Told you I had a Doctor Who Christmas story up my sleeve! :D Enjoy!
Clara Oswald walked along the sidewalk, toting her bags along with her. She was doing some Christmas shopping, and while it wasn't quite last minute, it was late enough that she had to wait in long lines in the stores. She could've driven her car to each store so she wouldn't have to carry the shopping bags, but she'd elected to walk. She liked admiring the window displays the stores put out for Christmas, and the light dusting of snow on the ground made shopping a bit of an adventure.
Clara also liked the bells. Whether it was a Salvation Army bell ringer or a child ringing a strand of jingle bells, the sound of bells seemed to float through the air during Christmastime. She smiled, thinking of many a Christmas Eve as a child when she'd lain in her bed wide awake, listening for the bells on Father Christmas's sleigh. The ringing of bells had always been one of her favorite sounds.
Clara was so engrossed in memories of Christmases past that she bumped into something on the sidewalk. Or someone, rather.
The other person had dropped his own bag when Clara bumped into him. "Oh my stars, I'm so sorry!" she said, apologetically, bending down to pick up the bag and hand it to him. When she straightened and looked up, she was shocked to see familiar olive eyes staring back at her, slightly dazed from the accident. "Doctor?"
In answer, the Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Er...hello."
Clara was quite surprised to see the Doctor out doing some shopping. "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing."
Clara raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Christmas shopping a little domestic for you?"
"Maybe," the Doctor answered, straightening his bowtie. "but someone I know will appreciate my work."
A grin spread across Clara's face. "And would this 'someone' happen to be me?" she asked, dropping her bags and playfully trying to peek inside the Doctor's bag.
As expected, the Doctor stepped backwards and tried to keep the contents of his bag from her eyes. "No!" he said indignantly, not unlike a child caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do.
"Well, if it's not me you're shopping for, why can't I see?" Clara asked, still trying to peek.
"Stop that!" The Doctor finally resorted to hiding the bag behind his back.
"No!"
Eventually the Doctor lost his balance and fell backward into the snow. He landed with a surprised "oomph!" when he went down, arms flailing as he tried to keep the bag from Clara. Clara knew she was acting like a child when she made another grab for the bag, but she didn't care. Somehow, he managed to avoid her hands as he stood back up.
Clara wasn't thrown off when the Doctor tried to stuff the bag in his pocket - really, it did seem like something he would do - but she was surprised when it actually disappeared. He regarded her surprise with a smug smile. "Bigger on the inside pockets," he boasted.
Clara fought the urge to facepalm.
The Doctor basked in the satisfaction of winning this small victory for a moment until he heard the sound of bells in the air. "Oh, that's lovely," he murmured, closing his eyes.
Clara, who'd calmed down, stood beside him and looked at his face. He looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him, his eyes closed and his lips turned up in a small smile. She hated to break his reverie, but she did want to tell him what the sound was. "Bells," she whispered. "They're bells."
"Like jingle bells?" The Doctor had opened his eyes.
"Mm-hm."
They stood there for a minute or two and listened to the bells before Clara remembered that she needed to wrap her gifts that night. The Doctor got his bearings about the same time and muttered something about having to go, squeezing Clara's hand before he walked away.
In the TARDIS a week later, the Doctor grinned as he tore the wrapping paper off a small box. Clara watched him while he opened the box and grinned so wide it almost split his face in half. He flashed his grin at her and held up a blue bowtie with little reindeer all over it. "I love it!" he laughed, immediately slipping off the plain purple bowtie he'd been wearing and replacing it with the new reindeer bowtie.
Clara smiled back at the Doctor. "I knew you'd like it," she said, pleased with his reaction.
The Doctor held up a finger and pulled something from his pocket. When he retrieved his hand, a red velvet box was encased in his palm. He held it out with the sheepish grin of a schoolboy. "I'm rubbish at wrapping," he said to explain the lack of pretty paper.
Clara accepted the box and opened the lid, gasping at the contents. "It's beautiful," she breathed, lifting a small bracelet from the velvet case. The bracelet was made completely out of tiny silver bells that jingled when they moved.
"Here, let me." The Doctor moved to unclasp the bracelet and secure it around Clara's wrist. Both giver and recipient were happy to see that it was a perfect fit. "Merry Christmas, Clara," the Doctor said with a smile.
Clara threw her arms around the Doctor's neck, her new bracelet jingling merrily. "Merry Christmas to you, too, Doctor," she said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," the Doctor replied, hugging her tightly around her waist.
In the days to come, when his face, personality, and demeanor would change, Clara would have her ups and downs dealing with the Doctor's regeneration. But he never failed to hear those little silver bells jingling as she moved about the TARDIS, bringing a smile to his face and hers at the sound. To Clara, the sound was a memory of her and a bowtie-loving, floppy-haired Doctor standing on a street corner listening to the same sound. To the Doctor, the sound was reassurance that she had not left him and would not leave him willingly for a very long time.
Just a little Whouffle magic to brighten up your day. It brightened my day when I was writing it. :)
If you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn, review and let me know! Merry Christmas, peoples of the earth! :)