A Season for Hope
Summary: Donna Noble hates Christmas. It's so commercialized and, besides, it hasn't really snowed in years. But sometimes all it takes is the tiniest of gestures to put one in the the Christmas spirit.
Author's Note #1: I love Donna. It just won't be the same without her. I also love how the Doctor can make you love him with the smallest of smiles, a simple hug or even a comforting hand that tells you he's there. Uhh... *clears throat uncomfortably* sorry, didn't mean to say that out loud. But you get the point.
For those that want to know, inspiration came to me a few days before the break when I saw a news story about a family that had twelve antique Christmas trees (I'm betting it was one tree for each of the twelve days of Christmas). They showed the trees and focused on one in particular. It was decorated with handmade German ornaments. It was a fairly quick shot and I feebly attempted to describe it in some detail but the ornament is only a small part of the story.
Anyway, at the same time I was eagerly awaiting the Christmas Special. Naturally I was sad because Donna couldn't be a part of it. And then, of course, I started thinking about Donna and the Doctor and their relationship and I realized something. Ever since Donna saved the Doctor from himself in "The Runaway Bride" (it seems like a lifetime ago now), he might just sort of see her as a guardian angel of sorts.
I mean she did materialize in the middle of the TARDIS when he was all down and depressed about losing Rose, in a gorgeous white dress (yes, it was a wedding dress, but don't ruin the moment), and helped him realize that he needed someone to stop him from going too far. In other words, he was pretty much heading down the same path that the 9th Doctor was before he met Rose (he blew up a bloody department store!).
But Donna didn't only save him, now did she? She saved the entire universe. Even if it was short-lived, for one shiny moment, she was the most important woman in the universe.
And I truly believe that she'll be back. Not now, maybe not in the current Doctor's regeneration, or the next, but she'll be back. This is Donna we're talking about after all. If there's one thing we've learned it's that you just can't keep Donna Noble down no matter how hard you try.
Now then, since this author's note is about half the length of "Donna's Christmas", I will graciously end it here. [Enjoy!]
Donna's Christmas:
Donna Noble hated Christmas. It was always so commercialized and, besides, it hadn't really snowed in years. Yet, despite all that, she was oddly glad to be home. Even if she couldn't remember where she'd put that box...
Wait! The bed! Of course! Why didn't she think of it sooner?
Donna fished around under her bed until she found what she was looking for. It was a box, one that her grandad had carved for her a number of years ago. She still kept it because it reminded her of him. And inside it she kept things that she considered near and dear to her. Gently, she lifted the cover that box, the one her dear, sweet grandad had carved especially for her.
And there, right on top of a bunch of trinkets and a few newspaper clippings, was the one thing she valued most.
It wasn't much, just a small metal-framed angel with a cloth dress. If asked she would have said it was an antique being that it looked like a handmade, turn-of-the-century ornament, and if she had to venture a guess she'd say it was from Germany.
Of course all that was silly, since it was in perfect condition when she'd gotten it last Christmas.
She remembered that day with astonishing clarity being that she'd been having trouble with her memory the past year or so. She suspected it was her subconscious blocking out any and all memories of Lance, her ex-fianceé.
Oh, well. The whole thing with Lance seemed kind of silly now that she that of it: he brought her coffee, they went out a couple of times, and the next thing they knew they were getting married!
She still hadn't heard a peep from him, but she didn't care. She had more important things in her life now; like family.
And, for once, decorating their Christmas tree together this year.
She smiled.
Lifting the angel out of the box she let her mind wander back to the day she got it.
One year ago:
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.
Donna's mum was the first to break it. "Now then, who wants tea?"
Not waiting for an answer she went into the kitchen.
"Donna, darlin', I think you missed one," said her grandad after a moment handing her one final present.
"Who's it from?" she asked curiously.
"Don't know," he answered, looking around conspiratorially. "But maybe you should open it before yer mum comes back."
Donna smiled at her grandfather before opening the gift.
She lifted the lid and saw the delicate angel inside.
"It's beautiful," she whispered, taking it out.
Her grandad caught something as it fluttered to the ground.
"Lose something?" he asked, giving it back to her.
She looked at the note scribbled in elegant script:
Thank you, Donna Noble. For everything.
Back to the present:
She wasn't quite sure why but, ever since that day, she treasured that particular ornament more than all the others combined.
And although she couldn't recall what it was that she'd done to deserve it, she was happy in knowing that, at least to one person, she'd made a world of difference.
Author's Note #2: Hmm... you know, it doesn't take a Time Lord to figure out who gave her the figurine.
And I know what your all thinking. Why didn't I post this on Christmas Eve or even Christmas Day? Well, I was going to but something went screwy with my internet service. It's still screwy so I'm at my friends house, using her computer to post this before my holiday break from school is over (oh, how I wish it was longer). And besides, we all know that anytime of the year can be Christmas-time, especially with the Doctor and the TARDIS around.
Right, well, I was going to stop right here but I simply couldn't resist. And so I bring to you the final missing piece between "Journey's End" and "The Next Doctor".
The Doctor's Christmas:
After saving the entire universe the Doctor had to wipe all of Donna's memories of him and all the fantastic places they'd traveled to and beings they'd met.
One thing was for sure: even after bringing Donna back home, the Doctor still felt rotten.
And so here he was, checking up on Donna for old times' sake the Christmas season after dropping her off.
The TARDIS materialized across the street from Donna's house. Which was just as well he supposed. After all, he couldn't really predict what seeing him would do to her mind.
As he opened the TARDIS door he felt something small and cold fall on his nose. Looking up he saw the first signs of a real snowfall. He smiled a little: it would be a white Christmas after all.
Bringing his attention back to his original purpose, he strode over to a lamppost and casually leaned against it as he focused his attention on her house.
He saw her through the window, hanging up Christmas ornaments on the tree. He noted that they'd wisely opted to grow their own tree outside in a large plastic pot, bringing it inside during the holiday season, after the store-brought tree tried to kill them last year.
And then he saw something that really caught his attention. He straightened, his eyes wide in surprise, as he watched Donna but the final touch on the tree: the handmade angel ornament.
The Doctor thought back to that particular Christmas when he'd brought it for her.
One year ago:
He'd searched the universe for something to show her how much she'd meant to him after all they'd just been through. But, at last, there was one thing you couldn't beat: a handcrafted Earth ornament.
He hurried back to present-day Earth just in time: the morning of the Christmas Day after the fiasco with Lance and the Racnoss.
He didn't want to be a burden after declining Donna's invitation to dinner with her family and all and so he gently set the gift on her doorstep with the morning paper before returning to the TARDIS.
He couldn't make out who it was then that opened the door and took the paper and the present into the house though he later suspected that it had been Donna's grandad, Wilf, but he saw the expression on Donna's face when she opened it and, for the moment, it was enough.
Back to the present:
He snapped back to the present and, seeing that, at least for now, Donna was safe and happy with her family, went back to the TARDIS smiling. Just after the TARDIS had dematerialized, the Doctor off on another adventure, a face framed with red hair looked out the window and smiled thinking the same thing the Doctor had just a few moments ago: it would be a white Christmas after all.
Author's Note #3: Happy Holidays everyone! And, yes, your eyes do not deceive you, the combined length on all three author's notes for this story is, indeed, nearly half the length of the "Donna's Christmas" and "The Doctor's Christmas" combined.