A/N: new chappie! enjoy!

Chapter 12: Twelve Days of Christmas

"Liv! Liv, wake up!"

Olivia groaned as she turned on her bed in her mother's house and buried her face into her pillow, the Doctor's hand on her shoulder shaking her as he bounced on the bed.

"Liv! It's Christmas! There's presents downstairs!"

"Theta, I need my beauty sleep," she groaned, lifting a hand and finding his face with her palm to shove him away from her and he flopped onto his back with a laugh. "Go take Amelia downstairs and open presents with her if you're that excited."

He slid up behind her again to wrap his arm around her waist and trail kisses over her skin, moving her hair aside to reach the nape of her neck. She groaned again as she stretched, grinning into her pillow before turning to face him and he lifted a hand to move her raven locks from her face, then stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers, staring down at her with a warm smile.

"But I wanted us to open presents together," he murmured, kissing her forehead, then her cheeks and trailing down to her neck again.

"Ok, I'm awake," she grinned, wrapping an arm around his neck as he continued trailing kisses where he could reach. "Let's go down stairs and open some presents."

"Brilliant! Race you!" he grinned, shoving her away and she shrieked when she fell off the small bed and he scrambled off of it.

Her head popped up, her hair a tangled mess and her pajamas disheveled as he ran out the door and she shoved herself up to race after him. When they reached the stairs they started shoving at each other in a giggling mess of limbs before stumbling at the bottom of the stairs and the Doctor grabbed her hand to drag her toward the tree in the living room. They tumbled to the floor at the foot of it and the Doctor grabbed a giftwrapped bag to shake it next to his ear.

"That's mine!" Olivia squeaked, grabbing it from him, making him jump and frown at her. "It's got my name on it."

He stuck his tongue out at her before searching through the gifts for something with his name on it as she went to ripping the paper of the one she held in her lap.

"Who's it from?" he questioned, still searching the pile before grinning when he found something with his name on it to rip at it.

"It's from Jack," she smiled, making him stop and look to her as she lifted something from the ripped paper, giggling like mad. "Oh, the man knows me too well. That could be dangerous."

"A U.N.I.T. beret?" the Doctor frowned. "What for?"

"For you, Mr. Sigma," she giggled, leaning over to plant it onto his head and she bit the corner of her lip as she adjusted it so it sat just right over his mess of curly hair. The locks curled up over the end of the beret, slightly, and there was a mass of hair just above the nape of his neck that she started twirling around her fingers as her hand leaned on his shoulder. "You look very handsome. The gift that'll keep on giving."

He blushed as he stared down at her with wide eyes while she bit her lip before leaning up to kiss his cheek and he turned back to his gift, muttering, "Liv, behave."

She giggled before nodding to the thing in his lap and asked, "What's that and who's it from?"

"Martha and Mickey," he replied, looking down at the box in his lap he had yet to rip all the paper off of. She grinned as he began tearing at it again, not removing the beret from his head as he pulled the top off the box and grinned when he looked inside. "Oh! It's a new nanorecorder! I'd mentioned you'd broken my other one."

"With good reason," she retorted as he set it aside in the box, starting a pile before reaching for another gift, but grimaced when he noticed it wasn't for him. "You tried to put some kind of tracker in me! I was not about to have that. How was I to know throwing it across the control room would break it so easily?"

"This one's yours," he reported, handing the gift to her and she took it as he added, "From them as well."

"Martha told me what it was," she smiled, taking the gift to open it. "Teething things for the baby. I'll open that later."

"Good grief, you two couldn't at least wait for me?"

The couple looked to the stairs to see Aaron stepping down and heading toward them, a mess from sleep.

"Where's Jack?" Olivia asked as he stepped up behind her to sit down with them.

"Still sleeping," Aaron yawned, leaning on her shoulder as they watched the Doctor shuffle through gifts. "I swear, that man takes everything out of me."

"And you can stop talking, now," Olivia nodded, lifting a hand and shoving it into his face, as she'd done to the Doctor earlier, and he fell onto his back, sprawled over the rug, with a chuckle. "I had to deal with that when I worked with him, I don't need it from you."

"This is yours," the Doctor blurted, tossing a gift to Olivia who caught it expertly and began ripping at the paper.

"I see you got mine and Jack's gift," Aaron smirked, lifting his hand to ruffle the bit of hair peeking out from under the beret on the Doctor's head.

"It's not the one Jack puts on you, is it?" Olivia hoped, making the Doctor freeze and look to her in wide-eyed horror.

"No, we got a brand new one from Martha, for you guys," Aaron smiled, still playing with the Doctor's curls. "Joint effort."

"Thanks, and stop that!" she snapped, reaching over to swat his hand from the Doctor, making Aaron chuckle. "Those are my curls to play with! Get away from him!"

"Really, am I only here to be pawed at?" the Doctor muttered before grinning and tearing at the paper of the gift he found. "These are from your mother."

They both opened and lifted the contents at the same time and Aaron burst into laughter at the sight of the matching Christmas sweaters with snowmen, one in blue for the Doctor, one in purple for Olivia, matching grimaces on the couple's faces as they lowered them to their laps.

"The burden falls to you now, Doctor," Aaron smirked, sitting up and patting his shoulders. "No more ugly Christmas sweaters for me."

"Yeah, you lucked out," Olivia muttered, tossing the sweater into the pile of things that were hers, as the Doctor did with his before lifting another gift.

"Oh," he smiled, warmly as he read the tag. "Sarah Jane."

"Luke really liked Amelia," Olivia reported, taking the gift he handed to her before he tossed a few things over his shoulder.

"Yours, Aaron," he announced, before tearing at his own gift and Olivia started pulling at hers as well. "And he's not coming anywhere near her again."

"Oh, please, don't start," Olivia groaned before grinning into the small bag. "Oh! It's a handheld scanner! I had mentioned I wanted one while I was there. The Sonic isn't enough sometimes. I love it! I'll have to write her a lovely card."

"New waistcoat!" the Doctor grinned, holding it up to grin at it. "With the milky way on it! Yes, send her a card."

"Did you get mine and Jack's gift, Doctor?" Aaron hoped with a mischievous grin, making Olivia's gaze narrow at him.

"What did you get him?" she ground out, making him smirk back with a wink and she rolled her eyes before looking to the Doctor when he found another gift to open. "Is that the one they got you?"

"Yes," he replied, warily as he pulled back the flaps of the box under the paper, cautiously, and his eyes widened before he slapped the box shut again.

"What is it?" Olivia questioned as he set the box aside. "Doctor?"

"Nothing," he choked, then cleared his throat as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Doctor," she called in warning as Aaron laughed hysterically. "Aaron, I swear, you better tell me what that is!"

"Don't worry," Aaron chuckled. "You'll like it."

"Aaron—!"

"Baby coming through!"

They looked up at the stairs to see Jack carrying Amelia down the stairs and toward them, Joyce right behind him on the stairs and heading for the kitchen.

"Oh, and I've got Amelia with me," he smirked, sitting next to Aaron as he bounced Amelia in his arms.

"Captain Cheeky," Olivia smiled as Amelia cooed and squirmed happily in Jack's arms. "She likes Uncle Jack."

"Give her to Aaron," the Doctor nearly growled at Jack.

"You look cute in that beret, Doctor," Jack smirked back, making the Time Lord's eyes widen as he lifted a hand to grab the hat and yank it off his head, glaring at Jack.

"Leave them be," Olivia smiled, stroking Amelia's head affectionately as Aaron kissed the top of the baby's head with a grin. "Where's mom?"

"Getting her a bottle," Jack replied. "I'll feed her."

"Thanks Uncle Jack," Olivia sang as Joyce stepped in with a bottle in her hand, checking the temperature on her wrist before handing it to Jack.

"Did you two get my gifts?" Joyce smiled at Olivia and the Doctor.

They looked up at her with wide-eyes, reindeer caught in the headlights before Olivia finally replied for them.

"Yup!" she chirped, clearing her throat to lower it from its sudden high octave. "Got 'em! Love 'em. Thanks, mom."

"Um…Joyce, thank you, but I feel like I'm taking a tradition from Aaron—"

"Oh, don't worry, Doctor," Joyce smiled and stepped toward Aaron to ruffle his hair, grinning, "He got one, too."

"Not getting out of this one, babe," Jack murmured into Aaron's ear as he still fed Amelia, but his smirk fell at what Joyce said next.

"And Jack got one, too, of course," she smiled. "Can't leave out my granddaughters uncles, can I?"

"Ha ha!" Olivia vocalized, pointing at Jack who scowled back.

"I got a train!" the Doctor grinned, holding up a train car he'd just unwrapped, and making Olivia grin as Aaron and Jack frowned at him while he examined it. "Well…a train car anyway. What's in here?"

Olivia watched him carefully as he opened the tiny doors and looked inside, his smile dropping slowly as he realized what he was seeing.

"I remember you said you wanted a train office," she smiled, sitting up on her knees and watching him as he examined the thing in his hands with a keen eye. "I know it's not big enough to work in, but I did what I could. Well? Do you like it? Look! I had it engraved on the bottom! Read it!"

The Doctor turned it, the delicate details of the moving parts and doors clinking in his hand as he did, swallowing hard as he read the engraving.

For my Highwayman and his love for the Ponds

Olivia watched as he closed his eyes, causing a tear to run down his cheek and she frowned before glancing to Aaron and Jack, nodding toward the kitchen. Taking the hint, they stood and made their way there, Aaron asking Joyce for some leftover Christmas dinner for breakfast as Jack cooed at Amelia. Olivia watched them leave before shifting closer to the Doctor who hadn't moved from staring at the engraving on the train car.

"I thought…it would help so you wouldn't feel so…sad," she murmured, lifting a hand to brush the tear from his cheek. "It's not working, is it?"

He said nothing as he lowered it to his lap, still staring down at it. She frowned at him in panic. Usually when he loved something he was excited and instantly hugged her or pulled her in for a kiss or…saying something. She wasn't sure if he was really upset, didn't like the gift, or if this was part of his personality for this regeneration. He still hadn't said a word as she watched him, making her sigh in defeat.

"You don't have to keep it if you don't like it," she murmured, reaching for it. "It was stupid. I didn't think—"

She was cut off when one of his hands took her wrist, gently and she looked up at him with wide eyes when he finally met her gaze…with a warm smile.

"Thank you," he whispered, pulling on her arm to wrap both of his around her and pull her close, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. "I love it, Liv. It's lovely, and sweet, and surprising. I love that you can still surprise me like this. I love you."

She grinned, hugging him close and kissing his cheek before he pulled back to look at it again.

"This is going in our new home, right over the fireplace for everyone to see," he smiled as he stroked it, reverently before reaching under the tree and handing her a gift. "This makes my present to you look like it was made of paper Mache."

"Don't say that," she smiled, taking the gift to start unwrapping it as the Doctor watched her, intently. "I'm sure it's lovely, Theta. I'll love it, whatever it is."

He said nothing as she pulled the paper back and frowned in wonder at what looked like a piece of thick glass the size of a smart phone.

"Pick it up," he urged, and she lifted it with her fingers on the edges, but when nothing happened, she looked to him in wonder

He only nodded that she look to it, and when she did, she frowned when the screen blipped to life and gasped when the picture she had taken of herself and the Doctor at Torchwood appeared in the glass. Tears came to her eyes as she stared at it before it faded away to a picture of the two of them after his regeneration when he'd punched Jack and she was holding ice over his hand recalling Aaron had taken the picture.

The next picture was one she had taken of them on their wedding night, when she'd been sitting on his lap in her wedding dress while they ate cake with family and friends in Joyce's backyard. She was kissing the Doctor's cheek and he was making a face as if he were being tortured.

The pictures shifted from fond moment to fond moment that Olivia or someone else had been quick enough to capture: Amelia's birth, their first anniversary, her birthdays, and there were other pictures she didn't remember seeing. Herself, very pregnant and sleeping in the library chair, standing in Amelia's nursery, rocking her to sleep, Amelia sleeping in her cot, and another of herself lying in bed with the Doctor as he made a face into the camera while she slept on, unaware he'd taken a picture.

"Theta," she breathed, tears filling her eyes and she tried to wipe the away before they fell upon the glass in her hands. "It's…It's so…I can't even tell you how much this means to me."

"The TARDIS helped," he explained. "She knew you'd like it. You can add more pictures, too. You just run your Sonic over the mobile or camera then run it over the screen and it adds them. Does the same with videos. The storage is unlimited. And it'll only activate when you or I hold it, so our moments…stay ours."

Olivia gently set the gift down before turning to him and throwing her arms around his neck, her lips planting themselves to his. She put everything she was feeling into the kiss, and he felt it, hitting him like a freight train. He pulled her closer to savor the joy and love and passion she put into every movement of her lips against his before they pulled apart, reluctantly, for air, looking into each other's eyes, both grinning like mad people.

"Happy Christmas, Mrs. Sigma."

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Sigma."

That Night...

The Doctor watched Olivia from the doorway of Amelia's room as she bounced the baby in her arms, kissing her tiny head and speaking to her of fantastic things. The mother was telling the daughter about Amazonia, and the Golden Head of Zacros. He wondered how he ended up so lucky to have a wife that followed his timestream, and a beautiful baby as well. He smirked as he stepped fully into the room, stopping behind her to stroke Amelia's curly hair affectionately as her head rested on Olivia's shoulder as she fell asleep.

"She likes hearing about our adventures," Olivia smiled, snuggling her cheek to the baby's head, the Doctor's thumb caught between them, making him smile.

"Of course she does," he grinned, stepping behind her and wrapping his arms around both of them, squeezing not tight enough to wake Amelia. "Mum and dad have brilliant adventures together. You'll be telling her these stories over and over again. The Doctor and Mrs. Sigma."

Olivia giggled as he let her go and she set Amelia down in her crib, snuggling her Bun-Bun up to her and wrapping her in the blankets.

"Aaron's in the guest room," he whispered, slipping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "We could have him watch over Amelia and you and I could have a lovely Christmas adventure. What do you say, sweet Liv?"

She glanced around in mock thought before turning in his arms and reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, her fingers slipping into the dark curls on his head and ruffling them. He grinned down at her as she leaned against, smiling as well.

"I say…yes," she grinned, lowering a hand to stroke his cheeks and chin with a gentle finger. "Besides, we owe Aaron for keeping us up last night."

"It wasn't just them that kept us up, if you recall properly, Mrs. Sigma," he smirked, leaning down to nip at her lower lip and making her groan and roll her eyes.

"I mean after that, Mr. Sigma," she retorted. "I'll go wake up Aaron, you get the TARDIS ready. I'll be there in two shakes."

He grinned before pressing a kiss to her cheek and squeezing her tightly then released her and raced toward the backyard of their home and Olivia took one last look at Amelia before grabbing the baby monitor and stepping toward the guest room down the hall. She snickered when she heard Aaron snoring away then stepped next to the bed and tickled his feet, making him twitch and squirm and she giggled at him before he stopped and looked up at her with a frown before rubbing at his face.

"How now, ruffian?" he muttered, hearing her impish giggle. "What time is it?"

"What a devil hast thou to do with the time of day?" she quipped back, setting the baby monitor on the stand with the lamp next to the bed. "You're on baby duty. We'll be back before morning."

"Seriously?" Aaron groaned as he stretched to get more comfortable. "Can't you guys stay still for a week, at least?"

"Sitting still," she thought, glancing around before grinning down at him. "Tried that. So boring."

"You guys are terrible," he smirked before he flinched when she flicked his ear, swatting her hand away. "Fine. I'll watch my niece. Just don't be a week, ok?"

"I told you, by morning," she assured him, skipping out the door and singing, "Thank you, Uncle Aaron!"

He grunted in response before rolling over in the bed and Olivia turned to head back into Amelia's room and lean over her as she slept, chewing on her lower lip in deep thought. Since Amelia had been born, things had changed. She and the Doctor stayed on Earth longer, and always left the TARDIS do be in the house with Amelia and Joyce or whoever was visiting, but things weren't as different as she thought they'd be. She wasn't stuck at home while the Doctor left to 'stretch his legs,' so to speak. He was taking her with him, and making sure they came back just in time for the important things. The periods where they stayed were getting longer and longer. This time they'd stayed for a whole two weeks, preparing their home to live in and having Christmas with family and friends. She hoped that maybe, just maybe, he was weaning himself off traipsing the galaxy and trying to build a life on Earth…without running.

"As long as he's happy," she whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to Amelia's head and grinning down at her as she squirmed and gave a tiny baby sigh but didn't wake. "I'll be back before you know it, my love."

She turned and made her way to the backyard where she heard the TARDIS engines starting up, like a car on idle, waiting for her. She stared at the blue box and thought of everything she'd seen, everywhere they'd been in that thing. She wondered if she would ever become jaded with all the traveling and aliens and history…and the running. But when the Doctor leaned out of the door, looking for her, grinning when his bluer than blue eyes landed on her, she knew she never would…never could get tired of anything they saw or anywhere they went.

"Come along, Felton!" he grinned, holding a hand out to her, offering her more than their latest adventure. He always offered her the universe. "Andiamo!"

Olivia grinned as she ran toward him and grabbed his hand, letting him pull her into the TARDIS and the door shut behind them as they made their way to the console.

"Right! Where to first?" he began, running around the console to operate it as she followed. "Oh! We could go to the planet Snowflake! Snowfall, year round. Perfect for a Christmas trip, eh?"

"Sounds romantic," she grinned, giggling when he was suddenly behind her and hugging her around her waist, snuggling his cheek to hers.

"We could stay there for a few days," he murmured, making her giggle.

"On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me," she sang, then grinned over her shoulder at him, "The best Christmas present I could ever ask for."

"And what's that?" he frowned in wonder as she turned to look up at him with a warm smile.

"You, Theta," she whispered. "You and Amelia are everything I want."

"You have us, Liv," he murmured through a smile. "For all of time and space. We transcend time, you and me. Always have. That's why you're my girl."

"And you're my Highwayman," she grinned, stepping onto her tiptoes to press a tender kiss to his lips.

A/N: so much fluff! back to adventures! reviews?