Chapter 14

Christmas Eve 2014

Alex's first day of work at Torchwood was hardly exciting. He'd spent the entire day going through an orientation class to be educated not only on the organization's rules for their employees but also on the layout of their facilities, especially the area where he would mainly be working, namely Research and Development. The next day he went straight to work at creating the translation software he had promised Pete. Whereas Rose had an office to work in when she wasn't out on assignment – she had earned the right to one in the four years she had worked for Torchwood – the Doctor had a spacious cubicle in a corner of a large room filled with similar work areas. His immediate supervisor, an overly exuberant man named Paul Karré, had set up the work station ahead of time, giving the half-Gallifreyan a state of the art computer with all the necessary accessories to do his first task.

Writing the translation software and providing it with the necessary information from Torchwood's language database took Alex nearly three times as long as he had estimated to Dr. Kingston when he was first introduced to Aderyn. The primary reason for the length of the work was that while Alex still had some telepathic abilities despite being half-human they weren't nearly strong enough to program a computer using only his mind. When he was fully Time Lord, he'd made a mental connection with the UNIT computers and simply downloaded his knowledge into the hard drive, a long process which had given him a near constant headache while he was doing it. Now he found it necessary to read and translate key words from the English dictionary into at least a hundred different root languages, which was faster than speaking every language he knew. The best description he could give Pete concerning the task was like speaking Latin so that the computer could translate all the Romantic languages, speaking Aramaic for modern Middle Eastern dialects, and so on. The result wouldn't be accurate but it would be better than having the language barrier that they currently had.

The project had taken him almost two months, during which time he had found himself needing to increase his intake of the anti-psychotic for his bipolar disorder, presumably due to the anxiety that came with having to work to earn money. He had seen Dr. Gentillini on a regular basis for therapy in the midst of all his work and she had maintained his prescription at the minimum dose on the basis that it seemed to manage his bipolar disorder. Alex had never told Dr. Gentillini of the dangers of Time Lords taking antipsychotics nor did he inform her of his need for more of the medicine on a daily basis, an increase which he was providing himself. Time Lords had different brain chemistries than humans; they didn't suffer from the same mental illnesses. As such, mood stabilizers had been used by Time Lords more for recreational purposes than for medicinal ones and they could be highly addictive to the user. While he was certain that his need for the drug hadn't reached addictive levels, by the end of the project he felt as if he couldn't do without at least three doses a day, meaning that he had to get additional pills by illegal means in order to avoid his increased usage from being noticed.

At first he had obtained one of Laurel's prescription pads by sneaking into her office after hours, using the sonic screwdriver he had made on his time off. He forged her handwriting on the papers and made sure that he never went to the same pharmacy to obtain his prescription, always using a pseudonym for the patient's name, his psychic paper for identification, and a simple low-level telepathic nudge towards the pharmacist to tell him that it was okay to fill the prescription and to forget what he really looked like. However, the scheme quickly ran its course after he'd exhausted every pharmacy he dare go to without being caught. It didn't help that he had run out of sheets on the pad – thanks to him having to get more pills to accommodate the dosage he needed – and he couldn't risk stealing another pad. One missing pad was an anomaly and could be explained away but two was suspect.

He'd still had a few extra pills left of the illicit ones he'd obtained, however, enough to hold him until he could figure out how he was going to get more. He decided that the only way he could be sure of a steady supply was if he made the drug himself. And for that, he needed his own private lab. He rented a storage room in the basement of Rose's condo complex for just that purpose. There was plenty of room there for a small chemical lab and it allowed him to produce as much of the drug that he needed without fear of being caught. Plus, it didn't seem at all unusual for him to spend hours at a time in a lab. After all, one of the things he liked to do as a full Time Lord was tinker either in his lab or with the TARDIS. To Rose, it would be just him having fun and she wouldn't have a clue that he was doing anything illegal. The big advantage he found with making his own drugs was that the end result was in powder form, making it easier for him to slip a little in his food or drink when Rose wasn't looking.

It had been two months since Alex and Rose had been left in Pete's World and their relationship seemed to be doing fairly well, from what Alex could tell. They cuddled together and enjoyed making out but it didn't go beyond that. Alex had confirmed with Harry, through genetic testing, that his reproductive biology was definitely more Gallifreyan than human, which meant that a physical relationship beyond foreplay would result in the telepathic bond he had told Rose about. Thus marriage would have to be the next step in his and Rose's relationship and neither were ready for that, both far too occupied with their current lives. On the plus side, Harry also discovered that Alex and Rose were genetically compatible enough that, if they wanted and if some modifications were made early enough, they could have a healthy child.

There were times in their relationship, however, when Rose got on his Alex's nerves, or vice versa, and they wound up arguing, their loud voices filling the condominium. At those times, from his point of view, she was being completely unreasonable and irrational, traits he blamed on her being a Tyler woman. From her point of view, he was being the same thanks to severe bouts of mania. The fights never became violent but they usually ended with each of them going to bed furious with each other, Alex spending hours in his bedroom crying due to his fluctuating into depression. They always made up the next day, usually with solemn apologies, dinner made by Alex – he'd won the cooking competition they'd had months before – and an evening watching television together. The make-ups were usually helped along by Alex taking some of his antipsychotics to calm his mind towards rationality. Unfortunately, each argument became increasingly more intense and caused them both to wonder if the next argument would be the one that would destroy their relationship.

Both were determined, however, to make sure that they were on their best behaviors for the annual Tyler Christmas party. He cringed when Rose informed him that he would have to wear a formal suit to the party but he nonetheless obliged her, putting on his cream-colored three-piece suit and coupling it with a black dress shirt, tie and shoes.

He was adjusting his cuffs as he left his bedroom when he noticed the time. "Rose, come on. We're going to be late."

"Since when were you anxious to go to any social event? I practically had to drag you kicking and screaming to the Vitex fundraiser last month," she called back from her bedroom.

"It's not the party that's got me in a hurry. It's your mother. Last time we were late, she was almost impossible to get along with for over an hour. And that was just dinner. Don't want to even tempt a reaction from her with something like this."

"Well, if she starts to give you a hard time, you can honestly blame me for us being late and I'll back you up." She was struggling with the clasp on her necklace as she stepped out into the living room. "Besides, it's just friends and family today, not possible donators to charity. Mum's usually a little more lenient time-wise with big family parties."

Hearing her voice now in the room, Alex turned and raised his head to look at her, freezing physically upon the sight.

"Would you help me with this?" she continued as she tried to put on a necklace, oblivious to his reaction. "I can't seem to get it to cooperate." When he didn't come to her rescue, she finally raised her eyes and noticed the oddly stunned expression on his face. "You okay?"

"You look… amazing," he murmured with appreciation.

She smiled as she looked down at her attire to see what it was that had so enraptured him. The long-sleeved floor length gown was open-back and made of red silk. Lace and sequins covered the entire bodice but the skirt was untouched with accents, making the dress both classic and contemporary. Her feet were adorned with matching shoes that glittered when the light touched them. Her attire was complemented with her hair in soft curls.

"You like it?" she questioned.

"It's stunning. With how beautiful you look, you just might make me jealous if anyone flirts with you in my presence."

"I would kind of hope that you'd get a little jealous regardless of what I'm wearing," she teased.

"Of course, I would. But the level of jealousy grows exponentially the more beautiful you are."

She giggled girlishly at the compliment before indicating the necklace in her hand. "Help?" she requested.

"Yes, ma'am." Going to her, he took the necklace and went around her. He carefully laid it around her neck, making sure that the clasp was set so that the jewelry would not fall off. "Ready?"

"Yeah," she affirmed. "Got the overnight bags?"

"They're already in the car," he assured her, helping her get her coat on.

Alex led the way down to the garage, procuring the keys to the SUV from Rose so that he could drive. They arrived at the Tyler mansion twenty minutes after the time on the invitation, thanks to traffic, making them still within the boundaries of being fashionably late.

"Rose!" Jackie greeted at the door, giving her daughter a kiss on her cheek. "Sweetheart, you look wonderful! And look at you!" she continued, turning to the Doctor, who had removed Rose's coat and was in the process of removing his own. "You clean up nicely." She hugged him tightly before guiding them further into the house.

"You make it sound like I'm some sort of hairy beast most of the time," he taunted.

"Oh, get off," she countered as she pulled away, the smile on her face negating any possible animosity from her words. "Pete's in the living room entertaining guests. Go fix yourselves some drinks. First Christmas without prohibition, thanks to President Jones. It's nice to be able to actually serve real champagne. Of course, Tony's chomping at the bit to open presents but I keep telling him that's for tomorrow." She gently pushed them into the living room. "Go on, now. I've got more guests to welcome." Without waiting for a response, she turned to the door and greeted the next couple.

Alex grinned broadly, watching Jackie while he followed Rose. "She's loving every minute of this."

"Mum does like a good party," she agreed, guiding him to the open bar her parents had set up. "What do you want to drink? Club soda?" she suggested, knowing that he shouldn't have alcohol while he was taking his mood-stabilizing medicine.

"Ginger beer," he corrected. Noting the grimace she gave, he smiled. "Yeah, I know you can't stand it but I love it."

"They don't have ginger beer," she informed him after searching for his request. "They do have ginger ale, though."

"Not the same. But good enough." He accepted a glass of the carbonated drink and then waited for her to make her own alcoholic concoction of rum and Coke. With drinks in hand, they moved into the small crowd of people, first visiting with Pete before Rose introduced Alex to everyone he didn't know.

The Doctor, for his part, remained patient with the process and allowed her to take him from one person to another. He had brief conversations with each one of them, sometimes feeling like a parrot with answering the same questions repeatedly with different people. After a while, Rose left to get them refills on their drinks, leaving him to socialize here and there. When she returned, she had a slightly uncomfortable expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" he questioned in a low tone.

"I have to introduce you to someone," she murmured back. "The President of Great Britain."

"But that's Harriet Jones, isn't it? What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It's just she's a really close friend and it's important that you pretend you don't know her." Before he could respond, Rose put on a winning smile as she took his arm to guide him to the woman. "President Jones, may I present Dr. Alexander Smith."

Harriet Jones turned towards the half-Gallifreyan, interest in her eyes. "How do you do, Dr. Smith?" she greeted, extending her hand so that he could accept it. "I understand you're the man who has won the heart of our Rose."

"'Our Rose'?" Alex questioned his friend.

"Harriet and I have been friends ever since I came here fours ago," Rose explained.

"Oh. That's good," he commented. Turning his attention back to Harriet, he gave her a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madame President. Rose has said a lot about you."

"Oh, really? Like what?"

The Doctor had an instant feeling of déjà vu with the conversation – it felt a lot like the first one he'd had with Francine Jones, Martha's mother - but nonetheless tried his best to answer the question without indicating that he knew more about Harriet Jones than he should, especially since the woman he knew was a different person. "That you're the President… and she knows you. Umm…" he hesitated, trying to think of something else to add. "Yeah, that's about it. Were you the Representative from Flydale North?"

"That was almost six years ago," she replied with a bemused smile. "I'm surprised that they keep such close attention to our government in British America."

"Well, it's always a good idea to keep abreast of international politics, even if you aren't very political yourself," he improvised. "How did you know I'm from British America?"

"Dr. Smith, I think all of Britain knows you claim to be from British America, thanks to the tabloid newspapers."

"Right. Of course," he concurred as if he should have realized it himself.

"I trust, however, that the over-enthusiasm of our press won't affect your relationship with Rose. She has spoken much about a Doctor she is fond of. I assume that she was referring to you."

"Umm…" he started, obviously at a loss on what to say.

"Yes. He's the same Doctor," Rose inserted herself into the conversation.

"Well, that explains a lot of things. I'm happy that you two have finally been reunited," Harriet answered with a smile. "If you'll excuse me, I must make the rounds. There is always someone who wants to speak with me for a variety of reasons." With that, she departed from them and went to another guest.

"That wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as you indicated it would be," Alex murmured to Rose.

"I wasn't sure how she would react," Rose admitted quietly so that no one but Alex could hear her. "She's a bit recalcitrant when it comes to aliens and more than a little protective of people she likes."

"She knows about extraterrestrial life?" He paused with a frown. Does she know that I'm not…" He looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.

Rose instantly understood what he was asking. "The whole world knows about extraterrestrial life but your secret is still within the family and those in the know at Torchwood. Her being President means that she knows more about aliens than most and she gets regular updates on Torchwood's activities. I think the reports we've sent to her has made her a bit wary of aliens in general."

"So, she does know about me," Alex concluded.

"And me," she added. "Don't worry. I think you being the Doctor and my talking about you sort of prepared her to meet you. She may be wary of aliens but she's heard enough about you to know you aren't going to take over the world any time soon."

"That's good, I suppose," he conceded.

Rose took him around the house, making further introductions until Alex finally found himself alone, sipping on his second ginger ale while Rose played hostess. Looking around the room, he noticed that Tony had clearly decided that the party was boring and was playing with his toys in a corner, away from the adults. His suit was decidedly crumpled from his crawling around on the floor, his jacket and shoes in a pile behind him. Seeing that the discarded clothing was about to trampled on, Alex went over and picked up the jacket and shoes, placing them on a chair to the side before removing his own jacket. He lowered himself to the floor beside the boy.

"Dull party, eh?" he questioned.

"Yeah," the boy answered, disappointment in his tone. "Mummy won't let me near the presents under the Christmas tree."

"She just doesn't want you to open them too soon, that's all. Besides, don't you want to wait and see what Father Christmas brings you?" The three year old just shrugged. "What? Not excited about Father Christmas? Me, I can't wait."

"But that's going to be forever from now."

"Oh, I don't think it will be quite that long," the hybrid gently contradicted. "In fact, I think that, in approximately one hour and thirty minutes from now, all these people will have gone home to be with their families and it will be just your Dad, your Mum, Rose, you and me left. And that's a proper Christmas, isn't it."

Tony seemed to think about his words for a long moment before standing up. "Wait here," he ordered before hurrying through the partiers. He returned two minutes later with a children's book in his hands and held it out to the Doctor. "Read it to me."

Alex raised his eyebrows. "Did you forget how to say 'please'? I could have sworn I heard your mother tell you that you ask for favors, not demand them."

"Please read it to me, Doctor?" the boy rephrased.

The half-Gallifreyan appeared to hesitate before giving him a smile. "Oh, all right. You talked me into it." He accepted the book and encouraged the boy to sit beside him. "Now, what did you bring me to read?" he asked, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his glasses. Perching them on his nose, he grinned as he read the title of the book. "'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. Love this book." He bent his knees slightly so that he could prop the book on his thighs, put his arms around the boy, and started to read. He had just started to read about Cindy Lou Who when Tony had fallen asleep, leaning against Alex. The hybrid nevertheless finished reading, knowing that even in sleep the child would notice that he hadn't gotten to the Grinch carving the roast beast.

Once he had finished the book, Alex leaned his head against the wall behind him, not wanting to disturb Tony's slumber and uninterested in rejoining the party, which was starting to dwindle down to the last few couples. Jackie was doing her duty as hostess, making sure that everyone left happy while Pete decided to retire to his study for one last drink on his own.

Rose just finished a conversation with one of the departing guests and found Alex on the floor with Tony. A smile graced her features. "Asleep?" she asked quietly.

"Out like a burned out light bulb," he confirmed in stage whisper. "My arm is as well. Rescue me?" He gestured to the arm behind the dreaming boy.

Rose's smile widened at his words. Going to Tony, she gently lifted him into her arms.

"Is Father Christmas here?" he murmured, half-wakened from his sister's actions.

"Not yet. Time to go up to bed so he can come. You know he won't come if you're up waiting for him," she replied.

He mumbled something inaudible before drifting back into the land of Nod.

"I'll be right back," she told Alex as he rubbed his now freed arm, his face showing that the slight inconvenience was well worth the time with his favorite three and three-quarters year old.

"Here's his book," he offered, quickly picking up the item and handing it to Rose before she carried the boy up into his room. Standing, he looked around to see the remains of the gathering. Jackie had hired staff to tend to all the cooking and cleaning for the party but that didn't stop Alex from feeling obligated to help in the clean-up, especially since he knew the staff had their own Christmas to go home to. Moving around the room, he collected used glasses and carried them into the kitchen before dismissing the staff for the night, much to their gratitude. He then rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and started cleaning the kitchen.

He had barely started when Jackie came into the room carrying several plates. It didn't take her long to realize the situation.

"I was about to dismiss the staff but I see you've beat me to it," she commented, putting the plates near the sink.

"Well, it is Christmas Eve. They have their own celebrations to go to," he replied as he started to load the dishwasher.

"Did you have a good time?" Jackie moved to help him with doing the dishes but was gestured to take a seat instead.

"For the most part, yeah. Met some interesting people. The hardest part was answering questions about myself. Bit hard to describe a fictitious past and maintain the story repeatedly, especially when you haven't quite got the story down."

"You could do what Rose does. Tell the truth for the most part."

Alex glanced over at her with a wry grin. "Bit hard to do when you were born on an alien planet thousands of light years away. I found a way to mix the two, though. As long as I maintain the same story, I should do well on that."

Jackie nodded in agreement before changing the subject. "Pete and Rose are putting out the last of the Christmas presents. It's probably a good idea to get to bed just as soon as you're done with those dishes. Tony'll probably get up early tomorrow and rouse all of us regardless of the time."

"Any plans other than opening presents?"

"Well, Pete makes breakfast every Christmas morning. Sort of a tradition we started when Rose and I got here. And Rose and I'll be making dinner, of course. Other than that we just enjoy the day together. It's not often that we can just spend time together without Torchwood or Vitex getting in the way."

"Sounds nice."

"Yeah, it is." She stood slowly. "You sure you don't want any help there?"

"Nah, I'm fine. You go on to bed. See you in the morning."

"Right, then. Night, Doctor," she bade as she headed out of the kitchen.

"Good night, Jackie."

It was only a few more minutes before Alex finished loading the dishwasher and started its cycle. The task complete, he returned to the dining area to retrieve his jacket and, having ascertained that Rose and Pete were done with the last touches to a successful Christmas morning, went up to his room – they had reserved a room for him in case of sleepovers – to find that Callie the housekeeper had procured his suitcase from Rose's SUV and had placed the contents in the dresser. Assuming that she had done the same with Rose's suitcase, Alex located his pajamas and, after changing into them and washing up for the night, slipped into bed. Thoughts of spending a quiet Christmas Day with the people he now considered his family made falling asleep easy.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Doctor! Wake up!"

Alex groaned slightly at the too cheery voice invading his peace. A moment later, he was forced into full consciousness as he found himself in the middle of an earthquake caused by a bouncing mass of brown and pink.

"Tony, don't jump on the bed. You could fall and hurt yourself," he warned, stopping the boy from doing just that by sitting up and taking hold of his waist.

"But you gotta get up! It's Christmas and Father Christmas came and there's even more presents under the tree than before and Daddy's gonna make waffles! Mummy said not to wake you up but you're gonna miss Christmas if you don't wake up." Getting off the bed, he pulled on the hybrid's hand. "Come on! We've gotta get downstairs! You go ahead. I'm gonna wake up Rose," he stated with as much authority as a three year old could exude before running out the door. A moment later, Alex could hear Rose gentle berating her little brother for repeating the same actions he'd performed in the Doctor's bedroom.

The half-Gallifreyan chuckled in amusement as he slipped on his dressing gown and slippers. Going to Rose's room, he found that Tony was just as determined to get Rose to go downstairs with him immediately.

"Let me get my gown on first, Tony," the blond woman ordered gently, though there was no malice in her voice. She noticed the Doctor's presence in the doorway and gave him a smile as she slipped on her dressing gown.

"Merry Christmas, Rose," he greeted, returning the smile.

"Merry Christmas, Doctor," she returned just before Tony took her hand and pulled her out of her room. She deliberately slowed his pace by picking him up and carrying him down the stairs and into the kitchen, Alex following them. "Merry Christmas, Dad. Mum," she greeted, putting Tony in his chair before going to each of her parents to give them a kiss on their cheeks. Both returned to salutation and the kiss.

Jackie stood from where she was sitting at the kitchen table and gave Alex a hug. "Merry Christmas, Doctor." Kissing his cheek, she gestured to the coffeemaker. "Pour yourself a cup. Pete's making waffles."

"So Tony tells me." He sniffed the air to catch the aroma that filled the room. "Banana waffles?"

"They're Tony's favorite," Pete told him as he placed a warm waffle on a plate and put it on front of the boy. Tony immediately broke a piece off with his fingers and stuck it in his mouth, ignoring the fork that had been given him. "What would you like for breakfast, Doctor? Anything you want."

"Whatever you are making for yourself is fine." He went to the coffee pot and poured himself a mug, adding milk and sugar. Looking back to the table, he noticed Rose was mug-free. "Coffee, Rose? Milk and sugar?"

"Please," came the response. The half Time Lord obliged, coming to the table with two full mugs and placing one in front of Rose before taking a seat himself.

While Pete finished preparing a breakfast of waffles, eggs and back bacon, the four adults engaged in conversation that mostly involved asking how everyone's night was and how they all enjoyed the party the night before. They all enjoyed the easy breakfast while still giving Tony the attention he needed to feel as if he were part of the group. Then, once breakfast was done, all went up to shower and change (including Tony, despite his protests) before congregating in the living room to open presents.

Lunch was a simple raiding of the kitchen for any leftovers from the party the night before. Tony barely ate at all, far too excited about returning to the living room to play with all the new toys he'd received. After lunch, they all separated to do various tasks. Pete's attention was on his son, making sure that all the toys that needed to be assembled were done so and playing games with the boy. Jackie went into action to prepare dinner while cleaning up from both breakfast and lunch.

The Doctor's and Rose's attention were occupied with incoming phone calls from friends giving Christmas greetings and with joining Pete and Tony in several games of that universe's version of Hungry Hungry Hippo. After Tony had worn himself out playing, they all relaxed on the couch and just talked about a variety of things, including how they appreciated the gifts they had given each other.

After dinner, Jackie decided that Alex and Rose needed some time to themselves and insisted that she, Pete and Tony leave them in the kitchen alone. She took Tony up to bed before joining Pete in their room to finish Christmas Day in the comfort of each other's arms.

Without the rest of the Tylers in the room, Alex and Rose fell into a comfortable silence, clearly happy with the day but glad that it was almost coming to an end. The Doctor seemed to focus on the window for a long time before he stood and took Rose's hand. "Come with me," he instructed.

"Where are we going?" She didn't get an answer as the half-Gallifreyan led her outside. They walked several yards from the house, their sojourn bringing a frown of confusion to Rose's features. "What are we doing out here?" she finally asked when he had stopped leading her.

"Look," he instructed, his eyes soft with appreciation.

"At what?"

"Just… look."

She exhaled slowly and then complied. They were in the middle of the back yard, the same area they had been before when the Cybermen had attacked the mansion years before, standing in semi-darkness with only a few spotlights on the house giving them illumination. "I don't see anything," she admitted.

"You don't?" he questioned in disbelief.

"Well, what do you see?"

"I see that it's Christmas Day. It's snowing – proper snow, not ash or residue from a spaceship. It's quiet with no signs of impending danger to the planet. And I see you with snowflakes in your hair. It's the most peaceful Christmas I've had in centuries and I'm having it with you. And that's absolutely fantastic."

She smiled in agreement with his assessment of the situation. "Yeah, it is." She looked with a new appreciation that he had given her of their surroundings. "It's beautiful."

"Shall we dance?"

"Sorry?"

"Dance," he repeated.

"There's no music."

"Of course, there is." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an electronic device slightly larger than a mobile phone. He searched through the device's database before deciding on a track. "Play it through the speaker, turn up the volume and…" A second later, Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serade" came from the player and the Doctor stuck it back in his pocket. Even through his clothing, the song could be easier heard. "Shall we?" he offered again, his hands positioned appropriately.

She chuckled slightly as she moved into his waiting hands. "Isn't this Jack's and my song?"

"Ah, but it's also the first song we ever danced to, just before we rescued him from his exploding ship," he replied as they moved to the music.

"I wouldn't call what we did 'dancing'. More like my failed attempt to give you dance lessons."

"I never needed dance lessons. Always knew how to dance."

"So, you were faking not knowing how? Why?"

He looked into her eyes, not stopping in his leading. "Because I liked you trying to teach me. I liked being the center of your attention and I was going to get it however I could because I loved you even then. It was only when you asked Jack to dance that I suddenly 'remembered'."

"You were jealous," she concluded with amusement.

"Oh, horribly! Didn't want him near you, at least not for a while. It didn't take long for me to realize that flirting is just part of Jack being Jack."

Rose got a haunted look on her face as the hybrid recalled his old friend, memories of their time together running through her mind. "I made Jack immortal, didn't I," she murmured.

Alex stopped their dance to gaze on her, concern in his eyes.

"When I was Bad Wolf, I made him immortal," she continued without prompting. "He was dead and I brought him back to life permanently. That's why he survived that Dalek killing him on the Crucible."

"You couldn't help yourself," the Doctor told her gently. "You're Human. You just didn't have the control necessary to limit your actions with how much power you had. You acted with your heart, not your head, but that's a good thing. If I had that kind of power, I would have been like a vengeful god, forcing the universe to obey me. Sometimes acting with intent, especially when one understands their power, is far worse than acting on one's feelings."

"You said Jack stayed behind in the year 200,100 to rebuild the Earth after the Daleks attacked it. Is that true?"

He let go of her and took a step back, regret in his eyes. This wasn't the Christmas surprise he'd hoped for but, now that it was here, he wasn't going to try to bury it. "No. The truth is that I abandoned him on Game Station."

"Why?" The question was filled with dismay.

"Because he's now a fixed point in time and space. He can't die, not permanently; he can only age and that very slowly. He's completely out of balance with the universe and that shouldn't happen. I could feel his impossibility and his presence made me… uncomfortable."

"You left him because you were prejudice?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, his uneasiness showing blatantly. "Yeah. Not my best moment." Dropping his hand, he assured, "But we're good now. Jack and I discussed what happened between us and we came to a reconciliation. I've come to accept who he is and he's forgiven me for my lack of judgment."

"Can you still feel his… impossibility?"

"No. The walls between our universes prevents me from feeling him. But that's beside the point. Even if I could, I'd accept him for who he is now." Seeing that sadness on her face, he reiterated, "It's not your fault, Rose. You were just doing what anyone would do if they had the means." He reached out and gently pulled her into his arms. "My beautiful, fantastic Rose. Let it go. He isn't angry with you and he's accepted it as part of his life. He's adapted, just like we all do when change comes."

"Doesn't stop me from feeling guilty about it," she murmured.

He didn't argue with her, knowing that he wouldn't be able to talk her out of the way she felt. Looking up at the sky, he noticed a change in their environment as the song on his player ended. "It stopped snowing," he commented. He noted Rose shivering slightly in his arms. "Are you cold?"

"A little," she admitted, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"Do you want to go inside?"

"Not just yet."

"Me neither." He sighed, pulling her closer to give her a little extra warmth. "Oh, that song's definitely not our song."

She couldn't help but give a half-hearted laugh at his words. "Definitely not. We always get interrupted by something with it. Being teleported by Jack. Being interrupted by rescuing Jack…"

"Talking about Jack," Alex continued. "Why is it always to do with Jack?" he joked, gaining another little laugh from her.

"I miss him," she stated after a moment of quiet between them.

"Yeah. Me too. Lots of people I miss." He sniffed slightly, forcing away the morose that was about to take hold. "Still… moving on. With you." He kissed her temple, showing in the action that he was happy that he had her in his life.

She hummed, a slight smile on her lips to show that, in spite of how she felt about making Jack Harkness immortal, she would always cherish the memories of him while enjoying being with her Doctor.

The two remained outside, allowing the night to pass before it became clear that they needed to get inside or they would catch a chill. After sharing a cup of hot cocoa, the two retired for the night.