All I Want for Christmas (1/2)

[amberfocus]

Title:  All I Want for Christmas (1/2)
Author:  amberfocus
Characters/Pairings:  Nine/Rose, Santa Claus
Genre:  Romance, Fluff
Rating:  Teen
Betas:  amyo67, jeprdyfrndly
Summary:  The Doctor takes Rose to the planet North Pole to meet the real Santa Claus.  A sequel to a fic I wrote two Christmases ago called I Believe in Santa Claus: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/177974.html
A/N:  A very Merry Christmas to everyone.  This story is dedicated to Amy and Victoria, my faithful betas and dear friends.  Written for the sistersofguh Doctor/Rose Winter Wonderland Romance-a-thon.  I've used several of the picture prompts which will be dispersed throughout the story at appropriate points.

All I Want for Christmas
 

The Doctor had tried, honestly tried, to take Rose to the North Pole five times. The planet, not the city. He’d promised her a visit with the very real Santa Claus, the man the legend had been built around on dozens of planets, even Earth. Every time he’d aimed for it, he’d missed it. So it naturally occurred that when they finally did land there he had been aiming for Hawaii and landed on North Pole completely by accident.

Rose had at first been justifiably annoyed. That’s what happened when one’s companion walked out into a foot of snow in a bikini without anyone having actually checked the monitor first. But when she’d realized where they were, that they’d actually made it to one of their previously promised destinations, she’d been utterly delighted. Well, utterly delighted after soaking her frozen toes in a nice hot bath for half an hour.

Now dressed rather more appropriately for the snowy planet they were on in parkas and fleece lined boots, they were slogging through what might or might not have qualified as a phase three blizzard. If it hadn’t been for his superior vision, the white out would have prevented him from seeing where they were going.

Rose hadn’t spoken for nearly an hour after she’d wrapped her scarf around her face and donned the pair of safety goggles he’d found in one of his dimensionally transcendental pockets to protect her eyes. Her thickly gloved hand had stayed locked around his arm as she’d staggered along beside him. He was worried about her, but he knew that it wouldn’t be much longer now.

He could just see the top of the ice fortress now and he knew that as soon as they finished slogging up and over the hill it would be within reach. It was just too bad visibility was so awful. He couldn’t point out the white and red striped candy cane support beams between thick blocks of ice, or the gold trimmed green arches that outlined every window. There would be time for that later after the blizzard had passed.

He got Rose into the entryway out of the storm and pounded on the thick wooden door. A soft click could be heard and then the door swung open. He hustled her inside and quickly closed the door behind them. Quickly he removed the goggles Rose was wearing and then unwrapped the scarf from her face. Worriedly he searched her eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Think so,” she mumbled. “Just cold.” An accompanying shiver gave an exclamation point to her words. “Where are we?”

“We’ve made it to Santa’s compound,” he said. “We’re in the outermost chamber.” He pointed to the little sign stuck on the wall. It had an arrow pointing off in one direction and said REINDEER CAVES in big bold letters. “Rudolph and the others are that way, but we can see them later, after you’ve warmed up."

He moved her through the room into a large antechamber with all sorts of nooks and crannies. They could see large red bags stuffed with something bulky tucked into each one. “What are those?” she asked.

“Gift bags,” said the Doctor as if that should be obvious.

Rose glanced around the rest of the room. It looked like it had been carved out of solid snow. Intricate patterns had been carved into the walls. Blocks of ice stacked on top of each other, also carved in places, formed columns from floor to ceiling. “Reminds me a bit of the TARDIS,” she said. “The ice is like your coral supports.” She looked around some more and then wrinkled her nose as circles of light began flashing, making patterns on the floor.
 


“It’s a bit disco for Santa Claus, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Well, he does have a rather bad affinity for late 1970’s Earth music,” the Doctor admitted.

“Seriously? Santa? And disco?”

“You should see him dance.  Bowl full of jelly, indeed,” the Doctor said dryly and Rose gave him a horrified grimace that made him laugh.

“I’m still cold,” she said. “Isn’t there somewhere warmer?”

“Yeah, come on.”

He led her through the antechamber and towards the interior. Large white archways opened onto a courtyard. Giant pots and flowerbeds held brilliant red flowers, some of which might have been poinsettias, but many of which were not. Two enormous red and gold ornaments sat as a focal point in the middle of the floor. One came up to Rose’s chest and the other was even taller than the Doctor by at least a foot.



“That’s the main house,” the Doctor said pointing across the courtyard. The walls were washed with a beautiful yellow gold and trimmed with off white. On the second floor a series of French windows were spaced evenly and on the central one a black banister of intricate filigree iron work lined a balcony.

“It’s beautiful,” Rose breathed. “Makes me think we’re in the French Riviera or New Orleans, not the North Pole. Except for the cold.”

“Well, it is French architecture.”

“From the planet France?” Rose asked teasingly.

“Don’t be silly. There’s no planet France,” the Doctor said as if she should know better than to have even suggested it.

“Oh, of course not,” Rose said. She shivered again. “It might be warmer here, but it’s still not warm enough. I can feel my lips turning blue.” Her breath puffed out visibly. “How come it’s not snowing in here?”

“The whole thing is covered by a force field that keeps out snow, but not people or animals. Everyone is welcome in Santa’s kingdom,” the Doctor explained.

The doors opened for them as they approached and Rose quickly ducked inside. “Where is everyone?” she asked.

“Dunno,” he said. “They might be out on a toy run. It takes a lot of effort to keep that many planets supplied properly for their holidays.”

“Oh, it’s gorgeous!” exclaimed Rose as she stepped into what she could only describe as a sun room. “This doesn’t match the outside at all. What’s with all the windows? It was nearly solid wall on the ground floor out there.” She looked around, her eyes taking in the huge wreaths hanging from long velvet ribbons over each window.



“Rose, I thought living on the TARDIS had taught you better than that,” the Doctor said.

“You mean…the inside’s not in the same place as the outside?” she asked.

“Sort of.”

“What do you mean, sort of?” she asked.

She shivered again and the Doctor took her hand and pulled her after him into a long hallway. He poked his head into several rooms before settling on one and tugging her in behind him.



“Oh, this is more like it,” she said eyeing the cozy fireplace. “We’ll need to start it somehow,” she began but as soon as she said it the fire roared into life.

She rubbed her hands together and moved closer to the flames. “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care…”

The Doctor smiled at her as her eyes took in the room with its quaintly decorated Christmas tree. It was very understated and elegant compared to what she might have expected, but from the look on her face she seemed to love it even more than something ridiculously fancy.

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to be here?” Rose asked.

“I’ve got a standing invitation,” the Doctor reassured her.

“So what did you mean earlier about it being like the TARDIS?” Rose asked.

“Well, surely you don’t think Santa can be in all the places he’s supposed to be in on one night without a little help from Time Lord technology,” he said.

“You mean he’s a Time Lord?” she gasped.

“No, of course not. Told you, I’m the only one left. But…his home and of course his sleigh and gift bags have been souped up with a little help from yours truly.”

“So what you’re saying is you’re just a really big elf?” she asked with a mischievous grin.

“Is that a crack about my ears?” he asked.

Rose smiled at him and reached out, tugging him closer to her. She put her hand up and stroked one of his ears. He could feel his face turning red as he blushed under the more intimate touch. “Course not. Your ears aren’t pointy.” Her voice got a bit husky. “And even if they were, I’d still love them because they’re a part of you and I lo—.” She broke off and took another step closer to the fire. “Heat feels good.”

“Yes,” he agreed.

She began to peel off her parka and boots. He took them from her and hung them on a coat rack and shoe rack across the room, adding his own when he’d finished putting hers away. He smiled tenderly as he observed her. He’d noticed her slip and it had made him unaccountably happy.

“Warm enough yet?” he asked.

She turned back to him with a quick look. “Starting to be, why?”

He gestured to the sofa and the thick stack of blankets. “Because we can wrap up under those if you still need warming,” he said softly.

“That’d be nice,” Rose said just as softly. He held out his hand for her and led her over to the sofa, tucking them both into a nice nest of fleecy soft blankets.



Rose leaned her head against the Doctor’s shoulder and closed her eyes only for a moment. The next thing she knew she was opening them to a dimming fire and a snoring Doctor. Her eyes danced around the room as she sensed something had shifted. They weren’t alone.

Across the room in a big red chair sat a kindly looking old man that looked exactly like the inner image of Santa she’d always held. His long white beard trailed halfway down his chest in long white curls, and his hair itself fell to his shoulders. A small pair of spectacles perched on his nose and he was dressed in red velvet trimmed with white fur.



In one hand the man held a massively long list and in the other a large red bag. Rose could see a ginger-haired doll in a gingham dress spilling halfway out of it. She remembered wanting a doll almost exactly like that when she’d been seven. It had been all she’d wanted and Mickey, who’d been her best friend even then, had saved up all his money from doing odd jobs around the estate for a year to buy something similar. It hadn’t been as high of quality as the one in that bag, but she’d adored it because of all the love and thought that had gone into it from the older boy.

She sighed and the old man looked up. “Ah, you’re awake,” he said with a smile. “My security elves said you’d arrived during the blizzard.”

“Yeah, me and the Doctor,” she said.

“Ah,” said Santa with a smile as his eyes moved to the dozing Time Lord. “He looked a bit different the last time I saw him.”

“Are you really…?” Rose trailed off and just stared at the man.

His bright blue eyes literally twinkled in a way that human eyes did not. “Am I really who?”

“Santa Claus,” she said.

“That’s one of many things that I am called,” he said with a chuckle that sounded remarkably like ho ho ho without him actually saying those words. “You’re what? Earth human?” he asked.

“Is there any other kind of human?” Rose asked.

“Perhaps not in your time, but in all of time, yes there are, scattered throughout the universe.”

“And you bring Christmas to them all?” she asked.

“To those planets that carry the old beliefs, yes,” he said. “Many do not. Many have outgrown such things, just as children on your planet outgrow me. But there are several dozen planets that celebrate some kind of winter solstice festival with a jolly old man who brings presents. That would be me.”

“But…you don’t come to Earth for everyone,” she said remembering several lean Christmases with her mother, not to mention the two that the Doctor had gone back and changed for her.

“No,” he agreed. “There are…complications sometimes. I may not be a Time Lord like yon Doctor, but I am very aware of the time lines and for many humans losing their belief in me is a rite of passage that inspires other things. If I were to interfere there might be dire consequences to your history. And trying to outrun Reapers with only reindeer power isn’t easy.” Rose shivered.

“But enough of this non-cheery talk. You are here to celebrate the spirit, are you not?” he asked kindly.

“Yes.”

“Well, then, why don’t you tell me, Rose Tyler, what you want most in this world for Christmas,” Santa asked.

“How do you know my name?” she asked.

The old man rolled his eyes. “I’m Santa Claus. I’ve got a list.” He held up the paper and shook it in her direction.

“You can’t have,” Rose said in disbelief.

“Oh, I have, and it tells whether or not you’ve been naughty or nice, Ms. Tyler.” Rose gave him a skeptical look and he pushed his spectacles further up his nose. “Saved the Doctor from the Nestene consciousness, nice,” he said. “Dumped Mickey Smith in a rather awful way, naughty,” he said. Rose blushed. She was still ashamed of how she’d left things with Mickey. “Had compassion for a…ahem…bitchy trampoline, nice. Saved Earth from aliens who wanted to blow it up, nice and pretty much cancels out Adam Mitchell and the Reapers,” he said.

“Sounds like it’s a bit of a wash,” Rose said with a sigh.

“No, it’s not. I haven’t read the most important one yet,” he said.

“What’s that then?”

“Saved the Doctor’s spirit and gave him something worth living for,” he said.

“Oh, I didn’t do that,” Rose said.

The man smiled at her. “You’ve done more than you may ever know,” he said seriously. “Now, tell me, what do you want? I can grant you anything other than peace on Earth. Unfortunately that would wreck the future.”

“I don’t know,” Rose said. “I think I’ve got everything I want. Travelling through time and space with him.” She shoved her thumb in the direction of the Doctor.

“And there’s nothing more you want in your deepest heart of hearts?”

“Well, maybe there’s one thing. All I want for Christmas is for him to be happy,” she said.

“I fear that may be the one thing that only you can do for him,” said Santa Claus.

A loud snore issued from the Doctor and Rose giggled. “He doesn’t usually sleep so much,” she said fondly.

“Bad dreams,” said Santa.

“Yes,” Rose agreed. “You can’t…take those away, can you?” she asked.

“If I did that he wouldn’t be the man you’ve come to love,” said Santa.

Rose stared at him sharply. “I didn’t say—.”

“You didn’t have to. It’s as clear to me as the driven snow. What’s more, if I gave him that kind of peace, maybe it’d dull the intensity of his feelings for you and I can’t allow that anymore than I can allow peace on Earth,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because,” said Santa with a soft smile, “the fate of the entire universe hinges on his falling in love with you, too.”

Pt. 2: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/420136.html