My True Love Gave To Me
By Melissa (dettiot)
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairing: Ten/Rose, Jackie
Setting: Post-Fear Her.
Betas: leighleighla and clevermonikerr were great cheerleaders for this story as I wrote it. manticoran did a wonderful job betaing this huge story with very little time; thank you so much!
Summary: Christmas is a time for getting your heart's desire. Sometimes, the gift you truly want most can't be wrapped in pretty paper and bows.
Author's Note: Absolute fluff, written for waxingobscure, as part of the time_x_space Christmas ficathon. The prompts were needing a last-minute gift for a major character, Baby's First Christmas for the child of the Doctor and Rose, and/or carolling. See if I fit them all in. :-) Additional author's notes at the end.



"I think we should go carolling."

Rose looked up at the Doctor. "Carolling?" she repeated, looking startled.

"Yes, carolling! Traditional Christmastime activity, involving going through the streets, knocking on doors, and singing in exchange for money. Very popular among Victorian waifs and modern-day ASBOs with hoodies and ringtones . . . although for different reasons," the Doctor said, tugging on an ear.

She grinned at him, amused by his rambling, before focusing on his request. "Doctor, you do realize we just came from the Summer Olympics, with all that swimming and horseback riding and track . . ."

"Yes . . . ?" he asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"And carolling is, as you said, a Christmas activity."

He gave her one of those long-suffering looks that usually preceded some kind of remark about her lamentably small human mind. "What's the point of a time machine if you can't skip right from summer to Christmas? Isn't that every child's dream?"

He joined her on the jump seat. "Come on, Rose," he said, nudging her shoulder. "Let's make Christmas come early."

She slipped her hand into his. His words as they had left Dame Kelly Holmes Close were never far from her thoughts now, and she had sensed it was the same for him. He had been almost . . . clingy when they had been enjoying the Games. And now he wanted to do something sweet like have Christmas early.

Perhaps he was as worried as she was that their time was running out--

She closed her eyes for a moment, pushing that thought aside. She wasn't going to let that, or anything else, ruin Christmas.

Rose opened her eyes, seeing the Doctor's face inches from hers. "You do realize this means I get to go shopping, right?"

She giggled at the expression of mock fear on his face. "Didn't think that far ahead, huh?" she teased him.

"I admit, I had just thought of the carolling, because I wanted to hear--" He stopped, and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Anyway, yes, shopping! All the traditional activities for us. Shopping, carolling, the big Christmas dinner complete with plum pudding!"

"I'm surprised you're not including Christmas cookies, fruitcake, and eggnog in there. You're a bottomless pit," Rose said, hopping off the jump seat and turning to face him.

He grinned widely at her. "Oh, I haven't forgotten them. So, any particular place or time for our Christmas celebrations?"

"Well, since we already had a nice Victorian Christmas, complete with gas creatures and Charles Dickens, that's out," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He humphed and crossed his arms briefly before getting up and heading towards the console. "Boring, Rose Tyler. Even if we hadn't already done it, I think I can come up with something better than an old cliche like a Victorian Christmas."

"Well, come on, then. Dazzle me," she said, slipping her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and smirking at him, catching her tongue between her teeth.

He looked up from the console, pausing for a moment. He just looked at her, a look that made her smile dim a bit and butterflies flutter in her stomach. Then, like that, he threw her a cocky grin and started dancing around the console.

"Might want to grab a coat," he said, glancing at her around the Time Rotor. She grinned and hurried down the corridor, skipping her room and heading towards the wardrobe. She felt like something special today, something she'd never worn before.

When she walked into the wardrobe, she was taken aback. Usually, the TARDIS would just point you towards the appropriate rack for whatever destination or activity. But today, the TARDIS had provided almost a full outfit for her. On a low table right in front of the doorway rested a soft white jumper with a wide boatneck collar and a hunter green coat, complete with red, white and green scarf. A pair of boots, in a buttery-looking tan suede and with low heels, were set in front of the table.

She couldn't help the grin she got at the sight of this perfect outfit. "Thanks, girl," she said, patting the wall closest to her. Then, with a giggle, she threw the door shut and started pulling her clothes off.

***

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. He really should learn not to give voice to every passing thought. He'd just randomly been thinking about whether Rose had a nice singing voice--he suspected she did, especially when she had told him that she had been in the school choir--and suddenly, he'd been talking about carolling. And now, here he was, setting a course for the late 21st century and wondering why, when it came to Rose, he had no impulse control.

Well, this would still work out nicely. Bit of a lark, to do the whole Christmas experience with Rose. Last Christmas he was rather down for the count, what with the regeneration and the Sycorax and Harriet Jones and such. Although he had somehow still managed not to miss Jackie's attempt at a Christmas dinner. He gave a small shudder, but then smiled at the memory of Rose avoiding wearing her paper hat. He'd have to make sure she wore it this time around--

At the sound of footsteps, he whirled around to face the corridor, still smiling. But he felt it fade and his mouth fall open a little when Rose walked in. And really, should his mind be sent wandering by the image of Rose in a fuzzy white jumper, even one that made him want to run his hands all over it, to see how soft it was? And then, his fingers would find the flesh above the wide opening of the collar, and he'd realize the jumper was nothing compared to her skin. And he'd keep exploring her, since she had kept the same jeans on, the ones that he was convinced had been specially designed to drive him to distraction. And they'd never leave the TARDIS, because . . .

He shook his head quickly. "Blimey, thought I was going to have to come after you," he said, trying very hard to ignore the images that particular sentence had conjured up. Images like catching Rose half-dressed, and the way her eyes would widen . . . and he really shouldn't be thinking of Rose like this. She was his friend, his best friend, and one didn't think about one's friends like that. Even if one secretly suspected there was more than friendship on both sides, what with the longing looks and long hugs and holding hands at every moment.

He shook his head again.

"TARDIS found me a nice outfit," Rose said, twirling around before she continued speaking, without waiting for a response from him--a fact he was grateful for. "Come on, get your coat and let's go shopping!" She grinned up at him as she pulled on a dark coat and wound a scarf around her throat.

"So I'm just your pack mule?" he asked, grabbing his coat from the arch and following her towards the door of the TARDIS.

"Yep!" she said happily, bouncing in her excitement. "Come on, shops to see, presents to buy! I wanna get something special for Mum--something nice and alien."

He managed to hold back his snickers until they were out of the TARDIS and Rose was looking around, a slightly disgruntled look on her face. Then he burst into peals of laughter, having to lean against the TARDIS so he wouldn't fall on his bum.

The TARDIS had materialized in a small alley in the middle of Knightsbridge, not far from Harrods. It was the reign of William V and the period when Kyle Minogue (yes, related to those Minogues) was Prime Minister, and Britain was in the midst of a true golden age, a time that would be compared to Victoria and Elizabeth. It was two days before Christmas, and the streets were crowded with people.

The Doctor managed to recover his composure, Rose having crossed her arms across her chest while she glared at him. "For that, you've got to buy a gift for Mum, too," she said, annoyed.

"I know just the thing!" he said cheerfully, sticking his hands in his coat pockets. "Oh, come on, Rose, this will be fun. Nothing like London at Christmastime." He smiled broadly at her, still admiring the sight of Rose wrapped up like a particularly lovely present.

She looked away, but he could see her lips quirking up into a small smile. He pulled a hand out and stuck it out towards her, wiggling his fingers. She faced him, giving him the full impact of her smile, and grabbed his hand. "Come on, then," she said happily. "The shops await!"

Rose started pulling him towards Harrods and they joined the huge crowds filling the historic store. He kept a tight grip on her hand, not wanting to be separated, as Rose browsed through the cosmetics and perfumes. She tried new colors and scents and asked him for his opinion. It was all he could do not to blurt out that none of them could make her more beautiful than she already was.

She finally decided on a bottle of perfume for her mother--"although she'll probably claim it's way too fancy and then practically bathe in it"--and they wandered into the food halls, much to his delight. He snatched up every free sample he could get, popping bites of cheese, pastry, and best of all, a deep, dark chocolate, into his mouth.

"Oooo, Rose, you should really try this!" he called out to her. She came over from the display she had been admiring, and he held up a small square of the confectionery, letting it hover in front of her mouth.

"First, just let your nose absorb the way it smells: how it makes your mouth water." He nodded towards her, and she leaned forward and took a few small, appreciative sniffs.

"Now," he continued, "before you taste it, think about how it's not just the chocolate you taste. It's the texture, the way it melts on your tongue, revealing hints of other flavors, surrounded by all this sweetness. It coats your tongue with richness, something so deep and complex that you want more, but you know at the same time that nothing will compare to this first bite . . ."

His voice trailed off as he realized that Rose's eyes had gone hazy, her breathing a bit heavy.

"Rose?" he asked worriedly. "Are you all right?"

He reached out and touched her shoulder, and she jumped in surprise. "What?" She looked up at him, and then her eyes darted away. She plucked the piece of chocolate out of his hand and shoved it into her mouth. "Mmm, good!" she said, before turning away from him.

He tilted his head, wondering at her reaction, before shrugging and taking another piece of chocolate.

***

Rose took a deep breath through her nose. She'd breathe through her mouth, but she could still taste the chocolate, and breathing that in would just make her thoughts go back to that moment that she was trying to forget.

How on Earth could he get so much from a tiny little piece of chocolate? Perhaps it was some kind of special Time Lord tongue thing, and he could do fancy analysis in the blink of an eye. And then turn around and use that knowledge to make her absolutely weak in the knees.

And thinking about his tongue wasn't helping her regain her equilibrium, either.

Rose sighed, glancing over at the Doctor out of the corner of her eye. He really had no idea. When they were on the TARDIS earlier, she knew that he'd meant to fluster her a bit. And she both anticipated and dreaded those moments, because he could send her pulse racing, make the flush rise in her cheeks, so easily. They flirted with each other but never enough to move beyond a strange comfort zone; one where they occasionally gazed too long at each other, sometimes stopped in mid-sentence so as not to reveal too much . . . but never going too far that they couldn't pull back and pretend they were just best mates and wasn't that great?

In the past few weeks, she'd noticed the flirting had gotten more . . . intense. He'd let his eyes trail over her figure. When they held hands, he'd rub his thumb across the back of her hand. He'd even said a few innuendo-laden remarks, something that always left her with her mouth hanging open in surprise. She hadn't thought the Doctor could consciously be that suggestive.

But what was worse, ever so much worse . . . was when he was just being himself. The goofy, sweet, passionate, rude, know-it-all alien. When he stuck the sonic screwdriver in his mouth as he worked on the TARDIS, when he went into raptures over chocolate or a strange plant, when he was practically jumping up and down before they walked out of the TARDIS. The fact that those moments were just as likely to send the blood rushing through her veins as when he stared at her . . . there had to be something wrong with her.

She sighed again, shoving her hands in her pockets so she wouldn't shove more of the free samples into her mouth, or fiddle with the intricate food displays, or grab the Doctor by the lapels and--

"We should split up," she blurted out.

The Doctor jerked his attention from a Desserts of the World display and locked his gaze on her. "What?" he asked, his voice expressing shock, disbelief, and hurt. "You want to split up?"

"To shop! For each other!" she said hastily, spitting out the first reason she could think of. She needed to get away from him, because he was too tempting and this was too scary and God, she hated Muzak versions of Christmas carols . . .

She frowned as she realized she was starting to think the same way he talked. She shoved that thought away and made a sweeping gesture. "Big, lovely shop--bound to find just the right present to go under the Christmas tree."

He frowned a bit, and took a step towards her. "Rose, are you all right?" He took her hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze. He leaned towards her, so close that his fringe brushed her hair. His eyes were large and soft, full of worry.

Rose closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. This close, she could smell that fragrance that said "Doctor" to her. She couldn't put into words what the scent was, but she could catch the smallest whiff and feel like she had just slipped into bed at the end of a long day.

Opening her eyes, she looked up at him. She gave him a small smile. "I'm fine. Really. I just want to see if you'll get me a present."

As she hoped, her joke lifted some of the tension. He grinned at her. "I'll have you know that I've had your Christmas gift for ages. But I'm sure I could find something else for you. Besides, still have to find something for Jackie."

"Right, exactly," she said, trying not to think too hard about how he'd already picked out a present for her. "So, meet in an hour?"

"All right," he said. "I'll treat you to tea in the Georgian Restaurant. See you there?"

She nodded, giving him another smile. "Should have known all those free samples wouldn't be enough to satisfy you."

He shook his head with a grin, pulling her hand towards him. "Nope," he said, brushing a kiss across her knuckles before dropping her hand and heading towards the lifts.

She stared after him for a long moment, only coming out of her daze when an older woman bumped into her. Muttering an apology, Rose turned and looked around, wondering what one got the last Time Lord for Christmas.

End, Part 1

Go to Part 2