave the poor dear who died to be left to rest in some decency.
"Time to go!" came the call from the Doctor as he and the other two stepped back into the room. Wanda glanced up from where she sat on the floor next to her clone.
"Are they really going to let Luke work for UNIT after everything he's done?" Donna asked the Time Lord, clearly in disbelief of the boy seemingly getting off so easily after almost destroying the world.
"More like forcing him to work. We're not letting him out of our sight after that," Martha replied as she and Donna went to the TARDIS. "Brilliant mind like his can do us some good, but also lets us keep a close eye on him. I doubt he'll enjoy that." She and Donna laughed as they went into the ship, letting the door close behind them.
Wanda sat there in silence, staring down at her clone's body. She tensed as she heard the Doctor walking over to her. A gentle hand rubbed her shoulder as the Time Lord crouched next to her.
"We can't just leave her here," she whispered, sadness laced heavily in her voice.
"I know," the Doctor agreed. "She has parts of your DNA in her. Can't let that fall into the wrong hands."
"I wasn't talking about that," Wanda sighed, staring at him steadily. "I meant she deserves a proper funeral. Not just left behind to rot here."
"Right," the Doctor responded, tugging at his ear in embarrassment. He felt uncomfortable staring at the clone Wanda dead on the floor. Too close in looks to his Wanderer. He had to keep looking at his Wanda to know that she was still alive and well. Seeing how Wanda still looked at him evenly, he sighed. "Okay . . . I'll ask UNIT to make certain to take care of her body. They'll have to cremate her, though. You know how Time Lord DNA works. But I can ask them to place her ashes somewhere nice."
"Thank you." Again she sighed, staring down in remorse at the dead clone. She gently fixed the girl's hair and placed her hands together on her stomach, making the clone appear more at peace. "I'll be in the TARDIS. Do what you have to with UNIT and her body." Standing up, she hurried back into the TARDIS. Only wishing to be far away from this place.
It was a while later before the Doctor came back into the ship, sending the group of travellers off once again. With Martha and Wanda properly dressed once more thanks to the TARDIS wardrobe, everyone was simply ready to get the day over with. Soon the Doctor took Donna to her home when asked to check up on her family and to see if they were all right in the end. Wilf ended up meeting them outside where the TARDIS had materialized, smiling proudly at his granddaughter and waving merrily at the two Time Lords and Martha standing behind Donna. Wanda—not being able to contain her excitement in seeing Wilf again—ran around Donna and ended up giving the old man a hug. She pulled away in embarrassment, blushing as everyone, even Wilf, laughed at her giddiness. But the granddad ended up hugging her again, telling the Time Lady how delighted he was in meeting her once more. As well as receiving a hug from an actual alien.
Leaving Donna and Wilf to go back into their home to discuss over today's events, the Doctor, Wanda, and Martha sat within the TARDIS control room waiting for the red head's return. Then, glancing between the two Time Lords, seeing the tension, Martha cleared her throat.
"You know, I think I'll go pop back to my old room real quick," she told them as she edged away from the console and towards the corridor. "I think I might have left something in there from, well, you know, last time I was here." With that said, she turned and disappeared from sight, leaving the other two alone.
Sitting in the captain's chair, Wanda looked away from where Martha had wandered off to, sighing as she pulled her legs closer to her chest as she had her arms wrapped around her knees. In the corner of her eye she could see the Doctor absently fiddling with the controls on the console, knowing that he was trying to keep his mind off of things and forget the horrid events from today. The Time Lady swallowed, trying to get the lump out of her throat as she felt worried about the question she knew she needed to ask. Not so anxious about asking the question itself, but more nervous about what answer she would receive from him. Opening and closing her mouth for a few seconds, she finally cleared her throat before eventually gaining the courage to speak.
"Doctor," she spoke up. He hummed, turning his attention towards her. He stared at her, curious as to why she seemed so nervous about something she wanted to say to him. She had even begun doing her old habit of pinching her thumb as she returned his gaze.
"I . . . I wanted to ask you something, because I need to know . . .," she started her question, clearing her throat again as her words seemed to not wish to be spoken. Finally, she pushed herself into asking. "Was my clone the one who killed the Sontarans?"
She watched as he gulped, his eyes growing a mixture of emotions that brewed away within his brown irises. Not one specific emotion seemed to hit him, but yet they all appeared to wash over him as well. One certain emotion stood out more than anything, making it clear to Wanda the answer she had been dreading. The feeling of deep regret could be seen clearly on his face. She swallowed heavily, averting her eyes.
"How?" she whispered. "How did she kill all of them? How could she possibly have done such a thing? And all the way from Earth? That's . . . it's not even possible." She shook her head, tightening her arms around her knees and pinched her thumb harder. Her eyes wavered as she stared at the grated floor. "No, I suppose it is possible, isn't it? Bad Wolf did it once before. So, that just leaves one question . . . What . . . what am I? Am I a monster?"
"No," the Doctor said, his voice hard and firm. He walked up to her, crouching down to cup her chin and lift her eyes to meet his. "You are no monster, Wanderer. Not now, not ever."
"You say that all the time . . . but all signs point to me being some kind of freak of nature that secretly wants to kill everyone," she joked weakly, shaking her head in sadness.
"That isn't you, though. You and I both know that," he argued. He sat in the chair beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to his side. She leaned her head against him, enjoying the warmth he gave her.
"Yeah . . . maybe. I really don't know anymore," she replied quietly. "I feel like I'm some kind of explosion just waiting to happen. A weapon ready to be fired at any moment."
"You're not a weapon, Wanderer." Pulling her chin up, he gave her a stern look. "You're the kindest, most caring, generous, loyal, courageous, and magnificent person out there. You would never hurt someone intentionally."
"Hmm . . . are you sure about that?"
"Positive." He gave her his famous foxy grin, leaning down to kiss her.
She wanted to ask more . . . perhaps press for more answers to her dying need to know and understand. But . . . she was simply too scared to learn the truth. It . . . frightened her more than anything. And she feared that in knowing, it would change what it meant to be 'the Wanderer.' So, knowing that she was being a coward, she decided to wait until later to ask. There . . . there was always time to discuss more of this in the future . . .right? She was certain they could always talk about it later. For now, she only wished to keep him happy in not discussing such heavy and sad topics. Especially since she realized what day it was for him.
"Theta," she whispered after they pulled away from their kiss.
"Yeah?" he asked curiously.
She swallowed heavily. "Today . . . is a day you've been dreading for a long time."
He blinked in shock. "What?"
"I'm sorry." She leaned forward, giving him one last kiss as the warmth picked up through her body and the white light surrounded her, making her disappear right from the Doctor's arms.
XxXxXxXx
The street was silent as light snowflakes drifted down, swirling through the air as a gentle wind swept through every few moments. Lamps on the corners of the sidewalks lit up the neighborhood in a soft, warm glow. All the homes were decorated in lights, with Christmas trees seen standing tall and proud in the windows. Carolers were heard singing in the distance, entertaining the many who wished to listen to joyful tunes. On a corner of the sidewalk, not too far away from one particular home, a white glow started up, just hovering in midair. Then, in a flash of light, a blonde girl let out a yelp as she fell back onto the cold ground and snow.
Wanda blinked as she stared up at the night sky. Snowflakes fell all around her. Even a few landed on her face. She stuck out her tongue, catching a few of the white dust for a taste. She laughed, waving her arms and legs out as she moved the snow around, creating a snow angel right where she laid. The silent night and her laughter were interrupted as a low noise began to fade in and out of existence. Wanda sat up swiftly when realizing it was the TARDIS materializing right next to her. She smiled as the ship arrived fully, parked just right across from the houses on the other side of the street. Then, she beamed when seeing Eleven hesitantly popping his head out of the door, looking cautiously out like a nervous child ready to face something he had been dreading for a while now.
"Hello, Spaceman," Wanda spoke up, earning his attention with a start. She smiled, falling back onto the snow as she continued to make her snow angel. "Lovely weather we're having. I do love snow." She made an 'aah' sound as she stuck out her tongue again, giggling as she caught more snowflakes.
"Having fun are we?" asked the Doctor with great humour, grinning and chuckling as he watched his wife acting so giddy. He loved it when she was silly like this. Because silly was always good.
"Oh, yes! Loads!" she exclaimed in joy. He laughed, bending down to help her up. Dusting her back off, he pulled her in for a warm hug. She snuggled right into his chest, beaming away merrily. "It's a good thing I decided to wear my coat. It would be freezing otherwise."
"You're a Time Lord. We don't feel the cold at this temperature."
"Well, I'd at least feel chilly." She pulled away, linking their arms together as she gave him a loving kiss on the cheek. "So, how's my husband been lately? Been getting into trouble from the way you smell." She giggled at her own lame joke.
"Things just went a bit glitchy in the middle. Nothing too serious to worry about." He looked towards the house in front of them, appearing very cautious once more. He even shifted on his feet, looking as though ready to bolt back inside of the TARDIS.
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Come on, idiot. They're waiting for us. It's time we let them know that you're okay."
There was some protesting from the Doctor as he tried to make up excuses to get back inside the TARDIS as Wanda dragged him to the deep blue door across the street. A Christmas wreath had been hung on the door in welcome, and both Time Lords noticed in interest that the door had been actually been painted TARDIS blue. Wanda smiled, bumping the Doctor with her hip and nodding happily at the colour of the door as if to say, 'See? They do miss you.' The Doctor wrung his hands together for a moment, repeatedly lifting a hand to knock on the door then withdrawing in indecision. Finally, getting impatient, Wanda rapped sharply on the door for him, bouncing on her feet in excitement.
"Ohh! If that is more carol singers, I have a water pistol!" came the shout from within. Wanda snickered as she heard the great annoyance in Amy's voice as she shouted. The door swung open with Amy still barking in irritation. "You don't want to be all wet on a night like this."
Amy aimed a water pistol right at them, ready to shoot the deadly water into their faces. Then, she froze, with mouth dropping in shock and eyes staring at the two in front of her in surprise. All she could do really was stare at the two, watching as the Doctor could only stare back as well and how Wanda smiled brightly, bouncing on her feet. The Doctor was finally the first to speak up.
"Not absolutely sure . . . how long," he said, staring at the ginger woman cautiously as he had a feeling once she snapped out of her state of shock then she would become very cross with him.
"Two years?" Amy replied, almost as she was not sure exactly how long it had been. Her eyes suddenly narrowed and her teeth gritted. The Doctor received a few squirts from the pistol, cold water that splashed right onto his face. A few droplets even hit Wanda, but she missed the main hits of water as she had stepped out of the way before Amy fired at the Doctor.
"Okay. Fair point," the Doctor muttered, wiping at his wet face. Amy let the pistol hang at her side when she lowered her arm. One of her brows arched high as she kept the same look of ire on her face.
"So. You're not dead," she said as she had been expecting that anyway. The Doctor pointed at Wanda, giving a wry smile.
"Wanda's not, either," he added in.
Amy rolled her eyes. "I already knew she wasn't. Seeing Third Wanda's face after the whole thing sort of clued us into that. And I knew you weren't, either, you moron. River told us."
The Doctor frowned, confused by this statement. "How did River know?"
"That's actually my fault," Wanda spoke up, rubbing a hand on the back of her head as she gave him a small smile. "I sort of arrived at her cell on the first day she had been put into prison. She kind of freaked and began asking me if I made it out all right, which then led to asking if you were still alive and I might have let a spoiler or two slip. But don't worry! I made sure to have River promise not to tell anyone, and to only tell Amy and Rory after they had already been to Lake Silencio." She beamed, bouncing on her feet with hers clasped behind her back as the Doctor could only blink as he stared at her. "This was supposed to happen anyway. River was meant to know about it, so it all worked out in the end."
"Well, of course," the Doctor mumbled, shaking his head as he looked back at Amy, who had her arms crossed as she stared him down.
"She's a good girl," retorted Amy. She stared at him for a moment longer as they all remained silent, raising a brow in expectancy. "Well? I'm not going to hug first."
"Nor am I," the Doctor grumbled, refusing to meet her gaze. Wanda looked at them both, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I will," she told them. She bounced forward, giving Amy a large hug. "I missed you, Amy."
"Missed you, too," Amy laughed in delight, returning the hug in joy. Wanda pulled away, beaming as she peeked inside.
"Oh! Christmas! Yes, finally! I've been wanting to have Christmas with you and Rory for ages now," the Time Lady exclaimed in excitement. She gave Amy a brief kiss on the cheek before bouncing inside the home, going down the hall. "Rory! Guess who's back!"
Amy and the Doctor both chuckled as Wanda disappeared around the corner. The ginger woman turned back to the Time Lord, raising a brow as if to say, 'Well? What are you waiting for?' The Doctor rolled his eyes, going forward to give her a cheerful hug. They both laughed merrily as they hugged, beaming as they pulled away.
"We're about to have Christmas dinner. Joining us?" Amy asked, nodding towards the kitchen where they could both hear Wanda and Rory talking merrily away.
"If it's no trouble," the Doctor said, hoping that she would say 'yes.'
"There's a place set for you both," Amy told him.
The Doctor blinked in surprise. "But you didn't know we were coming. Why would you set a place for me and Wanda?"
"Because we always do." Amy rolled her eyes, pretending not to be embarrassed by this confession. "It's Christmas, you moron." She turned, walking down the hall and went into the kitchen, leaving the Doctor standing on the doorstep in stunned silence.
He could only stand there, staring into the home in awe, shocked beyond all belief. They . . . they set a place for the Time Lords? Really? And they had waited . . . all this time. Not once giving up on seeing the two of them again. The Ponds . . . always waiting for the Time Lords and never giving up on them. The Doctor stiffened as he felt wetness on his cheek. Lifting a hand, he wiped away the stray tear that had fallen down his face. The tear that had leaked out in the pure joy and happiness that had swept through him. A soft smile grew on his face as he stared down at the tear on his fingertips.
"I guess happy-crying isn't just for humans is it?"
The Doctor looked up, seeing Wanda standing there in front of him; hands clasped and held down in front of her, smiling softly as a few tears ran down her face as well.
"They really did have a place set for us," she whispered in quiet happiness. The Doctor smiled, stepping forward to hug her and give her a kiss. She pecked him on the cheek, leaning around him to shut the open door from the cold night outside. Entwining their fingers together, they both smiled. "Come on. Let's go have Christmas with our family."
XxXxXxXx
The Doctor sat on the sofa of the Pond's living room, with an arm around Wanda as she snuggled right up beside him. She yawned, shifting in place as she scooted closer to him. He heard her mumbling happily in her sleep, even giggling ever so quietly. Gazing at her, he could not help the soft smile that graced itself upon his face. The purple paper crown was still on her head though tilted on top as it looked about ready to fall off. His own blue paper hat sat on top of his head from the two Christmas crackers they had pulled along with Amy and Rory. Then the presents they had all opened were scattered around the room, buried within the torn wrapping paper. The Doctor chuckled as he remembered how excited Wanda had been in giving her own gifts to the two companions. Presents which she had been carrying around in her pockets for a while now, just waiting for a Christmas which they would all spend together. He leaned down, kissing the top of her head.
"Is she actually asleep?" asked Amy who walked into the room. She sat in an armchair close by, smiling at the cute Time Lady who lay nestled up next to her Time Lord. "I'd never thought I see her sit in one spot for so long. I've gotten so used to her bouncing around everywhere that I just assumed she never slept. Same goes for you." Amy bumped her foot against the Doctor's leg in a teasing manner.
"I'd never thought I would see her eat so much," commented Rory as he walked into the room as well. The man held two mugs of hot chocolate, handing one cup to his wife. He sat down on the arm of the chair where Amy sat, taking a sip of his drink as he stared at the sleeping Wanda. "Three helpings of food. Three!"
"I think the Doctor doesn't let her eat much," Amy commented, kicking the Doctor's leg with her foot and giving him a scolding look.
"Her appetite is just growing. And she will be more tired than usual," the Doctor replied, shrugging his shoulders lightly. Then, a small guilty look crossed his face. "Then again, she might be exhausted from all the running around and non-stop planet hopping. And I don't eat much myself so . . . I tend to forget about feeding her at times. I need to work on remembering to take a break for her."
"You think," both Rory and Amy said sternly together, giving the Doctor a sharp gaze as he smiled sheepishly. On his shoulder, Wanda snorted softly, smiling as she snuggled more into him. The Doctor chuckled, shifting an arm around her and holding her carefully in his arms as he stood.
"I think it's best that I take her back to the TARDIS where she can get some proper sleep," the Doctor told them, giving each a warm, fond smile and nod. "Be seeing you, Ponds."
"That's Williams," Rory responded, sipping from his cup.
"No, it's not," both the Doctor and Amy responded knowingly. Laughing together at the pout Rory sent them both.
"Stop by more often, you hear," Amy told the Doctor sternly as he began walking out of the room.
"Will do," responded the Doctor lightly over his shoulder. "For now on, we'll come home for every Christmas." He beamed as he heard both Amy and Rory sounding pleased by this.
Pushing the front door open, he stepped out into the night, breathing in the crisp winter air, walking at a brisk pace as he wanted to get Wanda in bed before she woke from the cold and being moved about. And she did wake, for the sharp closing of the TARDIS door made her snort and jerk up in the Doctor's arms, blinking sleepily.
"I'm awake," she mumbled, yawning. "I'm awake and ready for more games. Wee." She slumped down into the Doctor's arms as he chuckled.
"No, it's time for bed. You're exhausted, I can tell," he told her, keeping her firmly in his arms as he walked down the ship corridor. "How long has it been since you last slept?"
"Too tired. Can't remember," Wanda mumbled, curling up more in the Doctor's arms. "I think all that food is what made me so tired. I might have eaten too much."
"You should eat more. You're far too skinny. Even my Tenth self was bigger than you."
"Oh, shush."
He laughed as she hit him lightly on the chest. The door to their bedroom opened for him once he stood in front of it. He gave thanks to Sexy, walking inside to lay Wanda right on the bed. He helped her shrugged off her coat and shoes, snuggling up right under the large covers. He tossed his shoes off somewhere into the room and placed his tweed blazer onto a desk chair. Pulling up the blanket, he hopped into the bed, scooting down right beside his wife. She instantly cuddled up to his chest, humming in delight as he wrapped his arms around her.
"This is nice," she mumbled quietly while smiling. "Best Christmas ever."
"Agreed," replied the Doctor, keeping his voice soft and gentle. They remained quiet for a moment, letting the hum of the TARDIS sooth them both.
"Doctor?" Wanda spoke up.
"Hmm?"
Wanda shifted in the Time Lord's arm, tilting her head to look at him. "I forgot to ask. How did everything go with the Arwells?"
"Like I said, a bit glitchy in the middle. But everything's fine for them now." He smiled as he thought over the family he had helped through. "I think I might have been the best caretaker ever, if I do say so myself."
Wanda laughed. "I wish I could have been there. I would have loved helping you fix up that house for the children."
"Yes, I wish you had been there, too. It would have been nice having someone else's ideas on what the children might like." There was a moment's pause as the Doctor stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling, contemplating something that had been on his mind for a while now. "Wanda, do you think . . . do you think that I'll be a good father?"
"Huh?" She blinked, surprised by this question. Where did this come from? She stared at him, puzzled by the strange distant look he had while gazing at the ceiling. "Why would you say that? You've been a father before, and technically you are one now. Don't keep forgetting about poor Jenny." She gasped in alarm when realizing something. "Oh, my gosh! We've been neglecting our daughter!"
"Wait, what?" He sat up when Wanda shot up in a start.
"We haven't gone to visit Jenny for Christmas in ages! We need to go see her right now!" Wanda tried getting up from the bed, but the Doctor held her back as he laughed.
"We haven't been neglecting her, Wanderer. She's fine and happy. She has her own family now to take care of."
Wanda blinked, confused by this. "What do you mean?"
"Jenny has been married for a while now to that Cline fellow." The Doctor's face scrunched when he said the man's name. "Who I still don't approve of. I don't like someone marrying my daughter who is perfectly fine in carrying a gun around and acting all—."
"Theta." Wanda laughed and shook her head while the Doctor cleared his throat. Then the Time Lady's face dropped. "So, she has kids now, too?" She watched as her husband nodded, letting a small sigh out as her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "I didn't realize she had moved on in her life. The last time I saw her she had only begun dating Cline. I guess they're right when they say kids grow up too fast." She thumbed at the locket that hung around her neck. The same one that Jenny had given her as a gift so long ago. The silly thing had stopped working ages ago, wearing out as it had been only been made to last so long. So it had been a long while since the last time she and Jenny had a chance to communicate and keep an update on their lives. "She's not mad at us for not visiting in so long, right? Oh, no, did I miss the wedding?! Or her kids being born?! Oh, I'm a horrible mother."
"No, no, no. Don't say that," the Doctor scolded her, placing a comforting arm around her as she began to sniffle. "We were both there and present. I promise. And we'll even go visit her and the others tomorrow morning, first thing. What do you say about that? Sound like a plan?"
She rubbed at her teary eyes, nodding. "Yeah. Okay." Then, she gave him a thoughtful look. "Then . . . why were you asking if you'll be a good father?"
"No reason. It was just something I had been thinking while building up the house for Lily and Cyril." There was a small pause as he seemed to gather his thoughts. "I thought, if I had kids again, that maybe they would enjoy a house like that. Or maybe if I think up a room in the TARDIS . . ."
Wanda could only stare at him in puzzlement as he mumbled on in nonsense. She truly had absolutely no idea what he was going on about. Shaking her head, she let it pass a simply one of the Doctor's random thoughts. He often came up with bizarre notions like this.
"So, anyway, now that I'm more awake, I have a question to ask," Wanda said as she scooted back to lie down again on the bed. The Doctor lay next to her, holding her hand.
"Ask away," he replied merrily.
"Will you tell me what's wrong with my mind?" She felt him tense greatly next to her, staring at her in alarm.
"No. It's not time yet." He averted his gaze, staring determinedly at the ceiling as if hoping that if he looked away long enough that there would be no more questions on such unwanted topics.
"Theta, it's time we both stop beating around the bush. Oh, I like that saying. I'll have to use that one more often." She shook her head, knowing she was distracting herself. "Anyway, point is, we need to talk about this. I mean, how long is this 'we'll talk later' going to go on, huh?"
"For as long as it needs to." The Doctor rolled over, turning his back to her.
Wanda pouted, reaching over and giving him a shake. "Theta, please. I need to know what exactly happened back when the Sontarans attacked so that I can be prepared not to go nuclear and hurt people. If I'm not ready for it then it might be even worse next time. Theta? Please? Please, please, please."
"We're not discussing this, Wanderer, and that's that."
She huffed, flopping back down on the bed as she stared up at the ceiling. Try as she might, she had no clue as to why exactly he always seemed so determined to keep this large secret from her. Really, it seemed pointless. Why not let the truth out sooner? Would it not help in keeping the person safer that way? And by now, she knew most of what was wrong with herself. Why would the Doctor wish to continue in hiding the full truth when he knew that she had a good notion of this so-called 'mystery.' Then . . . it dawned on her. Memories from the show, of a certain episode—an event that had just happened to the Doctor recently in fact—crossed her mind.
"I know the reason why you won't tell me," she spoke softly, earning the Doctor's attention.
"Hmm? What? What reason?" He rolled onto his back, looking curious by her statement.
"Because, like you told Madge Arwell, you see the happy moments, us smiling and being joyful together. Then, you remember, when I finally learn of the truth of who I am, my past, of how sad I'm going to be."
The Doctor remained still and quiet, continuing to stare at her as she kept her eyes focused thoughtfully at the ceiling overhead. Turning his head, he stared up as well, feeling wave after wave of gloom wash over him. "And it breaks my hearts . . . knowing that you're going to be sad. So sad."
Wanda shifted her head over, seeing the way his eyes lit up in misery and the teary gaze he held. She gently reached over, grabbing his chin and directly their gazes to meet. "But you know what? I won't let these happy moments between us and our family be dulled by my sadness. Because even though I know I'll be sad later, doesn't mean I still can't find a reason to be happy. And you'll always be my reason to keep smiling." She smiled brightly, hoping to cheer him up. Once again, she had made him saddened by discussing such trouble topics and she felt horrible by it. Why did she always have to be such a burden on his life? She needed to stay positive and to keep him happy.
And it seemed her words worked as he grew a warm and tender smile. "Promise?"
"Well, there's no guarantee that I won't have my sad days, but . . . I promise when you're around, I'll always give you a smile and find a reason to be happy, because, really, you are my reason for being happy in the first place."
He beamed, snuggling right up to her chest and holding her close. "Good. And you're my reason, too." He felt her wrap her arms around him, caressing her fingers through his hair as they both laid there with content smiles on their faces. "Merry Christmas, Wanderer."
She smiled and kissed his head. "Merry Christmas, Theta."
XxXxXxXx
Not much of a chapter. But mostly just a nice holiday moment for our lovable TARDIS travellers. ;) I hope everyone enjoyed it! If you did, please, send in some holiday greetings in a review. I'd love to hear from you all! If you can't that's fine, too! I just hope that every single one of you had the most brilliant of holiday seasons and experienced nothing but happiness and joy. :D
Reviewers:
Momochan77: With Clone Wanda, it really did seem like a roller coaster ride. lol ;) Don't worry, we will know the truth sooner or later. Might be a little off from this point, but we're getting pretty close now. ;) Until next time! Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas!
bored411: Oh, trust me, it's going to keep crazy as the story progresses. Hope you don't mind the craziness. ;) Poor Wanda. I don't think she'll ever not blame herself when it comes to these things. Even if it isn't technically her fault. So happy you enjoyed the chapter! Hope to see you again soon! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! :)
jaz7: Yay! I'm so overjoyed that you liked it! Hope your holiday season is amazing! :)
heroherondaletotherescue: lol What can I say, you're good. ;) Now it's just a matter of time before it's revealed to the Doctor and Wanda in the story. Think they'll figure it out soon? ;) Well, I think she handled it okay at the moment. But if things get any more intense . . . Let's just say spoilers for now. Hope your holidays are amazing! Until next time!
alwaystherereading: Yep. All of them. Nah, Donna's fine. She always is. ;) Sadly, yes. Though it was not mentioned because of it being in Wanda's perspective, Martha's ring was indeed lost after that. Guess that's going to be a tough talk Martha has to have with Tom now. :( Not stupid at all! Even the little details are always good to know and to catch onto. :) It helps give stories more depth, which I know I'm not the best at, but I do try as much as I can. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May your days be filled with cheer. :D
All The Stories Are True 24601: Well, it's always good to get spoiled every once and a while. lol ;) I normally upload very late at night here in the USA. Mostly between the time of 10 o' clock at night and 2 o' clock in the morning CST. Sorry, I hope that doesn't wake you up at 4 in the morning. Unless you're already up, then I hope it's a nice enjoyment instead. :) Never bored of what you and other readers have to say. It's always just a joy to hear from you all. :) Glad you're liking it! I was always afraid I was overstepping what would be acceptable in the Whoverse. Hope it stays okay through the rest of it. Well, I love many others. Few that stand out the most at the moment is Steven Universe and Stranger Things. :) See you next time! Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas!
therealjainasolo: Me, too! Can't wait of what you and other readers think of her. :) Hope your holidays have been great!
singingKatelyn: lol Hope that's a good thing. ;) Merry Christmas! :D
Guest(a): Woo! I'm just so happy to hear that it brought you joy! I hope I can keep that up. :) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and all your family!
Caroline: Glad that you enjoyed it all. :) Aww, thank you. That means the world to me. I know there are a lot more stories much better than mine, but I'm just so happy that this story brings you so much joy. I really hope it stays good throughout the rest of it. :) Well, spoilers on the parts with Alpha. Unfortunately, no Twelfth Doctor moments in this story. Possibly in the next though. ;) Thank you again for all your kind words! I hope your Christmas/Holiday is full of joy and merriment. :D
Crystal-star-Tyler: Glad my jokes are good. :) Normally I'm terrible at comedy. In both written form and in real life. But I'm happy to know that I can manage to get a chuckle every once and a while. ;) Hope your holiday season has been wonderful! Take care!
grapejuice101: Yes, I feel for her, too. She never had a nice moment at all in her short life. :( Well, we won't be meeting the Master for quite some time. I hope you don't mind the wait. Until next time! Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas to you! :D
N7SpaceHamster: Hello again! Glad to have done some of your favorite episodes. :) I'm happy that you enjoyed all those nice touches. It's always the little things that seem to bring the story all together. Especially continuity. I love continuity in anything, be it a show, movie, or book series. I always look forward when seeing little touches of continuations or nods to something from the past. Haha, maybe I'll do those two in a separate story for later. ;) Though Wanda does question it quite a bit, she also is afraid of knowing the truth as I saw recently. To be honest, I would be afraid to know something like that as well. Don't worry, I always try to keep a good balance when it comes to how much Wanda actually participates in the Doctor's timeline. I agree we do see it far too much in other stories. But we also see far too little as well, where the characters in these sorts of stories don't do anything at all. They just might have a line in between dialogue, but other than that there feels like no real connection between them and the world around them. It really is a fine line with these sorts of stories writers have to manage. Tilt it too far and the story can come crashing down with it. I just hope I can continue to make it good in this story. :(Well . . . I suppose that's just spoilers for now in what is to come for Wanda in the Pandorica. I hope you'll like it when it does happen. :) Again, spoilers on why Wanda feels that way for Amy and Rory. You just ask the best questions. lol ;) Well, remember what the Doctor said in Utopia on what happens when a Time Lord has the Time Vortex in them? That. That's her power. And if that still makes you uncertain, then I'll just say spoilers for now. ;)Nah, I always like to conclude things like that pretty quickly. Some things are fun to sort of drag on, while others just become silly and boring. It's another fine line writers have to find. Hopefully the story stays well in what has happened so far, though. Actually, that's more of something left up to the reader to decide. It could be Wanda. Or it could be someone else the Doctor meant. I like stories that leave things up for the reader to think about, so I love doing it here, too. :) At that moment, our space travellers are in between Amy's Choice and Hungry Earth. And don't worry, we'll be seeing the Dream Lord in the distance future. ;)Well, Wanda has never been able to see into her own timeline. That's usually why things tend to go fuzzy for her. Nah, Bad Wolf is most definitely a separate entity from Wanda. Again, just another spoiler for now. Nope! I don't mind repeats at all. :) I just love seeing your excitement for it all. Would love to comment more on Alpha, buuuuttt that might lead to spoilers. No sneak peeks for you, sorry. ;) Thank you so much for all your reviews! I hope you don't mind the long response in return. I wish you the best Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Take care! Until next time! And best of wishes to you and all. :D
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! See you all very soon I hope! If not before the end of this year, then defintiely in the next. ;) 2018 here we come!
~Tinker~