A/N: A little Christmas gift for you all. This little one-shot plot bunny invaded my head while I was working on the next chapters of Time Jumps and Through the Years, and it would not leave me be until I wrote it. But the chapters are coming, just as soon as they cooperate with me!
This has not been beta read, so any mistakes are mine. I also wanted to let you all know that I have a twitter now, so if any of you have Twitter, you can find me at Penandpaper83 – feel free to follow me and drop me a line! Hopefully this will allow me to open lines of communication with my readers.
With that, I'm just gonna nudge this under your Christmas trees... Seeing how it will be Christmas eve by the time this gets posted, I would like to wish you all a very happy and safe holiday (however you celebrate it!).
Song Lyrics belong to Frank Sinatra's version of the song, and we all know who Doctor Who belongs to (because it certainly doesn't belong to me!)
I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me.
"Rose, I promise you. I will get back home by Christmas morning." The Doctor's eyes nervously flitted around the crowded airport lounge. His flight had been delayed... Twice.
"You better, because you know Elsi refuses to open her gifts without you there."
"Yeah, I know, love. She takes immense joy in seeing me open her gift." The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, as he checked the departures panel again.
Why he agreed to attend this conference on Pete's behalf, he'd never know. Because he knew Jake could have easily gone, and would have agreed to go. Except even Jake knew that the Doctor would have been a better choice of replacement. He remembered Elsi hanging onto his leg, begging him not to leave so close to Christmas. But he had to go, as it was a rather important gathering of experts on alien technology.
And having a TARDIS at his disposal for the past 900 years, certainly made him an expert in the alien technology department.
Please have snow, and Mistletoe.
"So tell me, is it snowing yet? Because there hasn't been one flake here in New York. Not one, Rose!" The Doctor quickly changed the subject. His eyebrow hitched as he looked out of the giant glass panes at the various runways, because he absolutely hated being stuck in one room for a considerable amount of time. "Further more, apparently it's a common thing here in New York. Can you imagine that? Not having a white Christmas?"
"We've had a few snow less Christmases here, Doctor. First one after we got back here, remember?" He could hear Rose's gentle laugh. It made him smile despite being stuck in a damn airport, instead of where he truly wanted to be – with Rose and their Elsi.
It had been six wonderful years since he and Rose parted ways with his counter-part on that beach. Sure, he and Rose had a shaky beginning. And there were some adjustments on both ends, but they both knew how they felt for each other from day one.
They loved each other with everything in their hearts. So, it had strengthened their resolve to make things work in the long run.
Then they had that small wedding, with only family and very close friends in attendance. After that, almost a year and a half later, they were blessed with little Elsinore Noble. She had her father's unruly brown hair, and her mother's eyes; along with a fiery spirit that matched Rose's spirit.
Life was perfect for the Doctor. And it would continue to be perfect if his plane would arrive. Because the quicker he was on board, then he would be arriving home that much more quicker.
The Doctor audibly growled as his flight number still displayed a taunting 'DELAYED' next to the gate number. "Remind me to write a rather strongly worded letter when I get home, Rose."
Rose laughed again and attempted to divert his attention. "Oh, and guess what I found."
The Doctor grinned, as he could almost envision Rose sitting with her tongue resting between her teeth while she awaited his response. "You found the plane that I was supposed to be on this morning."
"Goofball... No, I found the Mistletoe," came the almost mischievous reply.
The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment, taking a sharp breath as he remembered the last time Mistletoe was involved. "Correct me if I'm wrong, which almost never happens by the way. But isn't that how we got our adorable tot?"
"Haha, funny! Mistletoe was involved, but I distinctly remember you challenging me to a Mimosa drinking contest, Doctor. After you kept going on and on about how it was such a brilliant combination, and how you would love to shake the hand of the person who thought it up.."
The Doctor turned slightly pink as he recalled that night. They had both gotten rather drunk... And well, he had noticed early on that his self control seemed to slip easier after he had a few. "Yeah well, if you didn't dangle the mistletoe directly above your–"
"Oi!" He heard Rose answer with an almost low purr. The Doctor's lips curled into a smirk before continuing in an innocent voice, "What? I certainly didn't hear any complaining then..."
"Yeah... But there wasn't a three year old nearby wondering why your cheeks just turned pink."
"Oh." The Doctor tugged his ear with a shrug, as if he expected Rose to see it. "Whoops! Sorry, Love."
"Uh huh..." Rose had trailed off as he heard rustling, and what sounded like Rose telling Elsi to get away from the Christmas tree. "Here, talk to your child before she pulls all the ornaments off the tree... Again."
"Oh, so she's mine when she gets into trouble, eh?" The Doctor grinned as he rocked on his heels.
Rose had only laughed as she passed the phone to their child. As Elsi's little voice came through the speaker, all the Doctor's frustration at being stuck in New York seemed to melt away.
"Hey there, Imp. I hear you're keeping your Mum on her toes." The Doctor sat down onto nearest bench. His foot resting on his knee as he balanced his bag on his lap.
There was a small, exaggerated sigh from her end. He could almost envision her rolling her eyes. "I'm bored, Daddy. Mummy is busy and you aren't home. And the onamints go click click!"
The Doctor gave a chuckle as she imitated the sound of the ornaments clacking together. "I think you mean ornaments, love. And even so, you shouldn't play with them."
Another sigh. "Uncle Tony said it was fun."
The Doctor groaned as he scratched his cheek. While ten year old Tony Tyler loved his little niece, the Doctor knew that the boy couldn't resist having a bit of fun at her expense. "Well, you tell Uncle Tony that I said leave the ornaments on the tree."
"Fine," Elsi huffed.
The Doctor smiled again. "So where is your Mother?"
Elsi merely held the receiver towards the kitchen. Over the phone, the Doctor winced as he could hear Rose smacking the rolling pin against the counter, while muttering about cookie dough not cooperating. After Elsi was sure her Dad got the picture, she returned the receiver to her ear. "She already throwed a few cutters."
Elsi then paused, a finger to her lips before continuing, "Daddy, what does 'bloody flipping cutter' mean?"
The Doctor suppressed a laugh at the mental image, before groaning as he processed the question Elsi asked. "Where did you hear that language?"
"Mum," Elsi simply said. "Oh... She did it again."
The Doctor groaned again, a hand raking down his face. "Bloody and flipping are adult words. I don't want to hear you say them until you are bigger. Am I clear?"
"But..."
"No buts, young lady," the Doctor warned. "I want you to behave, else I'm phoning Father Christmas."
There was a small gasp on her end, and the Doctor knew his message was received. "I'm going to have to get off the phone soon, sweetheart. So can you get your Mother for me, please?"
"Okay, I love you, Daddy." Elsi then made kissing noises into the mouthpiece after the Doctor replied he loved her too, before handing it back to Rose.
I'll be home this Christmas, darling. I'll be coming home to you. And there's nothing in the world gonna get in my way.
"Hello," Rose greeted as she put the phone back to her ear.
"Hello," the Doctor replied, a soft grin on his lips. "I hear our daughter has added two new words to her vocabulary."
"Yeah, I heard her saying it a second ago on the phone. Didn't think she was paying attention when I was wrestling with the cookie dough." Rose tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Figured I'd try my hand at baking, what's the worse that can happen?"
The Doctor snorted. "Be careful, Rose. Every time we think like that, something always happens. And they all seem to begin with a 'T' and end with an 'orchwood'."
Rose conceded with a 'yeah yeah', while the Doctor waggled his eyebrows. He then sighed as he realized that his phone was going to die, and he needed to find an outlet... fast. "I'm going to have to go, Rose. But as soon as my flight arrives, and my phone is charged, I'll call you before I board."
"But you'll definitely be home by tomorrow? I don't want to wake up alone on Christmas, Doctor. I've had my fill of those – ta very much."
The Doctor swallowed as he knew she was referring to the few years they spent apart, between Canary Wharf and when she hopped dimensions to find him. "I promise to get that very answer as soon as we hang up. They said there is a possibility of an early evening departure. However, I'm going to be skeptical until we actually take off."
That answer seemed to please Rose enough. "Alright then. Oh, and Pete says he is extremely grateful for you doing this in his stead. Everything on Mum's tumor scan turned out well." There was a small amount of relief in her voice. "Apparently the previous screening was a false positive."
The Doctor let out a small breath as well, as he was just as grateful that all was going to be okay. "I was happy to do this for Pete. I know he was conflicted when he couldn't be in two places at once."
"And I promise, Rose. I'll be home for Christmas – count on it. Nothing on this planet could keep me from my wife and daughter on Christmas."
"Except delayed airlines?" There was light humor in Rose's voice.
The Doctor playfully rolled his eyes. "Especially not delayed airlines."
"Alright, Doctor. Call me when you know anything. I love you." Rose smiled into the phone.
The Doctor ended the call before leaning back in his chair, letting out a sigh as he stared at the ceiling. He was never good at waiting around, a waste of time in his book. Even after six years, he hated waiting to get somewhere. But he could hardly be blamed. When you were accustomed to having a ship capable of navigating time and space at your disposal, conventional modes of transport failed in comparison.
Seven hours later, the Doctor stared at his now fully charged phone. It was now 9pm, and he was getting antsy. There was still no announcement, however there was no official cancellation. So he had hope, right?
Ladies and Gentlemen, we would like to again express our gratitude in your patience. We are pleased to announce that flight 0526 – non-stop service to London Heathrow Airport, will depart at 10pm at Gate number 10. We regret any inconvenience these delays may have incurred. Thank You.
The Doctor grinned as he stood, stretching his limbs as he packed up his things. In his excitement to finally board his flight, he switched his phone off; thus forgetting to update Rose.
Dawn was approaching by the time the taxi pulled up to the Noble house. The Doctor grinned in excitement as he retrieved his two bags. He then took a deep breath of contentment as he remained on the curb after the taxi drove off.
He was finally home.
The Doctor quietly slipped through the front door, closing it silently behind him. He knew Elsi would still be asleep, yet would probably come to wake them shortly.
Leaving his bags by the front door, he crept through the foyer into the sitting room. The fairy lights were twinkling on the tree, and the Doctor noticed the presents neatly arranged. For some reason the light snow that had been falling when he landed, and now the sight before him; it made him hum an old familiar tune.
"I'll be home for Christmas. You can plan on me... Please have snow, and mistletoe... And presents 'neath the tree," the Doctor sung to himself as he crept back to his luggage. He had picked up a little something extra for his family while in New York, his in-laws included.
Coming back with his hands full of wrapped packages, a swell of love filled his whole being as he spied a lump on the couch. Creeping closer, he determined that Rose must has fallen asleep after playing Father Christmas. He then realized that she had also probably waited up for his phone call, and a twinge of guilt passed through him.
He had a feeling he was forgetting something while he was boarding. And he only realized what it was after they had taken off. However, the Doctor had spent the last seven hours thinking up a good apology; coupled with practicing his best set of puppy dog eyes as a bonus.
As he stood there, staring at Rose and counting his blessings once again, one of the smaller gifts slid onto the hardwood floor.
The Doctor winced as the sound caused Rose to stir. He tried to bend down to pick it up, intending to place the gifts beneath the tree, then carry Rose upstairs.
However, all that it accomplished was that his movements caused all the other packages to noisily tumble from his fingers. The Doctor's face scrunched in a manner similar to when he was caught tinkering with one of Rose's favorite appliances. Namely the microwave or her coffee brewer.
"Doctor?" came the sleepy voice as its owner woke. Rose's eyes fluttered open as she moved to sit up, stretching her arms as her brain tried to clear its sleep induced fog.
"Yeah, love, it's me," the Doctor whispered as he quickly put the packages under the tree.
"Hey, you're gonna mess it all up," Rose teased as she stood. Her arms going around his waist, and her cheek resting against his back. "When did you get in?"
The Doctor turned so he was facing his Rose. His arms naturally fell to her waist as his lips found hers. "Just now, and I'm sorry I forgot to ring you."
Rose smiled as her lips sought his again. "I guess I can forgive you, seeing how this was a lovely surprise."
The Doctor merely hummed in his throat as his forehead rested against hers. "Told you I'd be home for Christmas."
Rose smiled. "Never doubted it for a second."
"Mummy?"
Rose and the Doctor glanced at each other, relishing the last seconds of quiet. Rose broke from their embrace as she made her way towards the stairs. "Why aren't you sleeping, young lady?"
"I heard a noise," Elsi honestly replied as she carefully navigated the stairs. Rose exhaustively rubbed her eyes, knowing that there was no way they were going to get Elsi back to bed now. Especially once she saw the Doctor and the presents under the tree.
"Daddy!" Elsi squealed as Rose helped her down the last few stairs. Once her feet were on the floor, she took off towards the Doctor's waiting arms.
The Doctor happily scooped her into his arms, resting her on his hip as he planted kisses on her cheek. "Hello, sweetheart. Happy Christmas!"
"Happy Chwismas, Daddy!" Elsi giggled as her arms and stuffed dog went around his neck. She then looked at the tree and exclaimed, "Fatter Chwismas came! He really came!"
The Doctor bit back a snort as Rose rejoined them. "Father Christmas, sweetheart," Rose gently corrected her.
"Dats what I said!" Elsi looked between her parents. "I wanna open them!"
"No, Elsi," Rose said firmly. "I've explained this. After the sun comes up, then it's time for presents."
Elsi pouted, her arms crossing across her chest. "But I wanna open presents!"
"It's too early, love," the Doctor added as he tried to back Rose up. They had agreed on establishing this rule for Christmas morning first chance they got. Otherwise they both knew that Elsi would wake them up at an ungodly hour, and would then get cranky later. "So, we're all going to go to sleep. Then when the sun wakes up, we'll open gifts."
Elsi stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth in contemplation. "I guess so," she agreed, since she knew neither of them were going to budge on this.
After they had put Elsi back into her bed – begrudgingly on her part; the Doctor pulled Rose into a deep kiss after closing their daughter's bedroom door behind them. "I missed you so much," he breathed against her lips.
Rose smiled as she took his hands, leading him across the hall towards their bedroom. Her tongue peeking from her teeth, her tone turned saucy as she said, "Wanna see where I put the mistletoe this year?"
The Doctor sat at the head of the dining table, a smile on his face as he tucked his hands under his chin. As his and Rose's eyes met, he felt a sense of contentment as the domestics around him played out. Jackie had of course, prepared a breakfast large enough to feed a small army. He watched his family interact and revel in the blessings they had received. Mostly being that each day, he got to awaken to the joy that was his family. A family that stood by each other in joy and sorrow. Then secondly, the knowledge that Jackie's medical scare turned out to be only a scare.
The Doctor would never hesitate to admit that he was worried when they first received the news. However, knowing that it was only a scare, the Doctor pushed any troubled thoughts from his mind. It was Christmas after all, and they were exactly where they were supposed to be: together under one roof as a family.
Jackie had just brought out another pot of her beloved tea, as Pete silenced his phone after a quick glance. He quickly tapped out a message to Jake, requesting him to handle the minor situation, as he was with family.
Rose set her cup down as her hand shot out towards Elsi. The three year old had picked up a piece of roll that was too big for her, and Rose moved to quickly break it up for her. After ensuring that her daughter wasn't about to choke on her breakfast, Rose's eyes glanced around the table.
Her family, sitting around the table as it should be. As it always should be, for as long as time would allow them. Every Christmas – almost as if it were her own secret tradition – Rose would remember that first Christmas with the Doctor. After he had once again saved them all, and came back to that little flat on the Powell Estate; decked out in his new attire.
The memory of that Christmas had gotten Rose through the Christmases where she was without the Doctor. Where every Christmas at the mansion would never feel complete to Rose. She had her family, whom she loved so very dearly, but she yearned for her Doctor. The man saved the world in a set of borrowed pajamas, and later grinned like a loon at her when she donned that pink paper crown.
"Rose... Sweetheart, you alright?" Jackie's voice broke Rose out of her thoughts.
Rose was temporarily dazed as she looked across the table. Everyone was staring at her, the Doctor's holding the most concern. Rose then shook her head with a smile. "Just reminiscing on that very first Christmas..."
The Doctor's eyes lit up as he chewed his cheek. The conversation drifted to Rose and Jackie telling Tony and Elsi about that particular Christmas. Elsi seemed to enjoy Jackie teasing him about sleeping heavily while she almost got killed by a Christmas tree.
While the Doctor was not always keen on domestic, it was times like this that he couldn't get enough. This was the stuff of treasured memories. Memories that would turn into stories for when Elsi was older, and he and Rose were the Grandparents coming to visit.
Another wonderful year was ending, and a new one on the horizon. And while a semi-dark thought crossed the Doctor's mind – reminding him that it was another year closer to his own mortality. It was quickly pushed aside in favor of the excitement that a new year would bring.
New adventures with Torchwood, and definitely more family memories to come. Maybe the next year would bring discussion of Rose and him adding to their own little family. The possibilities were endless, and the Doctor knew it was only going to be one thing. And that it was going to be...
Fantastic.