A/N: Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a great holiday with your families, friends etc. ;)
Here's my gift: a really long chapter. I got carried away with this one but it'll pay off. I don't even know how many more chapters there'll be left since I keep dragging this out. But I will say this: we're coming to the end and (spoiler alert! Well, maybe not really a spoiler since it's obvious where this story is going, but whatever) - they will kiss! *cough* soon *cough* Tbh, I don't even know exactly when. I'm on this ride too, so be patient lovelies :D
As always, thanks to all who've reviewed, faved and followed! It makes my day knowing that people are viewing my story and enjoy it xD
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Chapter 6
It didn't take Rose much longer for her body temperature to return to its normal degrees. The Doctor had been helpful the entire time which sped up the process. He found a stack of heavy blankets in one of the bedroom closets, soniced them clean (though Noel was a very hygienic planet, he still insisted he put them the way that she preferred) and wrapped her up in her cocoon as she lay on the couch in front of the fireplace. The lodge's room was equipped with bags of instant hot maxa-chocolate which, thanks to the Doctor's request to have extras, made her warm up rapidly and at the same time win over her taste buds.
The Doctor sat on the couch beside her with a mug of hot chocolate for himself. "How's my little larva?" He asked patting her knee through the many layers of covers.
Rose gave him a smile. "Gettin' warm, thanks."
"Good. You were basically a popsicle when I touched you." He pointed a finger at her with a stern expression on his face. "Don't ever do that to yourself again, missy. D'you hear me?"
Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes, sir."
"I'm serious, Rose. If you kept on pretending you weren't freezing and thought it best not to tell me you could've gotten yourself sick with pneumonia, or even worse. Maybe come down with hypothermia, which going by how fast your body temperature was decreasing was a high possibility."
Rose placed her hand on her forehead and shook it. "I know, I know, Doctor. It was stupid of me, alright? I just wasn't thinking clearly. I'm sorry."
The Doctor reached for her hand and pulled it away from her face. Holding it in his, he brushed his thumb over her knuckles comfortingly. "You know I'm always concerned about your well being, Rose. I made a promise to your mother and to myself that I would keep you safe and I have full intentions of keeping it, so I'll be damned if I were to break it." He let out a sigh and muttered. "Just imagine what your mother would do to me. The last thing I need is another infamous slap from one Jackie Tyler," he shuddered at the thought. He heard Rose chuckle softly at his remark. He arched an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Laughing at my pain again, are we?"
"Can't help it. If my mother was the cause of it then I can't resist," she answered with that lovely smile of hers he adored so much.
A chuckle of his own escaped from his nose. In that case he really didn't mind. As long as he got to make that beautiful smile of hers make an appearance then it was worth it. It would always be worth it. She was worth the pain, no matter what. "Yeah."
"Though you know she might resort to other methods of gettin' back at'cha."
His eyes widened. "No, I don't even wanna guess at what they could be," he let out an exaggerated whine, "Oh Rose, you realize what you just did? Now I'll have to live with reoccurring thoughts and fears of imaging exactly what your mother is capable of doing to me if ever a situation were to happen - not that it will, since I made a promise, but still. I'm not some average bloke. She could probably make me regenerate on the spot just by staring at me with those-" he gestured to his eyes with two fingers, "-piercing, devilish eyes."
Rose laughed at patted his hand currently holding her opposite one. "Well you know what they say Doctor, some looks could kill…"
The Doctor guffawed, his eyebrows going to his hairline. "And your mother would definitely be the person to make that happen."
They both laughed for a moment before silence hung between the two of them. The only sound in the room was the crackling from the fire still lit in the grated fireplace and the soft slurping from the Doctor as he drank down his mug of hot chocolate. Rose was the first to speak again. "You know you really didn't have to go to the trouble to get more hot chocolate up here just for me, right?"
"Trouble?" The Doctor waved his hand. "Nah, it's no trouble. I wanted to order enough to make sure you got warm and also enough for me to have. This stuff's amazing!"
"Man, you really love the stuff."
"Yep!" He took another sip from his mug, closing his eyes as he took in the richness of the chocolatey flavor. When he finished he brought it down to hold it in his lap as he licked his lips, catching the small drops with his tongue. Humming in satisfaction, he nodded his head and grinned wickedly at Rose. "Mhm, that's gooooood stuff!"
Rose couldn't stop herself from laughing at himself. He treated the drink as if it were liquid gold. She gasped at him with mock exasperation, "Are you telling me that you actually love hot chocolate more than bananas?"
He opened his eyes. "Well firstly, this isn't just some ordinary hot chocolate, Rose. It's hot maxa-chocolate made from Maxafone brewers, some of the most hardworking workers on this planet. And secondly…those two things can't be put into the same category. They both fit into classes of their own."
"How so?"
"Wellll…" he scratched his right sideburn, "Noel is the only planet to brew the stuff. The residents' original home planet is now run by their twin planet and they have different traditions and cultures, definitely none of the hot chocolate. Whereas bananas can be found on a lot of planets across many galaxies - although if you were to go to Gijubas IV they have bananas that really taste like plums, so those really don't qualify. No, this stuff," he lifted up his mug and took another sip and hummed once again, "this stuff only exists here and I haven't had any for a long time so I asked for extra bags of it to store in the TARDIS. Good, yeah?"
"I see. You're very sentimental," Rose commented with a smile.
"Yep," he responded, popping the 'p' before taking another sip as he stared into the fire.
After some short brief conversations and suggestions about where to go to next, they both settled on going to Holly Square to see the largest candy cane in existence before heading over to a diner to try some of the ham. Their food consumption hasn't really been hearty or filling since all they ate today were various desserts and small snacks.
Rose unwrapped herself from her mound of covers and stood up, stretching her arms over her head. "I'll go take a quick shower and change before we go, kay?"
The Doctor nodded, still seated on the couch. "Alright, but dry off good and stay warm cause we don't need a repeat of earlier, thank you."
She lowered her arms and pushed him lightly into the pillows. "No Doctor, I'll just jump out of the shower and run around in the nude."
"Ehm…" Warmth began coursing through his body at a rapidly growing rate - and he was positively certain that it wasn't from the fire in front of him. Blinking a few times, he tripped over his words, unable to form a proper sentence. "Ehm…that's-that's very…I really, uhh… I don't think…Your…err" He felt his ears burn, surely turning pink with every imaginable detail popping into his head of Rose Tyler in the nude. Surely he thought she was beautiful in just about any article of clothing, so without a doubt she would be alluring minus everything. So warm and soft and round in just the right places… wait, what?! He was really thinking about these things?! Rassilon, what was becoming of him?
A sudden burst of laughter brought the Doctor out of his scandalous thoughts. "Oh God, your face was the best! Don't worry, Doctor I'll make sure to dress warm."
He blinked again. "Well we have a little under an hour til the lighting, so don't be long. Unless you were to get sucked down the drain which, while is very unlikely, could still very much have a possibility of happening with you, you know with you being all jeopardy friendly-"
Whack. He was met with a response by a pillow greeting him in the face.
"And I suppose you just dance around traps and situations, right?" Rose said, laughing at him.
Scrunching his nose a few times, he said, "Now, now. We're not talking about me. But let's not get into that right now, we have things to see, things to do-" Rose's stomach suddenly made its presence known by letting out an audible growl. The Doctor chuckled, "-things to eat."
"I know, I'm going now." She made it to the en suite then turned around to say, "Don't wait outside this door, Mr. Impatient."
The Doctor made a face of mock offense. "Rose Tyler, you think I creep around to hear you in the shower? What do you take me for?"
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and closed the door behind her as she started the shower.
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The Doctor was left alone, still seated on the couch in front of the fireplace rolling his sonic between his fingers while Rose was finishing up her shower. Well at least he thought she was finishing up. She had been in the en suite taking a shower for 18.473623 minutes - not that he was timing her actions on purpose, it was just his superior senses at work and a simple activity to do whilst he waited patiently for her to finish.
Okay that was a lie. Not surprisingly, he was jittering in his spot just itching to get moving. At one point he had gotten up and paced around the tree for a bit. He had taken out his sonic and almost adjusted the hot chocolate maker. But somehow he successfully restrained himself from any act of jiggery pokery and plopped back down on the couch cushion. Patience was definitely not something that applied to him, especially if he had somewhere to be. It wasn't just to see the lighting of the tree ceremony. Yes, that was a beautiful sight in itself and the main attraction to visit on this wonderful planet, but there was a pulling feeling deep in his chest just aching to get out.
Something like a…revelation? Or maybe a declaration of some sort? Truth be told the Doctor had no idea how to describe the feeling tugging at his hearts. It's been lingering since they stepped out of the TARDIS and walked through the entrance of Noel. It wasn't sickening or anything it was just…odd. Perhaps his over excitement was contrasting with his inner fears. Fears of how this whole trip would turn out when it was over. Fears of what would happen come the future in next adventures.
Fears of what could become of him and Rose. Mainly Rose.
How much time did she have? She was told she was going to die in battle, but how and when? Of course he would never even allow it to happen. He refused to take a peek into her timeline to spoil himself with any answers or hints as it was against his rule to never see the future of a companion's life. But Rose was more than a companion, she was…what was she to him? Everything was the generic answer to that but exactly what could she be considered? She was no doubt his best friend always making him laugh and helping him when he needed her, but she was also his savior, his angel that lifted him up from the broken down and beaten up man he had been and made him better. She was the light to his darkness, the antidepressant to his sadness and…the love of his life. Yes, that's what she was - his love.
The Doctor scrubbed a hand down his face and stared into the fire as it thoughts swam around him. Though he had never called her that in person deep down in his hearts it was the truth. He loved her.
It really doesn't need saying, does it?
Yes. Maybe it does. She needs to know, really know. But how was he supposed to do that? He had never had the courage to say those three simple words to her. They didn't do the feelings he had for Rose any justice. To humans that would be the appropriate and heartwarming reassurance, but it was very…lacking. It just wasn't enough. It was also constantly thrown around carelessly, not really preserving any and all meaning behind it and the moment it was said. That was wrong, it needed more behind it. Of all of the many languages -human and alien alike- that he knew, there weren't enough words that could amplify it any more than it was. Well, there was one in which he technically said it. His own from his home planet.
While she may not realize it, he had already admitted his feelings for her, just not in the human standard. Whenever he cradled her in his protective arms as he tried to help her fall back to sleep after her nightmares got the best of her, he had traced his declaration to her in the language of his people on her back. Even when they were lounging on the couch in the library while he read a story to her he had inscribed it over her back with his gentle fingers. The words he wanted to say to her written in circles and lines forming them in a perfect invisible script. He didn't expect her to know what he was really doing or its meaning, just that he'd been telling her all this time over the last two years.
Though it was probably the strangest and most overwhelmingly uplifting effect he's ever felt over someone, it was equally enjoyable and all the more frightening at the same time. There were several reasons why he shouldn't initiate an even closer and deeper relationship with Rose, and only one reason why he should, but that one reason outweighed the ill effects and was more than enough. Oh if she only knew. Well, she does know…doesn't she? She has to. He may not have expressed it verbally but his interactions with her were more than evident. She knows how important she is to him, how much he'd fight for her, comfort her, cherish her every move and action and…well, basically everything she does if he was honest.
Rose's comments from earlier came to mind: You're very sentimental. Oh, how sentimental he was indeed. He had attachments to a many of various sources: the TARDIS, his sonic screwdriver, even the mole between his shoulder blades - and of course the lovely pink and yellow human that he'd protect with every fiber of his being. It always astounded him how much she grew onto him like the way she did. How was that even possible? However she did it, it happened and the sensation grew more and more each day. She pieced together his shattered hearts and proved to him that she was a lot more than an ordinary human.
The Doctor clamped his eyes shut tight. They had been exposed to the fire for far too long and started to burn and sting. Getting up from his seat he stood beside the fireplace, hands on the mantle. It just occurred to him that this was reality. Was that what he would be doing if he initiated a deeper relationship with Rose? Staring into her soul until it became too much and burned him inside? It was inevitable - she was going to die one day just as he would but he would live on, alone. Just as it always had been. And he would live with the straying ache in his mind and hearts that were once filled with Rose's golden presence. A wound so damaged it couldn't be healed, a hole so deep it couldn't be filled, a love so vibrant and strong it couldn't be replaced. Not by another.
"No," he whispered hoarsely aloud as he swam in that dark part of his mind again. Pacing around with his hand in his hair, he tried to get rid of those grim thoughts. He didn't want to face that dark day when it came and he didn't want to waste his time away from Rose. He was going to treasure every second of every day he had with her. He was going to make it count, he would make sure of it.
"Make sure of what?"
The Doctor's head whipped around so fast his vision blurred and made him dizzy for a moment. He said that out loud? With one hand still fisted in his hair and the other clenched at his side, he let go of the current strands he had been tugging and brought them both to his widened eyes to clear the fogginess. He was so caught up in his thoughts that his senses neglected to alert him of Rose's presence.
Her hair was poker straight as it fell passed her shoulders, shining with a golden hue reflecting off the flames from the fire. She touched up her makeup, which wasn't too much but enough to bring out her hazel eyes. She smelled of vanilla and coconut mixed with an additional strong aroma of the strawberry banana shampoo that he gave her from the planet Jairo, which was a scent he loved so much. The heavy green elf sweater they had bought earlier held her close around her body no doubt keeping her warm. She had that trademark smile of hers across her face, impossibly brightening her form more than it already was in front of the colorful flames. She was…angelic.
"Helloooo Doctor," a hand waved in front of his face, bringing him out of his daze.
His eyes bulged as he realized he was gaping. "Wha'?" He said with an unmanly squeak then cleared his throat. "Sorry, I was just, err…"
"You were talking to yourself," she giggled.
He sniffed and twisted his collar. Why is it suddenly a sauna in here? "Weeell…needed someone to keep me company while you were gone, didn't I? The TARDIS isn't here so why not, I'm my company." It was a horrible excuse but Rose accepted it with another smile.
"It's okay Doctor, I'm ready now so you don't have to look like a madman."
"Well I am a madman with a box, so…" he trailed off with a cheeky grin.
"Can't argue with that," she looked down at her sweater with a gesture, "How's it look?" She turned around in a full circle, showing him the whole sweater. He took the opportunity to admire how nice and fitted it held against her midsection. Her curves were very- "Doctor, you're zoning out again."
His eyes snapped up to hers. "Sorry, I was just coming up with the perfect adjective to describe it," Rose arched an eyebrow at him, "Oh! Well, when…it's very…tight. No! Um sorry, it's nice and fitted and…ehh green. And elf-like." Rassilon help him.
She gave him a playful push. "You have such a way with words."
"Oh yes! That's me. Words, words, words. You know words have power. Them and books can be the most powerful weapon of choice. Definitely the only weapon I'd use, and the only one I could handle and not blow up in my face. Although I may tend to eat my own words, so I guess that-"
Rose swatted his chest lightly to stop his rambling. "Doctor, we'll miss the lighting if you keep this up. How much time we got?
"Oi! I don't talk that much!" Rose arched her eyebrow at him again. "Okay maybe I do. But I won't make us miss the lighting. And we have exactly forty minutes and eleven seconds."
"Oh my God, it's almost time! Can we still eat or will we be too late?"
"Rose, relax. We have plenty of time to eat. But!" He caused her to jump, "Before we go, I have to get ready." Without warning he sprinted to his room.
"You have to get ready?" Rose chuckled as he readied himself in his room.
"Yep!" As fast as he ran in, he ran back out sporting the red Santa sweater over his pinstriped jacket and the matching Santa hat on his head. He couldn't help but widely grin as Rose doubled over in laughter. It was always a treasure seeing her like that. He sauntered over to her and placed her elf hat on her head. He tilted his head to each side with a playful smile on his face. "What's an elf without Santa Claus?"
Rose adjusted her hat before pulling the Doctor's over his eyes. "You mean what's Santa Claus without his elf?"
"I'm certain that Santa would never have an elf that would be this rude," he lifted up his hat from his eyes and smirked at her. "But you're the best elf for this jolly man in red."
"Can't beat a Santa wearing pinstripes and trainers," she grinned cheekily.
"Well I am the skinny Santa. All the running made me lose my belly," he slapped his hands over his stomach. He reached over to offer Rose his arm, which she gladly looped hers through. "Time to eat and get it back!"
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Luckily for the Doctor and Rose the diner located in Holly Square was about five minutes away from the lodge. It was decorated like every other business and building in the town with wreaths bordering every window and colorful lights and paintings on every wall. Hot food greeted the two of them as they entered the diner and sat at a window booth. Rose didn't waste any time and just ordered honeyed ham with mashed potatoes and iced tea. The Doctor figured it was easier to just order half of a whole ham for the two of them along with side dishes.
Their order came a few minutes later and they both dug into the ham. It was juicy and sweet just the way it should be, the mashed potatoes were hot and buttery with a hint of parsley on top. Considering that this was their first actual meal since setting foot on this planet they were both famished, especially Rose.
"Blimey, it's like watching the Animal Planet," the Doctor jokingly commented as he watched Rose take a large bite out of her slice of ham." She was about to speak but the Doctor held his hand up to stop her. "Now Rose, don't talk with your mouth full. Where are your manners?"
Rose swallowed her food down with her iced tea and gave him a pointed look. "Me? At least I don't go around sticking my fingers in jams and licking them clean."
The Doctor laughed as he took a bite out of his own slice of ham. "I'm very curious," he gave her a wink before finishing his sentence. "Besides, I don't want you to choke on your food."
"Sorry, I'm starving. Plus I don't wanna make us miss the lighting."
"Rose, we won't miss it. It's practically right behind this diner. We sill got less than a half hour," he reached across the table to grasp her hand, "Don't rush your food. You'll get a bad stomach ache and then I'll have to deal with that. Please don't do that to me, Rose."
Rose chuckled. "You're so sweet." They resumed eating their meal along with some stealing off of each other's plates, more comments about each other's manners and table etiquette and with some dinner conversations. The Doctor said they might have to skip their visit to the largest candy cane in the Square, but there was another gift shop a few buildings down from the diner where they can pick up some souvenirs for themselves and for Jackie and then make it to the lighting of the tree ceremony.
When they both finished eating the Doctor used another credit stick to pay for everything. They walked out of the diner and for the gift shop. Rose took a basket and gazed around the place to see what they could buy. The Doctor didn't waste any time as he headed straight for the singing snow globes like a little kid in a toy store. Rose rolled her eyes and smiled at him as he darted off. She moved over to some of the handcrafted knick-knacks of various Christmas themed characters. She found one of an elf that kind of resembled herself with a similar green outfit and pink cheeks. Another row had a cute reindeer with a tall brown mane wearing glasses and its tongue sticking out slightly as it smiled. Rose couldn't help but giggle at how much it reminded her of the Doctor with its traits. Even the tongue was right! She picked up the two items and placed them carefully in her basket then browsed around to see what she could bring her mum.
"Finding everything alright, miss?" A tall woman with pale red skin in a store uniform came over to assist her.
"Yeah, I'm just looking for something for my mum."
"Ah, I see. Are you looking for anything in particular?"
"Um, not really. Anything as long as it doesn't blow up, I guess.
The woman chuckled. "I can assure you we don't carry any explosives. Would you care to see some candles? They are regenerative and can last for many years."
"Really? That's great, I'd like some." Oh the Doctor would definitely love those, but her mum wouldn't mind some fresh candles in her flat. The woman brought Rose over a tall shelf with stocks of candles in various scents. She chose two scents, vanilla cookie and cinnamon apple pie. After placing them in her basket and walked over to the counter where the woman who assisted her was checking her items.
"Is this it?" The woman asked, getting gift bags ready.
"Yeah, I'm just waiting for my-"
"Ah! There you are, Rose!" The Doctor's voice boomed throughout the store.
Turning around, Rose was met with him smiling widely and holding a ridiculous amount of snow globes in his arms. "Doctor! How many of those are you buying?"
He strolled over next to her by the counter. "Well, there were so many to chose from I couldn't decide on just one." He placed the pile on the counter slowly. "So I picked one of each."
"And how many is that?"
He tilted his head and squinted one of his eyes. "Ohh, thirty-four."
Rose gaped at him. "Why do you need thirty-four snow globes?!"
The Doctor blinked. "One for each song it plays," he stated matter of factly.
The woman behind the counter chuckled. "Pardon me for interjecting but there's actually thirty-five. The other ones are on the other side of the store because they are special and have no cost."
The Doctor's smile grew impossibly wider. "Oh brilliant!" And with that he darted off again to retrieve another snow globe.
Rose said this before and she'll say it again: the Doctor has the same personality as a five year old boy. She turned back to the woman and offered her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. He can get…carried away with things."
The woman chuckled. "It's no problem, it's actually a common occurrence here. I don't mean to invade, but are you two a couple?"
Rose stared without blinking. How could she answer this carefully? "Sort of. It's…complicated." Was that right?
"I see. Sometimes it's easy to see with such a strong chemistry like you two have. The reason I asked was because we have a special item for couples." She ducked down under the counter and rose up with a mistletoe in her palm. "This isn't an ordinary mistletoe. It's made with special particles that ignite at the touch of two people in love with each other. Once fully activated it floats over their heads as they share a loving kiss."
"Oh my God, that's…beautiful." The woman handed it over to Rose and held it in her palms. It had red balls of holly and a red bow tied at the top. While she and the Doctor weren't really a couple…well she didn't really know what they could be considered, if she was being honest, it was still amazing thing. Rose turned around to look at the Doctor who was still on the other side of the store and seemed to be busy examining a snow globe with his glasses perched on his nose. What would he say if she bought this? Would he really kiss her? The mistletoe only worked when touched by two people who loved each other. Did he really love her in that way like she had loved him?
Well there was only one way to find out and Rose was feeling very daring at the thought.
"I'll take it," she said handing it back to the woman before whispering, "Can this be a surprise? I don't want him to find out about it yet."
The woman nodded and smiled. "These are very special and only given to couples who have the most dynamic chemistry with one another, so these have no cost. And -I've said this already- but there's a strong admiration between the two of you, I can sense it." She leaned in closer and softly added, "You can't put a price on love, dear."
Rose thanked the woman as she took the mistletoe and hid it in her trouser pocket just as the Doctor had returned with another globe, looking confused. "This is interesting, this one doesn't play a song," he looked at the woman and held up the globe.
"Oh it does, sir. I assure you, it's special." The woman told him.
"What makes this one so special that it's free and it doesn't even play a tune?"
The woman gave a quick glance at Rose and smiled as she took the globe and scanned it. "You'll find out, sir I'm sure of it."
The Doctor, though still confused, considered her words and shrugged. Once all of their items were placed in the small gift bags -and a large carry bag for the thirty-five snow globes- he paid with a credit stick and and wished the woman a merry Christmas. As he turned to walk away the woman called him back and whispered, "Don't let her get away from you. She's an amazing woman." She gestured at Rose who was almost at the exit.
"Oh yes," he said with a soft smile as he watched her. "She's more than that, trust me." He turned back to the woman. "And she's here to stay. Forever."
With that the Doctor walked away. The big moment was coming up - and he wasn't referring to the lighting of the tree. Oh no, this was going to be so much more.