How soon is too soon to write and post a Christmas fic? I honestly don't know. I started this fic at the 2nd of December. I came up with the idea for this back in November. It takes place in the same universe as A Nightmare In Portland. Just like my last holiday fic, it's a Ten/Rose fic. There will be awkwardness, but it will all work out in the end. How? Well, you'll have to read to find out.
When Rose and the Doctor walked into the TARDIS, they were both a hot mess. Their clothes were crusty and disheveled and their hair was stiff and crusty. Rose's hair was sticking out to the left side. The Doctor's hair was also stuck out to the left. It was as if something had exploded on their right sides and covered them with some sort of adhesive, which dried and left them in their current state. "It was a glue monster." Rose groaned. "Why was it a glue monster?"
"It was a cyst that dropped off of the Thigrophian Jorthax." the Doctor provided the creature's identity. "I've never seen one that big, though."
"It exploded." Rose said, frowning. "You pointed your sonic screwdrive at it and it exploded."
"Normally they just melt." the Doctor said awkwardly. "Maybe it's just the smaller ones. Like I said, I'd never seen one that big before."
Rose was uncomfortable, to say the least. The dried adhesive didn't exactly feel nice on her skin. A horrified thought struck her. What if this stuff never came off. As if sensing what she was thinking, the Doctor said, "Not to worry, Rose Tyler. It comes off under hot water. A quick shower and it dissolves completely."
"That's a relief." Rose let out a relieved sigh. She touched her stiff hair and said, "I think I'm going to take that shower. Right now."
"Right." the Doctor replied. "I'd, ah, best get in the shower, too."
He froze for a second before adding, "Not in the shower with you, of course! I'll be in my own shower. Getting clean."
Rose hadn't really thought about the Doctor getting into the shower with her, but now that it had been brought up, she was a rather fetching shade of pink. "I should probably get clean, too." Rose said awkwardly. "That's usually what people do in showers."
"Well," the Doctor said. "I'll see you when we're both clean."
"Right." Rose mumbled. "See you."
The two then parted ways, each heading for their respective rooms. It took Rose a while to remove her stiff, crusty clothes, but she managed. She felt gross all over. Letting out a shudder, she headed over to her bathroom. She walked over to the shower and turned the water on. It didn't take long at all for it to reach the ideal temperature. The TARDIS was wonderful like that. Rose stepped under the shower head, allowing the hot water to run over her body. She took her shower pouf and squirted some body wash onto it. She then began to scrub herself thoroughly to try to get the gunk off of herself. When she felt a little cleaner, she rinsed her shower pouf and hung it up. She then turned to her hair. She was relieved that the glue was, like the Doctor had said it would, dissolving. Rose reached for her citrus-scented shampoo, squirted some into her palm, and began to scrub her scalp, working up a furious lather. She rinsed her hair out before shampooing it again. Once she was sure that her hair was clean, she began working her conditioner into her hair. She let it stay there for a minute or so before rinsing it out. Now that she was done showering, she turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a soft, fluffy towel around her body, securing it firmly so it wouldn't fall down. She walked back into her room to pick out some clean, dry clothes. Suddenly, her mobile rang. She immediately picked it up and saw that it was her mother who was calling. "Hello." Rose greeted her mother.
"Rose!" Jackie screeched. "I've been trying to ring you for hours!"
"Sorry, Mum." Rose replied, trying not to wince at her mother's loud voice. "What did you need?"
"Well, that should be obvious." Jackie said, a bit more quietly this time. "It is that time of year."
Rose froze. She was silent for an unbearably long time. Through the phone, Jackie asked, "Rose, are you still there?"
Rose shook her head, breaking herself out of the silence. "Yeah, I'm still here. What time of year is it?"
"It's Christmas, of course!" Jackie replied. "You can't have forgotten! I called you about it three times!"
Rose's eyes opened wide in horror. "Right." Rose said, managing to make her voice sound calm. "Now I remember."
She didn't remember. She had been rather occupied. Around the time of those calls, Rose and the Doctor had been on some exceptionally messy adventures. Rose had been a bit distracted with trying not to remain filthy. "Well," Jackie said, "Be home for the party!"
"All right, Mum." Rose replied. "I'll have to talk to the Doctor. Can he come, too?"
Jackie groaned audibly. "I promise, I'll keep him on his best behavior." Rose promised. "Just like Thanksgiving."
There was a long pause before Jackie finally said, "All right, but I'll be watching him!"
"Thanks, Mum." Rose said with a genuine smile. "Well, I have to pick out an outfit. I'll see you at the party. Bye, Mum."
With that, Rose hung up. Her well-kept composure crumbled and was replaced by sheer panic. She had forgotten Christmas! It was hard to keep track of such things in the TARDIS. She had almost forgotten her own birthday last time. If she didn't show up at the Christmas party, her mother would never forgive her. Well, she'd probably forgive Rose, but she wouldn't forgive the Doctor for keeping her daughter from her on such an important day. Oh, Rose had so many preparations to do! She had to find a good dress to wear. She had to get presents! Oh, she was in so much trouble. Forgetting that she was wearing nothing but a towel, Rose bolted from her room and over to the Doctor's room. The door wasn't locked. Flinging it open, Rose cried out, "Doctor! Oh, Doctor, this is bad!"
The Doctor was just finishing buttoning his oxford when Rose had barged into his room. She was wearing practically nothing, her arms stretched to the sides, one on each side of the door frame. Of course, that took second place to Rose's distress. Immediately, the Doctor was concerned, "Rose, what's wrong?" he half-shouted.
"It's really bad. Mum is going to kill me!" Rose cried. "I can't believe I forgot it!"
"Rose, what did you forget?" the Time Lord asked. If Jackie was involved, Rose wasn't really in any actual danger of being killed by her mother.
"I forgot Christmas!" Rose exclaimed. "Oh, god, Doctor! I need to get a dress! I need to get gifts! I need to be there in time!"
"Rose, calm down!" the Doctor said insistantly, "There's no need to get worked-"
Rose's towel suddenly came loose and fell to the ground. The Doctor's eyes widened dramatically as he finished,"-up."
Rose was in his room. Rose was in his room, naked. The Doctor had the sudden urge to giggle like a schoolgirl. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a choking sound. Rose, her face red, snatched up her towel and covered herself up. This gave the Doctor time to straighten up and pretend that he was completely unaffected. "No need to get worked up at all." the Time Lord said reassuringly. "Time machine, remember?"
Rose, still red, said, "Right. Time machine. Well, I'm going to, ah, get dressed Sorry for intruding."
"It's no problem at all." The Doctor replied.
"Well, I'll be going." Rose said awkwardly. "Bye."
"Bye." the Doctor returned the farewell.
With that, Rose left. All that was left behind was a thick cloud of awkwardness. Well, the Doctor thought as he stared down at the front of his trousers, that and his body's even more awkward reaction. The occurrence of Rose being naked in his room would probably take its place on the list of Things That The Doctor And Rose Will Never Talk About Again.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The present-hunting had taken place in- suprise, surprise- an alien bazaar. Rose had wanted to go back to Earth for a present, but the Doctor was so insistant that they go to this particular market. So there they were, Rose searching the goods for an ideal gift for her mother and the Doctor doing, well, whatever it was that the Doctor was doing. Rose selected a pink scarf. Glancing around to see if the Doctor wasn't paying attention, she bartered some Quesodynian cheesefruit that he didn't know about for it. She then spotted a gift for the Doctor. It was a box of cubes that, when added to water, made the most perfect banana daiquri. She figured he'd like that. Just as she had with the scarf, she traded some cheesefruit for it. Her purchases complete, she put them in a bag so the Doctor wouldn't see them. She was done with her gift shopping. She was thankful for that, considering that she was completely out of cheese. When she turned to look at the Doctor, he quickly shoved something into a bag. He met her eyes and gave his most innocent smile. Rose wasn't fooled for a second. "Are we done?" Rose asked.
"Yup." the Doctor replied.
As the duo headed back to the TARDIS, Rose said, "Gift-shopping is thankfully over with. That takes care of one thing. Now I just need to pick out a dress."
"You're worrying too much, Rose." the Doctor insisted. "You'll make it in time."
"Right." Rose sighed as she walked into the TARDIS. "I'll just take care of my gifts."
With that, Rose went back to her room. To her surprise, she found all the tools she needed to wrap her presents. She looked up at the ceiling and said, "Thanks."
With that, she set to wrapping her gifts. Just as she finished wrapping the Doctor's, she heard a knock on the door. Knowing that it only could be one person, Rose said, "Come in, Doctor."
The Doctor was holding something behind his back. He smiled and said, "Christmas usually involves giving gifts, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does." Rose replied, trying to peer around the Doctor to see what he was hiding.
"Wellll, I may have gotten something for you at the bazaar." the Doctor admitted.
The Time Lord held out large-ish box that was tied with a decorative bow. Rose took the box and sat down on her bed to open it. She looked up at the Doctor, who grinned broadly. "Well, go on!" he encouraged her.
Rose pulled the ribbon, hoping that what was inside wasn't something weird or disgusting. When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened in surprise and delight. Inside was a dress. It would be about knee-length and was the same shade of blue as the TARDIS. It came with a gold sash and a pair of strappy heels that were the same shade as the dress. Rose looked up at the Doctor, who was grinning like an idiot. "Doctor, I love it!" Rose said happily, springing to her feet and flinging her arms around the Time Lord's neck.
When Rose released him, her grin hadn't faded. "I'm going to try it on." Rose said happily.
The Doctor nodded and left her room to input the coordinates to Jackie's flat. When they arrived, the Doctor heard Rose's footsteps as she entered the console room. When he turned to look at her, he could have sworn that his hearts stopped for a split second. Rose was wearing the dress, sash around her waist and shoes on her feet. The dress was just the right fit, fitting her curves nicely before flaring out a bit as it passed her hips. It also showed a little bit of cleavage. The Doctor had definitely picked out the right outfit. The Time Lord's voice caught in his throat a little as he tried to speak. He cleared his throat before saying, "Well, here we are."
The Doctor winked and said, "Be back before midnight, young lady."
Rose smiled and said, "Oh, you can guarantee that. You'll be coming with me."
The Doctor let out a loud groan. "Do I have to?" He asked childishly
"Please, Doctor." Rose pleaded. "One of my mum's guests might try to set me up with someone."
A flash of something, some negative emotion, briefly flickered across the Doctor's face. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "Right!" The Doctor declared. "I'd best preserve your honor, then, even if it means braving the lair of the screeching beast of eternal torment."
"Don't call my mum that." Rose said. "She's not that bad."
"I still don't like her." The Doctor insisted as the he and Rose left the TARDIS.
"You don't have to like her." Rose said. "Just please, try to get along with her tonight."
"Fine." the Doctor replied. "I'll try, this time, but if she tries to make me eat her cooking, I'm leaving."
That was probably the best Rose could expect, considering the mild animosity between her mother and the Doctor. So, they headed up to Jackie's flat. Rose hesitated before opening the door. She was met with the sight of numerous people, several of them related to her. For some reason, her American cousin, Harmony, was there as well. The people all greeted Rose happily. A few of her single female cousins gave the Doctor an approving once-over. Rose left to mingle with the other guests, catching up with those she hadn't seen in a while. The Doctor wasn't sure how, but somehow he ended up with a glass of wine in his hand. He would sip it periodically. Harmony walked up to him and touched his arm to get his attention. The Doctor turned to look at the hippie woman and said, "Harmony! Good to see you again. What did you need?"
"Rose went into the kitchen to get a fresh bottle of wine." Harmony said with a strange, knowing grin. "You should go in to see her."
The Doctor raised a brow, but he did want to go after Rose. So, he headed into the kitchen. When he was passing through the doorway, he accidentally bumped into Jackie. The woman glared at him and was about to say something when Harmony cleared her throat. The two both looked at the American woman. Harmony smiled and pointed upwards. Jackie and the Doctor both looked up. There was mistletoe hanging above them. A look of horror landed on both Jackie and the Doctor's faces. "You have to do it." Harmony said sadly.
"But I don't want to!" the Doctor whined.
"I don't want to, either!" Jackie said.
"Just get it out of the way." Harmony insisted. "Pretend it's someone else. Just kiss so people will stop staring at you and this gathering can resume."
The Doctor gulped. He could feel all of their eyes on him. He could feel Rose's eyes on him. The Doctor's eyes met Jackie's. Slowly, the Doctor leaned forward, closing his eyes to pretend it was someone, anyone, other than Jackie Tyler. His lips brushed hers in a brief, chaste kiss.
Minutes later, Jackie was standing over the sink, gargling mouthwash. The Doctor huffed and said, "Come on, it wasn't that bad! It's not like you had to kiss you!"
The Doctor ducked just in time to avoid being hit by a thrown saucepan. He wisely walked away from the kitchen, retreating into the crowd. He grimaced. He could still taste Jackie Tyler. It wasn't a taste he ever wanted to experience. Rose, whom the Doctor had stopped right next to, noticed the expression on his face. "Doctor, is something wrong?" Rose asked
"I can still taste your mother." The Time Lord said, grimacing. "How do you get that kind of taste out of your mouth?"
"Well, you could always kiss someone else." Rose suggested.
"Who would I kiss, Rose?" the Doctor asked. "Your cousins are violating me with their eyes and kissing Harmony would just be weird."
The Doctor paused before saying, "What if I kissed you? Or would that upset you too much?"
"Not really." Rose replied. "You've done so much for me. It's only fair that I do this for you."
The Doctor stepped in front of Rose, gazing at her face and meeting her eyes. "So you're willing let me kiss you?" the Doctor questioned, his voice and expression serious.
"Yes." Rose replied, her expression and voice just as serious.
"Are you sure?" the Doctor asked
"I'll do it." Rose replied, keeping the tone serious. "I'll take one for the team."
The Doctor took Rose's face in his hands and said, "I appreciate your sacrifice."
With that, the Doctor leaned in and took Rose's lips in his. The movements of his lips over hers were hesitant at first, but quickly grew in confidence. Before he knew it, his hands were on Rose's waist and she was pressed against him. Rose let out a soft moan and fisted her hands in the Doctor's pinstriped jacket. Briefly, the Doctor captured Rose's lower lip between his teeth before releasing it. The Time Lord broke away from the kiss before pressing his forehead to his companion's. "Wow." Rose whispered.
The Doctor was about to say something when suddenly, he felt a hand grip his arm and yank him away from Rose. "All right, that's enough of that!" Jackie snapped. "You, mister, are out of here!"
The Doctor held back a groan before looking at Rose. The young woman looked at him, a bit upset. The Time Lord grinned at his companion and said, "Well, at least I don't have to eat her food!"
"Don't make me smack you!" Jackie threatened.
The Doctor looked over at Rose one last time before turning to leave. After he walked out the door, Rose seemed to deflate. The pleasant banter wasn't as pleasant. The lights weren't as bright. The food tasted dull in her mouth. That was when Harmony walked over to her. The hippie woman smiled at Rose and said, "Jackie's in the kitchen. Now would probably be a good time to sneak away."
"But-" Rose protested.
"If you have gifts, they can wait until tomorrow morning." Harmony said insistantly. "Go, follow your Doctor. He shouldn't be alone on Christmas Eve."
Rose smiled at her cousin and said, "You're right."
Harmony followed Rose right to the door. When Rose stepped outside, Harmony said something that caught Rose off-guard. "You have a good Christmas with your Doctor House, Lisa Cuddy."
Rose whirled around. "You're the same Harmony from-"
"New York." Harmony said knowingly. "I remember that day in 1973. It's not every day that you meet someone who looks exactly like your teacher. I recognized the Doctor at Thanksgiving. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Now, go."
Rose was still surprised, but she managed a smile. She then rushed back to the TARDIS. When she opened the door and walked inside, she saw the Doctor standing still, staring at the time rotor. "Doctor?" Rose called out.
The Time Lord turned to look at Rose and a look of surprise landed on his face. "Ah, Rose! Shouldn't you be at the Christmas party?"
"They can wait." Rose replied. "Harmony figured out that it was us she met back in 1973."
"Really?" the Doctor said, almost amused.
Rose's expression softened as she said, "She also said that you shouldn't be alone on Christmas Eve."
"Don't worry, Rose." the Doctor said. "I'll be fine. Go back to the party."
"No." Rose said insistantly. "I'm not leaving you alone."
The Doctor let out a sigh and said, "No, I figured you wouldn't."
Rose walked up until she was at the Doctor's side. She leaned her head into his shoulder and said, "Christmas Eve alone with me isn't so bad, is it?"
The Doctor smiled at her and said, "No, I suppose it isn't."
The Time Lord lifted his arm and put it around Rose's shoulders. Rose let out a sigh and leaned into the Doctor's side. The TIme Lord took the human's hand and led her to the library. When the Doctor sat down on the sofa, Rose sat right next to him and leaned into him once again. The Doctor took a book and was about to start reading it when Rose said, "It's a shame the TARDIS doesn't have a fireplace. It would be a very Christmas-y place to sit in front of."
"Christmas-y?" the Doctor questioned.
"Christmas-y." Rose said back.
"Does mistletoe qualify as Christmas-y?" the Doctor asked.
"I suppose it does." Rose replied. "Why do you ask?"
The Doctor pointed upward. Hanging directly above them was a sprig of mistletoe. "I think the TARDIS is being mischevous." Rose said with a smirk.
"Indeed." the Doctor replied.
"Maybe she's trying to get us into the Christmas spirit." Rose said, looking up at the mistletoe.
"Well, I suppose we should humor her." the Doctor suggested.
Rose looked back at the Doctor and agreed, "I suppose we should."
"Definitely." the Doctor whispered as he began to close the distance between his face and Rose's.
Once again, their lips met, only this time there was no Jackie Tyler to interrupt them. It was long, sweet, and tender. When Rose broke away, she whispered, "Happy Christmas, Doctor."
The Doctor smiled and whispered back, "Happy Christmas, Rose Tyler."
And there it is! I have given you an 'awww' moment as an ending! ENJOY IT! I already have a fic planned for Valentine's Day. There will be mushy, fluffy 'awww' moments galore.