Aggie smiled with relief, eagerly re-entering the TARDIS. A bit run down after all the excitement, she paused at the seat and exhaled. She gave the Doctor a sleepy smile and said, "If it's okay with you, I'm retiring to my room for a short while... Might have a soak in the tub and a nap..."
The Doctor looked confused as he began playing with the controls, before throwing the TARDIS into the vortex with a jolt of the whole ship. "Oh, right, you need a room. Okay, then." He pointed down the corridor and instructed, "Just walk that way; the TARDIS will show you where to go. You'll find a room to your specifications. Smart old girl, my TARDIS." He placed his hand on the time rotor and gave a half grin.
"Um," she responded a little confused, "O-okay... Thank you..." She shook her head with a crooked smile and headed down the hallway. Soon, she found an open door, which led to a pretty little bedroom, so much nicer than her one at home. There was everything she needed: a bed (which was also larger than her one at home), a wardrobe, a vanity table and even an attached bathroom complete with a tub. She smiled brightly, completely delighted, and quickly unpacked her few modest belongings. On her vanity sat a tube of red lipstick, a powder compact and a brand-new bottle of Mitsouko perfume, which she'd gotten for Christmas. Within minutes, she was happily soaking in a nice, hot tub of water and bubbles.
The Doctor watched her go, knowing the TARDIS would sort her out and turned back around to the controls, pulling out his sonic. "Right then, old girl, let's get to work." He knelt down and pulled open a panel, then began pulling out messes of wires and started in on them, sonicing different bits.
Aggie couldn't believe all that had just happened. Not long ago, she'd been in London. Then, suddenly, a dashing stranger whisked her away on multiple adventures, all the while saving her life! Oh, he was spectacular! She waited until the water started to cool before finally stepping out and reaching for a towel. Completely refreshed and relaxed, she hadn't realized how much she'd needed this soak.
By now, the Doctor was halfway under the control panel, sonicing this and rearranging that, sparks flying out of the top and then kicking the side, yelling, "Stop it!" He was biting his tongue as he worked, it sticking out of his lips. "No, no, no!" he yelled as the whole ship shook, then straightened out again. "There, that's better."
Suddenly, there was a quake, sending Aggie to the floor with a loud shriek and a slapping thud as her damp, pink skin slammed into the tile thereon. "Ahh!" She stayed there on the floor for a few moments, until she was relatively certain the shaking was over. She crawled a little to the sink and held onto it, pulling herself up as best she could, and slipping a bit as she did so. Eventually on her feet, she readjusted her towel and checked herself in the mirror, before padding out onto the carpet of her new bedroom. "What the hell was that?" she asked herself aloud.
There was another loud, big spark and he kicked the console again. "I said stop it!" He pulled out a circuit and tossed it out from the inside. "Deal with that in a bit."
Aggie had just slipped her feet into her slippers when she was startled by the loud noise. She shrieked again, and without thinking, ran out to check on the Doctor in just her slippers and towel. "Doctor! Are you alright? Is everything okay?"
The Doctor was still half inside the console when she came running into the room, all curious and inquiring, his top half under the console and his bottom half sticking out, surrounded in wires and circuit boards. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just doing some work on the TARDIS, but she's being a bit stubborn."
"Oh, I'm glad," she sighed in relief. "I was just getting out of the tub when everything went crazy! So I waited for it to stop before I went into my room to get dressed, but then I heard the explosion and I thought you were in trouble, so I rushed out here to make sure you were okay... But, I guess you're fine, so I should... just... get back to... my room..." As she spoke, she slowly realized she was standing there practically naked! She froze to the spot in embarrassed shock.
The Doctor pulled himself out from under the console. "Whatdya mean a tub? She gave you a tub?" He looked up at the roof, glaring. "You never told me you could do tubs! All I have is that damn shower that goes cold too quick." He looked back at Aggie and continued, "She must really like you; I didn't even know she could do tubs." He finally took in the fact that she was wearing next to nothing and swallowed hard.
Her natural reaction was to be polite. "Y-you're welcome to use mine, if you like..." Then, she noticed the Doctor staring, and she remembered why. She nervously backed up a few steps, letting out a small, startled yelp as she bumped into the cool wall. "W-well, a-as I said... glad you're alright... I-I sh-should be getting back, now..." Aggie was once again frozen, this time against the wall, blushing brightly in addition to her already water-flushed skin.
The Doctor nodded and noticed he was staring, quickly shoving his head back under the console. The last thing he wanted was to look like a pervert, after all. "I might take you up on that, it's been a while since I've had a good soak." He then muttered under his breath, "Though right now, I need that cold shower."
Aggie took her chance to turn and scurry back to her room. She could only hope her towel was completely wrapped as she turned to leave. She wondered how much he'd seen, and she could've sworn she heard him mumbling as she left.
The Doctor shook his head, trying to clear the image of her in her towel out of his head and wondering why she was affecting him so much. He went back to work while contemplating this.
Aggie couldn't get to her bedroom fast enough. Once there, she got into her night gown and sat at her vanity table in front of her mirror. She studied her reflection and playfully decided to put on her lipstick. She then brushed her hair, letting it fall naturally around her face in a soft and wispy frame. She sat there for a few minutes, trying to emulate the glamorous stars she'd seen in films and magazines, but couldn't seem to get it right. Disappointed, she wiped the lipstick from her lips with a tissue and muttered, "He probably didn't see anything worth admiring, anyway."
As had become her regular practice, she sprayed a single delicate mist of perfume on before finally going to bed. She slipped under the covers and sighed happily. It was the most comfortable bed she had even been in. With images of the Doctor flooding her mind, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
The Doctor worked all night, or at least what passed for all night in the TARDIS. With a time machine, it could be day or night or anytime in between. He never even kept track anymore when he didn't have someone traveling with him. So all he did was work and work, rearranging systems, replacing burnt out ones he didn't think he would be needing again. The only time he had worked longer than this at the TARDIS was after the Master had turned her into that damned paradox machine. He was finally just starting to put the console back together when anyone on a normal schedule would be waking up from a good night's rest.
When Aggie finally awoke, she assumed it was morning, because there was no alarm clock next to her bed and she was all slept out. It took her a disoriented moment to realize she wasn't at home. Remembering she was in her new room in the TARDIS and remembering who was just in the next room over made her smile from the inside out. Eagerly, she climbed out of bed, dressed, did herself up as nicely as she could, and went to go find the Doctor. "Doctor? I'm awake now! What time is it?" she called out as she went down the hall to the console room. She was surprised to see him apparently just finishing his work. "You... didn't sleep at all?"
The Doctor looked up as she entered and finished replacing the last panel, slamming his palm on it to make it fit right. "Nope, no sleep. Timelords don't need as much sleep as you humans do. But anyway, how did you sleep?" He didn't fail to notice how pretty she looked.
"Very well, thank you," she answered politely. Smiling brightly and stepping closer to him, she asked, "What about breakfast, then? You do eat, don't you?" She paused as a thought occurred to her, remembering all the work he'd just done. "Wait, never mind," she chuckled softly, "You probably have much more important things than breakfast to think about."
The Doctor laughed. "Yes, I eat - quite a bit, actually." He smiled widely. "Actually, I could go for some banana bread and a banana smoothie. Besides, her systems won't be fully active for about an hour," he mentioned, gesturing to the time rotor. "Follow me to the kitchen," he told her, heading off down the corridor.
"Okay!" Aggie laughed happily, following the Doctor to the kitchen. "Well, I don't know what a 'smoothie' is, so I'll leave that up to you... But banana bread I can bake! In fact, my mother makes the best I've ever had. Mine probably won't be nearly as good, but I do hope you like it..." When they reached the kitchen, she smiled broadly and immediately started familiarizing herself with it. She managed to find an apron and got to work happily.
The Doctor watched her, confused for a few moments and then shrugged. He wouldn't tell her he already had some banana bread in the pantry closet. If she wanted to make it from scratch, he wouldn't say no. No one had ever made him anything from scratch before. Instead, he went around grabbing everything for a smoothie and throwing it all into the blender, then flipping it on. Once everything was pulsed and thoroughly blended, he poured out two cups and handed her one. "Here, try this."
Aggie paused her bee-busy pace just long enough to accept the drink graciously. "Thank you..." she replied with a curious giggle, then took a small sip. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Oh... Oh, that's lovely, Doctor, thank you!" She took another sip and set it down, then got back to work. "Won't be long now..." Within minutes, the bread was in the oven and her hands were washed. She took off the apron and sat at the table with her smoothie. "Mm, thank you again, Doctor, this is yummy!"
"You're welcome." The bread was done quickly in the TARDIS' sonic oven and soon they were eating. The rest of breakfast went by in relative silence, the Doctor thinking over things Timelords think about after a night like the one they had just had. It was a night of upgrading systems and of being split into a duplicate being evil who copied their own version of the TARDIS in order to cause havoc on the Universe. Though, before that he had found his very lovely companion, and that was a nice highlight for the day. As he finished the bread he smiled, "That was brilliant Aggie, thank you. Now, how about a little bit of adventure?" He stood and walked to the door, beckoning her to follow him.
Aggie gave him a funny look, but smiled and stood to her feet. With a soft giggle, she went to his side, looped her arm in his, and answered, "Whatever you say, Doctor!" Happily, she went with him back into the console room. "Now we've eaten, we're ready for the day... or tomorrow... or yesterday... Whenever, I guess!" she laughed.
The Doctor pulled away from her and ran to the console as soon as they were at the control room and threw the main switch. The TARDIS started her whine as he ran around the console, piloting her. "Right, so we've done your past, and we've had an alien planet fraught with danger. Now, let's go into your future. But with so much future, where to go? The 70th century? No, too many cows. 50th century? No, too much Jack. Oh! I know." He started running faster around the console, laughing until the ship landed with a thump. He grinned to her, "Outside those doors is planet Earth, London, about 70 years into your future, and you won't believe the changes."
Aggie smiled, then slowly descended down the ramp to the doors. She stopped and turned to smile at the Doctor, then carefully opened the door and stepped outside. Her shoes clicked onto dark pavement, which was shining with the multicolor lights from the surrounding buildings. She looked up and gasped, falling into silent shock at the sight before her. In the cold night, people poured from every door of modern shops, the streets filled with strange cars and new noises. She'd never seen London this busy or heard it so loud. "This... this is my home... Doctor?" she asked in disbelief.
The Doctor hopped down the ramp and peeked his head out of the doors without wearing his coat. "Yup - London, England, Earth." He took a deep breath, "The year 2010." He stepped out and looked around. "Oh, and look at that - it's Christmas! I love earth Christmas. Always so happy." He looked around more and saw there was snow. "Oh, and look at that! Proper snow, finally. That's brilliant. Love snow." He turned and looked Aggie up and down in her clothes from her time period. "Oh dear, that'll never work. You'll stand out like, well, like a woman pulled out of time, really. Back inside - you need a change of clothes."
Aggie looked confused but cooperatively stepped back into the TARDIS. "Change of clothes? But I haven't got much to begin with, and what little I do have isn't likely to blend in," she explained, as if the Doctor were off his rocker. "So, tell me, please... What do you mean?"
The Doctor laughed and grabbed her hand. "Come on, I'll show you what I mean. It's brilliant." He pulled her along through the TARDIS, taking a few twists and turns until they came across a giant room, which was bigger than the control room and filled with clothes. "Welcome to the TARDIS wardrobe, Aggie Carson," he told her, spreading his arms wide.
Aggie gasped and giggled, putting her hands over her gaping mouth, which were activities she was getting used to with the Doctor. "Doctor, this is... spectacular!" Her eyes shone with girlish joy as she laughed again and dove right in. "You've got clothes from everywhere... and every when... in every size!" She shuffled through the amazing garments at a fluttering, happy speed. "It's like the grandest costume department ever!" She grabbed a beautiful dress from medieval times and spun around with it. Then, a thought occurred to her, "But... how am I to pick something appropriate for 2010, Doctor?"
The Doctor shrugged and looked over from where he was playing with an overly long scarf and cricket hat on a bar which was holding only nine complete outfits. "Just choose something comfortable. Maybe some plain pants, jeans even… a jumper, a coat, sensible shoes... It is snowing, after all. Don't want to slip and slide, though that is a fun party game." He let go of the scarf and placed the hat back where it came from, tapping the leather jacket which was hanging there. "You'll fit right in." He smiled at her.
"Okay," she responded cheerfully with a little question in her voice. Keeping in mind all he had said, she got straight to work in searching for an acceptable outfit. It wasn't long before she found a dark pair of slacks, a nice ivory jumper and a pair of black boots. She looked around for another moment or two before locating the dressing screen across the room. It wasn't very big, but it would have to do. "Won't be but a moment, Doctor," she assured him sweetly, then went to change.
She had stripped completely down, draping her clothes over the screen as she went, when something strangely interesting caught her attention. Hanging off a cluttered shelf nearby was a curious looking ladies' pendant watch. Like the Doctor as he sat in her club, this oddly beautiful watch mesmerized her. Something about it drew her toward it, and she was soon playing her fingers over it, almost in a trance.
The Doctor waited around near the entrance for her to reappear fully dressed for about ten minutes now. "Earth women and their clothes." He sighed and called out, "Aggie!" When he got no answer, he decided to investigate. He walked over to the screen and walked around it, speaking as he did, "Aggie, are you still back here? Did you happen to see a green tie anywhere?" He came all the way around and caught sight of her naked flesh. He stood there, shocked. The Doctor was at a loss for words, then abruptly remembered tact and covered his eyes and spun around. "Oh dear, so sorry. I'll just forget the tie, then." Even with his back turned, he kept his eyes covered, as if that would block out he beautiful image he had just seen. It wasn't working.
The Doctor's sudden presence startled the young woman, causing her to grab the watch. Shocked and befuddled, she shrieked and staggered back. Crashing and struggling noises came from behind the screen, which she'd also grabbed, accidentally knocking it about. Wordlessly, she put the watch around her neck, then quickly scrambled into her new clothes. As she finally sat to put on her boots, she managed to pant out, "I-I'm s-sorry if I'm taking too long, Doctor! I-I'll be right out!" A minute or two later, she emerged from behind the screen, completely pink with her brown hair all disheveled. Embarrassedly, she tried to smooth out her messy hair and regain her dignity. Quietly, she finally spoke up, "Doctor, I'm ready now... Do I... look okay?"
The Doctor spun around and peeked from behind his hand to make sure she was dressed, then smiled and removed it. He looked her over in the guise of making sure she'd fit in, but was really checking out her form. He was starting to feel something for this human woman and he knew it. Being him, though, he decided the best thing to do would be to suppress it. He was an alien to her, after all. Why would she be interested in him? He nodded to her, "Brilliant. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you walked in from out there." He gestured back toward the front of the ship, then proceeded to take off his tie, toss it onto a rack and unbutton a few buttons. "Right then, off we go to Christmas."
Aggie remained pink under his attentive gaze. Her modesty caused her embarrassment, but now that she was dressed, she liked it when he looked at her. There was something debonair about him as he removed his tie and loosened his collar. Her heart fluttered at the sight, causing her cheeks to warm even more. She followed him out of the TARDIS in silent obedience, giving him secret looks of admiration while he wasn't looking. It had been such a short time, but she could feel herself yearning for him dearly.
The Doctor grabbed his jacket on the way out the doors and slipped it on, making sure Aggie was following him, then looked around before choosing a random direction and walking. "Alright Aggie, tell me something from your time that you love. Something Christmas or not, I'm sure we'll find its new version."
"Oh," she giggled happily, "all sorts of things, really!" Aggie took a quick pause to think, then merrily rambled off, "Music, I love music! And a good Christmas dinner... and films - oh, I just adore films, Doctor!" She sighed and giggled again. Something inside her wanted to scream out 'mistletoe!', but alas, she was too shy to press her luck.
The Doctor laughed, "Well that's brilliant. This time period has some of the best music in the Universe, and the movies are brilliant. Some of the best Christmas movies have been made since you've been away. It's a Wonderful Life, 30 different versions of A Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause. Oh, and the TV specials, like How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Actually, that one reminds me a lot of the Master. Hmm… odd."
"The Master?" Aggie echoed curiously, "Who's that?" Before he could explain, she added, "I've never actually seen a television set before..." Just then, a shop window display caught her eye. "Oh!" she exclaimed cheerfully, squeezing the Doctor's hand and pulling him along with her. She gave a small bounce of excitement as she stopped in front of it with a small gasp and a soft, happy giggle. "Look at all that..." she said dreamily as she studied the display thoroughly. Behind the large, well lit pane of glass sat all sorts of futuristic electronic gadgets and what appeared to be toys. "What are these, Doctor?" she turned and asked him with the face and voice of an enthralled child.
The Doctor looked over smiling at her tone and started to point out what the different toys were before he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed Aggie's shoulders and turned her to look at the music store he had spotted. "Forget toys, Aggie. I think you'll have much more fun in there," He told her, pointing with his long fingers.
Aggie instinctively blushed when he put his hands on her. She was confused for only the briefest of seconds, before she saw what he was talking about. Slowly, her small grin grew into a wide, beaming smile, and she replied eagerly, "Oh, yes, Doctor, I'd love to visit the music store! That'd be brilliant!... Come on, let's go!" With a girlish laugh, she took hold of his hand and started to pull him toward the brightly-lit shop across the street.
The Doctor laughed as she pulled him along, "Aggie, we don't have to rush. It's early; they won't close for a bit." He loved her enthusiasm and it was really starting to rub off on him. This seemed to be the first time that he could actually enjoy a Christmas, and he was going to enjoy every second.
Aggie could only laugh as they crossed the street together. Her face beamed and her insides felt like they were glowing. She couldn't wait to see what a music store from the future looked like, sounded like... felt like. The one thing she'd always had and always would was music, and she couldn't believe she was going to get to share this with him. The glow from the windows was bright and inviting. Aggie gave the Doctor's warm hand a gentle squeeze as they approached the door. Butterflies were in her stomach, and she paused in temporary shock as the door suddenly slid open on its own. With a short, surprised giggle, she yelped before finally entering the loud place. "Well," she called out above the strange, new sounds, "this is certainly... different... from what I'm used to!"
The Doctor laughed and grabbed her shoulders again, turning her to face him this time and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He pointed it at both of her ears, turning it on until the music was quieter. He put it away before speaking in a normal voice, though she could hear him normally. "I've altered the cochlea, incus, and malleus in your ear so that the decibel of the music sounds quiet, but normal speech will sound normal. I'll fix it for you when we leave."
Aggie blushed just a little again. Every time his hands came into contact with her, she found herself wishing it would last longer. She gave him a small, crooked smile, trying to figure out what he was doing. "Um, o-okay," she laughed slightly. "Th-thank you, Doctor..." She looked up into his eyes, her eyes shining with admiration and wonderment, then slowly looked away to some odd looking album-type things on some nearby shelves. Her smile widened as she walked over to them and picked one up, inspecting it. She'd never seen packaging like it, and she was definitely impressed. "So much smaller than a record, isn't it, Doctor?" Just then, she took notice of a customer using some sort of ear apparatus. She got a funny look, quite similar to that of a confused puppy, before spotting a free device and going to it. Again, she inspected it thoroughly. She gave another look to the customer, mimicked what he was doing with the things which were covering his ears, then pressed a button. A gorgeously bright smile grew across her lips as she heard the most beautiful opera pouring crisply into her ears. "Oh... If only I could've been classically trained," she mused softly to herself, under her breath.
The Doctor didn't have any time to go into his usual blabber mode about the CDs she was observing when she immediately ran over to the rows of headphones and placed them on. Watching her as she experienced this new technology was quite fun for him, and he found himself really caring for this human woman. He had no idea where the feelings were coming from, but they were there. The last time he had had feelings like these were for Rose, but when he had dropped her off on the alternate earth with his clone, he had realized that those feelings weren't what he thought they were. He still cared about her, sure, but not in the same way. The feelings he was starting to realize he felt for Aggie felt more grounded, though. They were more like the long lasting kind and not the fleeting things he had felt for Rose. Though, he was pretty sure that he had never felt the same for Rose as his ninth form had. His ears were better than a humans, and when he heard Aggie's wish he smiled and turned around to leave her to discover some things on her own. He walked toward the front of the store and started chatting up the clerk, asking him to give him the biggest iPod they had and to fill it with all the classical music, opera, and anything they had from before 1939, putting in a good bit of the Doctor's favorite bands over the years, including The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Billy Joel, the Rat Pack, some newer bands and a smattering of everything else. While the clerk was a bit perplexed over this order, he complied. The iPod still wasn't full, so she could add anything else she liked. When he was all done, the Doctor pulled a card out of his pocket and swiped it. Seconds later, he had a newly wrapped package that he stuck in his bigger-on-the-inside pockets and walked back toward Aggie.
Aggie was temporarily immersed in a world all her own as she listened to more and more music. Some of it was obnoxious and shallow, but she found most of it to be purely lovely. Without realizing it, she had begun to hum and then to sing along with some of the songs she found. Some time passed and she realized some of the customers had stopped to watch her in curiosity. Her eyes bugged and her face flushed red as she took off the headphones and wandered off to look for the Doctor. He was near the front of the shop and she smiled in relief as she saw him. "Oh, there you are, Doctor!" she greeted him warmly. "Thank you so much for bringing me here... What shall we do now? Is there anywhere you'd like to go or anything you'd like to do?"
The Doctor grinned widely as he saw her coming toward him with her smile and stopped to wait for her. "Yup," he said, popping the p. "Here I am. Hello." He waved at her happily. "You are quite welcome, Aggie. I'm very glad that you are enjoying it." Without answering her, he grabbed her hand and pulled her outside, then looked around. "Well, Aggie, this is your trip and your planet, so really I think that leaves it up to you to decide. Anywhere you want to go? Anything you want to do?"
"Anything, so long as it's with you is tops by me," she answered cheerfully and surprisingly casually. Suddenly realizing what she just said, she clammed up for a moment, swallowed softly, then continued in a softer voice, "I'd... really love to see a film, actually. What about you, Doctor? Do you like those?" She smiled shyly up at him, her hand in his as they stood together on the bustling pavement. "... Or is that too tame for you?" She laughed gently and gazed away into the street for a moment.
The Doctor grinned at her admission, but decided to ignore it in typical Doctor fashion. "That sounds like a brilliant idea, Aggie! Oh, I love films, all kinds, really. Actually, the TARDIS has an entire movie theatre inside her, along with a collection of every Human movie and TV show ever made. Not a lot of species make movies, really; it's quite odd. Music is universal, but movies are strictly Human in origin. When you think about the amount of species there are in the galaxy - and trust me there are billions, you'd think someone else would have thought 'Hey, why don't we make a film?' Just goes to show how brilliant the Human race really is."
Aggie laughed happily. She found his ramblings to be quite charming, actually. As soon as he stopped for breath, she gave his hand a soft tug and suggested, "So why don't we go back, then, and watch something together in the TARDIS? Anything you like... You'd know better than me what to watch..." Her tugging turned into leading, and soon they found themselves outside the blue box yet again.
"Well, let's see… There are so many movies to choose from." He pulled out his key and unlocked the door, pushing it open and walking in, first throwing his coat over the support strut. "I wouldn't even know where to start. I have millions on file. Let's see, it is Christmas, so I suppose we'll do something in that area. We'll start with things closer to your era and work our way forward. Oh, I know. We'll make a whole day out of it! We can start with It's A Wonderful Life. Love the ending in that one. After that, I'm sure something will come to me. Alonsy!" he yelled and started off through the control room and down the corridor.
Aggie laughed, watching him for just a brief moment before following him to a big door. Upon being opened, she saw it looked like a typical cinema... almost. This one was far more advanced, something that certainly did not surprise her at this point. With a big, girlish grin, she walked in and followed the Doctor to the perfect seats and settled in. The lights lowered on their own, and soon, she and the Doctor were sitting in total darkness, completely alone, except for the bright glow of the huge screen and the giant faces of the actors. She was so pleased she had no words, and just sat there wearing her big, silly grin.
He liked sitting here with Aggie, he decided. He had sat with almost all of his companions in this room at some point or another, watching movies or TV shows, and it was always a right ol time. But sitting here with Aggie had a distinctly different feel to it, and he decided that he quite liked it. She looked so happy just watching the movie, laughing at funny bits or crying at sad ones. He took her hand when she started to cry and kept holding it the rest of the movie. When it was finished, he grabbed the controller and typed in the name of the second movie he thought she should watch. He brought up White Christmas to start, still not letting go of her hand. "I think you'll quite like this one," He told her, smiling.
Aggie was touched when the Doctor took her hand. Even though she felt a bit shy about it, she thoroughly enjoyed it, and she was surprised when he just kept holding it. She was even more surprised when he never let go of it, even into the next movie. She smiled and nodded quietly, "Okay..." being the only thing she whispered up to him bashfully but happily. She gently settled back into her seat, grateful that the darkness hid her blushing at least a bit. Her cheeks were on fire, though, she could feel it. A few minutes into it, Aggie found herself completely immersed in this new movie. Dazzled by the bright colors and charmed by the musical numbers, this sort of film was right up her alley. At more romantic points, she glanced over at the Doctor, studying his face. Oh, how she wished he'd lean over and make her dream come true that very moment! The funny thing was that although he hadn't come anywhere near kissing her, she could feel something off of him, a sort of warm glow he had started to share with her. She could somehow tell he felt more deeply now than he had previously, and this made her very happy.
The movie ended and another began, followed by another and yet another. Despite the many hours of sitting still, she couldn't believe how much fun she was having. They had started to relax and chat, and she couldn't remember when she'd last had such a good time with anybody. This was a perfect way to spend Christmas, she thought. Finally, the ending credits of the last movie rolled and the lights slowly rose. She sighed contentedly and stretched, then looked over at the Doctor and smiled.
The Doctor cracked his neck and stood up finally, letting go of her hand and stretching a bit. "Well, that was quite fun. We'll have to do this again sometime. Right now, though, I am craving some food. Turkey with gravy and mashed taters… Oh, and dressing - I love dressing. Human food is bloody brilliant. I really could go for some bananas as well. I love bananas." He reached out his hand to help her up, "Whatcha say Aggie, wanna go to dinner with me?"
Aggie smiled widely as she took his hand again and stood to her feet. "Mmm, that sounds perfect," she agreed enthusiastically, "... if you can find a place that's open on Christmas, that is..." Her hand hugged his as they left the movie room, walked down the hallway together, passed through the control room again and stepped back out onto the London street outside the TARDIS. "I'm assuming you have a place in mind, or at least a clever plan, dear Doctor?" she asked playfully.
"Well, there are some buffet places that should hopefully still be open and have the food we're looking for, but if all else fails, we can break in on someone else's meal. I've done that plenty of times, though not lately." They walked along until they came to an open restaurant and the Doctor smiled. "See that? Here we go." He pulled her inside.
Aggie smiled, impressed. "Well, who would've thought... a restaurant open on Christmas," she mused under her breath with a grin. She didn't know what a 'buffet place' was, and she was glad not to have had to 'break in' on anybody, whatever he meant by that, but this place looked really nice. It wasn't long before a host greeted them and took them to a table by the window. Aggie loved tables by windows. She could see all the people and the pretty lights while she ate.
The Doctor looked around at the very small crowd of people, sat his chin on his hand and looked at Aggie. "Well, that's the thing about the 21st century. You all grew up and new things started getting advanced, you were introduced to aliens, and what does all that do? It makes you lazy. So instead of the days where everyone has homemade meals every night, you have fast food and take out and all you can eat and 24-hour places. Though, it serves our purposes for tonight." He hopped up out of his chair and held out his hand. "Come on then, let's have that meal."
Aggie smiled, taking his hand quite eagerly, not because she was hungry, but because, well, it was the Doctor's hand. She followed him to the buffet, which would have looked pedestrian to anyone of the recent time, but to her it looked like a marvel. Her eyes poured over the whole thing and she laughed. "I've never seen this much food in my entire life... except for my aunt's wedding, I suppose... and even then, it wasn't so nice!" She followed what the other guests were doing, but made sure to only take very small portions. She wanted to try as much as she possibly could without looking like a pig. Eventually, they were back at their table and both tucked in. She ate silently, smiling up at the Doctor occasionally, sometimes trying to sneak glances at him as he ate. Oh, how she loved sharing a dinner table with him. They made pleasant chit chat, and before long, their Christmas dinner was over. She walked with the Doctor to the exit, smiled up at him and said, "This has been the best Christmas dinner I've ever had... Thank you, Doctor." Her eyes made contact with a tiny clump of mistletoe hanging overhead and her cheeks flushed a bright shade of crimson red. She made a few shy, awkward noises, then gathered her courage, got up on her toes and pecked him softly on his cheek.
The Doctor grinned a giant, stupid grin and would have blushed, if not for his superior cardiovascular system. "Well, Aggie, I'm glad, and I will admit that this is the best Christmas dinner I've had, too. Granted, I've only had three in 900 years of time and space, but still." He took her arm in his and started off toward the TARDIS with her, back to the only home he even had anymore, with someone he really cared about. What better way to end Christmas day? As they stood outside the time ship, he pulled out his key and unlocked the door, pushing through and out of the cold, into the TARDIS' warmth. He let go of Aggie and took off his coat, pulling her gift out as he did, before throwing it over the coral strut. He quickly skipped up to the console keeping the gift hidden from her eyes as he did so.
Aggie stood at the bottom of the ramp, smiling softly to herself and admiring him as he returned to the console. She stood there for a moment, just taking in the sight of him before finally ascending the ramp herself. The glow from the lights in the console lit up his face in a special way, she thought. She giggled softly under her breath, walked around the console, her fingers just barely grazing its surface, then sat down in the jump seat. "Where to now, Doctor? I'm sure you've already got our next adventure in mind, don't you?"
The Doctor laughed and flicked the switch to throw them into the vortex, "Nope. As of right now, I haven't thought of anything to do. However," He flicked a few more switches to set the TARDIS on drift mode through the vortex, "I have something for you, Aggie." He walked over with his hand behind his back. "Merry Christmas, Aggie Carson." He handed her the gift he had bought her.
Aggie was speechless. She stared down into her hand, then smiled up into his face brightly, no words coming to her. In what Universe had she warranted a Christmas gift, on top of all these wonderful things the Doctor had already done for her? She sputtered a bit, looking back down at the small package, then finally said bashfully, "I... th-thank you, Doctor... but, I didn't get you anything... I... haven't exactly had time..." She laughed slightly, paused a moment, then carefully unwrapped it. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but she knew the Doctor would explain it, and whatever she needed to know past that, she was certain she could figure it out on her own.
The Doctor waved away her claim that she was lacking in a gift for him. "Nothing to worry about. I have all of time and space and someone wonderful to share it with. I'm set. Now, this is an iPod. It's basically like a miniaturized record player, though you don't have to switch records. Anyway, I had it preloaded with all the music from when you left plus music from between then and where we just were that I thought you'd like. I'm sure there is an instruction booklet in there to tell you how to work it."
Aggie's eyes lit up and moistened slightly as she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him close, careful not to drop or crush her new present. "Oh, thank you, Doctor!" she squealed happily, not only touched by his generous gift to her, but especially by the wonderful words he had just spoken to her. She stayed there for quite some time, content to stay put and reluctant to release him from her snug embrace.
The Doctor laughed and hugged her back tightly. He loved hugs very much, and so he stayed there holding her for quite a while. After a long time, he pulled away - albeit reluctantly - and wiped her eyes. "Now, none of that. You humans are 70% this stuff, after all. Can't be letting it all run out your face, eh?" He smiled widely at her.
Aggie blushed, as she was oft to do, and held her breath slightly, just looking at him. She knew now what this was, but she dared not utter a peep. She could hardly contain her heart's pounding and wondered if, as an alien, he could tell it was drumming so. She was feeling very nervous now, but couldn't bring herself to back away. Slowly but gently, she forced herself back, then quickly and suddenly decided to kiss him on his cheek again, before darting off to her room without warning. There, she hid, collapsing onto her bed and trying to recover, just barely stifling her squeal of delight.
The Doctor laughed and followed her down the corridor, heading for his own room. It was about time he took a shower, anyway, and he needed his biweekly sleep. With the way Aggie's heart had been pounding, he was surprised she had moved so fast. It sounded like it would burst out of her chest. As he made it to his room, he started wondering about why he felt so, what was the word for it - right, he supposed, around Aggie, which was quite odd. In fact, the only time he had ever felt this way before was when he had been around River Song, and she was someone he tried not to think about too often. After what happened to her and then seeing her regenerating before his very eyes had shocked him to his core. Just knowing out there somewhere in his future was another Timelord, or Timelady, rather, was a lot to take in. She was one that he apparently married, as she knew his name. Why it was that he felt the same way around Aggie that he had felt around River was the weirdest conundrum of them all. As he thought it all out, he had maneuvered around his room, which was strewn with piles and piles of books and into the bathroom, where he stepped in the sonic shower to get himself clean. It was quick, and afterward he changed into his pajamas and got into bed. He would have to figure this all out one day, but for now, it was time to sleep.
Aggie couldn't believe all that she was feeling, all that had happened to her... It was like some dream she'd never actually had was coming true. Only, she had had this dream, sort of. She'd always wanted to get away from her little house in London, which she was certainly doing now! And she'd always wanted to meet the most wonderful man in the Universe, whom the Doctor most certainly was! The more she thought about him, the more she knew the truth: she was completely and unmistakably in love with him. These thoughts kept the young woman well dizzy as she prepared for bed and tried hard to fall asleep. Hopefully, he'd see her as more than just some tag along. She hoped so earnestly that he would.