Christmas on the Other Side

By Lumendea

Chapter Seven: Christmas Dinner

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: So, yeah, the Doctor and Rose don't get in on the action. I thought a time loop would be fun and honestly after 2020, I thought a fluffy domestic Christmas piece was the right choice. I hope that all of you are having a great holiday season. Stay safe and stay strong.

…..

Dinner finished without incident and too many groans of having eaten too much. The Doctor enjoyed it more than he'd thought he would but hadn't fully relaxed. There was a ship far above his head in trouble, and he wasn't allowed to do anything about it. He'd briefly considered that the call might have been a trick before dismissing it. If there was one thing that the Doctor trusted, it was Rose's judgment. The Guardians knew that she had far better judgment than him, even if he'd never admit that out loud.

But knowing that a future version of him was dealing with it still hadn't settled him. This whole situation was too strange for that. But Rose had relaxed and joined in on the stories. Watching her smile and laugh had brightened everything. The Doctor found himself watching her closely out of the corner of his eye and occasionally turning to watch her, hopeful that the others were distracted by the food and each other.

Her brown eyes lit up when she laughed, the soft flecks of gold in them glittering in the overhead light and the colored strings that Jackie had hung around the room. The dark circle beneath her eyes bothered him, but even they seemed to have faded in the light of her happiness. She and Mickey got into a light kicking war under the table at one point that devolved into Mickey sticking his tongue out at her and Jackie scolding them both before pouring more wine. Sarah Jane had asked loudly if that was what she had to look forward to with Luke and Skye. Her children had promptly rewarded her with an under-table foot war of their own.

When everyone was done, Luke and Skye quickly started helping Jack shuttle the dishes to the kitchen. Jackie protested loudly but was smiling in pleasure at the gesture. She had taken Rose's hand and not released it for several minutes while the conversations wound down. When Jackie relaxed, Rose stood along with Mickey and grabbed the last of the dishes. The Doctor found himself the subject of curious looks from those remaining at the table and stood. There were a few wine glasses that he picked up to take to the kitchen as a pretense.

Luke and Skye jumped out of his way as he passed them. Skye grinned evilly. "I guess you were right about the sculptor of the statue being enamored with Rose, after all, Doctor."

"Skye," Luke scolded lightly.

"Have you really been waiting a year to say that?" the Doctor asked.

Skye shrugged, looking every inch a young teenager. The Doctor wished Sarah Jane and Johnny good luck with her. "Only a little."

Luke offered him an apologetic look that failed to hide his amusement and gently pushed his sister back towards the dining room. The Doctor wasn't sure how to react. On the one hand, Rose was the girl's godmother, so her approval was good; on the other being so transparent to a human teenager wasn't pleasant. He went on his way to the

kitchen, passing Jack with a nod.

Mickey was packing up the leftovers. Moving through the kitchen with an ease that spoke of how often he came over. The Doctor found himself oddly glad that Jackie had Mickey and Sarah Jane looking after her. It wasn't that he liked the woman exactly, but she was slowly growing on him, and he had to give her at least partial credit for how Rose had turned out.

"How bad was the party last night?" Rose asked Mickey from her place at the dishwasher. She was rinsing the plates and loading up the appliance. "Were the police called?"

"Of course they were," Mickey laughed. "Jackie invited the whole street, but someone from the next street over complained. You missed the conga line."

"Oh, what a shame," Rose said dryly. "I wasn't sure if she did one."

"I think she thought about canceling, but Bev and Moe talked her into it. And Gita. According to Jackie, Gita loves a wild party but won't host one herself. What with her husband being a Head Teacher, I guess she thinks it looks bad."

"Well, it would horrify Rani and her husband."

"Yeah, Haresh spend most of the evening watching through the window with a vaguely disapproving look." Mickey shrugged. "Caught him laughing a few times."

"Thank you for looking out for Mum," Rose said. "Really. I'm grateful that you and Sarah Jane have being keeping an eye on her."

"It's no trouble. Saved me from the UNIT Christmas party, at least part of the time." He gave Rose a side-eye, "Have you ever seen Malcolm drunk?"

"No. I can't say that I have."

"I don't recommend it. He is terrifying. Keep rambling about physics and talking about experiments that might 'break things' before giggling."

The Doctor could imagine that. He remembered the kindly but strange man he'd met. The man clearly adored Rose and was loyal to UNIT with strong principles, which put him in the Doctor's good books, but he also remembered the man's wide-eyed personality. Mickey glanced at the door and smirked as he caught the Doctor lingering.

"Running from Jackie?" Mickey asked.

The Doctor scoffed and brought the glasses over to Rose. "Of course not."

"I won't think less of you if you are," Rose assured him. "Thanks for staying for dinner. Just remember, if you go to the TARDIS that you can't check on the ship using her systems. We can't get involved."

"I wonder if the news has picked anything up," the Doctor said casually.

"Doubt it," Mickey said. He pulled out his phone. "No UNIT alerts. If anything had been picked up, I'm sure they would have called me to see if you two were around."

Ten minutes later, the Doctor had the remote and was flipping through the news channels. There was nothing unusual on, and he glanced out the window. Rose knew that he was considering going over to Sarah Jane's house to see Spock.

"I'm sure it's fine," Rose said. She sat down next to him, holding out a cup of tea to him. "If you go over there, you know that you'll be pulled into whatever Christmas games they are playing. At least my mum isn't into those." Rose glanced towards the kitchen. "At least not yet. A few more years like this, and she might be."

"Don't say such things," the Doctor grumbled.

"I don't know why you're so grumpy," Jack sighed happily from the sofa. He was stretched out and patted his stomach. "Wonderful dinner and fun stories. All that's missing is-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Mickey said firmly.

"Ah, come on, Mickey," Jack leered. "What a way to finish the holiday."

"He's very straight," Rose informed Jack. "Early, and I do mean early 21st century. Sorry, Jack."

"I do like challenges."

"I will shoot you," Mickey told Jack. "Or drag you to the UNIT science department and tell Malcolm when you're from. He'd keep you there for weeks with questions."

"That's…" Rose tilted her head and looked up at Jack. "That's a very creative threat, Mickey. I'm impressed. You're right. Malcolm is sweet, but his excitement can carry him away."

"How has no one picked up the ship?" the Doctor demanded. He began to pace across the living room, glaring at the television. "Honestly, I thought your technology was better than this at this point."

"Might be in a blind spot," Mickey said. "Or they have some shielding systems still working."

"Doctor," Jackie groaned. "Either sit down or go and tinker in that blasted ship of yours."

"He's just worried, Mum," Rose said gently. "We know that something bad is happening and can't help. It's a bit stressful."

Jackie's brown eyes softened, and the Doctor realized that what Rose had said was exactly what Jackie and the others had been suffering through over the past month. He slumped down onto the sofa and eyed the television. It was shocking that the news wasn't full of information about the ship yet. With the shields down and communications weak, he doubted that any cloaking technology was still active.

What was his future self up to there? Was it still this body or another one? But Rose was still with him, that was good. Would it be next year or further down the line? If he made a point to avoid the Titanic, then he could make sure that Rose stayed with him as long as possible. He eyed her out of the corner of her eye as she chatted with Mickey and Jack.

The Doctor went to the kitchen and eyed the TARDIS out in the garden. The small light at the top was shining softly in the darkness and illuminating the Tyler's bare garden and the thin layer of snow on the ground. It was tempting to head for the TARDIS at this point. Even if he didn't try to track the ship, he could check over the systems. There might be damage to the TARDIS after recent events. Someone entered the kitchen behind him, and the Doctor turned to find Ian standing behind him.

"I feel like we should have a talk," Ian said. He glanced at the entrance to the kitchen. "About you and Rose."

"This cannot be happening," the Doctor groaned. It had to be the Dream Lord again or something else. There was no way that Chatterton had cornered him in the kitchen to discuss his… whatever with Rose. "Chatterton-"

"Oh, don't start that," Ian sighed. "Aren't you too old for that, Doctor?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, but Ian was completely unbothered. "This is an unusual situation, Doctor. For everyone involved. Many of us have known you for a long time, and we've watched Rose grow up, some of us longer than others. We care about you a great deal, and we also care about Rose."

"I know that."

"And I knew your granddaughter," Ian pointed out. "Seeing you… dating? I'm not sure what word to use here, Rose, who is a human impossibly younger than you, is strange." The Doctor had a feeling that Ian wanted to use a different word than that. "I just want to make sure that it isn't some experiment to you."

"No," the Doctor snapped. The word escaped him before he could think of a proper response. "It isn't like that at all," the Doctor offered. "This is… this is brand new, Ian," he admitted, using the man's name in a gentle tone. He wanted to look away but knew better than appear weak or ashamed right now. "I don't know where it is going to go or how it will turn out. Being with Rose… it makes the universe good again. I can't say where it's going any more than anyone else ever can. Time Lords don't see their own timelines or the timelines of people too close to them."

Ian's expression softened fondly. The Doctor hated it. He was the one used to knowing things before his companions and former companions. He was the one with the answers, and yet whenever he was around this blasted club they had formed, everything was turned on its head.

"I always knew you were more like us than you liked to admit," Ian teased. But then he turned serious. "Just know that if you hurt her, there will be quite a few people on Earth very angry with you and well aware of your weakness. We know that we can kill you, and it won't be permanent."

With that, Ian joined the others in the living room. The Doctor followed to the doorway of the kitchen and watched as the Chesterton-Smith lot gathered up their coats. Jackie was fussing over them, and Barbara was smiling warmly at Rose as she said goodbye.

"Thank you again for dinner, Jackie," Sarah Jane said. She hugged the other woman. "Would you care to join us for games?"

Everyone knew the answer. The Doctor nearly rolled his eyes. Sarah Jane was just asking to be polite, and it was ridiculous.

"Thank you, but no." Jackie smile and waved the Chesterton-Smiths out the door. "You enjoy having both your kids home. I'm going to spend some time with mine."

The Doctor's skin bristled, and he drew back. That itch to run was back. The friends were departing for the evening, and he was remaining behind. What was he in this situation? How was this supposed to work? Jack showed no signs of leaving the sofa. In fact, the Doctor thought that the man might be slipping into a coma. Between the stress of the situation they'd come from, the lack of sleep they'd suffered during the confrontation, and now a full belly, it wouldn't surprise the Doctor if Jack did fall asleep.

He headed for the door and into the cool night air. The snow crunched under his boots, and the Doctor inhaled slowly. It was easier to breathe now. Domestics were oddly stressful, and no politics had even come up. How did humans do it? Were Sarah Jane and her family really at their home planning games? What was Jo up to? What about Ace and Tegan?

"Everything okay?" Rose's voice asked behind him.

"I have no idea what is happening up there!" The Doctor gestured up into the dark sky. That wasn't the only place he didn't know what was happening, but it was oddly easier. "You're there, potentially in danger again, and I…" He shook his head. "Have I regenerated?"

"I don't know," Rose told him. "It didn't come up. She just said that she was with the Doctor; she didn't specify which body you're in." Rose paused and studied him. "Does it matter?"

"Maybe," the Doctor huffed. He wasn't sure right now. "I don't know. With your timelines, I'm never sure what to think about you and my other incarnations!"

"Wow," Rose breathed. She rubbed her hands against the material of her jeans, seemingly overwhelmed. The Doctor immediately regretted his words and wondered how often he was going to put his foot in it. Her knowing how he felt hadn't magically made him better at this. "I thought we'd have more time before we had this conversation."

Rose brushed a stray hair out of her face and stepped closer to the Doctor. Her gaze dropped to his hands, and she reached out to take one in her grasp.

"Regeneration is… hard," Rose admitted as she licked her lips. "I won't pretend that it isn't. Firstly in order for it to happen, you have to die, and I'll never be at ease or happy with that. Something will happen that I won't be able to stop." Rose swallowed and felt a rush of relief when she saw understanding dawn in the Doctor's eyes. "Secondly, I know that you'll be the Doctor, but there are always changes. You shake off one life and start another, and while I accept that, please understand that when it does happen, it is going to be difficult for me."

"I'll still be me, Rose," the Doctor said. She could see confusion and understanding warring for control as he struggled with her words.

"Try to imagine never seeing my face again," Rose offered gently as she squeezed his hand. "Never seeing this smile again. Even if I was still really here and had a new smile and still loved you. Are you saying that no part of you would miss this smile and these eyes?"

"I suppose I would miss that smile of yours," the Doctor said. He sounded a bit choked up and maybe a touch unsure. His fingers tightened around her hand.

"This one?" Rose asked. Then she gave him a tongue touched smile and watched him swallow thickly.

"That's the one."

"And when you do regenerate…" Rose trailed off for a moment, squeezing his hands. "I know you'll still be the Doctor, but I'll miss this face. It doesn't mean for a moment that I won't still fiercely and deeply love you. Doesn't mean that I'll leave or won't adjust. I will. I promise. When it happens, just try to remember this conversation. Understand that I still love you, but please recognize that I need to grieve for who you used to be just as much as I need to learn who you are now. Recognize that I can miss a former smile even as I share a happy moment with a new one."

"I…." The Doctor had no idea of what to say to that. Something was happening far overhead, something that could risk Earth, and he was stuck waiting on the sidelines and being completely stunned by Rose Tyler for the millionth time. "How do you always say the right thing?"

"I don't." Rose laughed a little. That hair fell into her face again. The Doctor reached forward and brushed it behind her ear. "If you think about it, you'll remember that I don't." Rose stepped closer and hugged him. "And things like this… I know you're not big on talking things through, but if we're going to make a relationship work, then sometimes we're going to have to."

"This is new for me," the Doctor admitted. "I was married before, on Gallifrey."

"I know."

"It was very different than this."

"We'll figure it out," Rose assured him. "It's us, after all." She adjusted her position and drew back just enough to look up at the Doctor. "Together." Then she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "You go and check the TARDIS; I know you want to. I'll send Jack out to go to bed and spend some time with Mum and Mickey." Rose gave him a soft smile. "Thank you for doing dinner. It meant a lot to me."

"You're welcome," the Doctor said softly. "And thank you."

From her smile, the Doctor knew that Rose knew what he meant. And it reassured him that as strange as this new relationship was, they'd figure it out.