Authors Note: In case you hadn't already guessed, this story has somewhat lost the plot, if it ever had one, but as it is now Christmas Week, this one ties up any loose ends accidentally deposited so far and leads into the final two chapters. I don't own any of it of course it all belongs to the BBC. I think I need to just add a post-disclaimer to state that I also don't own any of the lyrics I have so far borrowed - they're all Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra's. Hope you enjoy it, C x

Interlude, in which the Doctor reflects.

He sat back in his chair by the Console and reflected on his evening. It had been a very long night, after his encounter with the Gargoyle on Notre Dame he'd taken Eliza back to her home, where he had no doubt her dreams had been filled with images of Jack, reindeer and a snoring Father Christmas. Once she was safely home, none the wiser about her quick trip to Paris, he had continued on Father Christmas' journey, returning to France and Paris, with the unshakable feeling that the Gargoyle was watching him as he moved back and forth across the city.

Luck had been with him, and despite visiting however many billion residences there are in the world, minus those in Britain where it would appear Father Christmas had begun no one else had been awake. The starting in Britain amused him, but he decided it is on Greenwich Mean Time, and Greenwich is British so it did, he supposed, make sense. And rather funny considering all the American Christmas movies where Father Christmas rarely made it out of the USA, and then only because he was going home to the North Pole. Jack looked up at him when he laughed out loud.

"What's up Doc?"

"Nothing really." He replied, nonchalantly. "I mean, in one night, day, who can really tell in here? In one adventure, I've met Father Christmas, the Gargoyle from Notre Dame, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, countless royalty, Napoleon Bonaparte…"

"I met Queen Victoria." Jack intervened.

"Exactly, and Napoleon recognised me, which I guess means that at some point in the future I'll be visiting him again… not sure I want to do that, he didn't strike me as being someone I want to meet twice."

"He had a bit of short man syndrome." Jack added helpfully, as he pulled the cables connecting the TARDIS to the sleigh out.

"Only a little bit." The Doctor laughed. "I still can't get over the fact that the Hunchback of Notre Dame is a true story."

"And that talking Gargoyles really exist."

"Oh, that's not so huge… there were the Pyroviles in Pompeii, these are possibly just a relative. Keep an eye out for them coming through the rift though. Your atmosphere kills them, might want to send them straight back where they came from."

"The rift doesn't exactly work that way, Doc." Jack replied quietly.

"Oh, well, maybe that'll get sorted at some point then." The Doctor replied jovially.

"Oh. My. God." Jack exclaimed, sitting up hurriedly.

"What?" the Doctor asked warily, not sure if he wanted the answer.

"Presents. I forgot to do presents."

"Oh that's fine, don't worry about that. We've got all the time in the world. And I know where we're going next anyway."

"Where?"

"We're going to meet some old friends of mine. Bing and Frank."

"What?!" Jack exclaimed.

"Yes Jack, I know you can imitate me." The Doctor replied pleasantly, laughing, "Now. Allons y."