Title: We don't wanna be like them - "Mistletoe".

Number of parts: 1/?.

Pairing: Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler.

Synopsis: "Oh, she had tried and tried, but she had never found anything stable. Since she had no A-levels, she was never good enough for any boss and they all had exploited her before throwing her away with so little money she couldn't afford much."

A/N: The characters and the universe don't belong to me. All rights goes to Russell T. Davies, Phil Collinson, Susie Liggat, Steven Moffat and to the BBC. Everything else belongs to my imagination.

A/N 2: This story was originally posted as two shots in Brèves de TARDIS (chapters 17 and 25), but I was asked to turn it as a series, and since there is gonna be a third part (if I ever find the time to write it), I decided to turn it as a whole story in here and to give it a proper title.

A/N 3: This one-shot is part of the #DoctorWhoChristmasChallenge I'm actually doing. You can find the 'rules' to enter on my Tumblr (shadowsprodpresent) or on my Instagram (theoncomingpolicebox). So, this one was an entry from claraswolf (Instagram).

Doctor: Ninth.

Pairing: Doctor/Rose.

Prompt: Rose is a homeless and single mother of a little boy, unable to find a stable job or a decent home.

Time/Location: No specific time.

AU or not AU: AU.

It was Christmas again, and Rose Tyler felt like the most terrible woman and mother around once again. Last year, she had promised herself to be a better mother for her little boy, to find a permanent job and to find a permanent home, but she still hadn't fulfilled that promise to herself and she was disappointed of herself. Oh, she had tried and tried, but she had never found anything stable. Since she had no A-levels, she was never good enough for any boss and they all had exploited her before throwing her away with so little money she couldn't afford much. She had never used that money for herself and had always bought anything her little boy needed instead. He would always be her first priority. She was sacrificing herself for him to have a good life, just like her mother and father had done for her when times were hard on them. They had managed to give her a life worth fighting for until she was sixteen.

They had died into a car crash on a winter night. The car had slid on the frozen road and had left the road to crash in a tree. They hadn't suffered and had both died instantly. Rose had hated the winter season ever since that day. She hadn't been in the car though. That night, she had been sleeping at her boyfriend's flat. Jimmy Stone was older than her. He was twenty when she was just sixteen, but he was all gentle and polite and charming. Well, that's how he had been when they met. She was just sixteen back then, and she had been naïve. So naïve. First, he had made her give up her studies. Much to the displeasure of Rose's parents. Then, it had just been small things, but he was still trying to control her life, and she had realised it only when it was too late, when he had forced her to stay inside the unhealthy flat they were living in.

She had been stuck with Jimmy Stone for years. It had been years of bad treatments, of violence, of sexual assaults and humiliation, but she had never said anything. Until she found out that she was pregnant. She was only twenty-four at the time. She had no A-levels, no job, no family left. She had nothing, but a small baby growing up in her belly, and a violent alcoholic boyfriend. Jimmy Stone was sleeping off the alcohol he had drunk in a party he had gone without her when she had decided it was time to leave. She had taken her belongings and left the flat. She had never come back and never regretted her decision, even though it was really hard for her. She was pregnant and she had no one to help her through the pregnancy. She couldn't afford any medical exam or doctor so she had just done her best to stay alive and keep her baby safe. Even if Jimmy was the biological father, she had wanted to keep him.

The first year after she had left Jimmy, she lived in the streets, hiding in shelters for homeless people and going to free clinics when she needed to. She knew Jimmy was looking for her and didn't want him to find her. If he had found her, he would have known that she was pregnant and would have kept her forever locked into his flat. But he never did thankfully. Rose gave birth to her little boy alone, in the streets. Oh, she had been so scared when her water broke, when the labour started. She had wished her mother to be there in that hard time, but she wasn't. She would never meet her grandchild. She would never know what her daughter had become. Maybe that was for the best. If she had known what Jimmy Stone had done to her, it would have broken her mother's heart. And Jimmy Stone would most likely have regretted ever messing with the Tyler family.

After she gave birth to the most handsome and wonderful little boy, she had promised herself to give him a good life. It was hard. It was really hard to keep that word when she was barely surviving thanks to the help she could get from the shelters and the soup kitchens and stealing in the malls when it wasn't enough. She was starving and freezing most of the time, but as long as her little Elliot was fine and had everything he could need, she didn't care. She had lost a lot of weight, but she wasn't sick as hell like most of the homeless people she had met. That's how her life had been for the last six years. She had thought her problems were about to be resolved, that she was gonna see the end of that dark tunnel soon when she had gotten a job and a small flat a few months ago, but that morning, her boss – who was also her landlord – had thrown her out for a professional misconduct she hadn't even done and refused to pay her.

That's how Rose Tyler had ended up in the streets again with her very few possessions and her little boy on the morning of Christmas Eve. She had worked so hard to give him the best of Christmas this year and she had failed again, and that was too much for her. She wandered in the London's streets, a backpack full with their belongings on her back, holding firmly Elliot's hands so he wouldn't get lost in the crowd of happy people running around to get their Christmas errands done in time. No one paid attention to the woman walking down the same streets as them with her stooped back, her sad face, holding her boy's hand and thinking sadly this year again, she wouldn't be able to afford a gift for him. She felt like the worst mother ever for not being able to make her little boy happy on a day like this. She felt even worse when they passed in front of a small shop selling teddy bears, the same teddy bears he had dreamed of having one day.

Elliot looked up at his mother, still holding her hand tightly. He knew she was sad that she couldn't buy him any gift for Christmas, and he was sad too but he knew that their life was harder than anyone's life and that his mummy was doing the best she could. While only six years old, he already knew that being with her, being loved by her was enough to be happy, no matter how hard they had to fight to have a decent life.

"It's okay, mummy. As long as we are together, we will be fine," he tried to reassure her.

Rose looked down at him and smiled sadly. He was so handsome with his green eyes and his light brown hair. His nose was a bit red because of the cold. He smiled back at her and there was so much warmth in this smile that Rose felt her heart melt and she almost broke down. How could he show her so much love and happiness when she was the worst mother he could ever have? She stopped walking and knelt down, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tight. She kissed his head softly.

"I love you," she murmured into his ear.

"To the moon and back," he completed.

Snow was starting to fall all around them and the cold was really getting them now, but Elliot was looking at the small flakes falling from the sky with amazement. He liked the snow. He found it very beautiful, but he never knew why his mother looked so sad whenever it was snowing. She hadn't told him yet about his grandparents, and she didn't tell him how close of breaking down she was right now. The snow almost made her cry and she blinked back a few tears while pain clutched her heart. Elliot shivered when a flake fell on his neck and laughed a bit at it. Christmas was a magical holiday. Something good was gonna happen to them. He had prayed long enough for it to happen. He wanted his mother to be happy. He hated seeing her so sad.

Rose saw him shiver and immediately put the backpack down. She took off her patched coat she had gotten onto a stand of the Red Cross a few months ago and wrapped it around him. She zipped it and lightly tapped Elliot's nose with a small smile. She put the backpack back on her back and caught her son's hand before walking again. She entered a shopping centre. They would be protected from the cold in there. She made Elliot sit down on a bench close to a food store and put the backpack next to him. She stroked his face gently.

"I gonna go and buy some food for you. I won't be long. You just wait for me here, and you don't follow or talk to anyone, okay?"

She hated herself for doing so. She wasn't gonna buy anything. She was gonna steal it, and she didn't want him to see her acting that way. She had no choice but to steal to make sure he would eat something because she couldn't afford it. And she hated leaving him here while she was gonna commit a crime. Elliot nodded.

"I'm waiting for you. I don't move. I don't follow or talk to anyone."

That was a lesson she had taught him over the years. When she said she was gonna get some food, he had to wait at a special spot – usually somewhere no one would bother him, somewhere he would be safe for a few minutes – and it was forbidden for him to talk or follow any stranger. She was keeping him safe while she was taking all the possible risks for him to be able to eat something. Rose kissed his head softly and murmured again how much she loved him before walking into the food store.

Elliot Tyler was a very obedient child. He had learned very quickly that it was useless to try and fight his mother for something. The idea had never come to him though. His mother was so tender, and loving, and protective of him that he couldn't ask for more. Of course, their life was very hard, and he was trying his best not to be a naughty boy for life to be easier on them. So, when his mother was asking him to wait for her and not to talk to stranger or follow them, he obeyed her. No one ever came up to him to ask him what he was doing all alone anyway. It was as if people knew he was the child of a homeless woman and were avoiding him the best they could. They also were asking their children to stay away from him, as if he was contagious. It hurt him inside down, but a hug from his mother and everything was forgotten. She was the only person he cared about, and the only person who cared about him.

He pulled the backpack close to him and wrapped his arms around it, watching at all the people around him. They all looked in a hurry of getting something done really quick, in a hurry of being somewhere else. None of them seemed really happy to be running around like they were doing. They probably all had a better life than he did but none of them looked happy and Elliot realised that if that was what a "normal life" looked like, he didn't want it. He would rather just live in the streets with his gentle and loving mother who would give you anything he needed, whatever she would have to do to have it. Elliot kept looking at the people around him, while no one actually gave him a single look. He was used to it. It was easy to obey his mother in such a situation. He hadn't expected that someone would actually stop close to him and talk to him.

"What are you doing here on your own?"

The voice was quiet and definitely masculine. Elliot looked up at the man who was standing close to him. He was very tall and his eyes were the clearest blue eyes he had ever seen in his short life. The man was wearing a white shirt, and black jeans with a long coat. Everything about him was saying he was one of the rich people. Someone with a big house and a lot of useless things. Someone who was never starving or freezing. Someone who usually never stopped to talk to a homeless boy. Elliot looked down and didn't answer the question. That was one of the rules. The man didn't leave though. He sat down on the bench, leaving a small distance between them.

"Where is your mummy? And your daddy?"

Once again, Elliot remained silent. The rules were the rules. He couldn't break them because someone had finally lay their eyes on him. His mother would be back soon. He just had to wait a little bit longer and ignore the man the best he could.

"Oh, the 'don't talk to strangers' rule. Your mummy is probably close. I'm Maxence, but everyone calls me Max. I saw you sitting there alone, and it looks strange to me. I don't like lonely kids. Especially on Christmas Eve day. Everyone should be happy today."

"They don't look happy."

The words had escaped him while he was watching at the people running everywhere. The man looked kind although he was a bit insistent, and Elliot had a certain advantage. The man had given a name, whether it was his real one or not.

"They will be. Eventually. Tonight, they will all share a family meal, and open gifts."

Elliot wouldn't, because his mother was his only family and they couldn't do all the things people usually do on Christmas Eve. They would look for a new shelter so they wouldn't stay in the cold winter and snowing night while all those people would gather around a table and share a hot meal and gifts.

"My mummy is buying food."

Buying was a big word. He didn't exactly know how his mother was getting all this food she was giving him while she was barely eating or eating things she was finding in a dustbin most of the time.

"Let me go! Leave me alone! You stupid assholes! Let me go!"

Elliot turned around when he heard her mother yell. Two men were firmly holding her and trying to pull her out of the food store while she was struggling to get away from them. Maxence followed his move and looked at the blonde girl struggling against the two minders.

"That's my mummy!"

Maxence raised an eyebrow. Elliot immediately jumped on his feet and rushed in the store. He tried to push away the men holding his mother and hurting her, but they easily pushed him aside.

"Let her go!"

He tried to help his mother but was once again shoved aside a bit more brutally this time. Elliot fell to the ground, causing Rose to be even more furious.

"Don't touch him! I swear to God!"

"Hey!" intervened Maxence who'd followed Elliot in the store. "You were never told to be nice with kids, weren't you?"

Maxence picked up the little boy and put him back on his feet. He checked if he was alright, if he hadn't been hurt in his fall. Elliot was perfectly fine. He just wanted to protect his mother from those men who were being rude and brutalising her. Something he couldn't accept. Something should accept. Maxence looked at the two men who stopped moving when he had intervened.

"Why are you brutalising that poor woman?"

"We caught her stealing food and trying to run away."

"Is that a way of treating people? Let her go."

"Sir…"

"Let her go."

"Yes, sir."

The two minders let Rose go and she immediately ran to Elliot. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him, making sure he was alright though the man who was taking her defence had already checked if her little boy was fine. She looked at him as he took his wallet out of his pocket and pulled some money out of it.

"Whatever she's taken, give it back to her. This should be enough for the indemnification."

He slipped the money into the chest pocket of one of the men and put his wallet back into the pocket of his long coat. The other man disappeared and came back with a few things. He put them in a bag and gave it to Rose. Maxence noticed that it was only food, and he realised that the blonde woman wasn't stealing that food for her – she was so thin that she probably hadn't eaten a real meal in a while – but for her son, and according to their cheap clothes, and their rough appearance they probably had been living in the streets for a while. He found her beautiful though, in her wild appearance. She took the bag of food and quickly left the store with her son, almost running out of the shopping centre. Maxence watched her leave until she was out of his sight. Then, he left the store. He needed to find her. He couldn't let her spend Christmas in the streets with her son.

Rose was almost running towards the exit of the shopping centre, holding the bag of food, the backpack and her son's hand all at once. She wanted to be out of here quickly before anyone could catch her and prevent her from giving food to her son. There was a weight on her chest causing her to be out of breath, to be in pain. This wasn't the first time she had to run away from someone, but it was the first time someone helped her. Probably the last too. And today, Rose Tyler had enough of this life. She couldn't keep on that way. She wanted it all to stop. And suddenly, she broke down, in the middle of the snow-covered street. She let everything go and fell to her knees. Tears were already rolling down her cheeks while she was running. Now, she was sobbing, and the only person who dared looking at her and trying to comfort her was her little boy.

"No one should be crying today."

Rose recognised the voice as belonging to the man who had helped her in the store. It was already humiliating enough to have been caught while she was trying to get some food for Elliot and to have everyone be a witness of her degradation, no need to add another humiliation on the list. He knelt down next to her and gave her some tissues. Rose took them and thanked him, trying to calm herself down, but she had had this weight on his chest for so long that it wasn't easy to calm down now that she had broken down. The man gently rubbed her back and waited until she felt better. She looked up at him and her eyes met his icy blue ones. Eyes she could swear she had already seen somewhere.

"You're…"

"Maxence Spitz."

"Spitz, like…"

"From the Spitz family, yeah."

"What would you do with someone like me, Mr Spitz?"

"Helping. It's what I'm best at. Helping people."

She probably looked miserable now with her puffy eyes, her red face wet with tears, her patched and dirty clothes. She was soaked and cold because of the snow that was still falling, but she didn't need help from this man. She always had managed to live his life without any help. Today wasn't gonna change.

"I…"

"I'm just offering you bed and board for the night. You're not forced to stay if you don't want to."

"…"

"My family is giving a small reception for Christmas up there, in the manor. It's gonna be boring, but there will be food, and I can easily find a spare room for you and your lovely boy."

Rose was still looking at him in the eyes. She seemed fascinated by them. She was about to refuse once again. She swallowed the lump in her throat and finally nodded. Just for tonight. It would be okay, just for tonight. She could do that, she could accept his help and give Elliot a real Christmas. Maxence smiled at her and helped her up. He picked up all her belongings while she picked up Elliot and he led them to his car. They all got into the back of it, and the driver drove back to the Spitz manor.

Maxence Spitz was supposed to help his family with the decorations of the manor, and with the preparation of the reception room. Instead, he spent the whole afternoon running into the manor with Elliot Tyler, playing with him, and showing him how to slide down a handrail. They both had a lot of fun together and Rose was happy to see her little boy laughing and having fun after all the hard times they had both gone through. While they were both having fun, Rose enjoyed a long and hot shower – she surprisingly trusted Maxence with Elliot – and when she came out of the bathroom, she found clean clothes on the bed with a small note saying that they were for her. She pulled them on enjoying the feeling of clean and new clothes after months of wearing the same outfit. She managed to get her son back and to give him a bath – something he hadn't had in months; his last bath had been in the Hyde Park lake. He too got new and clean clothes.

Elliot immediately ran off the room to find Maxence when she was done washing and dressing him. Rose used that time to get some rest. She inexplicably felt safe in that huge manor and knowing her little boy was having fun for the first time in a very long time was helping her to stay relaxed. She slept for a few hours, until someone knocked on the door. She opened it up and someone gave her a dress and a small suit and tie in a protective cover. She was surprised by the gesture.

"What is this for?"

"Mister Spitz asked me to bring you the dress and the suit and tie for your son."

"But…"

"It's for the reception, miss."

"I was wondering if you would accept to be my partner for the night."

Maxence suddenly appeared behind the woman. Elliot was happily perched on his back. Rose smiled at her son's happiness and leaned against the doorway, her cheeks lightly red from the embarrassment of Maxence's demands.

"I'm sure there's plenty of women out there waiting for you to ask them to be their partner, mister Spitz."

"Maybe, but they're not as fascinating as you are."

Maxence took the protective cover with the clothes from the woman's hands and thanked her before she went away. He came into the room and put both the clothes and the boy down on the bed. He looked back at Rose whose cheeks were redder than earlier, and smiled shyly at her.

"I'm not that interesting as a person, really," she mumbled.

"Oh, I'm sure you have plenty of things to tell. Not like me. My life is boring. Your story looks much more interesting, but once again, I'm not forcing you to do something you don't want."

He was nervous, even if he was hiding it very well, and it made her smile. She was as nervous as he was, if it wasn't more. The man was lovely, and handsome. Maybe she could give him a try. Just for tonight.

"How can you be sure this dress will fit me?"

"Oh, errr…." He scratched the back of his head. "Someone took your measures while you were sleeping. Elliot has been a very nice boy and didn't move while I measured him."

"Oh," replied Rose, embarrassed that someone had measured her skinny body while she was sleeping. "Well, it would be unfair of me to turn down your invitation after everything you've done for me today."

"I'm glad you're accepting." He took her hand and lightly pressed his lips on it. "I'll pick you up around seven."

He bumped fists with Elliot and they both laughed before Maxence left the room. Rose smiled at this and kissed her little boy's head.

"Seems like you made yourself a friend."

"Max is so cool!"

"So this is Max now?"

"He told me not to call him Mister Spitz. He'd rather be called Max."

"If he's the one telling you to, then, I have nothing to say about it."

She smiled again and Elliot told her how cool his new friend was and what they had been doing all afternoon. The boy had sparks in his eyes. Rose had never seen him so happy before and she was glad to have accepted Maxence's help, but she wouldn't abuse his hospitality for too long. So, they would probably leave as soon as Christmas was over. Rose unzipped the protective cover and pulled out the small suit and tie. Elliot was gonna be handsome in it. She looked at the dress and was amazed by it. It was absolutely beautiful. Deep blue, the dress was covering her shoulders and half of her arms, and was falling down on her knees. It was tight – but not too tight so it wouldn't accentuate her thinness – on her hips and a bit more loose around her pelvis and legs. She never wore something this beautiful in her entire life. Heels the same colours as the dress – and not too high for her not to fall – were given to her, and formal shoes for Elliot. She got them ready quickly when the time was almost there. She watched her son. He was absolutely handsome in his little suit with his little tie.

"You are handsome," she said, gently tapping his nose.

He smiled, replying that she was just as beautiful as he was. She felt a bit embarrassed in those clothes she wasn't used to wear. She had taken a little time to do some make up and find a hairstyle. It was simple, and light. She let her hair fall on her shoulders, and only used a hair slide to tie two strands of hair on the back of her head. She wasn't wearing any jewel. She didn't own any. There was a knock on the door. She walked to it and opened it. Maxence was standing there, looking absolutely handsome in his three-pieces suit. He wasn't wearing a tie, but had a small white flower on the chest pocket of his jacket.

"You are absolutely beautiful," he whispered, really amazed.

"Thank you," she murmured back, blushing. "You're not bad either."

"I've got a little something for you."

"Isn't all of this enough?"

He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it and showed her. It was a thin golden necklace with a small shining sapphire pendant. Her eyes grew big.

"I can't accept this gift."

"It would make me really happy if you did."

"This is too much, Mister Spitz. You don't have to…"

He took the necklace between his long and thin fingers and gently fastened it around her neck before she could say anything else. He was stubborn, he wouldn't let her refuse his gift to her.

"Now, if you don't mind following me."

He offered his arm to her and she hooked her own arm around his. Her free hand held Elliot's hand while they were walking to the reception room. She smiled shyly when they entered the room full of people as they all tried to talk to Maxence but he was all eyes for her.

The reception was boring, just like he had told her but he got her to dance a few times and she felt like she was in a dream. Nothing could compare to the night she was having with the caring and gentle Maxence Spitz. She found herself very embarrassed though when their steps led them under some mistletoe. They watched each other both blushing, knowing that now they had to kiss just like the custom was asking. Maxence slowly leaned and closed his eyes as he pressed his lips to Rose's lips. The kiss was short, but long enough to take away Rose's breath. She had never been kissed so softly by a man, and it almost made her cry to know that would be the only time it would happen, but Maxence smiled at her and took her to the buffet before they went back to dancing. Although there was a lot of women asking for him, he never left her. Much to her pleasure, and relief. She knew no one but him here.

After midnight had rang and after people had shared their vows of happiness and health for this Christmas, Maxence sneaked out of the reception, taking Rose and Elliot with him, saying that now was the time for the real fun. He made them visit the whole manor, learning her how to slide down a handrail without ruining her clothes. She was laughing a lot in his presence. She didn't remember laughing so much in her entire life. When Elliot started showing signs of fatigue, she decided that the night was over for them and that they had to go to bed. Maxence took them back to their room where a teddy bear with a huge bow was waiting on the bed. Elliot ran to it and picked it up.

"Merry Christmas, Elliot."

Elliot turned around to look at Maxence. So did Rose. He explained himself just by saying that every little boy should have a teddy bear, and that he had made an express order to Father Christmas, hoping to have it in time. Elliot jumped in Maxence's arms and went back to hugging the teddy bear. Rose looked up at Maxence. It was useless to tell him that he shouldn't have done this. He was stubborn, and wouldn't accept any refusal.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure."

"It all feels like a dream."

"Let's hope it wasn't one. I'd be disappointed." He smiled softly, his blue eyes staring at her. "Goodnight, miss Tyler."

He softly kissed her forehead and left the room, closing the door. Rose changed herself into the pyjamas she found on the bed, and changed Elliot too. Her son refused to let go of the teddy bear and insisted on sleeping with it. She saw no reason of refusing, and that night, for the first time ever, both mother and son fell asleep very happy, and full of hope that all the tomorrows would get better.