"On every world, wherever people are, in the deepest part of the winter, at the exact mid-point, everybody stops and turns and hugs, as if to say, well done. Well done, everyone. We're halfway out of the dark. Back on Earth, we called this Christmas, or the Winter Solstice."

-The Christmas Carol

Chapter 25

The Doctor's Winter Solstice

The Doctor found himself standing on a hill of Gallifrey. He could feel the red glass tickling his toes, the cool wind brushing past his ears, the singing of birds- he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He had missed this so much. He did know this was a dream, a place in his mind that he had created for himself to rest while his body was healing. But it didn't matter. He felt strangely at peace as he knelt down and felt the grass, the soil with his fingers- his tiny, Time-Tottish fingers.

Huh. So he still had the body of Theta in his dream- oh, whatever. The Doctor didn't really care. He simply let himself enjoy this brief moment and released a content sigh... but it was strange, he wondered to himself, that he was Theta Sigma in his dream- not the de-aged Ten's body that his companions knew, but the 'real' Theta that had lived on Gallifrey. It just wasn't likely that his mind would conjure up an image that was buried deep in the past.

"That's because," a voice gently declared behind his back, "I picked this environment and how we looked like, not you. Hello, old friend."

Theta spun around. His eyes widened. "Brax!"

And there he was, Irving Braxiatel, also in his youthful body. He had the same long brown hair and pale skin, the same cocky smile that Theta remembered so well. Brax placed his hand firmly on his younger brother's head, hesitated for a moment, and- to Theta's immense surprise, ruffled his hair. This momentary and uncharacteristic display of affection completely took him aback. Brax smiled.

"Call me nostalgic, but it was for your sake more than mine, little brother. I merely felt that..." Braxiatel paused. "I merely felt that making usage of a familiar setting would help you relax, and speed up your healing coma."

"Oh, Rassilion. Irving Braxiatel is the caring one. Now the universe is going to implode," Theta remarked sarcastically, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. Brax smiled.

"Perhaps."

There was a brief moment of silence between them. And then-

"Brax! I missed you, I missed you, I missed you so much. And you'd better record this, because it's not often that I admit to such things. I missed you, Braxiatel!" Theta Sigma suddenly leapt forward and pulled Braxiatel- who froze in surprise- into a firm hug. He sobbed into the older one's tunic while laughing simultaneously. He felt as if he was going to swell up and explode in a bubble of delight.

"I should have known that you, out of all people, would survive the Last Great Time War."

"Yes, you should have." Braxiatel replied smoothly, pulling himself away from Theta and giving the younger boy a brief pat on the shoulder. "And I should have known that you would be the one to bring peace."

"'Peace' isn't the right word. All I brought was destruction." Theta answered in a voice heavy with grief. He shook his head and looked up. "Were you not on Gallifrey when I... when I decided to use the Moment...?"

"Ah." Braxiatel paused, a familiar frown appearing on his childish face. After a moment's deliberation, he shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not think this is the time to tell you the truth, little brother. All I can tell you is that there's more than it seems regarding the truth of Gallifrey. You have to be careful, you have to beware, and you have to be brave. But now is not the time for worries."

Now is the time for you to heal, Braxiatel whispered. He smiled and reached out to Theta, his fingers brushing against the younger boy's cheek.

"You've done well. Do not hate yourself for that. Someone had to make that choice, and you did far better than I would have done."

"No I didn't..." Theta muttered, pain fluttering in his chest at his brother's mention of Gallifrey. Braxiatel drew his hand back and shrugged.

"If you still want to convince yourself that you did wrong, then do so. But I do suggest that you stop tormenting yourself; no one benifits from that."

"Remorse is not made for 'benefits'. It simply makes me... more human."

"Which is exactly why I particularly dislike that sentimentality of yours, Theta. Ah, let's stop discussing this. It will turn into a long, grueling and rather fruitless argument." Brax clasped his hands together and sat down on the hill. The grass rustled under his sandals. He patted the ground next to him, a kind smile dancing on his lips. "Sit, Theta."

Theta unwillingly sat down, his mouth pulled into a tight line. He was, of course, glad that his brother was alive. However- his very reappearance did pull up painful memories from the depths of his mind. After a moment of peaceful silence, he decided to change the subject.

"Braxiatel?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you find me?"

"Oh, Theta." Braxiatel merely tilted his head, thoughtfully gazing up at the sky. "I didn't find you. I was simply... attending to my own business when your 'wife' and daughter came to me in the TARDIS. They were, apparently, notified of my existence by none other than you. A future you. The same one who brought your daughter to you. 'Jenny'..."

"She's amazing," Theta declared stubbornly, crossing his arms. He knew that Braxiatel often looked down upon other Time Lords, partly because of his own unimaginable powers and abilities. To Theta's surprise, however, Braxiatel simply nodded. He leaned back and mused aloud, mostly to himself.

"She is. Jenny is quite amazing for a Time Lord clone- she even exceeds a large portion of Time Lords, including you, in her physical and mental abilities. She managed to penetrate my mental shields once, and that's a feat that not even Romanadvoratrelundar managed. I sincerely recommend that you give her a proper Time Lord name. Because, 'Jenny'? That's simply atrocious."

He shook his head in distaste. Ignoring Theta's amazed stare, he gazed off into the distance. The mountains and the wilderness was just as he remembered them to be. Seconds lapsed into minutes. Then, the older Time Lord rose from where he was sitting and extended his hand towards Theta.

"It's time to wake up now, my friend. Your human acquaintances have been waiting for you for nine hours now. It's Christmas morning."

Theta Sigma's head jerked up. The boy stared up at his brother, fear suddenly flaring up within his big brown eyes. Braxiatel immediately noticed what was plaguing him and sighed in exasperation. His hand remained outstretched.

"I will be there when you wake up. We can continue this interesting conversation outside my mindscape. And while we can't stay together all the time, we may meet occasionally, I assure you. So just take my hand; the Doctor must go back."

"The Doctor. Yes, the Doctor can't just run away," Theta murmured, closing his eyes. He sighed. "I nearly forgot. I almost wish I had."

"That would be irresponsible on your part. And there's nothing to run away from. Not this time around," Braxiatel offered a helpful reminder. The Doctor nodded remorsefully as he got to his feet. He sighed.

"Quite right. Yes, quite right. Let's go back, shall we?"

Slowly, he reached out, paused for a moment. Then, at last, he smiled- and took Braxiatel's hand. A storm of blindingly white light exploded. He found himself swept up in that powerful current. And Gallifrey vanished once more from his sight... he missed it already.

His eyes fluttered open. For a split second, he simply stared up at the white ceiling. Then he brought his hand to his chin. His back-to-normal, prominent, Time Lord chin! The Doctor's eyes widened, and a manic grin appeared on his countenance. He leapt up from his bed and revelled as his feet made solid contact with the wooden floor. The Doctor realized that he was alone in Braxiatel's bedroom, and that he was wearing jim-jams.

"I have a distinct feeling of Déjà Vu..." he muttered, and stretched his arms till he heard a satisfying pop. He felt wonderful, and another mad grin stole across his lips as he realized that there was Donna, his dear Donna, Jenny, Brax, and River- River!- everyone he'd considered lost or gone was back. Really, really back! They were perfectly healthy and alive, and all he had to do was walk downstairs to meet them. They were probably having breakfast right now. He almost let out a breathy chuckle in disbelief.

It was Christmas. Literally and metaphorically!

Immediately shedding the white bedsheet that was tangled around his legs, he joyously walked up to the wooden door. The Doctor could hear Wilfred Mott conversing with Donna as the old man stomped towards the Doctor's bedroom.

"I'm not sure. He's not even awake..."

"Gramps, trust me. The Doctor's having a massive regeneration sickness, and a cup of tea is the best thing we can give him. Just leave it on his bedside, so that he can inhale the chemicals in his sleep."

Ah, Donna. Brilliant Donna. Back to her feisty, Martian-slapping self. And Wilfred Mott... the Doctor's eyes glinted mischievously as he crept up and hid behind the door. The footsteps came closer, and then, finally- the door swung open.

Wilfred nearly dropped the cup he was holding. He didn't even cry out in surprise as he simply stared at the disheveled, empty bed. Where was the Time Lord? Concern and panic flared up in his heart as his eyes immediately darted over to the glass window- which was still locked- and to the door...

His aged heart nearly dropped in shock as a young man carefully stepped out from behind the door. The man's eyes sparkled with energy and barely concealed mischief. They were bright green, so unlike Theta's- or his first Doctor's- eyes, but Wilfred still sucked in a sharp breath in recognition.

There were Theta's joy and kindness in those eyes; and just like it had been with his first Doctor, there were sadness and pain and time and universe swirling magnificently in those eyes. The young man with floppy hair and the Doctor's impossible eyes gave him a tentative smile. He was shifting his feet awkwardly as Wilfred continued to stand there in shocked silence. At last, the Doctor spoke up in a quiet voice.

"I did mean it."

"Huh?" Wilfred muttered incoherently. The Doctor shrugged.

"I'd still be proud... if you were my father, Wilfred Mott."

And with that he lifted his head up and grinned. "Merry Christmas, ol' dad."

"Oh god..." Wilfred whispered, tears already welling up in his eyes. He hurriedly put the teacup down on the floor and launched himself at the Time Lord. The Doctor let out a little 'oof' in surprise as the old man pulled him into a fierce embrace and laughed out loud.

"Welcome back, sonny! Oh god, it's you. You're back! Doctor, it's really, really you!"

Then he let the Doctor go and shoved the teacup into the Time Lord's hands. He beamed up at the puzzled young man.

"Go on, drink it up. It'll help you clear your head. Everyone's waiting for you downstairs."

Then he rushed out and ran down the stairs, proclaiming loudly to everyone that the Doctor was awake and well. After a few seconds of shocked silence, the companions simultaneously burst into cheers and applause. The Doctor, having drained his cup of tea, blinked rapidly and smiled to himself before heading down the stairs. They were all waiting for him. The moment he appeared in the dining room, he was suddenly swept up in a whirwind of joy.

Martha took his pulse and declared that he was in full health; Mickey slapped him on his back, laughing wholeheartedly. Donna smaked his cheek and told him off for erasing her memory before giving him a warm hug. Jack wrestled with him and kept calling him 'Theta', even though the Doctor scowled at that. Jenny wrapped her arms around his neck and shrieked happily. Sarah Jane- who had just arrived with K-9 and her son, Luke- also embraced him. Amy laughed, Rory chuckled...

And then River grabbed him and pulled him into a fierce kiss. He froze in surprise at first, but melted into the kiss, his eyes drifting shut as he simply revelled in the moment. Jack hooted and Amy whistled, but he didn't particularly care. He couldn't bring himself to care.

It was the most wonderful Chirstmas he'd ever seen.

A/N: Next chapter is the end of Part One.