10.5K words . . . I keep forgetting how long it takes to write Christmas specials . . . good Lord.

Anyway, this is the hard work of over 24 hours and many breaks to keep my sanity intact because it is difficult watching the episode and making sure you get actions and tones correct - not to mention adding four characters - so hopefully this is a chapter everyone will like!

Rose joins the TARDIS crew, and for her first trip, she gets the North Pole, Santa Claus, and crabs that give dreams within dreams.

Enjoy "Last Christmas!"

***

"So it's Christmas, and I get the North Pole," Rose zipped up the parka she had gotten from the TARDIS, following the others towards the building they were approaching. "OK. Good."

"Not exactly good considering everything that happens on Christmas," Pietro grimaced.

"Right," Rose made a face. "Sycorax, that weird spider person, the Titanic – "

"Yeah, welcome to Christmas a la TARDIS," Jessie snickered. "We've got an adventure around the corner every year."

"Here we are," the Doctor twisted the wheel on the door.

He swung it open, and as he and Jessie stepped inside, there was a sharp scream from a blonde girl on the floor, a set of headphones on her head. "We've – we've got ghosts!" she gasped. "Yeah, yeah, it's a skeleton man, some runway model, and four others like backup singers, except two of them are in nighties!"

"Excuse me?" Pietro squawked.

"Runway model?" the Doctor looked at Jessie, grinning widely.

"Oh, shush," Jessie swatted his shoulder.

"What the hell is this?" Rose looked around what appeared to be an infirmary, four bodies covered by sheets.

"No, no, no!" the girl shook her head desperately, trying to cover her ears. "Don't make me think about them!"

"Nothing good," Pietro guessed, to answer Rose's question.

Wanda squeaked and backed away as one of the bodies started to sit up.

"Look, just don't ask, yeah?" the girl gulped, squeezing her eyes shut. "And don't look! Don't make me think about them!"

Rose's jaw dropped as the sheets fell away from the bodies getting up, revealing slimy carapaces on their faces. "Oh, my God!"

"Yeah, told you it's not always good!" Pietro backed away.

"Deaf," the Doctor frowned, scanning with his screwdriver. "Blind. How can they see us? How do they even know that we're here?"

"They can only see you, yeah, if you see them," the girl said nervously. "So just – so just don't look, don't even think about them!"

"Oh, telepathic," the Doctor nodded. "They can home in on their own image in someone else's brain. Third party perception. Mind piracy. We're being hacked."

"Which means?" Rose looked at him.

"The visual input from your optic nerve is being streamed to their brains. Stop broadcasting! Close your eyes!"

Rose quickly did so, and all around them, the others followed suit. Hissing still came, and Clara gulped. "They're still coming, aren't they?"

"Someone's still thinking about them!" Jessie called.

"Yes, so long as you retain them as an active memory, they can still home in," the Doctor confirmed. "Think about something else!"

"How?" Clara asked.

"So here it is, Merry Christmas," the girl suddenly started singing.

"Why is she singing?" Clara asked.

"Everybody's having fun!"

"Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade?" Rose asked in disbelief.

"She's running interference," the Doctor hissed. "She's trying to distract herself." He suddenly thought of something. "Three hundred and four minus seventeen!"

"Sorry, what?" Clara balked.

"Plus twenty! Just do it!"

"Three hundred and seven!" Rose answered. "That's easy!"

"Oh, easy?" the Doctor snorted. "Minus fourteen times four!"

Rose took a few seconds, then answered. "One thousand, one hundred and seventy two!"

"Are you an arithmetic nerd, too?" Clara asked in surprise.

"I'm sorry!" Rose burst out. "I was a bit of a teacher's pet in school, all right?"

"They're still coming!" Wanda warned, hearing the hissing get closer.

The Doctor thought quickly. "Pietro!"

"What?" the man jumped.

"No, I'm talking to Clara! Think of Pietro! Pietro, of Clara! Jess, of me! Wanda, of Vision! Rose, whoever it is you love the most, think of them, hard as you can!"

"What?" Rose squeaked.

"Whoever it is you love most! Think!"

She must have been doing it, because the people stopped in their tracks. "Oh," Pietro said quietly. "Was it really that easy?"

"Just keep thinking," the Doctor slowly opened his eyes. "Whoever it is you're thinking of, keep thinking."

Then the door opposite them slid open, and three others ran in, all with large guns. "Go, run!" the woman in the lead shouted. "Now, now, now!"

The Doctor yanked the blonde to her feet, and he dragged her towards the others. Hissing came from above, and the lone man in the group shouted, "Here they come!"

Jessie risked looking up, and she screamed as more of the carapaces slid downwards. "No!" the Doctor yelled.

Rose raised her hands to avoid being hit by one, then an explosion came from behind them, the same entrance they had used to get inside. The Doctor grabbed Jessie and yanked her to him, Wanda and Pietro turning to stand in front of them. Pietro, however, did a double take as a tangerine bounced across the floor and stopped against his boot. "What the hell?" he asked.

"Yeah," Wanda stared as slinkies of various colors and toy robots were the next to come in. "I agree. What the hell?"

"Whoa, whoa!" Rose and Clara were more occupied in staring at the rearing Rudolph outside, Santa on his back. He dismounted, patting the reindeer on the back. "Ah, good boy." He headed into the infirmary, and soon Ian and Wolf followed him in, the two elves bearing a balloon toy and an air gun respectively. "Well, now," Santa looked around. "What seems to be the problem? This is the North Pole. We don't want any trouble here." A bellow came from outside, and Santa looked back. "Hey, Rudolph!" He clicked a key fob, and Rudolph's nose blinked with a car beep. "Easy, son!" He looked back around at the carapace bodies. "Oi, sleepy heads! It's Christmas Eve! Early to bed."

He clapped his hands, and to everyone's shock, the bodies went back to their beds. "Who are you?" the woman in charge finally asked Santa with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, take a guess," the Doctor rolled his eyes, crouching to check one of the carapaces. "Go on, push the boat out! Tooth Fairy, maybe? Easter Bunny?"

"Shut your mouth, wise guy, or you get yours," Ian scowled, turning his balloon on the Doctor.

"It's a balloon animal!" Wolf stared.

"That's a toy gun!"

"Yeah, well, at least it's unsuitable for children under four! Parts small enough to swallow, so watch out!"

Santa sighed, turning to look at Rose. "And now I understand how you must have felt several years ago."

"Now, this is ridiculous," the blonde girl with the headphones shook her head, holding up her hands as Rose's eyebrows shot up. "Am I . . . am I dreaming?"

"Oh, very good," the Doctor perked up, eyes brightening.

"I need to know exactly who you are and what's happening here," the woman in the lead pointed her gun at Santa.

"Hello, Ashley," Santa smiled, gently pushing the barrel away from him. "Lead scientist on a polar expedition. Oh, that microscope really paid off, didn't it? Now, your mum and dad wanted me to get you a toy one, but sometimes, I take a chance."

Ashley stared at Santa as he beamed at her. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Why do you think?" Santa questioned.

"Come on, this is mental!" the blonde girl groaned. "This is totally not happening!"

Santa chuckled, shaking his head and turning around. "I got three words, Shona. Don't make me use 'em."

"What three words?" Shona challenged.

Santa counted off on his fingers. "My. Little. Pony."

Shona glared as Santa turned around to look at her triumphantly. "Shut up, you!"

"Yeah?" Santa raised an eyebrow. "I've got lots more, babe."

"I will mark you, Santa!" Shona declared, raising her hands up like claws.

"OK, can someone please explain?" Rose looked around.

"I'm with Rose," Pietro pointed at her. "What is going on?"

"It's an invasion, Mr. Maximoff," Santa answered.

"An invasion of . . . of what, elves?" Clara looked around.

"Whoa!" Wolf protested. "That is racist!"

"Elfist!" Ian corrected.

"Yeah, which is a bit hypocritical, from someone of your height," Wolf nodded.

Clara glared up at the elf, clutching her parka closer to her. A rustle behind her made her turn, and she watched Santa pull a transparent container from one of his saddlebags and carry it in, revealing the carapace inside. "Huh?" he held it up. "You seen them before, Doctor?"

"I've heard of them," the Doctor shook his head.

"The Kantrofarri."

"The what?" Wanda blinked.

"Colloquially known as the Dream Crabs," the Doctor took the container.

"I prefer that name," Pietro snorted.

"Yeah, depending on how many of those are already on Earth, the human race may well have seen its last day," Santa glowered. "So are we going to stand about arguing about whether I'm real or not, or are we going to get busy saving Christmas?"

"Oh ho ho!" Ian grinned. "Santa goes badass!"

"He's giving me the feels!" Wolf nudged his friend.

"Shut up!" Santa groaned. "That's a – that's a verbal warning. Please, stop it."

***

"Is it dead?" Rose wondered.

"I don't know," the Doctor scratched his head, looking at the Dream Crab with Jessie and Ashley. "Possibly."

"I'm assuming extraterrestrial," Ashley said.

"Oh, definitely," the Doctor nodded.

"Then how can you have heard of these things?"

"You have three guesses," Jessie looked up at her, steepling her fingers and looking at her. "Go."

Ashley slowly looked between them, the three – four, counting Rose – companions watching from the back. "Because you're extraterrestrial, too."

"Do you believe that?" the Doctor challenged.

Ashley gulped, but nodded shakily, looking back at the container. "Why's it called a Dream Crab, for a start?"

"Theorize," the Doctor told her.

Ashley pursed her lips, thinking. "Because it generates a telepathic field."

"And?"

"Alters perception."

"Meaning?"

Ashley snorted, glaring at him. "I seem to be doing all the work here."

"Meaning we can't trust anything that we see or hear," Wanda said quietly.

The Doctor nodded. "Go to the window," he told Ashley.

"Why?" she frowned.

"Because it gets worse," Jessie grinned.

Ashley slowly did, and she balked when she saw the TARDIS outside in the snow. "What is that?!"

"That's how my wife, Clara, the Maximoffs, and Rose got here," the Doctor answered.

"In a box?!"

"Technically, in a telephone kiosk," Jessie corrected, making the Doctor grin widely.

"How?" Ashley laughed in disbelief.

"Because it's a spaceship in disguise," the Doctor answered. "You know what the big problem is in telling fantasy and reality apart?"

"What?"

"In my experience," Jessie looked at the Dream Crab, "they're both absolutely ridiculous."

"Can confirm," the Doctor put his chin on top of her head. "Can't tell which it is with you, so either way, I'm content."

Jessie beamed up at him. "Love you."

"Love you, too," he gave her a quick kiss.

"So," Rose leaned on the table, looking at the crab. "We don't know what is real and what isn't?"

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded.

"So we're in danger?"

"Oh, we are well way past danger, Miss Tyler," the Doctor stepped up to stand with her. "If I'm right, and I usually am, we're dying. And let me tell you, if I was acting as panicked as I really am, we'd be sitting ducks because that's my pregnant blood bonded over there, and I'm not keen on her dying."

"Blood bonded?" Ashley frowned.

"His wife for a really long time," Jessie simplified.

"And hopefully for a really long time after this," the Doctor nodded.

"Then how do we stay alive?" Ashley asked.

"I like you," the Doctor declared. "Straight to the point. I want you to show me how you first encountered those creatures and what happened to those people in the infirmary. I notice you all wear mini-cams, so I assume that there is footage."

Ashley frowned. "Is it possible I'm about to work with someone who might be a dream?"

"If it helps, it's possible everyone here is," Jessie told her.

Ashley chuckled, nodding. "We have footage on the drives. I'll see what I can pull up."

The Doctor nodded, watching her head for the door. "Ashley, what's this polar base for?" he asked. "Why are you all here?"

"It's a long story," Ashley answered, leaving to find the drives.

The Doctor hummed, watching her go, then turned around. "Tyler!"

She jumped, looking at him. "What?" she looked back at the Dream Crab. "Did I do something?"

"No," he shook his head. "No, no, I was just thinking . . . obviously whoever you thought of back with the Crabs was strong enough to get you to stop thinking of them, which stopped them from getting us."

"Are you sure I was the last one thinking?" Rose frowned.

"You were the one who asked."

She sighed. "Well, good to know my thoughts stopped them."

The Doctor fidgeted, then couldn't help himself. "Who was it?"

"Hmm?"

"The person you thought of. Who was it?"

A slow smile formed on Rose's face. "Someone I helped save on one of my missions," she answered. "He's one in a million . . . no, one in a billion. He could make impossible decisions when I couldn't. He does what he thinks is right, rules be damned." Her smile faded. "I thought I lost him when I returned to my missions, but when the missions were over . . . he was still there."

The Doctor tilted his head. "So this P.E. job you have – "

"I don't know where it's going to go," Rose shrugged. "But I know I've got someone to go back to if this goes south."

The Doctor looked around. "Pardon me, but considering we're at the North Pole, the only place we can go on Planet Earth right now is south."

Rose giggled, ducking her head. "Yeah, you're right."

"Well, if thinking of him saved our lives, I already like him," the Doctor shrugged. "If he doesn't love you back, his loss."

Rose laughed loudly. "What are you, my father saying he likes my boyfriend?"

The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "I'm quite certain I'm not your father."

"I know you're not," Rose's shoulders shook as she buried her face in her arms. "It just sounded like it."

"Nah," the Doctor shook his head. "Still, sounds like you've got a keeper."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"Of course," the Doctor nodded. "Though, I don't think he'd take you dying at the North Pole very well."

"No, I don't think so, either," Rose agreed, tapping the table. "How long do we have?"

"No idea."

Rose sighed. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Trust nothing," the Doctor answered. "Accept nothing you see. Whatever happens, interrogate everything."

"Because it could be a lie?" Rose swallowed.

He nodded somberly. "Because it could be a lie."

***

"No, they can't," Santa was saying as the group headed out of the laboratory to see Shona speaking to Santa and his elves. "It's a scientific impossibility. That is why I feed mine magic carrots."

The six stopped in their tracks. "Did he just say – ?" Rose began.

"Yes, he did," the Doctor grimaced, looking at Shona as she wrote something down and walked towards them. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Shona nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to talk sense into, er . . . Beardy-Weirdy."

The Doctor looked her up and down. "You don't seem much like a scientist."

"That's a bit rude, coming from a magician," Shona scowled.

"Ignore him," Jessie sighed. "He's not ginger."

"What?" Rose blinked.

"Rude and not ginger. That's a thing."

"A thing?"

"Careful," Pietro rocked on his heels. "Don't let their next words be 'don't disrespect the thing!'"

"Or was it 'respect the thing?'" Wanda wondered.

"Either way, don't let something similar come out of their mouths," Pietro nodded.

"Why are you out here?" the Doctor ignored the byplay, even as Jessie headslapped Pietro, making the speedster yelp. "What brought you to the North Pole?"

"Long story, isn't it?" Shona shrugged.

The Doctor smirked. "You missed the killer question."

"Sorry, what?" Shona blinked.

"Beardy-Weirdy!" the Doctor turned around.

"Yeah?" Santa raised an eyebrow.

"How do you get all the presents in the sleigh?"

The Doctor did a double take, and Wolf laughed, Ian grinning at the angry look the Doctor was getting. "Easy, Kasterborous," Jessie put her hand on his shoulder. "You'll get a chance to stick it to them later."

"Will I?" he looked at her.

"Don't know," Jessie grinned. "But I'd love to see it."

"Then I'll make sure I do," he grinned back, giving her a kiss.

Ashley cleared her throat, and he headed over to join her by the monitors. He passed by the other two members of the crew, Albert and Bellows, and Albert looked up from where he was gnawing on a drumstick. "Sorry," he apologized for his loud eating. "Starving."

"Got any more of those?" Pietro asked curiously.

"You and your metabolism," Clara rolled her eyes fondly.

"You'd be hungry, too, if you had my powers!" he protested.

"What am I looking at?" the Doctor asked, looking at the feeds.

"Footage from a week ago," Bellows answered. "A side expedition from our main mission."

"What is your main mission?" the Doctor quizzed.

"Long story," Bellows waved it off. "Ice cave directly beneath this base. Now, look at what we found." She switched the feed, showing several Dream Crabs hanging from the ceiling of the caves. "Dormant at first."

"Until you looked at them too long," Jessie mused. "Till you thought about them."

"Exactly," Bellows nodded.

"Sleeping," the Doctor hummed. "Probably been down there for centuries."

"And they wake up when you think about them?" Rose asked.

"They can detect their own mental picture in any nearby mind," the Doctor nodded.

"That's Bellows' theory," Ashley confirmed.

"It's like it responds to the presence of any data concerning itself," Bellows said.

"Oh, that was always the legend," the Doctor nodded. "You think about a Dream Crab, a Dream Crab is coming for you."

"Nice legend," Jessie grimaced.

"This is where it gets really nasty," Albert pointed at the screen.

"Only now?" Wanda looked slightly green.

One of the Dream Crabs dropped onto the camera, and the feed dissolved into static. "Oh, dear," Rose blanched.

"Then what?" the Doctor asked.

Bellows switched the camera to show the crew putting those with the Crabs on their heads to bed. "They're a bit like Facehuggers, aren't they?" Albert asked.

The Doctor turned around, confused. "Facehuggers?" he repeated.

"You know, Alien," Albert nodded. "The horror movie Alien?"

"There's a horror movie called Alien?" the Doctor balked, looking at Jessie for confirmation.

"Never seen it, but there is," Jessie nodded.

"Once again, my wife is my favorite person in the room," the Doctor declared, face twisted in disgust. "That is really offensive! No wonder everyone keeps invading you!"

Albert ducked his head, and Bellows cleared her throat. "First they just slept. Couple of days, just lying there."

"And then they became aggressive," the Doctor guessed.

"If we got close enough, yeah," Ashley confirmed.

"It would take the Dream Crab a little while to take control. Depends how much of the host brain was – "

"Consumed?" Pietro guessed.

"I was going to say digested, but close enough."

"Are they still alive under those things?" Ashley asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "Depends what you call alive."

"Are they suffering?"

"No," the Doctor quickly shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no. The Dream Crab induces a dream state. Keeps you happy and relaxed in a perfectly realized dream world as you dissolve. Merciful, I suppose."

"Compared to what?" Albert frowned.

"Compared to that turkey leg you keep eating," the Doctor deadpanned.

"Better than being dissected," Jessie thought out loud.

"Nope!" the Doctor shook his head rapidly, standing right behind her. "No more speaking of dissection, not when it involves you. Got it? That should be a rule. No speaking of the worst of our encounters where you have nearly died."

Jessie rolled her eyes fondly. "Yes, my love."

"Good," the Doctor kissed her forehead. "Could you rewind for me? I'd like to see them dormant again. Clara, could you fetch me the dead one?"

"Sure," Clara pushed off the console and headed towards the lab.

"Dissected?" Rose looked at Jessie curiously. "Really?"

"Nearly," Jessie nodded. "Wasn't my favorite memory of our last selves."

"I'm sorry, last selves?" Ashley did a double take.

"I believe the words were 'swashbuckler to librarian out of a fairy tale,'" Rose said dramatically.

"Oh, she's the best fairy tale ever," the Doctor grinned.

"Stop it!" Jessie blushed violently.

"Make me!"

"I did, and guess where we are now!"

"OK, this is where we plug our ears and block them out," Pietro backed away.

Rose snickered. "Better to think about this than that Dream Crab, right?"

The Doctor froze in place. "Oh, Rose . . . "

"What?" she blinked. "What did I say?"

"Now we're thinking about it," he gulped. "Clara!"

***

One second Clara had been screaming as a Dream Crab descended on her.

In the next, she was waking up in bed, sunlight pouring from the windows. She stared in shock, comprehending that this was not her bedroom before hearing the door open. "Up and at it!" a cheery voice said, and Clara whipped around to see Rose in the doorway, dressed in red and white, her hair in braids. "Come on, you've slept in long enough!"

"Rose?" Clara blinked slowly.

"Yeah, who else am I gonna be?" her friend grinned. "It's my house! I'm telling you, come on! You missed everyone else arriving!"

"Come on where?" Clara blinked as she sat up.

"Downstairs!"

" . . . why?"

Rose blinked, then laughed. "You know what day it is!"

"What day is it?" Clara asked in confusion.

Rose gawked, then gestured to her clothes. "Well, obviously it's Easter. It's Easter Day. That is exactly why I'm dressed in these colors. I'm mocking Father Easter."

"Is that a thing?" Clara frowned.

A zip of silver passed Rose, and Clara yelped as she was suddenly deposited onto her feet, a lanyard of Christmas lights around her neck. "It's Christmas, Clara!" Pietro grinned, bouncing on his feet. "Come on!"

"Oh," Clara smiled at the sight of her boyfriend. Right, Pietro and Wanda had been planning on spending Christmas with her and Rose. "Well, you've made me want chocolate now."

"We've got that in abundance!" Rose grinned. "Come on!"

"You'll love the surprises we've got," Pietro told Clara with a smile.

"Tickets for the Indian Orient Express, that painting we saw in Paris, and by any chance, permission to own a cat?" Clara questioned.

Pietro stopped short, then huffed. "Ruin the surprises, why don't you?"

"It's not a surprise when those are exactly the things I want, and you are too clever ever to be wrong," Clara beamed, linking their arms together.

Pietro nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you, Clara."

"It's Christmas," she giggled.

"Hurry up, then!" Pietro beamed, zipping off again.

Clara giggled and followed him out onto the top floor, looking around the dazzling decorations Rose had put up. She turned to see what was by her bedroom and blinked in surprise.

There was only a blackboard with her name and two exclamation points written on it. "Rose?" she called. "Whose blackboard is that?"

"Blackboard?" Rose's voice came closer, Clara turning to hear better. "What blackboard?"

"Come on, Clara!" Pietro shouted.

"Yeah, just a moment!" Clara called back, turning around to see the board.

It had changed, though . . . now it read DREAMING!! She stared at it blankly for several seconds, and Rose sounded impatient this time. "Clara!"

"Coming!" she called back, picking up the eraser and wiping it across the word.

Which changed to DYING!! and making Clara stare even longer. "Clara!" Pietro huffed.

"Yeah! Just a minute!"

More swipes across the board turned the words into YOU ARE DYING! each time. When she turned around, the entire floor was lined with blackboards bearing the word DYING! repeatedly. Clara looked over them all, shaking her head in denial, then she closed her eyes, concentrating. She couldn't be dying, she just wanted Christmas with her friends and loved ones.

When she opened her eyes again, the floor was clear of blackboards . . . and two familiar faces were in front of her. "There you are," Wanda smiled. "We wondered what was taking you so long."

"Yeah, Rose said you may want to sleep in," Danny smiled. "Something about too much marking recently?"

Clara stared. "Danny."

"Yes," he frowned. "Who else would I be? I told you Rose invited me!"

"Yeah," Clara nodded slowly. "So she did."

"Come on," Wanda grinned, tugging at her hand. "We've got Christmas to get to!"

Clara laughed and let Wanda pull her down the stairs, never seeing the last blackboard behind her shouting her name.

***

"Clara, you're dreaming," the Doctor urged Clara on the ground, one of the Dream Crabs on her face. "You're dying. Can you hear me? Clara?"

"Come on, Clara," Pietro urged from her other side, hand squeezing hers tightly. "Clara!"

"We did try to waken the others," Ashley said quietly. "No stimulus worked."

"OK, then we kill it," Pietro got to his feet, pacing anxiously. "We find a way to kill it, and we get it off of her."

"But how do we kill it?" Wanda asked the main question.

"There's no way to kill it without killing your friend, too," Ashley frowned. "And as a scientist, may I just say, I don't like the way you're talking."

"It's our business," Pietro waved it off. "There's got to be a way!"

"Well, you told those Sleepers to go to bed, and they obeyed you," Rose pointed out to Santa.

"Sorry, doesn't mean I can get that creature off her," Santa shrugged.

"No," the Doctor said slowly. "But you can get back in there unharmed."

"What?" Shona squawked. "You're asking Santa for help? He doesn't exist!"

"And how would you know that?" the Doctor quizzed. "How did you become an expert on what does and doesn't exist?"

Santa sighed as the Doctor went back to check on Clara. "I can commit several million housebreaks in one night dressed in a red suit with jingle bells, so of course I can get back into the infirmary."

"Good," the Doctor nodded. "Because there is only one way that I can communicate with Clara."

***

"I'm telling you, Rose, you have got to give me this recipe!" Danny insisted from where he sat at the blonde teacher's feet.

"Nope," Rose shook her head, stirring her tea with a spoon as Pietro and Clara laughed from the opposite couch, Wanda sprawled out on her stomach on the ground. "Family recipe, and no offense Danny, but you are not family."

"What?" several people protested around the room.

"Sorry!" Rose held up her hands in protest. "I'm simply saying, the only one who will ever know this recipe in this room is me."

Clara huffed as Rose sipped her tea. "I hate you."

"No, you don't," Rose shook her head.

Clara sighed as Pietro sniggered. "No, I don't."

A knock sounded on the door, and Danny frowned, lowering his cup. "Was anyone else invited?"

"Maybe someone's checking on you lot?" Rose pointed at the companions.

"Maybe," Clara got to her feet. "I'll get it."

And Rose turned out to be right, as when Clara opened the door, she found herself face to face with the Doctor. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Clara responded slowly, looking at him in shock. Did he really need their help now? On Christmas? "Doctor?"

"It's not real, Clara," the Doctor told her. "You know it's not real. It's a dream, and it's killing you."

Clara snorted, turning her back on him and walking back to the living room. "Merry Christmas."

The Doctor shut the door and followed her in. "Evening, Doctor!" Pietro waved.

"Hello!" Rose beamed, getting to her feet.

"You have to try her tea," Wanda pointed at her.

"Oi!" Rose squeaked.

"You know the Maximoffs," Clara gestured. "And you remember Rose and Danny, of course."

"Not as well as you, clearly," the Doctor examined Danny. "You've made him a fraction taller. Merry Christmas, Maths."

"Compliments of the season, sir," Danny raised his tea in response.

"Dialogue's pretty good, too," the Doctor nodded. "Nice work. It's all in the detail."

"Just stop it!" Clara hissed.

"He's not real, Clara," the Doctor shook his head. "None of this is real. What's real is there is an alien organism wrapped around your face, keeping you warm and happy while it eats you."

Rose cleared her throat. "Danny brought mince pie, if anyone wants it?"

"You're dying," the Doctor reminded her.

"If this is a dream, how can you be here?" Clara folded her arms. "How can we both be having the same dream?"

"There was only one way to get to you," the Doctor answered.

"And what was that?"

"I'm dying, too."

"Oh, I hope this works," Jessie sat on her heels, one hand over her mouth as her other clutched the Doctor's tightly, the Time Lord lying next to Clara with one of the Dream Crabs on his face.

"Have we just killed him?" Ashley asked nervously. "Have we just made it worse?"

"He thinks he can join the dream and get her out," Santa explained. "Have a little faith."

"You just wake up," Clara shook her head. "You have the Bad Wolf and an unborn child to get back to! Just leave me here please!"

"Believe it or not, we argued about who came in here," the Doctor looked at her. "I wasn't going to risk her pregnancy."

"But if you die, so does she!"

"But you're my companion," the Doctor reminded her. "I would have fought tooth and nail to do this because like the Maximoffs are hers to look after, you're mine to look after. And that's what I'm doing." Clara's mouth shut with a click, and the Doctor used that to plow ahead. "You have a pain right here," he touched her right temple. "It's like an ice cream pain, but gentle. Do you know what that is? The skin and bone have been parted, probably half an inch, and something has pushed right into the soft tissue of your brain and is very slowly dissolving it. I want you to picture it this way: somebody has put a straw right through your skull and is drinking you. You should be screaming with agony, but there's anesthetic. Everything around you right now, even Danny – especially Danny – that's the anesthetic."

"Doctor, why are you doing this?" Rose frowned uneasily. "Why are you saying all of that?"

"Because it's true," the Doctor answered. "How long do you think you've been here?"

"You dropped us off this morning, remember?" Pietro raised an eyebrow. "We've been here all day!"

"No," the Doctor shook his head. "No, no, no. Barely five minutes. Because dream time goes faster, because this isn't real. They're not real, and Danny especially isn't real. Danny Pink died saving the world."

"I really didn't," Danny huffed.

"I thought with the control bracelet, there was a way back for him, but I was wrong," the Doctor told Clara. "I can't change that. I'm sorry, but he's dead."

"I didn't die saving the world, Doctor, I died saving Clara," Danny stood up from his place on the floor. "The rest of you just got lucky." The Doctor blinked in surprise, looking at the man as he walked forward. "How long has she got?"

"Minutes, till it's irreversible," the Doctor answered.

Danny nodded. "Well, then, get out of the way." The Doctor obliged, sliding to the side as Danny walked up to Clara. "I'm a dream, and you know I am, right?" Clara nodded sadly, and Danny sighed. "Right, one thing, but it's important. It's a very important thing. That is totally how you guessed all of Pietro's presents."

"Hey!" the speedster complained.

Clara giggled, sniffing as she did. "I miss you," she admitted.

"Five minutes," Danny told her.

"What?" she blinked.

"You can miss me for five minutes a day," Danny told her. "And you'd better do it properly. You'd better be sad. I expect my five. But all the rest of the time, Clara, all the rest of the time, every single second, you just get the hell on with it because my death was not your fault. Clear?"

Clara swallowed. "Don't you soldier me."

"Do as you're told," Danny gave her a look.

"Brave," the Doctor cracked a smile.

"Dead already," Danny reminded him, looking at him. "How does she wake up?"

"I don't know," the Doctor shook his head. "Just try. Accept this isn't real and try."

Clara closed her eyes, and Danny put a hand on her shoulder. "Do it," he told her. "For me."

Clara gulped, opening her eyes and looking up at him. "When I wake up, you still won't be there."

"No, I won't," Danny shook his head. "Because I made the decision to not look where I was going before I stepped out onto the street and got hit by a car. That was not your fault, Clara."

She hung her head, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, so quiet the Doctor almost couldn't hear her. It was a huge apology even though it was only two words. For all the lies she had told while she was with the Time Lords, for never properly explaining, for what had happened to him . . . it was all in those two words.

"I forgive you," Danny assured her. Clara finally burst into tears, and Danny gave her a hug, the Doctor ducking his head to try and give them a moment of privacy. "Do you know why people get together at Christmas?" he asked, and Clara shook her head. "Because every time they do, it might be the last time. Every Christmas is last Christmas, and this is ours. This was a bonus. This is extra. But now, it's time to wake up."

Clara swallowed and nodded, giving him a huge hug . . .

***

. . . and the dream fizzled out, the Doctor shooting upright with a shout as the Dream Crab fell off his face. Jessie screeched and scrambled backwards in shock as Clara sat up as well, coughing and hacking, the Crab gone from her face. "Bad Wolf!" Wanda ran to help her.

"Clara!" Pietro hurried to Clara's side, grabbing her and helping her stay up. "Clara, it's OK!"

"Clara, breathe!" the Doctor urged, even as Jessie catapulted into his arms, the Doctor almost falling flat on his back again, his arms wrapping automatically around his wife. "Breathe!"

"Oh, my God!" Rose stared in shock.

The others turned to see the Dream Crabs twitch and spasm before they finally collapsed into dust, no longer able to feed on their victims.

***

"So these creatures," Bellows said slowly as Shona cleaned up the dust, Ashley dropping a piece of carapace in a jar, "when their feeding goes wrong, they die?"

"The carnivore's hazard," the Doctor nodded, arms tight around Jessie still; she had hardly let go of him since he had woken up. "Food has teeth, too."

"Clara?" Rose asked quietly, walking up to her friend. "Are you OK?"

She swallowed hard, feeling around her head. "No."

"Good," the Doctor said. "There are some things we should never be OK about."

"Are you searching for something?" Rose asked as Clara kept patting her head.

"Yeah," she frowned. "There doesn't seem to be a wound."

"No," the Doctor agreed. "And the pain's still there, isn't it?"

"Is it the ice cream pain?" Shona asked suddenly, drawing their attention to her. "Just here?" she gestured towards her temple, the same place the Doctor had done with Clara. "'Cos I've got that."

"It's the cold, I think," Bellows shrugged. "Some sort of reaction."

"But only on one side, just that spot there," the Doctor frowned. "Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"Well, we've all got it," Albert said.

"So why do we all have that pain?" Pietro winced, rubbing his temple.

"Theorize," the Doctor said.

"We're not beginners, Doctor," Clara frowned. "I was dreaming, then I woke up. I know that."

"Do you?" the Doctor challenged. "And have you ever woken up from a dream and discovered that you're still dreaming?" Ashley looked up sharply, and the Doctor nodded. "Dreams within dreams. Dream states nested inside each other. All perfectly possible, especially when we are dealing with creatures who have weaponized our dreams against us."

"I don't know about anybody else, but I'm pretty certain I'm awake right now," Bellows looked around.

"Which is odd, when you think about it," Jessie's brow furrowed.

"Odd?" Ashley repeated.

"Oh, my wife," the Doctor smiled. "You're getting it, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she swallowed. "We shouldn't be awake. It should be impossible, shouldn't it?"

"Indeed," the Doctor nodded.

"I don't understand," Shona frowned uneasily.

"We all met in the infirmary," Jessie looked around. "And all the Dream Crabs came down from the ceiling. Even we were slow to react. I doubt most of us stood a chance, especially if we're off our guard. How did we get out of there?"

"Well, we were rescued," Shona answered.

"Yeah, we were rescued," the Doctor nodded. "And who was it that rescued us?"

***

Santa was on the phone when they returned to the control room. "No, no, no, no, I need you to do the East Coast right now. Well, otherwise you're going to be delivering to the islands in broad daylight. Yeah, listen, please try and remember that our mugshots are on every Christmas card. Yeah, just get it done, head towards the Northern lights. Yes, I remembered to switch them on!"

"The Helman-Ziegler test," the Doctor said as Santa walked away, heading right for a stack of books. "The only reliable dream test that I know. Ah, your base manual. I take it none of you have memorized this?"

"Oh," Shona blinked. "I haven't – I haven't read it."

"These books should be identical in the real world," the Doctor distributed the books across the base workers. "But as they don't exist in your memory, in a dream, they can't be. Agreed? Wanda, give me any two digit number."

She thought for a few seconds. "Fifty-seven," she answered.

"All right," the Doctor pointed at the workers. "All of you, turn to page fifty-seven and look at the very first word." They obliged, and the Doctor nodded. "Right, when I point at you."

"Isotope," Ashley answered when he pointed at her.

Bellows looked up, shocked. "Well?" he cued her next.

"Extremely," she whispered.

Albert was next, and he swallowed hard. "Inside."

"Chocolate," Shona answered when the Doctor pointed at her. "Why did I get chocolate? What's that about?"

"This can't be right!" Albert protested. "We must have got it wrong, that's all!"

"Well, we'll do it again," the Doctor turned around. "Pietro!"

"Twenty-four," the speedster said at once.

"Twenty-four," the Doctor gestured, pointing at them in the same order.

"We," Ashley said.

"Are," Bellows said hers.

"All," Albert gulped.

Shona didn't answer at first. "Shona?" the Doctor prompted.

"Dead," she whispered.

"Since the attack in the infirmary," Ashley swallowed hard, "nothing has been real?"

"The attack is still going on," the Doctor nodded. "This is it!"

"We've been dreaming since then?" Albert asked in disbelief.

"Oh, for Easter's sake!" Jessie jumped when Santa spoke from behind, and they turned to see him walk in with Ian and Wolf. "Of course you've been dreaming! Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Rudolph," Ian laughed. "Did you see the nose?"

"The North Pole?" Wolf nodded. "Come on, with stripes?"

"This – "

"Is – "

"A dream!" the three finished at the same time.

"How much more obvious do you want me to make it?" Santa asked. "Because I can text the Easter Bunny, you know."

"Can you really?" Pietro blinked.

"Shush!" Clara elbowed him.

"Seriously?" the Doctor frowned. "You're trying to help?"

"As you stand here, chatting, chatting, your lives are ending," Santa gestured to them. "Unless you wake up, unless you free yourselves from these dreadful creatures, they're – they're going to destroy you!"

"You're a dream who's trying to save us?" Shona frowned.

Santa sorted. "Shona, sweetheart, I'm Santa Claus. I think you just defined me."

"This makes perfect sense," the Doctor grinned. "The Dream Crab tries to make the dream as real as possible to trap you inside it. It creates dreams within dreams so you can never be sure if you are really awake, but your brain knows something is wrong. Your subconscious fights back. This is your mind trying to tell you this isn't real."

"So it gives you me," Santa beamed. "Sweet Papa Chrimbo."

"It gives you comedy elves, flying reindeer," Ian continued.

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded.

"A time traveling scientist dressed as a magician," Santa finished.

"Classic!" Ian laughed.

The Doctor blinked, and Jessie burst out laughing. "No," he shook his head as Jessie doubled over, Pietro joining her in hysterics shortly after. "No, no, hang on, no, no, no, no – "

"Living in a phone box!" Wolf went on.

"It's a spaceship in disguise!" the Doctor protested.

"You see how none of this makes any sense?" Santa raised an eyebrow. "You have Avengers with you!"

"Um," Rose held up a finger as the scientists looked around in shock. "I'm not an Avenger."

"No," Santa shook his head. "But you are one strange woman, Rose."

Rose's eyebrows shot up. "Says the fairy tale."

"She's got you there," Clara pointed out.

"Shut up," the Doctor sighed.

"I have watched over you all your lives," Santa looked around. "I've taken care of you from Christmas to Christmas."

"But you're not real," Bellows frowned.

"And yet that never stopped me," Santa shrugged. "All of you, come near. Come here, come on. Join hands."

"Look," the Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, we don't need all this touchy-feely stuff."

"Shut up, Doctor," Santa smirked. "Join hands. Come on, concentrate!"

"Why?" Bellows asked.

"You are deep inside this dream, all right?" Santa looked around. "And it is a shared mental state, so it is drawing power from the multi-consciousness gestalt which has now formed telepathically and – "

"No!" the Doctor waved his hands. "No, no, no, no. Line in the sand. Santa Claus does not do the scientific explanation."

Santa sighed dramatically. "All right. As the Doctor might say – " He continued in a Scottish accent. "Oh, it's all a bit dreamy-weamy!"

Pietro really laughed at that. "Why don't you just go and make a naughty list?" the Doctor bit out.

"I have, mate," Santa smirked. "And you're on it."

Jessie was practically on the floor at that point. "Don't give me that!" the Doctor complained as Rose looked between Jessie and Pietro worriedly. "Look, you're supposed to be warm and friendly and cheerful!"

"Oh, yeah," Santa snorted. "Well, look at your great bedside manner!"

"Don't be so hostile – !"

"Does he do this with everyone?" Rose finally looked at Clara.

"Unfortunately, most of the time, yes," she nodded.

"This is very sweet," Ashley cut in. "But right now, I have an alien life form wrapped around my face, and apparently it's digesting my brain. When you speak, how do I know it's not the Dream Crab?"

"Ooo, good question," Santa nodded. "Spoken like a scientist."

"Can I put it another way?" Clara raised her hand. "Why would the part of our brain that is trying to keep all of us alive choose you for a face?"

Santa looked around. "Is anyone else asking that?"

"Kind of, yeah," Wanda admitted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, all of us," Shona gestured around. "All of us. Why you?"

"Why me?" Santa repeated incredulously. "It's the North Pole! It's Christmas Day! You're dying. Who you gonna call? Just one last time, huh? One last Christmas, as if your lives depended on it. Please! Ho, ho, ho. Believe in Santa."

"What the hell," Rose sighed, shrugging. "I'm at the North Pole on Christmas. I'll believe in Santa for a Christmas."

Ashley was the next to drop her book and join her, and gradually, everyone else came around. "I'm not very good with this holdy-hand thing," the Doctor frowned uneasily.

"Then you hold mine," Jessie squeezed his hand. "See? Easy."

"Fine, but the only other person whose hand I will hold is Clara's."

"Done," she stopped by his other side, taking his hand.

The Doctor sighed. "Oh, this is very Christmassy, isn't it?"

"OK," Ashley looked around their circle. "So what do we – "

She faltered, and everyone turned to see Santa and his elves were gone, too. "Where did he go?" Bellows asked in shock.

"We're waking up," Jessie realized.

"Yes, that part of the dream is over," the Doctor nodded. "We're on our own now."

"Well, then," Albert swallowed, "what do we do?"

"That pain in your head," the Doctor answered. "Make it worse. Head towards it."

"So when we wake up, what do we expect?" Ashley asked.

"Only a few moments will have passed at the most," the Doctor answered. "The attack is still in progress."

"I'm scared," Shona whispered.

"Congratulations," the Doctor smiled. "That means you're not an idiot."

Clara swallowed hard. "It's not like the last time."

"Last time wasn't real," the Doctor reminded her.

"Good luck," Ashley took a deep breath. "Stay calm. And God bless us, everyone."

***

Jessie came to on her back in the infirmary, choking on mucus attached to her face as the Dream Crab fell off her. "Jess!" the Doctor was instantly above her, hands on her cheeks, eyes wide with worry. "Jessie!"

"Fine," she rolled onto her side, coughing up the mucus that was still in her throat. "I'm fine!" She got to her knees, only to almost fall over again. "Not fine," she corrected.

In a swift motion, the Doctor lifted her off the ground bridal style, and for once, Jessie didn't argue considering how dizzy she got when the Doctor was moving her, not when she moved herself. She wrapped her arms around his neck as the Doctor looked around, surveying Pietro helping Clara up, Wanda and Rose scrambling to help the scientists. "Run!" he barked, watching the Sleepers straighten and turn to them.

Clara turned to obey, only to yelp when one of the Sleepers grabbed her arm. "Clara!" Pietro shouted.

"Help!" Clara cried.

Rose grabbed onto Clara's other arm with Pietro, and Wanda sent a bolt of scarlet energy at the Sleeper. It released Clara with a groan, and Pietro and Rose hurried her after the Doctor through the infirmary door. "Out, out, now!" Ashley herded the others through. "Now!"

One Sleeper tried to stop the doors from closing by sticking its arm through, but Bellows bashed at its hand with her gun, over and over until the Sleeper removed its arm and the doors shut. The Doctor panted, adjusting his grip on Jessie as he looked everyone over. "Everyone all right?" he asked. The four scientists checked each other and nodded, then the Doctor nodded as well. "Good. Bye!"

"What?" Rose whipped around as the Doctor turned on his heel without further ado, heading for the door to take them outside the base.

"Protective blood bonded mode engaged," Pietro explained with a grimace, turning to leave as well. "It's not pretty."

"Right," Clara cleared her throat. "We'll just go and . . . yeah."

The other four followed the Time Lords, the Doctor nodding and looking at Rose. "No need for chatting, you'll only get attached. This isn't Facebook."

"But what about the Dream Crabs?" Rose asked as Pietro opened the door to outside.

"Oh, they're fine," the Doctor shook his head.

"But they're eating people!"

"And they're beyond help."

"That's harsh," Wanda frowned.

"And there's people still in danger!" Clara agreed.

"Only if they're stupid," the Doctor shook his head, holding Jessie closer when he felt her shiver. "There are polar bears on this ice cap. Am I supposed to do something about that, too?"

"But you said there are Dream Crabs still on Earth," Rose frowned.

"There are lots of dangerous things on this funny little planet of yours, Rose, most of which you eat," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "I'm the Doctor, not your mam." He headed back to the TARDIS, already thinking about what warmer clothes he could get Jessie into to make her more comfortable –

"Doctor?" Rose called, and he sighed, ready for another argument, when she said something that made him pause. "If Santa was only in the dream, why was he on my roof?"

He felt Jessie's head lift from his shoulder at that, too. "Four," she mumbled. "Four patients . . . four manuals." She fidgeted. "Doctor, put me down!"

He obliged, still keeping his arm around her when he felt her wobble. "Hurry!" he called to the others as he led her back towards the base.

"I hate the obvious sometimes!" Jessie scoffed.

"Why?" Pietro frowned.

"Because I miss it sometimes!"

***

"As you were, no saluting," the Doctor burst back into the control room, causing everyone to look at him. "Are you the same people as before?" he frowned.

"Yes, they are," Jessie answered for him, the companions scrambling in after them.

"Oh, sorry," the Doctor sighed in relief. "I deleted you."

"Well, that's not a very nice attitude, is it?" Shona huffed.

"Four manuals, yes?" the Doctor asked, checking the books.

"Yes, why?" Ashley frowned.

"One each?"

"One each, yes," Albert frowned as well. "What's the problem?"

"Well, the problem is, you can't see the problem," the Doctor answered. "For instance, you, gobby one."

"I have a name, actually!" Shona complained as he tossed a manual to her.

"Doesn't matter, I don't need it. When we first met you in the infirmary, what were you doing?"

"It's a long story," she scowled.

"Uptight boss one," the Doctor tossed the next to Ashley. "What is your primary mission of this polar base?"

"It's a long story," she shrugged.

"Sexy but not as sexy as my wife one," the Doctor tossed to Bellows next, making Jessie flush red. "What brings you to the North Pole at your age?"

"It's a long," Bellows began, only for her eyes to widen as she realized what she was about to finish with. "Story."

"OK, why are they all giving the same answer?" Clara asked as the Doctor tossed the last manual to Albert. "Because that is a tiny bit freaky."

"If you think that's freaky, try this," the Doctor pointed at her. "We were in the TARDIS. Why did we come here?"

"It's a long story," Clara answered, then her eyes bugged wide and she covered her mouth.

"You're kidding me," Pietro's eyes widened.

"Oh, I wish," the Doctor shook his head. "Dreams. They're funny. They're disjointed. They're, they're silly. They're full of gaps, but you don't notice because the dream protects itself. Stops you asking the right questions."

"Like why do you have four manuals, one each, when you have a crew of eight?" Jessie pointed out, then pointed to the monitors. "Because I don't think it's easy to forget about your friends in the infirmary."

"But we woke up!" Albert protested.

"Dreams within dreams," the Doctor reminded him. "I warned you."

"This isn't a dream," Bellows shook her head desperately. "I know it isn't!"

"No one knows they're not dreaming," the Doctor shook his head. "Not one of us, not ever. Not for one single moment of our lives. Rose? Arithmetic expert, you should choose a page number. Make it a good one."

Rose bit her lip, then perked up. "Twelve."

The Doctor did a double take, only to be distracted when Ashley looked up from flipping her page. "Very," she said.

"Very," Albert reported his.

"Very!" Bellows said triumphantly.

But the Doctor pointed to Shona last, who had a scared look in her eyes when she looked up. "Dead," she finished.

Bellows' face fell, and the Doctor nodded sadly. "And who's going to be the first to admit it?"

"Admit what?" Ashley frowned.

"That the pain is still there," the Doctor answered.

"Actually, I think it's getting worse," Shona rubbed her head.

"Yes, there is an alien organism in your brain, eating it," the Doctor nodded. "Of course it's getting worse."

"Doctor," Jessie moved around him. "The Sleepers are getting up."

"Ah," the Doctor folded his arms. "They're sensing the endgame."

"How?" Rose asked uneasily, voice shaking slightly.

"I don't understand," Ashley stood up.

"Well, look at them," the Doctor gestured. "Go on. Look at them. Look at them properly. Look who they are." The screens turned into close-ups of the Sleepers, and Clara blanched when they could read the nametags . . . the nametags of the people in the room with them. "They're you. The Sleepers are you."

"How can they be us?" Shona stammered, looking at her Sleeper.

"Because we're dreaming, all of us," the Doctor answered. "This base isn't real. None of us are actually standing in the room. The Bad Wolf, the Maximoffs, and I are probably asleep in the TARDIS. Clara, Rose, you must be in your beds at Casa de Rose. God knows where the rest of you are, probably scattered all over the world. But wherever you are, the Dream Crabs have got us, and we're all being networked into the same nightmare."

"What are they doing?" Bellows asked nervously.

The Doctor turned around to see the cameras back in the infirmary, the Sleepers approaching the cameras. "Must be the subconscious," Jessie said thoughtfully. "The Sleepers represent the part of your mind that's already surrendered to the attack. These are dream images of what's coming to kill you."

"That's me?" Albert asked, approaching the monitor with his Sleeper. "That's actually me?"

"No, it's a metaphorical construct representing a psychic attack within a shared dreamscape," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "Do please keep up."

"But it's me!" Albert insisted.

"Don't get too close," the Doctor warned, seeing him get closer.

"Why?" Albert frowned, seeing the Sleeper raise its hand to the camera.

"Because this is a nightmare!"

The Sleeper's hand suddenly came through the monitor, and Albert screamed as his face was grabbed and the Sleeper pulled him through the screen. "No!" Jessie lunged, trying to drag him back out.

"No, Jessie!" the Doctor grabbed her as she and Rose tried to get Albert back out. "No!"

"Don't!" Wanda yanked Ashley and Bellows back as they tried to reach out to their Sleepers. "They're coming through!"

"Out!" the Doctor yelled as Jessie and Rose backed away from the monitors, Albert completely gone. "Outside, now! Run, run, run, run, run!"

"Let's go!" Clara grabbed Shona, dragging her off.

"Run, all of you! Run!" the Doctor barked.

When the Sleepers were in the control room, Jessie turned around and gave a quick blast of the Aether, knocking the Sleepers back for a few seconds. Then the Doctor caught up to her, and the two Time Lords sped after the humans.

"We'll freeze to death out here!" Bellows shivered as the Doctor and Pietro barred the door, Jessie using her sonic to lock it.

"But it, it's just a dream!" Shona protested.

"This dream just killed your friend," Jessie said darkly. "Start thinking seriously."

"Where's Albert?" Ashley looked around. "Where's the professor?"

"He probably just woke up somewhere in the real world, dead," the Doctor answered. "If we don't wake up now, we'll do the same."

"But how?" Clara asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted.

Pietro jumped away from the door as the Sleepers banged on it, and he stared at the fist marks in the door. "How the hell?" he began.

"The TARDIS!" the Doctor pointed. "Come on! Come on!"

"But it's not the real TARDIS!" Wanda protested, running after him anyway.

"Well, let's hope that I dreamed it really well, then!"

Before they reached the TARDIS, though, the door opened, and six other Sleepers stepped out, all with Dream Crabs on their faces. "Is that us?" Rose balked.

"Of course it's us," Jessie groaned. "We're dreaming, too!"

"Oh, my God," Shona shakily pointed behind them.

"How is that possible?" Bellows watched dozens of Sleepers start to surround them. "How can there be so many?"

"This is a nightmare," Wanda clutched her coat closer, huddling back with Rose. "It's nightmare logic!"

"So tell us how to wake up," Shona looked at the Time Lords as Ashley lit a flare, illuminating the many Sleepers around them. "Because you're always talking like you're so clever, going on and on. So tell us what to do!"

"We have to leave this place," the Doctor answered, arm around Jessie, the two of them lighting fireballs in their hands, Wanda's hands sparking with scarlet energy.

"Leave it?" Shona parroted.

"How?" Bellows asked.

"Use your imagination!" Jessie called back.

"Excuse me?"

"Dream yourselves home!"

"But how?"

"Oh, we've gone over this already, haven't we?" Jessie looked back. "It's Christmas, and we're at the North Pole!" She looked up, already hearing jingle bells. "Who you gonna call?"

A sleigh pulled by reindeer, one with a bright red nose in the lead, flew across the full moon, and Ashley laughed in hysterical relief as Santa directed the sleigh down to them. "Hyah!" he shouted. "Whoa! Whoa!" When it stopped, he looked at the dreamers. "Get in the sleigh!"

"Back there," the Doctor directed Shona, Ashley, and Bellows. "Maximoffs, after them. Clara, in you go. Rose."

"Oh, how sweet," Santa chuckled as the girls obeyed.

"Shut up, Santa!" Rose sighed.

"Come on, love," the Doctor jumped up into the sleigh next.

Jessie accepted his hand up, and he wrapped his arms around her as Santa checked that everyone was in. "Fortunately, I know all your home addresses. Yah!"

He snapped the reins, and the reindeer pulled the sleigh up into the sky. Clara took a few deep breaths, then leaned over to speak to the Doctor. "So, what happens now? This is just us waking up, right?"

"Could be," the Doctor shrugged. "Well, I hope so. Waking up or – "

"Or?" Rose pushed into the conversation.

"Just focus on this," the Doctor waved his hand. "Do you believe in Santa Claus?"

"Hard not to!" Rose laughed, gesturing to the man.

"I've always believed in Santa Claus," Jessie curled up against the Doctor. "But he looks a little different to me."

"Oh, love," the Doctor nuzzled her hair. "Flatterer."

"Is it flattery if it's the truth?"

"Look!" Rose grinned, leaning out of the sleigh to point down at London. "We're back!"

Santa took a quick look as well, then nudged the Doctor. "Hey, you want to take the reins, Doctor?"

He did a double take. "You're a dream construct, currently representing either my recovering or expiring mind!"

"Yes, but do you want a go?" Santa insisted.

The Doctor considered only for a second. "Yeah, all right," he nodded, but as soon as the reins were handed to him, he almost lost control, causing everyone behind them to yelp. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

"Easy!" Santa reached over to help him between rooftops. "This way! Up a bit, lift up. There we go!"

"Woohoo!" Jessie cheered, Rose laughing behind her as the Doctor succeeded in directing them across London, Wanda and Pietro both almost hanging over the edge of the sleigh to see London from above.

"Look at me!" the Doctor grinned as they flew past Big Ben, the massive clock chiming midnight. "I'm riding a sleigh! I'm riding a sleigh! Yippee ai-yay!"

"Whoa!" Jessie fell back against the bench as they flew upwards.

"Oh, maybe you could – " The Doctor quickly handed the reins back to Santa.

"Yeah, yeah," he took the reins as the Doctor sat back down, Jessie curling into him.

They flew in silence for a few moments, then Shona spoke up from in back. "I work in a shop!"

"I'm sorry?" Ashley looked back at her.

"I thought I was a scientist!" Shona scoffed. "That's rubbish!"

"Finally, something that makes sense," Bellows japed with a grin.

"You're horrible, you!" Shona huffed.

It was Ashley who spoke next. "Perfume."

"What?" Shona blinked.

"I'm an account manager for perfume!" Ashley elaborated, looking over at the Time Lords. "Does this mean we're waking up?"

"Possibly," the Doctor nodded, twisting awkwardly to address everyone. "With any luck, we'll all wake up in our proper times and places."

"Proper times?" Clara repeated.

"Well, we could all be from different time zones," the Doctor shrugged.

"Time travel is always possible in dreams," Wanda recalled the memory she had given Steve, flushing a bit in embarrassment as she did.

"We might not know each other?" Shona asked in disappointment. "Not any of us?"

"No," Ashley deflated. "Possibly not."

"Well, you know what we should do?" Shona perked up. "We should swap numbers! We should have a reunion!"

Rose looked back to grin at her, then blinked. "Bellows!" she called.

The others looked back as well to see she had disappeared. "She woke up," Jessie realized.

"Er," Shona fumbled to recover. "Now, I'm pretty sure I can remember my number so, if you memorize it, then you text me, we can go for a curry and – "

"The chances of you remembering any of this are very slim," the Doctor shook his head.

"Well, don't say that!" she protested. "We'll remember, won't we, Ashley?" She turned to the other woman, only to see her gone as well. "Ashley?" She swallowed, hesitantly turning to look at the Doctor. "Am I next?" she asked timidly. "Is it me now?"

"Shona, you're going home," Clara told her. "You're surviving."

She looked at the brunette hesitantly. "Do you want to hang out sometime? We can just hang out."

"Sure," Clara grinned.

Shona peeked past her. "Santa, can I stay a bit longer?"

Santa looked back slightly, and when Clara turned to see Shona, she saw the blonde had disappeared as well. "Oh," she whispered.

"I kind of liked her," Jessie frowned. "She was nice. Wasn't she?" He turned around, then yelped. "Pietro! Wanda!"

***

Wanda coughed up mucus as she sat up inside the TARDIS, watching the Dream Crab crumble to dust by her. On her other side, Pietro shoved his crab off his face, hacking as well. "Ugh," he rubbed his mouth, looking at the pile of dust. "Those things are disgusting!"

Wanda stared at her crab for a few moments, then turned around to see the two other limp figures lying on the floor of the open TARDIS. "Come on," she whispered.

***

"Well," Rose sighed, leaning back and smiling up at the full moon. "At least we can say we've ridden in Santa's sleigh."

"Yeah," Clara agreed. "It's kind of a pity we have to wake up, really. It's not really something we do every day, is it?"

"No, no," Santa agreed. "Strictly once a year."

The Doctor looked at them sadly. "We stay, we die."

Clara shook her head. "You're always such a downer, Doctor."

A gasp from Rose made her look away from London, and she gulped, seeing the two Time Lords gone.

***

Wanda sighed in relief as the Doctor and Jessie woke up next, their Dream Crabs crumbling to dust. The Doctor was barely up for a second before he jumped to his feet. "Clara!" he raced for the controls. "Rose!"

***

"We should probably be waking up, too," Rose said after a few moments.

"Just a little longer," Clara shook her head.

"Why?" Santa frowned.

Clara sighed, leaning back with Rose. "Every Christmas is last Christmas."

Rose silently nodded in agreement as Santa flew the sleigh in front of the moon.

***

Oh, it's been fun writing Rose in this. I miss Rose. :( But I honestly love Thirteen and her companions so much. Graham, Ryan, and Yaz are one of my favorite TARDIS combos, not to mention "Demons of the Punjab" may be my favorite Doctor Who episode ever. Anyone have a favorite episode from Series 11?

Anyway, just two more parts to go before this book is done! I'm excited! :D