"I haven't got any idea what she's up to either," the Doctor confirmed as they filed into the console room. Molly and Lestrade shared a mystified glance, but they didn't seem to have any answer.
Early that morning, Donna had woken all of them. She'd even managed to wake up the Doctor before he woke himself up. That was a feat in and of itself. Donna had told them to meet her in the the console room in half an hour, so they had all reluctantly gotten up and dressed. Molly was yawning by the railing, and Greg was looking like he wasn't awake enough to even be standing.
A few moments later, Donna bustled into the room, all bright and grinning and awake. That was definitely weird. Donna was very notably not a morning person. The Doctor couldn't help but be a little wary as Donna came to stand before all of them, her hands clasped behind her back. "Good morning, everyone," she greeted cheerfully.
"A very early morning," Molly grumbled, not unkindly. "Why are we up so early exactly?" Greg blinked a couple times beside her, as if trying to re-enter the world of the living.
Donna beamed. "As you all know, since we travel through time, and the TARDIS is usually in the Time Vortex, it's never really any specific date for us. But I've been keeping a calendar in my room ever since I joined up."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. Other than Donna, he was the only one who was fully awake. "Is there really a point to that? I mean, the TARDIS can take us to any date anywhere that you'd like."
The ginger companion glared at him. "It's my way of keeping track of time, so zip it." The Time Lord backed down with a nod. "Anyway, I've been counting the days, and if I had stayed on Earth, does anyone know what day it would be for me by now?"
"Five in the morning?" Lestrade asked groggily.
Donna rolled her eyes. "No, you dolt." She let the suspense build for a moment, grinning in delight as she finally announced, "Today is two days before Christmas Day!"
The Doctor and Molly shared a surprised glance. On the TARDIS, they rarely kept track of any conventional measure of time. He hadn't realized that Donna would've kept such a close eye on it, or that it would be Christmas now on the slow path. "Oh. Is it that time already?" He wasn't really sure what else to say about it.
She seemed a bit disappointed at the lackluster response. "Well gee, don't all shout at once," she snarked. "It's been two years since we first met, Doctor. I just figured we could celebrate and have a proper Christmas."
Molly perked up, starting to look a little more awake at the prospect. "Christmas? Sounds good to me."
The Doctor remembered that Christmas, the first time he had met his fiery companion. His brow furrowed as he remembered a particular part of that little adventure. "Hang on, I thought you said you hated Christmas?"
"Well, yeah, sort of," Donna admitted, "but Christmas for me usually means all those stuffy relatives you don't like all crowding inside your house, and driving to work with the roads all covered in snow. No thanks. A Christmas on the TARDIS, though, that doesn't sound half bad."
The Time Lord took a moment to think. He'd had a lot of crazy, danger-filled Christmases lately. Running around London being chased by robot Santas and fighting spider ladies, and trying to stop the spaceship Titanic from crashing into the Earth, that disaster of a party at 221B, and a bit of a calmer one skating on a mineral lake with Molly. But he hadn't had a real Christmas in several years. The last time had been on the Powell Estate, with Rose Tyler and her family. Back on that lake with Molly, he hadn't been ready for a real Christmas. The memory of Rose hurt too much. But time had passed, and his friends and his travels had helped him to heal, at least to some degree. He grinned at Donna, his hearts light as he agreed, "Doesn't sound bad at all."
"What planet are we having Christmas on?" Lestrade asked, finally starting to look some semblance of awake. "Earth?"
Donna shook her head. "I mean, if you want to, but I was thinking of just having it here on the TARDIS. We could spend the day going shopping for gifts and maybe get some decorating done, and then have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day here on the ship."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Decorating?" he asked dubiously. "What, decorating my ship?"
Molly gave him a knowing glance. "Oh come on, you're the last person who'd have a problem with decorating the TARDIS."
He tried to keep a straight face, but it broke after a few seconds. "Yeah, you're right. 'Course we can decorate. I think I know a place where we can get a tree, too." Even though the memories of Rose were still there, and they still hurt, the Doctor felt himself starting to get excited about this. A real Christmas, exchanging gifts and having dinner and decorating home. It sounded wonderful.
Donna grinned. "Great! Then let's get started."
SCENEBREAK
Once everyone had eaten and were finally fully awake, the Doctor sent the TARDIS soaring through time and space. Before they'd left, Donna had shot Sherlovk a text to ask if he wanted to join them for Christmas. The only response she'd gotten was, "Busy. - SH", so that was that.
They landed with a sharp jolt as the TARDIS settled into place. The Doctor was the first out the door, followed by Donna and Greg, with Molly bringing up the rear. She closed the TARDIS door behind her as they headed out onto the new planet.
They seemed to be in the front lobby of some kind of mall. But it was like no mall Molly had ever seen before. It was huge, with dozens of floors far above their heads, and dozens more below. The mall seemed to stretch out forever in front of her, stores and stores with no end in sight. Donna's eyes bulged at the sight, and Greg let out a low whistle.
"Welcome to the Siriun Shopping Moon," the Doctor announced, hands clasped behind his back in the stance he always took before launching into one of his schoolteacher rants. "The fifth moon of the planet Randon, and the largest shopping center in all of history. The entire moon makes up the mall. They have a store for everything, or at least that's what's on their tagline. I figure it shouldn't be too hard to find Christmas gifts here."
Donna's eyes were wide as she stared at the wide expanse of stores in front of them. When she finally tore her gaze away and looked back at the Doctor, there was something dangerous in her grin. "When all this is over, we are going to visit this planet more often," she declared.
The Doctor grinned. "Yes ma'am," he told her.
Molly stared at the vast selection of stores. "How do we find our way around?" she asked. She was used to long days of walking and navigation, after a year of it, but this took it to epic proportions.
In answer, the Doctor crossed over to the far wall of the lobby. On the wall hung several metal bands of some sort. He grabbed several and rejoined his companions. "These are transport bands," he told them as he strapped one onto each of his wrists. He held them out for his companions to see. "They're restricted to the mall, and they can't travel through time, but they're handy for getting around."
All three took a pair as the Doctor handed them out. "How do they work?" Greg asked as he strapped on his bands.
The Doctor explained, "They're linked to your minds. Just think of what sort of store you'd like to go to, then touch the bands together, and they'll teleport you there."
Molly grinned. "Sounds easy enough." That would be a lot easier than trying to trek around an entire moon trying to find the right sort of store.
The Doctor nodded. "Yup. Now, I figure we should stick to groups of two, you know, just in case."
"What?" Molly couldn't help but smirk. "Just in case we find trouble. You know you were going to say it."
He shrugged sheepishly. "Trouble seems to find us anywhere we go," he pointed out. "It's not like it would be a surprise."
Donna snorted. "No alien'll dare getting between me and this Christmas." No one argued with her. "Alright, I'll stick with Spaceman. Molly and Lestrade can shop elsewhere, then once we're done we can switch off."
Molly nodded. "Good plan. Each group'll need a phone, so we can decide when to meet up again." She pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I've got mine."
"And I've got mine," Donna said, holding hers up for Molly to see.
"Perfect," Greg said. "Molly and I can head to a movie store to start."
"And the Doctor and I can look at books," Donna finished.
SCENEBREAK
The groups split up, setting out for the stores they'd chosen. Molly and Greg landed in a store filled with vast shelves of movies. They seemed to have every format of movie possible. There were Blurays and DVDs and VCRs, and even laser discs. There were new formats too, ones too futurists for Molly to recognize. They ignored them and stuck to the DVDs and Blurays.
As they browsed through the movie collection, Greg spoke up. "Bit if a change from last Christmas, eh?" His time was light, but Molly didn't miss the way he glanced up at her quickly with faint concern in his eyes.
Molly nodded. "Yeah, definitely a step up." They'd spent that Christmas in a slave quarters in New York. They'd been hiding, they were always hiding that year, but at least they'd been doing something other than sitting with the other slaves talking about how miserable they all were. "At least we had lights."
Her boyfriend grinned at the memory. "Yeah, I forgot. That lady Susan hoarded all those light bulbs. They had that little tree from wood planks from the shipyards and bulbs."
"I think the best gift that year was that the Toclafane didn't catch them at it," Molly laughed. It felt good to laugh about the Year for once. Thinking about it didn't hurt as much as it used to. Even through all the misery, there were a few good moments to think fondly on.
Greg laughed too. "Oh man, I thought they were going to get us for sure when that kid broke that bulb. I'm amazed they got the blanket over us and the tree as fast as they did. If the Toclafane had been there any quicker, we would've been dead."
Molly remembered it well. Even with their perception filter keys, having the Toclafane hovering so close, barely a foot away, had been terrifying. But once the danger had passed, somehow, the terror had subside. They'd managed to go back to laughing and celebrating, in their quiet, careful way. That one day had managed to be one of the most hopeful, genuinely happy times of the whole year.
"You know," she mentioned as she paused and glanced over a documentary about Queen Elizabeth of New Britain on New Earth, "I've actually had another Christmas since then. Didn't really get a chance to celebrate, though. We almost crashed the Titanic into Earth. At Greg's raised eyebrow, she smirked. "Long story. The Christmas before that was Sherlock's Christmas party."
Greg grimaced. "Not a happy memory for anyone, I'd guess."
Molly shrugged. "It wasn't a total loss. I got to know you a little better." Greg gave her a warm smile, which she returned, before they both returned to their search. "The Christmas before that, the Doctor and I skated on a mineral lake. Point is, I've had four Christmases in the last almost three years, but none of them have been a real, sit down and enjoy the holiday Christmas... or at least one that didn't end in disaster. It'll be nice to hang up garland without something trying to kill me." Her hand went automatically to her neck, where her fob watch necklace usually hung. The chain had broken earlier that week, and she hadn't gotten the chance to replace it yet, so she'd left the miniature fob watch on the ship. Her hand lowered.
She glanced up at Greg, trying to find a way to voice her concern. "I know last Christmas wasn't exactly a pleasant memory. Are you ready to have another one?" she asked softly. She'd gone through enough crazy Christmases to be ready for a real Christmas again. With the support of her friends, she was healing. But she knew how hard it could be to separate memories of long ago with the here and now, and that Greg was not always as fine as he seemed.
Greg's eyes flashed with some long past memory, and there was a hint of pain, but no panic. "Yes," he told her. "I think the best way to move on is to replace the bad memories with good ones. Having Christmas again sounds like the perfect way to do that. My memory of Christmas can be of a nice time with friends in the TARDIS, rather than -"
"Sherlock being a brat and hogging all the canned meat?" Molly suggested cheekily.
He laughed. "For someone who barely seems to eat, he could be a twat about rations, couldn't he?" Greg shook his head. "Alright, maybe last Christmas isn't the worst memory from that year. But it'll still be nice to have Christmas mean something other than light bulbs and hiding from Toclafane again." Concern lit in his eyes as he glanced at her. "What about you? Are you ready for a holiday?"
Molly set down the movie she'd been looking at and turned to face her boyfriend. "Yes. I've had too many Christmases being chased by aliens or insulted by idiot detectives. Just this once, I'd like a nice, relaxed Christmas where I can watch corny movies and sit by a fireplace and be surrounded by lights and decorations."
She crossed over to where Greg stood. One hand grasped his hand, and the other rested on his shoulder. Molly smiled warmly at him as she told him, "You know what I want? For this to be our first Christmas. We won't count that party at Baker Street, or that night in New York. This can be our first official Christmas together."
He grinned, placing a hand on her waist and pulling her a little closer. His hand was warm and calloused around hers as their fingers entwined. "Of course. We weren't together those Christmases. This is our first Christmas as a couple. Big difference."
They were practically chest-to-chest now. "Hell of a one month anniversary," Molly murmurs. "Let's make it count." Their foreheads rested together. Their hands fell apart as Molly reached a hand up to Greg's cheek. They kissed, warm and slow. Something warm and happy swelled in Molly's chest.
It did eventually occur to them that they were in public, and that they were drawing the attention of several aliens. They pulled back and returned to their search. As they sorted through the movies, Greg spoke up. "I'm seriously drawing a blank here. What are we supposed to get the ancient time alien with a spaceship that can provide pretty much anything as a gift?"
Molly shrugged. "Something that'll mean something. I'm a bit more stuck with Donna. I don't know what she'd... oh." She slipped one of the discs off the shelf, grinning as she read the title. "This'll work."
SCENEBREAK
Donna groaned as they passed through another series of bookshelves. "Are there any books the TARDIS doesn't have?"
"Of course," the Doctor assured her. At her glare, he amended, "Probably." He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to defend himself. "Er, the TARDIS really likes Molly. She supplies a lot of books for her."
She sighed. "And makes shopping for her a pain in the arse." The ginger companion glared irritably at the shelves. Donna knew how much Molly loved to read, so she'd thought it would be nice to get her a book for Christmas. But every book that seemed promising, the Doctor had to dash her hopes by informing her that the TARDIS library already had it. Donna was getting more irritated, and the Doctor was getting the feeling that they just weren't going to find any books that the TARDIS didn't already supply for Molly.
The Doctor had been thinking about something since they'd stepped off the TARDIS. "Can I ask you a question?" he queried.
Donna looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sure?" she replied warily.
"Why do you want to have Christmas so badly?" Donna glanced at him in surprise. He knew that Greg and Molly hadn't found it odd that Donna would want to celebrate, but the Doctor had known her longer. He still remembered how she'd hated Christmas enough to have her wedding that day rather than celebrate the holiday. The utter catastrophe that wedding turned out to be probably hadn't endeared her to it any more. And now, out of the blue, she was going all out to get the holiday going.
The ginger companion hesitated. For a moment, the tough mask fell away, and the Doctor could see vulnerability in her eyes. "Well, it's like I said," she told him. "Snow's pretty to look at, but it just makes everything all cold and miserable, and it's a pain in the arse to drive in. And, well, you've met my Mum. She seems to think that Christmas means getting tipsy and going on and on about my employment and life choices. Kind of puts a damper on the season of cheer."
The Doctor remembered Sylvia Noble very well. From continuing the wedding reception instead of looking for her missing daughter to her disdainful attitude towards Donna, she definitely wasn't the Doctor's favorite person. He knew that under all the stubborn, loud, headstrongness, Donna carried a lot of insecurity, and he had a feeling a lot of it was due to how Sylvia belittled her. He felt a rush of sympathy for his companion.
"Grandad's great," she added immediately, "but Christmas at my place has never been enjoyable. So I guess I just wanted to see what it was like having Christmas with... oh, nevermind."
The Doctor prompted, "Christmas with what?"
She shook her head. "Nah, it's stupid."
"No, it's not," the Doctor assured her. He gave her an encouraging grin. "Come on, what were you going to say?"
Donna glared at him, but finally, reluctantly finished, "I wanted to see what it was like having Christmas with a real family. Don't you dare laugh."
The Doctor smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it," he promised. "'Course you're part of the family, Donna. And we'd all love to have Christmas with you."
Donna seemed surprise by the easy assurance the Doctor offered. Her eyes flashed with warm surprise, then she cleared her throat, immediately picking up her brisk manner again. "Thanks. Yeah, speaking of, I was thinking I'd grab something for Sherlock and John while we're here. What do you think Sherlock would like?"
The Time Lord raised an eyebrow. "I'm still just shocked you're considering giving him anything other than a piece of your mind," he admitted. He got the feeling that was a mystery he was never going to solve.
Predictably, Donna grinned, but didn't respond. "I think I know what to get him. Come on, we're not going to find anything here."
SCENEBREAK
After a while, the groups eventually switched up, Donna heading off with Molly while the Doctor teamed up with Greg. They finished their shopping, so the travelers all met up again. Together, they decided on decorations for the TARDIS, picking up lights and garlands and ornaments, plus boxes and wrapping paper. By the time they were finished, they were all toting several, huge shopping bags.
They had planned on starting decorating once shopping was done. However, by the time they had loaded all of their bags back onto the TARDIS, they were all too exhausted to consider starting. They agreed to decorate in the morning, then head out for a tree and plan dinner.
Donna hid the presents she'd bought in the closet in her room. The only ones she didn't bother to hide were the gifts she got for Sherlock and John. They sat out on her night stand, ready to be delivered to the flatmates whenever they next ran into them.
For John, she'd bought a coffee mug, white with "I'm With "Genius"" and an arrow in thick black lettering. She figured he'd get a laugh out of it, whether he drank coffee or not. She wasn't really sure whether he did or not.
Next to the mug sat a hand-sized figurine of a stick insect. She'd thought that would be enough, but when the Doctor pointed out there were clothes stores for aliens as small as the figurine, she couldn't resist. A little blue scarf was now wrapped around the neck of the figurine. The Doctor seemed uncertain about what Sherlock's reception of the gift would be, but Molly and Lestrade both roared with laughter when they saw it. They thought it was hilarious, although they weren't totally sure Sherlock would think so. Donna knew he would, though. It was a title of affection now, not a bitter insult.
All the presents and decorations were bought. Tomorrow, they could get started with decorating, and the celebrations could really get started.
Wow, it's been a while since I've written these characters. But it feels good. I've missed writing Molly and everyone else. It felt so natural to go back to writing these roles. It's good to be back to it. :) It's not for long, but at least I get this one last chance to write these guys (unless I write that Torchwood spinoff, but if I do, it probably won't be for a very long time.)
Yep, the mystery project I mentioned on the new chapter of TToSM is indeed another Christmas Special for my fanfic. Instead of being set during The Woman Who Counted, this one is set during The Soldier Who Stayed.
This Christmas Special takes place between Unicorn and the Wasp and Council of the Seven Rings, about two weeks after Unicorn and the Wasp and a month before Council of the Seven Rings.
So yeah, this Christmas Special will come in three parts. The first, as you've noticed, takes place two days before Christmas and was released two days before Christmas. Same with the other two. So keep an eye out, because there'll be a chapter released tomorrow on Christmas Eve, and another released on Christmas Day.
Don't expect a lot of action and aliens out of this one. This here is a big ol' piece of fluff. Just so you're aware.
Just to let you know, this and the other chapters are pre-written. Not really significant to be known, but a fun little tidbit. I pretty much never let chapters sit after I've written them, I'm too impatient, I just post them right away. XD
As for Donna's gifts for John and Sherlock, I probably won't get to show their reactions, so I'll just say them here. Donna gave them their gifts just before the Hudson wedding. John got a laugh out of the mug, like Donna thought. Sherlock rolled his eyes at his gift, but when John wasn't looking, he put it up on his shelf. It has a place of honor next to his skull. It's still there, and Sherlock can't hold back a little smirk every time he sees it.