"Hello Maitlands!" The Doctor greeted the children with a great big grin and an armful of presents. He and Clara were off to her dad's house for Christmas eve and day. She'd promised to explain to him whatever was going on when they were driving, but that he should come quick for a short business and then accompany her. She'd sounded nervous and almost hesitant. He couldn't think why, but he came as she asked and let Vastra close the shop early.

"Oh, Doctor, thank god," Clara visibly relaxed at the sight of him. She looked as if she'd been pacing around with her hands in her hair all morning. Her hair was a wreck and he couldn't help but smile.

"Merry Christmas eve, Clara," He smiled at her and then placed the gifts in his arms onto the nearby kitchen table. "So, what's the big emergency?"

She sighed and leaned against the counter across from him. "I sort of messed something up and I will explain when we are alone." Her eyes glanced to Angie, who was smirking between the pair.

"She doesn't want me to know, for one reason or another. But I will find out," The teenager raised a brow at the confused Doctor, as if he secretly knew what was going on, before walking into the living room.

He had to admit, if looks could kill, Angie Maitland would be one mighty fine assassin. He shook the thought away and watched as she sat beside her little brother on the couch. He smiled again, "Brilliant idea, Angie! All Maitlands on the couch. Well, you too George!"

The Doctor ushered them all onto their little couch so that he could give them their presents. He'd not been a huge part of their lives but definitely a more prevalent one since their mum passed away and he wanted to give them something to show he thought of them. Clara had helped him pick out each of the things in the shop, giggling at each of the choices but agreeing that he was spot on with his choices.

"Merry Christmas," He gave Angie and George gift bags and Artie a rather bulky wrapped box. He stood beside Clara and they watched as the family unwrapped their early presents, Artie with such fervour it was almost concerning to the contents in the box.

He'd given Angie a pair of gloves, special texting gloves or so the tag said, an obnoxious yellow phone case because she was always losing her mobile, and a snow cap that had headphones attached to them. He figured he was successfully combating her against the world and maybe fueling her teenage angst in equal parts. But at least she could do it in fuzzy penguin gloves and a lovely hat. It was cool.

George Maitland received a new watch. It seemed a bit useless when one put it like that, but it was a really, really nice watch. It was all chrome-y silver and platinum such-y what's-it. The cool part, though, was that you could flip up the face of the watch and there was a little picture slot inside. With Clara's help, the Doctor had picked out a little picture of his wife and kids at a picnic bench. The man promptly stood and hugged the Doctor, a quick back-patting hug and a nod, and then left to go back to his paperwork or something of the likes.

Artie's gift was his personal favorite. He'd picked it out ages ago in a little antique shop on the edge of somewhere in the states he couldn't remember the name of because he'd just been passing through on a road trip. It was a chess set, both worn and yet brand new looking. The pieces were little dragons and knights and castles all respectively. The boy was looking at it as though it were the best thing he'd ever seen and that made the hefty initial and then airline prices quite worthwhile. The boy jumped up, nearly tripping over his plugged-in sister in the process and hugged the Doctor.

"Game on me when I get back, mate," The Doctor promised to the boy before letting him go and ruffling his curly hair.

Artie nodded eagerly and then bolted off, yelling, "We've got stuff for you Doctor!"

"Ooh, stuff," He laughed. "I do love stuff!"

Angie got up and walked back into the room with her brother a moment later with a few boxes teetered on her arms. She stared at Clara and the Doctor as if they were supposed to receive a message from her eyes before rolling them and saying, "You two, on the couch."

Clara chuckled lightly at the Doctor's surprised look and pulled him on the couch with her, sitting straight up. If she were being honest, she was a little upset to be missing this christmas with these kids. Last Christmas she'd been here as a guest while her dad was away on holiday with his new wife and it had been priceless to watch the kids run down and tear at paper. The looks on their faces had been brilliant, all smiles and grins. Tomorrow morning would be a lot quieter, filled with the inevitable empty space for their mum. Maybe it would be good for them, in the long run, to have that moment for themselves as a family. She lost the thought as Angie shoved a box and a card into her arms.

"The card is from me and the box is from Artie," She told her and sat cross-legged on the ground where her brother soon joined her. A glance to the Doctor revealed that he had a box and a little bag and was grinning as if he'd never gotten a present before in his life. Maybe he hadn't recently and the thought upset her so she watched him as he dug in.

"Haha!" He laughed triumphantly as he fished a key chain out of the little bag, from Angie. It was a metal key chain, one of the ones that came on big racks with a varied slew of different sayings. This one read "Trust me, I'm a Doctor" and the man holding at it laughed heartily at it. He placed it on his keys immediately and rattled them around for effect. "Look, Clara!"

"Brilliant," She grinned as he ripped open the next package. Inside was a huge pack of those glow in the dark outer space decals that he loved so much. The look on his face was so cute that she nearly hopped up and snogged him right there. But she kept her hands folded in her lap and Angie insisted that she open her envelope with the Doctor.

"Alright, what's in here?" Clara asked suspiciously as the Doctor leaned towards her to join the opening.

"Just open it," The girl smirked.

Flipping up the top, she instantly regretted it. On the inside of the flap was a piece of mistletoe held up just so that it was in between her and the Doctor. She was in a right mind to glare at the girl but the Doctor merely chuckled and kissed her on the cheek.

"Very clever, Angie," He told her and so Clara just shrugged off the ordeal and tied to ignore the tingling trace of his lips still on her cheek. Inside her card was a gift card to 'go treat herself'. Say what you would about Angie, but she did care just a little bit.

She got a pair of pajamas from Artie, a black vest top and star covered flannel pants. He grinned up at her, "Dad helped me pick it out. I thought I'd get you and the Doctor matching jammies since you'll be spending christmas together."

"You got.." Clara trailed off as the Doctor held up the present she'd missed opening her own. A black shirt with a light green bow tie sewn on and glow in the dark star flannels. She let out an elated laugh,"I suppose we do match, then."

"Two peas in a pod, you an' I," the Doctor grinned and Clara stood to hug the kids.

"So, we should go, Doctor," She told him, walking away to grab her coat. Gram was going to get a kick out of this. She'd accidentally told her she had a bloke, not meaning anything by it, just a bloke she was hanging out with, and now Gram was insisting on meeting this date of hers. She hadn't meant it in the sense her Gram was taking it, but the older woman had seemed so excited to meet the Doctor, her future grandson in her words, that she couldn't let her down. He'd be coming as her bloke and now they'd have matching pajamas as well. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, see you tomorrow night," Clara promised as they left the Maitlands' house. She pulled him to his truck and hopped in, taking a deep breath. "Okay, so you're my boyfriend."

"Brilliant-"

"No, I mean, I accidentally made it seem like we were dating and now you're expected to come as my bloke and I really hope you don't mind but it's for my Gram," She rushed out her words as if she wanted to get rid of them quickly.

"No problem, Clara," He answered coolly, although he was blushing at the thought of being Clara's bloke. He sort of was, to be honest. He didn't really want to be anyone else's bloke.

"We'll have to be coupley and hold hands and share a room," Clara admitted, expecting him to be appalled for some reason. Maybe because this was such normal circumstances.

"That's alright. I don't mind unless you do," He told her.

"Thank you so much," She leaned up to kiss his cheek and buckle her seatbelt. "Let's go, then."

The rest of the drive was spent in a comfortable silence with the occasional bad joke and off key singing by the Doctor. The pair of them spent most of the long trip smiling. When they finally drove up to Mr. Oswald's house, it was dark and Clara was looking anxious. He took her hand.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, just haven't been home in a long time," She bit her lip and scrunched up her eyebrows. "It'll be fine. It'll be fun."

"Clara, you're brilliant. You shouldn't worry so much," He smoothed out a strand of her hair with his hand. He let it to frame her face. "Everything ill be great. I'll be your bloke and we won't even have to pretend too much. And I'm pretty sure there is a pie on the windowsill there so I already love your family. Pie is definitely cool."

Clara laughed airily at his ridiculousness. She ignored the blatant cheesiness of the line as it came from her mouth, "I think that you are probably my christmas present this year."

"Then you are mine," He grinned back at her.

She couldn't help it. She kissed him. It was so very light, so very chaste, that she wasn't sure she'd actually done it and not imagined it like countless times before until she saw his wide eyes. She smiled coyly and hopped out of the truck before she'd lost her courage.

"Come on, honey," She laughed as she heard him follow her up the path.

"Right behind you, love," He replied seamlessly.

AN: Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, and a great New Year to all of you! I love you guys. Hope you enjoyed it.