Title: Father Christmas
Author: Gail R. Delaney
Series: The Unseen and the In Between
Setting: Near end of Rose and about 10 seconds of End of the World
Summary: The Doctor is getting a new Companion, whether he wants her or not. His only constant companion nudges him in the right direction.
Rating: K
Inspiration: Spoilers
Rose: "Look at you, beamin' away like you're Father Christmas."
Doctor: "Who says I'm not? Red bicycle when you were twelve…"
Disclaimer: Not mine. If I owned Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant would be my own private little playmates.
The Doctor watched as the snivling excuse for a man Rose called a 'boyfriend' cowered in the garbage. Nickey. . . Rickey. . . whatever his name was, he raked on The Doctor's nerves. He waited until she looked back at him.
"Nestene Consciousness," - snap – "Easy."
"You were useless in there! You'd be dead if it wasn't for me." She scolded him, but smiled so bright it lit her eyes.
"Yes, I would." He smiled, nodding. "Thank you."
She looked pleased with herself, almost beaming.
"Right, then. I'll be off. Unless… Oh, I don't know…you could come with me."
He saw it in her face, the momentary pause and the answer on her lips that she immediately tamped down.
"This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe. Free of charge."
"Don't! He's an alien. . . he's a thing," the little muttering boy whimpered.
"He's not invited," The Doctor added, nodding his head pointedly. "What do you think?"
He saw it all on her face. She wanted to. What spurred him to ask, he didn't know. He'd gone a good many years with no one in the great ship but him, so why would he want a 19-year old shop girl from London?
"You could stay here. Fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go… anywhere."
"Is it always this dangerous?"
He grinned. "Yeah."
Rickey-boy crawled to her on his knees, clinging like a snotty-nosed child. His kind turned The Doctor's stomach. What on Earth was she doing with him? She was obviously so much more.
"I can't," she said, but her voice held no conviction. "I've gotta go find my mum and someone's got to watch after this stupid lump."
Stupid lump is right. . .
The disappointment that hit him was more tangible than anything he'd felt in a long time. There had been very few companions in his 900 years that dug at him when they left him…and she hadn't even gone.
"Okay." Say yes. . . say yes. . . It was there – her need for excitement, for more. He saw it so clearly, so blatantly. But, he never forced anyone into his life, and he never would. "See you around."
The Doctor shut the TARDIS door and bounded up the ramp to the central control, the Heart of the TARDIS. He randomly flew some switches and twirled some bobs, not really thinking about where it would lead.
He couldn't shake the image of Rose Tyler.
Rose Tyler marching along beside him, demanding answers.
Rose Tyler taking every word he said, without once calling him insane, and jumping into the fray without hesitation.
Rose Tyler saving his life.
A warm presence wrapped around him as the TARDIS churned to life. He shook his head, leaning his hands onto the edge of the console.
"No," he said to the empty space.
The nudge was firmer, tickling along the base of his mind. He pushed away from the console and sank into the chair on the other side, crossing his arms with his legs extended, his ankles crossed. Again, another nudge.
"No!" he shouted. "You can push all you want, it's no' happenin'. I asked, she said no. Better off, I say."
The TARDIS jerked, nearly knocking him on his arse and he braced his hands on the long seat of the chair.
"What was tha' for?"
The engine slowed and quieted, finally falling silent.
"That's more like it."
He stood and rounded the console, checking his pockets for his key and sonic screwdriver before opening the door and stepping outside. Instead of the lush, green hills of Barcelona – not the city, the planet – he found himself right back in London in the shadow of the Powell Estates. The sun made him squint and the air was definitely colder than minutes before. He glanced at his watch, and stepped back into the TARDIS to verify the time.
"December 24th, 1999. Bloody hell. What are you doing?"
Sensation skittered over the back of his neck and he sighed, shaking his head.
"Let it be known I didn't do this," he shouted, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm in San Francisco right now. Like messin' with the laws of time, do you?"
He shook his head.
"Fine you opinionated, stubborn old ship. Let's go see what you've got on your mind."
He grabbed a dark red scarf from the coat rack by the door and wrapped it around his neck before stepping into the sun again. As he strolled away, he drew in a bracing breath of cold air and smiled.
Why would the TARDIS bring him here? Same place, different time. Rose wouldn't be more than eleven or twelve years old. Just a kid. He shook his head. Why couldn't he shake her? She was just a child. A human child at that.
Christmas music drifted on the air, different songs and melodies mingling from different windows and shops. He strolled the walkway, smiling as he caught snips of conversation from humans passing by. None of them had any idea the thrills and horrors that occupied the Universe, or how many times their little world had been snatched from the edge of destruction.
If they knew, they wouldn't be worried about whether they should buy a turkey or a ham.
A bundle of fire, with streaming blonde hair, ran straight into The Doctor, nearly knocking him over. He gripped her little shoulders to keep her from falling and held her at arm's length to look her in the eyes.
"Here now. In a hurry, are we?"
She shrugged free of his hands and stepped back, wide blue eyes staring at him for a moment. "Sorry," she said, and a flush of awareness hit him.
"No harm," he managed to say past the surprised that dried out his throat.
"Rose!"
The girl rolled her eyes and sighed. "Me mum."
The Doctor nodded, looking down the sidewalk to see Jackie Tyler rushing towards them as she tried to carry four bags of groceries with another handled bag hanging from her fingertips.
"Rose, I told you to wait for me. I can't carry all this myself."
"Sorry, Mum."
"Allow me to help," The Doctor offered, the words out of his mouth before he could decide against them. He took two of the bags from Jackie and Young Rose took a third.
"Thank you." Jackie smiled the same smile she had tried to play on him in the apartment. "Such a gentleman. Handsome, too."
"Mum!" Rose hissed beneath her breath, sliding an apologetic look towards him.
He obligingly followed the two blondes back towards the Powell Estates, smiling to himself as the two bickered beneath their breath. Not being a fan of 'domestic', he tuned out most of the conversation, choosing more to focus on watching the young girl that would grow up to the woman who had so recently jumbled his sensibilities and saved his life. He saw the fire in her, even now, as she fired back to her mum without actually crossing the line of respect.
"I swear, Mum, I don't wan' nuffin else. I'm sick of riding the bus. It's smelly and slow and that old guy always wants me to sit w'him."
"Rose, I told you, we can't afford it. I wish I could, sweetheart."
The Doctor wished now he might have paid more attention, and wondered what it was a young Rose Tyler wanted more than anything else. They reached the door to the flat and Jackie unlocked it. He followed her in, glancing around. It was almost the same, except the hallway wall was done in a hideous green. If he remembered right, last he'd seen it there were multiple patches of paint on the wall, and he wondered when she would actually get around to changing it.
Jackie disappeared into the kitchen, returning quickly to take the bags from his arms. "You were such a gentleman for offering to help. Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm making Shepard's Pie."
Rose stood behind her mother, and as soon as the offer was made, she shook her head, blue eyes wide and round. At the words 'Shepard's Pie' she clutched her throat and rolled her eyes, then proceeded to mock-gag herself. The Doctor managed to keep a straight face, forcing himself to look away from her.
"That's very kind, but I need to be off. Glad to help."
He turned and left the flat before he changed his mind. Without looking back, he walked the balcony to the nearest stairwell, and was down two flights before he heard the sound of sneakered feet running behind him.
"Hey! Hey, wait up!"
He did, smiling as she skipped down the stairs toward him. The last time they were in this stairwell, he was bound and determined to leave her behind – and she was equally as determined to keep up.
"Yes?"
Rose leaned one hand on the railing, standing two steps higher than him, which actually brought her to eye level, with one hand pushed into her back pocket. She smiled and looked down, color flushing her cheeks. "I just wanted to say thanks."
"For what?"
"I dunno. Just…thanks."
"Merry Christmas, Rose."
With another stellar smile, she started back up the stairs. This time, it was the Doctor who called after her. She stopped on the landing, turning to look back at him.
"What was it?" he asked.
"What was what?"
"The one thing you asked your mum for?"
"Promise you won't think I'm some childish kid?"
"Never."
"A bicycle. I have to ride the bus everywhere, and I hate it. But mum says we can't afford it." A shadow crossed her features, and she looked away. "My dad died when I was a baby, and it's just us."
"I hope you get it."
She sighed a small laugh. "I quit believin' in Father Christmas a long time ago."
"See, that's your problem, Rose Tyler," he said, taking the steps back up to her. "As long as you believe, anything can happen."
"Yeah, righ'."
"I'm serious!" He reached the landing and laid his hand on her shoulder. "Open your mind. Believe in the impossible, and nothing will ever stop you."
She smiled. "You're a funny man."
"I've heard that from time to time. Merry Christmas, Rose." He tapped the end of her nose with his index finger and winked. He didn't hear her footsteps ascending the stairs until he reached the bottom.
"What do you want from me!" he demanded, slapping his hand down on the TARDIS control panel. "Come on you stupid, stubborn machine!"
He tried again, and the engines refused to engage. The pressure on the base of his skull was cold and firm. She was angry.
"All right, all right. I'm sorry I called you stupid. Can we go now?"
The silence of the engines was his answer. He leaned into the console and hung his head, his eyes closed. The pressure spread to a warm embrace, apologetic. Still, the nudge was consistent. He shook his head.
"I don't want her."
Yes, you do.
"No, I don't!"
Not good to be alone.
He grinned, opening his arms as he leaned back and looked to the ceiling. "That's why I have you, isn't it?"
Silence answered him.
"She's a human," he argued.
Don't fool me.
"Why are you being so bull-headed about this?"
Silence again. She knew how to argue.
He bowed his head again, swallowing against the thickness in his throat. It had been this way for so long, he wasn't even sure anymore. He hadn't wanted anyone to infringe on his grief, didn't want to poison anyone else with it. He was the last, and it was his own doing. The good of the many outweigh the good of the few, even if the few were 3 million Galifreians. Three million of his own people.
"I can't make her come."
Won't have to.
"She said no."
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as a cool gush shifted through the control room. The presence subsided, apparently offering him a few minutes of peace. He sighed and shook his head, stepping away from the console and stopping short.
Leaning against the inside of the TARDIS door was a red bicycle.
The lights on the white, artificial tree twinkled out of sync and Jackie Tyler's old Christmas cassettes played in the stereo in the corner. Rose sat in the corner of the couch, her chin resting on her hand, staring at the tree.
"You want a scone, sweetheart?" her mum asked from the kitchen.
"No," she mumbled.
"You sure? I just got them yesterday. They're still fresh."
"No, Mum."
She looked down at the small pile of Christmas gifts on the floor. They were all nice, and she didn't want to seem ungrateful, but her heart just wasn't in it. She knew it was hard, but…
Rose sighed.
"As long as you believe, anything can happen."
She slouched back on the couch, staring again at the tree. Something buried deep in the branches caught her eye, and she slid off the couch. A dark blue envelope was nestled within the tree against the aluminum trunk, with Rose written across the front in a slanted, angled hand. Rose glanced toward the kitchen, hearing her mother banging around. She opened the envelope and removed the simple white card inside.
Anything is possible.
She didn't recognize the handwriting and flipped the card over for any sign of who it was from.
Go outside, Rose.
"Mum, who is this card from?" she called out.
"What's that, sweetheart?"
Rose shook her head, staring at the card again. "Nuffin."
She stepped over the pile of wrapping paper and broken ribbons on the floor and walked into the front hall, still staring at the card. Rose paused with her hand on the knob, read the card one more time, and opened the door.
"Blimey!" she shouted. "Mum! Mum!"
The Doctor stood on the street, watching from his vantage point as a young Rose Tyler jumped up and down, calling for her mother. He could see the looks of shock and wonder on their faces, and smiled as a pleasant warmth spread through his chest.
He waited until they went back through the door, the new bicycle with them, before turning away. It had been a long time since he did anything that made him feel good, this good. Even if it were something as simple as a bicycle for a young girl.
The walk to the TARDIS was short, and he stepped inside, staring at the engine core as it glowed a soft green. The gentle touch of the TARDIS questioned him.
"Yes, she liked it. Can we go now?"
His answer came when he reached the control panel and engaged the power. The engine hummed to life, churning and pumping in its cylindrical core. The Doctor stared at the controls, his hand hovering over them. Where to go? Try for Barcelona again? Galaxy M-85?
She won't say no.
He entered the date and time before he talked himself out of it. And this time, the TARDIS willingly surged to life, shaking and rumbling with power. The jump only took seconds, and the engine stilled again. The Doctor took a quick breath and jogged down the ramp to the door.
He yanked the door open and stuck his head out, relief hitting him when he saw her standing just a few feet from where he'd left her.
"By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?"
She smiled. Not a big smile. . . but he saw it. The spark. The relief. He stepped back from the doorway, but left it open. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he held his breath as he waited. What she said to the simpering bafoon, he didn't know, but seconds later she crashed through the TARDIS door and into his life.
"Right then, Rose Tyler, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time? It's your choice. What's it gonna be?"