www . pinterest pin / 203225001908806549 / (picture of Di's dress, only just a little shorter than shown)

A/N: An early publishing of the Christmas chapter. Please enjoy! :D

Christmas Eve, 1970

The Doctor smiled and put his arm around my shoulder. "You'll be perfectly fine, Diana. Now stop your worrying. It's Christmas and the Brigadier's invited us to his party. There's nothing to worry about." The Doctor squeezed my shoulders comfortingly. "Now, since the party will be starting in a few hours, I suggest you start getting ready. I plan to arrive very early."

"So you can taste all the wine, no doubt," I commented as I stepped through the doorway that led to the rest of the TARDIS.

"Of course not. That would be most indignant of me!"

"Directions, please, Doctor."

"First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left."

"Thank you!"

"Do you think this one would be alright?" I asked the TARDIS, holding up the slimming black dress. I lowered it and raised a TARDIS blue dress that was equally slimming and flattering as the previous dress. "Or maybe this one? I don't know how formal I should dress, what color to wear, any of that! I'm not good with fashion, Sexy.

"Should I wear something red or green to go with the holiday? Or black? Black goes with anything and I can always make it look more cheerful by adding a bow in my hair or a pin on the collar."

The TARDIS hummed and flashed a few of the lights in the wardrobe. I smiled and shrugged hopelessly. "I don't speak TARDIS, Sexy. Sorry." I looked back at the dresses and compared them silently for a minute. "I think the black one- No, the blue one. No... Oh, I don't know. Alright! I am wearing the blue one and that's final!"

Ten minutes later, I had tried both dresses on, sneered at my appearance, and very nearly ripped all my hair out. "Having another woman around would be so helpful right now," I muttered grumpily. "I think the black one would be the best one to wear, but I really like that blue one... Blue is Christmas-y, right...? No, no. You're right, Sexy. Black is better. Black is slimming and sexy and goes with everything. I'll wear the black."

I quickly slipped my street clothes off and pulled the dress over my head. It was simple, but still stylish and pretty. The dress was fashioned with an empire waistline, (which hid my tummy very well), modest straps and cleavage coverage, a silky black skirt that followed the curves of my thighs without overly accentuating them, and a chiffon outerskirt that flowed perfectly over the rest of the dress. I was glad that it reached only an inch or two past my knees because it wasn't overly formal and it wasn't too informal.

Then I searched through the wardrobe for a small black jacket to put over the dress so I could hide my blemished upper arms. Once I found the desired jacket, I looked for a long, black coat to wear in the snowy weather and a pair or either black or silver heels that wouldn't kill me. I finally decided on a pair of half inch silver heels that covered my toes and part of the tops of my feet. A nice touch was the cute silver bow that was attached to the shoe right beneath and to the side of my toes. The cloak that the TARDIS picked out for me was absolutely beautiful: it was completely black and just brushed the floor when it was tied around my shoulders, the collar was some sort of black animal fur that kept the back of my neck warm, and it had long black sleeves that covered my arms down to my wrists.

"Do you think I should put something in my hair so it looks better?" I asked the TARDIS. She flashed her lights a little and let out a whirring sound. "I think so too."

Once I had brushed my hair and added a small green bow attached to a bobby pin to keep my hair from falling in my face, I quickly looked over my appearance in the wardrobe mirror. I smoothed the wrinkles in the skirt of my dress and then twirled once. "Well, I think that's as good as it's getting," I commented. "Maybe some lip gloss and then I'm done."

I added the finishing touches my outfit needed, then hurriedly stepped out of the wardrobe so the Doctor and I wouldn't be late to the Brigadier's party. As I walked back to the console room, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Butterflies were fluttering in my stomach and my heart was pounding heavily inside my chest. What would the Doctor think of my outfit? Would he approve or... not? I pulled the cloak tighter around me and took deep breath as I saw the doors to the console room come into view.

The doors suddenly flew open and the Doctor stepped out, his name leaving my lips. He stopped mid sentence when he saw me. "Oh. You're ready," he said slowly.

I nodded. "Sorry I took so long. I couldn't decide what to wear."

"You look beautiful."

My cheeks flushed and I ducked my head in embarrassment. A small, nervous laugh escaped me and I awkwardly rubbed my left arm. "Thank you," I answered softly.

"Shall we?"

I looked up. The Doctor was holding his arm out to me, waiting for me to place my hand in the crook of his elbow. A smile came across my face and my nerves started to melt away. I stepped forward and looped my arm with his.

While the two of us sat silently in the car, I thought over the events of the last month. The Brigadier and Sergeant Benton had found it particularly amusing that they found the Doctor and I asleep with our arms wrapped around each other inside Bessie. I smiled at the memory, holding in my urge to laugh. The Doctor and I had been very embarrassed when we woke up the morning of November the twenty-fourth to see Benton and Alistair snickering at us through the windows.

I spent the rest of the month trying to get over my head cold that the rain had given me. The Doctor was lucky enough not to get anything more than a light cough. But after I recovered, the Doctor took me out to dinner as a "belated Thanksgiving meal". Even if he and the Brigadier didn't celebrate the American holiday, they still made me feel like I was back home in California by preparing a turkey dinner for me and my new family (The Doctor, the Brigadier, and Benton, that is). In fact, the Doctor, Alistair, and Benton all made sure that I was able to celebrate the holiday the way I normally would have back home.

Then I thought over the past few weeks I'd spent at UNIT HQ, becoming close friends with the Brigadier and Sergeant Benton, whose first name was actually John. When I was still living in California, I'd had a small crush on the Brigadier. But over the time I had stayed with the two men, the crush grew into brotherly and fatherly affection. The two men ended up becoming the protective older brothers I'd never had. They took me out to lunch or dinner when the Doctor was busy with his science experiments and would keep me company on the days that the Doctor would suddenly drive out of town for hours and hours. Sometimes John would take me to the local bookstore and we would stay there for hours and talk or read together. In fact, John's thirtieth birthday was Christmas Eve and Alistair had given me money so I could buy him a present.

Liz had decided to resign her position as the Doctor's assistant, but she still spent time with me on the weekends. If she wanted to go shopping, I would accompany her and we would usually end up laughing about the Doctor or the Brigadier or John. She was still in the process of moving from her UNIT housing to her new flat in London and we spent the first weekend of December finishing boxing up her belongings and driving them to her new place.

But on the days that the Doctor wasn't busy or in a bad mood, he would take me out in Bessie and show me around London and the surrounding cities. Sometimes we would visit a local museum and the Time Lord would tell me about how many details the historians had gotten all wrong. Other times, he would take me out for a casual meal and then we would walk around and look at all the national monuments we could find. He even took me to Baker Street once, where a museum dedicated to the fictional character of Sherlock Holmes would be built in 1990. He even promised to take me to the future museum once he had fixed the TARDIS.

Over the month that I had been staying with the Doctor, I came to realize that my schoolgirl crush on the alien had grown into something much larger. We both lived in the TARDIS and our bedrooms were right next to each other, which meant that I saw him when I woke up and right before I went to bed every day. There was one occaision when had almost used the same bathroom to shower in, but the matter had been resolved quickly. The Doctor didn't seem to notice my growing affections for him, but Alistair and John had. Alistair was kind enough not to mention my feelings for the Doctor, but often tried to encourage the Doctor to spend more time with me. John, despite not always knowing how to comfort me, would remind me that I was a lovely young lady and that the Doctor was a fool not to return my feelings.

"Diana?"

The Doctor's voice drew me out of my thoughts. I looked over at him with a somewhat dazed expression. "Yes?"

"Are you alright? You've been very quiet."

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

He nodded once, then looked back out the front window. "We're almost there," he commented. "Just another minute."

I shifted in my seat and looked out the window. Just ahead, I could see the lights of the Brigadier's house. His house was simple, yet pleasant and I instantly fell in love with it. It had only one story, but was large enough for a family of three. The outside was warm and welcoming; the walls were a cream color and the support beams posted around the exterior were dark brown. There was a front porch that had a single potted plant, which I asumed belonged to his wife, and a wooden fence along the edge of the cement.

"It's a lovely house," I said.

The Doctor made a sound in the back of his throat. "I suppose so," he replied half-heartedly.

With a laugh, I turned to him. "Be nice to him, Doctor. Even if you don't like his house, don't tell him that."

"Why not?"

"It's rude."

The Doctor had his arm around my back, shielding me from the cold wind and snow. I had John's present, as well as everyone else's gifts, under my left arm and my right arm was pressed against my torso. The front door suddenly flew open and there was the Brigadier, dressed in his formal uniform. He quickly ushered us inside and closed the door behind us.

"My dear fellow, what took you so long?" the Doctor asked, rubbing his hands along his arms.

I elbowed him in the ribs. "It's fine, Alistair," I said with a smile. "Your house looks wonderful. I love it."

"Thank you, my dear. Would you like to take your coats off?"

The Doctor wordlessly slipped his black cloak off and handed it to the Brigadier. When he started to walk off, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "You're supposed to say 'thank you'," I reminded him.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Thank you, Lethbridge-Stewart. Et cetera, et cetera." He looked down at me, exasperated. "Pleased?"

"Yes. Now hold this." I pushed the presents into his hands and unbuttoned my cloak. Once I had pulled it off, I turned back to the Brigadier and smiled. "Where do I put this?"

"I'll take it for you."

"No, no. I can put it away."

Alistair gently took the cloak from my hands with a smile. "Diana, I'll take care of it."

The Doctor twined his fingers with mine and pulled me back. He put the present in my free hand and tugged on my arm. "Come on. There's some fabulous wine that's wating to be tasted."

"Thank you, Alistair," I called as the Doctor dragged me away. "Doctor, you don't need to try the wine. Save it for the other guests."

"There's only three other people here, Diana. They cannot possibly drink all of the wine."

I pulled my hand from his. "Well, I'm going to find John and give him his gift. And don't get drunk. You're my ride home." I was about to walk away when I noticed that there was snow stuck in the Time Lord's hair. "Hang on a sec. Lemme get this."

I quickly brushed the snow out of his hair and off his shoulders, then straightened the lapels of his burgundy velvet coat. "Better."

"Thank you," he replied.

I smiled and waved as I went off in search of John. I found him in the kitchen trying to steal some of the snacks Alistair had prepared. "John, what are you doing?"

He turned around, a cracker halfway in his mouth. I laughed and he joined me once he swallowed the food. I stepped forward and gave him a hug, his present hidden behind my back. But he saw the wrapped box and snatched it out of my hands.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Your birthday present, silly."

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything!" he protested with a surprised smile.

I shook my head. "Of course I did. You're practically my best friend. I couldn't just get you nothing for your birthday."

John smiled and pressed his cheek against mine, his arm still around my shoulders. "Thank you so much," he said, squeezing my shoulders.

"It's nothing, John. Just open it!"

He released me and excitedly opened the present. I was worried that he wouldn't like it, but when I saw the wide smile on his face I knew that I had chosen the perfect gift. John set his present down on the kitchen counter and pulled me into a firm hug.

"I love it!"

I happily patted his back and laughed. "I'm so glad. I wasn't sure if you'd like it or not, but-"

"It's wonderful! Do you know how long I've been wanting to get these?"

"A while?" I guessed.

John looked back at the three books I'd given him and shook his head. "I never got around to getting these. It's been so much more hectic at UNIT, what with the Doctor and all those aliens. I just never had the time."

"Well, I hoped that these would be alright. Since you read the same three books each time you took me to the bookstore."

He laughed. But before he could answer, Alistair appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Yates and Miss Shaw have just arrived. If the two of you would care to bring the food with you, that would be most helpful."

"Of course, Brigadier," John answered with a polite nod.

Once Yates and Liz arrived, the party officially became a party. Or at least as much of a party as the military personnel felt like having. Liz, Benton, Alistair, and the Doctor all had glasses of wine in their hands, but Yates and I decided to just drink hot chocolate.

After we all had our drinks and a few snacks, we exchanged gifts. Other than John's birthday present, each gift was from both myself and the Doctor. Liz's present was some sort of science-y gadget that she had apparently mentioned in passing to the Doctor and she was more than excited to receive it, giving both of us a hug in thanks. Yates' present was a handsome leather-bound journal that was about an inch and a half thick. (He liked to write his adventures with UNIT in notebooks and sometimes even wrote his own original science fiction stories.) Alistair received his present last and I was the most excited for him to open it.

I had my arm wrapped around the Doctor's and was eagerly waiting to see Alistair's reaction to his gift. He seemed pleasantly surprised by the gift and was silent for a few minutes. My excitement faded and I was worried that maybe he didn't like it as much as I thought he would.

"Thank you very much," the Brigadier said with a smile. "Both of you."

"What is it?" Liz asked curiously.

During the days that I had spent with John and Alistair, I had come to know their likes and dislikes. Alistair had opened up to me when we went out to lunch together and he had told me a lot about his childhood and family and everything in between. He'd also told me about the one thing he'd always wanted to do, he even laughed about how most normal soldiers wouldn't be interested in it.

"It's... Well, it's a collection of plays."

"Plays?" Liz and Yates repeated somewhat incredulously.

I smiled encouragingly at Alistair. He looked up from the thick book and let out a soft laugh. "Only Diana and the Doctor know this, but... when I was younger my dream was to be a Shakespearean actor. It seems that the two of them remembered my passion for acting."

"Brigadier, I never would have thought," John said with a smile.

"Yes, well. I don't prefer to talk about it very much." He shook his head and quickly flipped through the book. Then he stepped forward and gave me a hug. "Thank you both. Very much."

"It's nothing, Brigadier," I answered.

The Doctor cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes. We knew you would enjoy your gift."

"I am certain that I will."

John put a hand on Alistair's shoulder. The two glanced at each other and smiled politely. "Now it's time for the rest of us to exchange our presents," John said.

The next fifteen minutes were spent exchanging gifts between one another. The Doctor pretended to be unimpressed with his gifts, but I could see a gleam of amusement in his eyes when the others weren't looking and I knew that he did appreciate the gifts. I myself was surprised that the others were thoughtful enough to give me considerate presents that they knew I would love.

John's gift to me was a collection of J.R.R. Tolkein's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy in hardback copies with a personalized note from himself on the inside of the first book. I was completely thrilled and gave him a large hug and a kiss on the cheek in thanks. The next person to give me a present was Liz, who handed me a small gift-wrapped box. I opened it to find two beautiful silk scarves I had seen and desperately wanted on a previous outing we'd shared. Underneath the scarves was a silver necklace in the shape of a tiny star.

"Because you've told me on more than one occasion about how much you want to travel the stars," Liz explained. "I thought it might be appropriate."

"It is, Liz. Thank you so much."

Yates, despite not knowing me very well, still bought something for me based on the few things I'd told him and things he'd heard from John. He'd learned about my love for music and singing and bought me a few records of my favorite musicians of the sixties and seventies, even though they weren't all from England. I ended up owning a record of The Jackson Five, The Beatles, and Elvis.

"Thank you, Yates. This is... awesome. I've always wanted records of these artists."

He smiled politely at me and nodded once. "My pleasure, Miss Scott."

"Diana, please."

Alistair was the last one to give me a gift and I was stunned by the beauty and quality of it. It was a beautiful silver bracelet made of delicate links decorated with pearls in the shape of small flowers. A matching silver necklace with a single pearl flower charm was in the small box with the bracelet. I knew that the gift was likely very expensive and had cost Alistair a pretty penny.

"Oh my-... Alistair, this is beautiful! I-I can't believe you got this for me!"

"It's the most I could do for you," he answered with a genuine smile. "I knew you would like it. In fact, I had some help."

Behind me, the Doctor cleared his throat. I glanced at him in surprise. "You?" I asked. He nodded and smiled. "Thank you. For helping him. And thank you, Alistair. They're absolutely beautiful."

I stepped forward and gave the Brigadier and long hug. He returned the embrace and chuckled into my hair. We pulled apart after a minute and I held the bracelet out to him. "Would you clasp this for me?"

He nodded and quickly clasped the beautiful bracelet around my wrist. I held my hand up and admired the jewelry with a wide grin. The overhead lights sparkled against the silver and pearls and made me gasp. Tears gathered in my eyes as I looked over the jewelry.

"I've never owned anything this beautiful before. Thank you."

The Doctor came up behind me, holding his hand out in front of my chest. I looked over at him and realized that he was waiting for me to hand him the necklace. I did as he was silently requesting and turned around, facing the Brigadier with an awkward smile. His fingers brushed the nape of my neck multiple times as he clasped the necklace.

"Thank you," I breathed as my face flushed.

The others, having both received and given their gifts, had turned away and started talking amongst themselves. Alistair smiled at us and briefly rested a hand on my shoulder. "You and the Doctor can go sit down by the fireplace, alright? I'm going to ask the others to take a seat."

The Doctor took my gifts from my arms and placed them on a chair behind him along with his own gifts. Then he took my hand and guided me over to the group of wooden chairs. I didn't want to sound demanding, but I was curious to see if the Doctor had gotten me any sort of gift. So I, rather nervously, asked him.

"Of course I did, silly girl," he responded with a smirk and tap on the edge of my nose. "It's back in the TARDIS."

"Oh. Well, I wasn't actually expecting you to say yes..."

"My dear, I wouldn't simply ignore giving you a gift during the most festive and familial time of the year."

John, Liz, Alistair, and Yates had started to gather and sit down next us, drinks in their hands. They were laughing at a joke I had missed and were nodding eagerly at one another. "I think Diana should sing," John suggested with a smirk.

"What?" I asked.

"We need some holiday music," John explained. "And I think you should sing some for us."

"Yes, she should sing," the Doctor agreed.

I shook my head. "No, no, no. I don't think so."

Liz leaned forward and put her hand on my forearm. "Please, Diana. We all want you to."

I shook my head again. "No. I don't want to if I'm going to be the only one. Besides, I only know hymns and a few other songs."

John grabbed my wrist and pulled me in front of the small group. He put his arm around my waist and kept me from going back to my spot next to the Doctor. I pushed against his arm, but gave up almost immediately. He started singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", trying to encourage me to join him.

By the time he got to the end of the first stanza, I had started singing softly. I blushed when I noticed that everyone was smiling and watching John and I. I closed my eyes, blocking out all signs that I was with anyone other than John, and sang louder. My nerves had disappeared almost completely when John and I finished the song.

Everyone clapped for us and eagerly asked for another song. John looked down at me, smiling. "I'll sing with you," he said softly enough that no one else heard.

I nodded. "O Holy Night?" I asked.

He patted my arm and nodded in reply. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and started, my eyes shut tight. "O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining 'til He appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices. Oh night divine! Oh night when Christ was born. Oh night divine! Oh night, oh night divine!" John stopped singing, thinking that I was done, but I continued. I only repeated the first verse because I didn't know the second, but I put as much passion as I could muster into the words.

When I finished, I let my eyes flutter open. My face flushed instantly when I saw that everyone's eyes were on me. They all clapped, which made me smile and laugh. Yates and Liz asked for another song while Alistair chuckled at my awkwardness. John told them to quiet down and then asked for a request.

"Another hymn," the Doctor said, to my surprise. "Diana's voice is perfect for hymns."

"Doctor, I-"

"I've heard you sing in the TARDIS when you think I'm not around and you sound wonderful. Don't be ashamed of your talents."

Before I could lose my nerve, I opened my mouth and started to sing. "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, thou Dayspring from on high and cheer us by thy drawing nigh. Disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadow put to flight. Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel."

John, who had pulled away from me to watch me sing, clapped eagerly for me. The Doctor, Liz, and Alistair praised my singing with gracious and kind compliments. I blushed and thanked them, then tried to sit down.

"I think it's John's turn to sing solo."

"Oh, it's no fun without you," he laughed.

I waved my hand absently. "You sing something, John."

After a few minutes of convincing from all of us, John sang "The Christmas Song". It was a beautiful rendition of the classic song and I all but fell completely in love with his voice. But once he'd finished the song, he encouraged me to come up and sing with him again. I shyly complied and stood somewhat awkwardly next to him.

"How about 'White Christmas'?"

I smiled and started singing to John, ignoring the others that were staring at us. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas just like the ones I used to know where the treetops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow."

John answered me with the second stanza of lyrics. He took my hands and started dancing with me. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card I write. May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white." Then, as he spun me around, he continued with the same verse I had first sung. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas just like the ones I used to know where the treetops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow."

I decided that I should join him for the final verse. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card I write. May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white. May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white."

Liz, Yates, and Alistair found our dancing and singing duet to be very amusing and they laughed and clapped for us. The Doctor, though somewhat amused, didn't seem to be as enthusiastic about our display. I wondered if maybe he was getting bored and thought that John and I could add something interesting or exciting to our duet. But John seemed a little tired and I had started to feel slightly worn out from the nervousness of singing.

So we said our thank you's in response to the compliments and took our seats again. After a few minutes of casual conversation, Liz and Yates stood up and went to refresh their drinks. John stayed and continued his conversation with Alistair. The Doctor leaned over so his mouth was close to my ear and asked, "Would you like to listen to one of your records?"

I nodded. "Yes. Would you show me how to work a record player? I never had to use one back home."

The Doctor grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet. He dragged me over to a round, wooden table that just reached my hips and had a record player resting on top of it. He took my Elvis Christmas album, put it in the player, and placed the needle on a certain part of the record. The record skipped for a second before playing the last few lines of "Here Comes Santa Claus". Then the slow, melodious music of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" started playing. I gave the Time Lord a curious look.

He pulled me away from the table, putting his left hand on my waist and twining the fingers of his other hand with my left. I felt my face flush with warmth and knew that my cheeks were bright red. The only other time I'd slow danced like the Doctor was with me was when I was fourteen and with my first boyfriend. The memory felt so long ago and distant, almost unreal compared to the otherworldly experiences I'd had over the last month of my life.

I looked up at the Doctor's towering figure and suddenly felt very small. He was an alien, a time-traveler, and I was nothing more than a human girl with a-bigger-than-a-crush feeling for him. What could possibly make him return the same affections that I had for him?

The song ended sooner than I would have liked. Immediately after it ended, "Blue Christmas" started playing. It wasn't the sort of song one would normally slow dance to, but the Doctor didn't seem to want to stop dancing and neither did I. I hummed along with the song and closed my eyes as I rested my cheek on the Doctor's shoulder.

His mouth was right by my ear when he started singing softly with the record. "I'll have a blue Christmas without you. I'll be so blue just thinking about you. Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree won't be the same, dear, if you're not here with me."

"I love this song," I said casually.

"I know."

The song continued after we stopped talking and I couldn't help but think about how true the words were. "You'll be doing all right, with your Christmas of white, but I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas."

There was a sudden pop and the sound of a person falling. The Doctor and I jumped apart and looked towards the source of the noise to see... the Eleventh Doctor, complete with fez and mop in hand.