The Christmas countdown continues oooooooooooooooooon…

The 2nd Day of Christmas!

I'm going to move into a Doctor and Companion for every day, starting with Nine and Rose. We'll see how it turns out. By the next Christmas, I should have enough new companions to do this again. I don't know; I guess I'll see how it's received.

God bless and have a Merry Christmas!

ThePro-LifeCatholic

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. I don't own Christmas, either.

Writing Prompt: 2nd Day of Christmas

Characters: 9th Doctor, Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler

Shippings: None, unless you'd like to imagine some Nine/Rose in there. I'm certainly not gonna stop you.

Genre: Friendship/Family/Comfort/Christmas-y

Rating: K

On the Second Day of Christmas

The Doctor let me see:

A new red bike

And a small Babe asleep in the hay.

It had been a hard year for the Tyler family. Poor Jackie was struggling along, doing the best she could with two jobs. She was a strong, stubborn woman; difficult situations didn't deter her easily. But even with her hardy nature and careful, money-saving procedures, Mrs. Tyler wasn't in an ideal position when the Christmas season rolled around.

Her blond-haired daughter had started her Christmas list months ago, and she had re-written and revised it several times before finally submitting it to her mother for review. Despite the fact that each new list was different, with certain gift-choices taken off or added on, one aspect always remained the same. Taking first place among the desires of little Rose Tyler was a new, bright red bicycle; and it was the one gift that stayed on the list.

Of course, Jackie could see why Rose would want a bike so badly. Who wouldn't, when the only bike they owned was a rickety old thing with wobbly handlebars, rust creeping up the sides, and tires that seemed to run out of air as soon as they started turning? It simply wasn't fair for any child to have to endure a ride on something like that. And on top of that, Jackie felt that her daughter deserved such a present.

All the rest of the long months and weeks of the year, Rose was so good about their limited income. Time and again, she gave up going to the movies, or getting fast food from a restaurant, or picking out more expensive accessories when they went shopping. And Jackie knew better than most that these weren't such small sacrifices. For a twelve-year-old girl, these decisions were incredibly mature, not to mention hard to make.

That was why Jackie dreaded having to tell her daughter the sad news that Santa was probably going to have to put a rain check on the more expensive presents that year. The red bike was included in this.

With a sigh, Mrs. Tyler pushed the chair away from the stack of bills sitting on the table and went to the kitchen. Pulling a cook book off of the shelf, she flipped to the very back, where the Christmas recipes were located.

"We can still have a nice Christmas, presents or not," she told herself firmly. After all, Rose Tyler was twelve years old, going on thirteen. Surely she was old enough to understand why she couldn't get the presents she really wanted.

"Next year," Jackie promised. "Next year will be better."

"Mommy! Mommy!" A high-pitched voice squealed into the darkness. Rose wriggled onto her mother's bed, cuddling against the lump under the blankets. "Get up, Mommy. It's Christmas!"

Jackie moaned softly as she was shaken from her deep slumber. Rose hopped off the bed and rushed from the room. Jackie glanced at the clock. It was barely past five o'clock in the morning. With a reserved sigh, she kicked back the covers and searched the floor for her slippers. Then she shuffled into the front room.

To her surprise, her daughter hadn't buried herself underneath the tree. Instead the little figure, shivering in her pajamas, had her face plastered to the window.

"What's out there, Sweetie?" Jackie wanted to know.

"It's snowing!" Rose gasped joyfully. This was the first surprise of that day. Jackie was certain that the forecast hadn't called for snow, which had been a large disappointment for Rose. Without snow, Christmas wouldn't have felt like…well, Christmas. But sure enough, large flakes were drifting to the ground outside, sweeping along the sidewalks and covering the world in a fine white dust.

But the best surprise was yet to come.

"Why don't you look and see what Santa's brought you, since we're already up?" Jackie prompted. A sting of concern struck her as Rose turned to the small bundle of packages underneath the tree. How would she react when she saw that Santa couldn't get the bike to her? Would she understand? Would she be angry, sad, or simply confused?

So caught up in her own thoughts was Jackie Tyler that she failed to see Rose's face light up with joy. She didn't notice her daughter's mad scramble to the tree; didn't watch her completely bypass the wrapped presents in favor of an object partly-concealed by the leafy branches of the tree.

"A bike!" Rose shrieked, snapping Jackie out of her thoughts. She turned to see her daughter wheeling a bright red bicycle from behind the Christmas tree.

"Look, Mommy!" Rose cried, clapping her hands and dancing around the gift. "Santa brought me a bike after all!"

Jackie was completely at a loss for words. She stepped to the bike and touched it carefully. It was real enough; a brand-new model in excellent condition. This wasn't a cheap brand. Whoever had gotten it spent a small fortune to get it here.

Jackie collapsed on the cushions of a worn love seat. She racked her mind for an explanation. As far as she knew, though, no one owed her any favors. Mrs. Tyler hadn't told anyone else about the bicycle predicament, so who could have done this?

"Can I ride it?" Rose pleaded, looking hopefully at her mother.

"It's not even 5:30!" Jackie retorted. "It's still dark outside, Dearie." Rose's face fell, and her greenish-brown eyes dropped to the ground. Jackie looked at her for a moment before sighing and shaking her head.

"Alright," she relented. "But just for a bit."

Rose squealed in excitement, and ran to get her warm clothes on. In a only a few short minutes, she and her mother were out in the cold air. Rose was peddling with all her might down the empty stretch of road in front of the apartment. Snowflakes brushed past her face and danced through the sky, distorting background shapes.

Jackie watched her from the sidewalks, arms folded to keep some warmth to herself. She was still puzzling over the bicycle mystery when she caught sight of a figure. The stranger was a person, with a stocky build and dressed in dark clothing. He or she was leaning against the side of a nearby building, facing the mother and daughter. Jackie tensed up, expecting the worst.

"Come here, Rose," she order, keeping her eyes locked on the shadowy figure. Obediently, her daughter changed her course, coming closer to the house. The stranger moved just at that moment, detaching from the wall and beginning to walk away. Before disappearing from view, the person stopped and looked back. Then he raised a hand and waved.

Without quite knowing why, Jackie returned the gesture. Then the stranger was gone. Rose brought her bike to a smooth stop in front of her mother. Jackie took another sweeping gaze of the street, but they were alone now.

"Come on, Rose," she said, beckoning for her daughter to follow. "You've still got presents to open, and I'm freezing."

Taking her daughter by the hand, the two started for the apartment. Jackie stopped and glanced over her shoulder as a strange, wheezing noise reached her ears. It was only for a moment, though, and it faded away just as quickly. Shaking her head, she opened the door and followed Rose inside.

"Who says I'm not, Red-Bicycle-When-You-Were-Twelve?"

"What?"

See you tomorrow for the next companion!