I apologize for the delay of the delay of this chapter. I updated my iPod and it did not back up my iPod and all my notes were erased and that's where all my stories were...so it seems that my Christmas story won't be finished when I hoped so...I'm sorry guys...I hope you all had a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year though!

A Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Christmas

Chapter Three - First Encounter

River didn't sleep a wink that night. Her mind was racing. What if this didn't work? What if everything went south? What if the whole of space and time imploded because of some stupid alien invasion? (Which we all know is a good possibility). Or worse, what if she wasn't everything she thought he was? What if she'd blown him completely out of proportion? She'd known him ten years and suddenly she felt like she had only met him once and all they said to each other was "Hi."

Finally around five in the morning she gave up with trying to sleep and decided to go out. She knew there was a 24/7 cafe in the hotel. It just needed to be found. So, quietly as to not awake Anita, River changed into a warm outfit and went down.

There was a man at the counter dressed in a tweeted jacket and a bow tie.

The Doctor wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he wanted to. Jack snoring coupled with his more-full-than-usual mind made it impossible. So, he'd decided to have a little drink. He had just ordered a cup of tea when a lady with curly blonde hair came to the counter.

"Hot chocolate please." she said. The girl behind the counter nodded and went off.

"Sleepless night?" the Doctor asked, always friendly.

"Exactly." the girl said sleepily.

River smiled over at the man. He seemed friendly enough. Not a mad man or anything. But there was something about his eyes...

"Me too." he said. "I'm here with my mate Ja-John." he paused to make sure she didn't catch his mistake. Luckily, she was too sleepy to notice, though she did look at him when she heard the name. "I couldn't sleep with his snoring."

River examined the man again. John? Her John? Her pen pal John? No. Couldn't be. "John? John Smith?" she asked cautiously.

The Doctor immediately wished he had chosen a less common name. Still, if this girl was his pen pal...she couldn't know. "No, John Jones." he smiled, proud of his alliteration.

Their drinks came and River gratefully sipped at her cocoa. "Oh." she said, a bit disappointed. "I'm here with a friend as well. She's here to see a John Smith." she laughed. "I hope she finds the right one."

The Doctor laughed as well as the girl behind the counter rang them up. Suddenly, he was glad he hadn't used John Smith. Seems this girl wasn't his girl.

"Me too." he said.

"That'll be $2.50 each." the girl at the register said.

"Oh, Right." River said, digging through a pocket for her money. However, before she could do anything the Doctor had placed a five on the table.

"I've got it." he said with a smile.

"You sure?" River asked.

"Sure. From one restless sleeper to another." he said.

"Thank y-" Suddenly River's phone started ringing. She frowned and picked it up, giving the Doctor a "One minute" gesture. "Hello?...I'm in the cafe...No, I couldn't sleep...It's the blue pouch...Yeah, In my suitcase...No, no the other-Fine I'll come up hang on."

The Doctor grinned as River hung up, sipping at his tea. "Trouble?"

"Yeah..." River said. "She can't find where I packed the shampoo."

"Ah yes well that is a catastrophe." he said with a laugh.

"Yes. I'm sorry I have to go. Thank you so much for the drink. I'll see you later." she said, and with one final smile, went back upstairs to her room.

The Doctor smiled. He'd just bought a drink for a girl who's name he'd forgotten to ask. How Jack Harkness of him. He nodded to the girl behind the counter and went back up to his own room, anticipation welling in him for the day's events.