Title: Admissions and Lies
Author: HearMeCalling
Rating: G
Characters: Romana I, Two, Jamie
Spoilers: None
Summary: The Doctor is trying to cheer Jamie up with Christmas. The tracer leads Romana to cross paths with them.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. It's nearly Christmas, anyone?

Admissions and Lies

"I am not going outside!"

The Doctor stuck his bottom lip out petulantly and stood behind K9 as if the little robot dog would provide him protection. Romana narrowed her eyes at him as she unplugged the tracer from the console and slipped it safely up her sleeve. She folded her arms as she glared at the sulking Time Lord crouching by one of the TARDIS walls.

"Honestly, Doctor, you have absolutely no reason to behave in such a fashion." She pulled the lever to open the doors. "The tracer led us here, now come on."

She stormed outside and the door clicked shut behind her. She sighed heavily when she realised the Doctor hadn't joined her. The snow crunched under her feet pleasantly as she took a few steps forward. Romana then pulled the tracer back out of her sleeve and swung it around tentatively, trying to find the direction in which to head. The tracer didn't emit a sound so she slapped it gently across her fingers, hoping it would bring it back to life.

She wandered aimlessly. The tracer may not be working but the air was cool and refreshing and she knew that having some space from the Doctor would work wonders. Romana often felt constrained around the Doctor and there was only so much energy you could siphon off by bickering.

A man in a kilt came bounding towards her and grabbed hold of her waist, hiding from a shorter man, with a menagerie of clothes seeming to have been thrown together. The man in a kilt held onto her waist tightly before speaking.

"I'm sorry Miss, but the Doctor is threatening me with Christmas. I dun't need to celebrate Christmas."

"Who are you?"

"Jamie McCrimmon."

Romana covered her ears as the man got closer, carrying a radio playing Christmas songs. Currently, Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade was booming out of it, sounding more tinny than usual. Not that either Romana or Jamie was particularly aware of that. Jamie had referred to this man as the Doctor, but Romana didn't recognise him. He beamed sunnily at the pair of them. Jamie, ashamedly, let go of Romana and stood beside her.

"Jamie…"

"I'm sorry if I scared you, Miss."

"No, no, it's fine," she replied hurriedly. "You can call me," she paused. What if this was a past regeneration of the Doctor's? "Rosie. Would you mind turning off that racket?"

The Doctor's face dropped slightly, but he complied. Jamie grinned at her before having a short argument with the Doctor about whether or not to invite Romana on for tea at that café he wouldn't shut up about. Eventually, they walked the short distance to an unremarkable place, where the Doctor held the door open for them both.

"Go and order the drinks, Jamie."

"Aw, but Doctor, I cannae handle money."

"Exactly!" he grinned. "So you need all the practise you can get."

Jamie grumbled as he walked up to order. The Doctor, however, kept staring at Romana, who was trying to slyly see if there was any sign of a segment nearby. Her agitation was such that she almost screamed when Jamie approached her from behind holding steaming mugs of tea.

"Calm down, lassie," he smiled as he handed her a mug. "We're not gonna hurt yer."

They drank slowly, sitting in an amiable silence, once again accompanied by tinny Christmas songs. The tracer still wasn't working and Romana was growing concerned. Sitting with this Doctor, lying to him, and his companion was simply wasting time. She was beginning to develop theories on the tracer, including malfunction and the presence of another TARDIS blocking its function.

"Doctor, I am not missing Victoria, I do not need to celebrate yer fancy holidays."

"I just thought I'd remind you of home," the Doctor replied forlornly as he cleared away their mugs.

"I'd like to thank you for your company, but I really need to get going."

"Aw, but we've barely spent any time with you," Jamie blurted.

Romana blushed. The Doctor's statement about Jamie missing a young woman named Victoria may have been more deep-running than the Scotsman cared to admit. Still, they insisted on accompanying her a short distance. Eventually she told them she was close to home and could find her way back amongst the snow and ice. Jamie waved cheerfully and snuck a peck on her cheek. The Doctor, however, caught her arm.

"There's no need to lie to me," he whispered. "Romana."

"But…"

"I look forward to meeting you again. I apologise if I bother you sometimes, too."

She smiled as she watched him wander back to Jamie, where they promptly started arguing again. She looked to the sky as a few flakes of snow began to fall on this backward planet. Romana knew she'd never get the Doctor's obsession with Earth. Once she was back inside the TARDIS, she noticed there was a sparkle in his eyes she hadn't noticed before. She slotted the tracer back in its slot on the console and wrapped her arms around him. Sometimes, she did forget to appreciate just how much she learned from the capricious, flighty Time Lord she accompanied.

end