All I Want for Christmas (2/2)

[amberfocus]

Title:  All I Want for Christmas (2/2)
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:  *Hangs head in shame*  Yes, I am very well aware of the fact that Christmas was over a month ago.  Muses are stupid and being so sick this month didn't help, but the thing is finally done.  Anyone still have the Christmas spirit?  Written for the sistersofguh Doctor/Rose Winter Wonderland Romance-a-thon, which runs through the end of February.  I've used several of the picture prompts which will be dispersed throughout the story at appropriate points.

Ch. 1:  http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/412480.html

Chapter Two

 

“What do you mean the fate of the entire universe?” Rose demanded. “That’s a little much, isn’t it?” She was back to eyeing the old man with skepticism.

“No, I do not think it is,” Santa said. “You see he was broken before he met you. One might even say suicidal.”

“How can you know that?”

“You keep asking me that. I see everything, Rose Tyler.” His blue eyes went white and flat for a moment, his mind clearly elsewhere. “I conduct the time lines like an orchestra and your Doctor is my favorite melody. He sings through time and space and his chords were dissonant for far too long. Now he’s almost in harmony, but he won’t stay that way. Not if he messes things up with you. Not if he can’t…”

“Love me?”

“No, allow himself to,” said Santa. “Believe that it’s okay. Tell me, Rose, how long are you going to stay with him?”

Rose started at the personal intent of the question. “As long as he wants me around,” she finally answered slowly. “I won’t leave him.”

“I’ve watched the eddies in time that have formed from your meeting. What was once a single string about to snap has rewoven itself into a powerful instrument. Together with you, time plays a full orchestral piece that resonates across the universe. His joy in being with you changes everything for everyone. He’s trying again and the universe needs a trying Doctor.”

Rose snorted. “The universe has one of those.”

“You know what I mean, young lady,” Santa said in an admonishing tone but his eyes were back to that preternatural twinkling. “You must be very careful, though. There are times when he might think to send you away, to protect you, to keep you safe because of what you mean to him. I’m telling you now, if he does this, sends you away and it seems like you won’t be reunited, you must find a way, any way short of destroying the universe, to reunite with him. I can already see too much damage to him if he loses you. You keep the man sane.”

“You know how to lay on the pressure for a girl,” she said.

“Is it pressure if you want to be with him anyway?” Santa asked.

Rose nodded. “It really kind of is.”

“It’s your choice, Rose, to stay with him or to go. But if you go…I’m just making you aware of the consequences of his possible future actions.”

“I don’t want to leave him,” Rose said with a sigh. “Not by choice. Not by lack of choice. But falling in love…that’s not something you can make happen.”

“I could.”

"Well, I wouldn’t want you to. If he’s gonna fall for me, I want it to be natural, right.”

“You won’t have to make it happen,” said Santa. “Believe me, he’s at his tipping point. He already loves you. The next step is in the falling. He just needs a little encouragement.”

“You haven’t even spoken to him. How can you possibly know?”

“Have you listened to nothing I’ve said, girl?” Santa said imperiously.

Rose rolled her eyes at him. “Of course I have. Just used to men like you and the Doctor making themselves out to be more impressive than they actually are.”

Santa puffed up. “I am so impressive!”

“Now you sound like him,” she said shoving a thumb at the Doctor. “Look, maybe you really are Santa Claus, but the Santa Claus I know about isn’t like this. He’s just a jolly old man who brings toys…or doesn’t bring them.”

“I am more…eternal…than perhaps you can comprehend,” he said and there was a flavor just short of arrogance in his voice.

“Well, maybe you are, and maybe you can know all this and be in all these places and give to all the worlds that need you, but we’re talking matters of the heart here and those are best left without any kind of manipulation. And I don’t care what kind of symphony you’re playing. The Doctor marches to the beat of his own pipe organ. He can fall in love with me, or not, on his own. He doesn’t need anyone playing second fiddle…or matchmaker.”

A soft beeping sound interrupted their conversation and a small light began to flash on and off in alternating patterns of green and red. Santa rose to his feet. “I must get back to work. Please, you and your Doctor stay as long as you like. My house is your house.” And in a quickly moving bustle of jingle bells that belied the man’s size, he was gone from the room.

Rose settled herself back down on the couch beside the Doctor. He pulled her against him and sighed. “Always was an old busy-body, that Santa,” said the Doctor quietly against her ear.

“You heard?” Rose blushed.

“Ears like mine don’t miss much,” he said. His arms squeezed tightly around her.

“What he said, Doctor, about you sending me away to keep me safe…promise me you won’t do that.”

“I promised your mother I would,” he said. “And I’m a man of my word.”

Rose twisted in his arms to look at him. “And I’m a woman of mine. You send me away like that and I’m gonna come back.” Brown eyes met and held blue. “I will always find my way back to you.”

“Rose, I—.” The Doctor swallowed hard and looked away from her. He sighed and began again, clearly changing what he’d been about to say. “Rose, I won’t send you away unless I absolutely have to and if there’s any way at all that I can come back for you, I will. I’m…very fond of you, you know.”

“I’m rather fond of you myself,” she said with her signature grin, tongue between her teeth.

Rose was about to say something else when her stomach growled loudly. The Doctor chuckled. “Come on,” he said dumping her unceremoniously out of his arms and rising to his feet. He held out his hands to help her up. “The banquet hall isn’t too far from here. There’s always something to nibble on there and afterwards we can go watch the herds.”

Always something to nibble on was a vast understatement. When they arrived at the banquet hall Rose stopped dead in her tracks. “That’s…that’s just gorgeous.” The room was filled with intimate nooks and crannies, each with its own table covered in a festive cloth. Long, tapered red candles were lit at each place but never seemed to burn down. Tall champagne flutes were filled with the bubbly stuff. The table was piled high with delicious things to eat. A carved, roast bird, filled with bread stuffing, was the centerpiece. Rose would have thought it a small turkey or large goose, but for the extra wings and drumsticks.



“What kind of bird is this?” she asked.

“It’s a brenyon, a much smaller cousin of the Hornbeck.”

“And the Hornbeck is the one you said I sounded like when I was sick.”

“When you were honking your nose like it was a horn, yes,” he said.

“You still haven’t taken me to see them.”

He smiled. “Maybe next trip, TARDIS willing.”

A golden tureen filled with rich gravy steamed to one side of the bird, and potatoes, both sweet and regular made white and orange mountains on either side of it. Hot, flaky dinner rolls were piled high in a basket and other winter vegetables sat in a casserole dish. At the far end was a smaller table. On it were fruits, pies and puddings of every sort imaginable.

“This really is amazing,” Rose said feeling like she had to say something else.

“Tastes as good as it looks,” the Doctor said pulling out a chair for her. She settled into it, giving him a fond look for his gentlemanliness.

It did. It was the best holiday meal, and probably the best food ever, that Rose had tasted. They sampled a little bit of everything until Rose finally shoved herself away from the table. “If I eat one more bite I’m not going to be moving from this spot for a week.”

“And that’s no good to me. I need you moving around vigorously, able to run for your life at a moment’s notice,” he said with a grin. “Come on, let’s go look at the herds.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her chair. “Are we going to the ice caves now?” Rose asked.

“Why would we do that?” he asked looking at her blankly.

“To see the reindeer herd?”

“Oh, I’m not talking about herds of reindeer.” He pulled her down a new corridor.

“Herds of what then?” Rose asked. They stopped suddenly at a big white door that looked like a giant snowflake.

“You’ll see,” said the Doctor. He opened the door and nudged Rose through first. Racks of snow gear met her eyes and she was glad because the stinging cold was back.

“We’re going out in that again?” Rose asked with slight trepidation.

“Not for long, I promise.  We’re going by sleigh and it has a protective bubble from the elements."

The Doctor helped her wrap herself up in the warm clothing and boots and followed suit. He pressed a button on the wall of the house and a moment later a team of horses pulling an old-fashioned sleigh appeared out of a dark entryway. “In you get,” the Doctor said steadying her as she climbed inside. He jumped up quickly and tucked a warm, white lab robe around them, and twisted a knob that activated a force shield around them.

“How are you going to drive them?”

“They don’t need driving. They know where they’re supposed to go.” The Doctor made a series of clicking trills with his mouth and the horses began to move forward, smoothly pulling the sleigh through the courtyard and past the back of the mansion.

It didn’t take them long and finally when they covered one last rise the Doctor pointed. “There they are.”

“There what are?” Rose asked trying to follow. All she could see were loosely spaced pine and fir trees that seemed to be decorated with ornaments, tinsel, garland, cranberries and popcorn strings.

“The herd,” he said.

“I don’t see them,” she said.

“They’re right in front of your eyes,” the Doctor said.

“All I see are the trees,” she said.

“That’s right.”

“What’s right?”

“It’s a herd of Christmas trees, Rose! Growing in the wild, decorations and all. Now hush, you’ll spook them.”

“You’re putting me on,” she said in a loud, disbelieving voice, but just then one of the trees heard them and started moving away at a rapid pace. A few more of the very big trees began to whirl around defensively while the smaller ones chased after the first. Ornaments came flying their way, bouncing off the shield.

“You scared them!” the Doctor exclaimed in disappointment as the horses began to back away.

“Well, you didn’t tell me it was a herd of Christmas trees!” Rose said. “How on Earth would I know that?”

“We’re not on Earth,” he murmured, “and you’ve met ambulatory trees before.”

“What, that lot from Cheam? They looked more human than tree.”

“Well, that was quite a ways further into the future than when we are right now.”

“Well, these ones don’t look happy to see us,” Rose said. “I doubt very much the big one with the gold star is going to flirt with you.”

“I can’t help it if tree ladies find me sexy,” he said with a grin.

“Everyone finds you sexy,” Rose muttered under her breath, but he heard it anyway.

“Everyone?” the Doctor asked quietly and Rose blushed and pushed him in the side.

“We should go back,” she said. “The trees are lovely, but I was expecting to see reindeer.  Oh, no!”

"What?"

"That tree in Santa's study..."  She trailed off.

"No, that was just an ordinary tree.  Nothing sentient about it," the Doctor reassured her and Rose sighed in relief.

The Doctor said something to the horses and they pulled the sleigh around and headed back for the compound. They removed their snow gear and the Doctor led her back the way they had come until they were once more facing the ice caves and the reindeer sign. “They’re not what you think. Try not to be too disappointed,” the Doctor said.

Rose frowned at him but took his hand and they walked into the caves. The first cavern was labeled Rudolph and inside it was a large sleigh and next to it sat a giant engine with a blinking red light. On the side it said in big bold letters:

Rein Deere 3000
Rudolph Navigation System
20,000 Reindeer Power

“This is how Santa powers his sleigh?” Rose asked in shock. “I was expecting…flying caribou.”

“Well, he does project a holographic image of them. In the past on Earth it would have been far too dangerous to see a flying sleigh with a system like this. The hologram made it easier for him to move about in case he was seen.”

“So no Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen?” Rose asked.

“Backup engines with no nat sav,” the Doctor said. “He uses Rudolph on the foggy nights to guide his sleigh.”

“Oh. Well, there goes a childhood memory shattered to nothing.”

“Oh, Rose,” the Doctor said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

“I’m a big girl, Doctor, I’m fine.  This doesn't make the trip any less magical.” She squeezed his hand then yawned.

“Guess we should get you back to the TARDIS,” he said. “I don’t think you had a long enough nap.”

Rose agreed. “Yeah, and I could do with a lovely soak in a hot bubble bath. Do we have to walk back to the TARDIS, though?” She shivered at the memory of their long plod there.

“No, we can borrow one of the sled dog teams. They’re trained to find their way back home on their own." He led her past several openings with more engines in them, labeled Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen and she just shook her head.

They came to a large room full of toys being worked on by elves. “Santa’s Work Shop?” Rose gasped in joy.

“Oh, right,” the Doctor said. They wandered up and down the aisles, careful not to get in anyone’s way while Rose delighted in all the various toys. A tall elf with shining blond hair that reminded her rather too much of Legolas from the Lord of the Rings movies Mickey had made her sit through gave them a quick tour and at the end of it handed her a small, wrapped box to take with her with the instructions it was to be opened at home. He handed the Doctor another one and led them to the area where the sled dogs were kept.



Five minutes later Rose was hanging on for dear life, her hands wrapped around the Doctor and her face buried in his jacket, as their dogsled raced through the snow. It was exhilarating and wonderful, but she was glad it didn’t last too long in the icy snow. With relief they sent the dogs back and entered the TARDIS.

“What’d she do?” Rose asked staring around her in wonder.

“I rather think our friend Santa did it.” Garland was wrapped around the time rotor and tinsel hung in long strands from the console. Holly and evergreen bows and big red bows hung from the coral supports.

“It’s beautiful,” Rose laughed.

They quickly shed their outerwear and Rose sat down on the jump seat. “Shall we go see those Hornbecks now?” he asked his fingers hovering over the controls.

“I’d like that, but in the morning, yeah?” Rose said.

“Take us that long to get there anyway.” He entered the coordinates and sat down beside her. “You going to open your gift?”

Rose smiled and tore at the paper. Inside was a silver framed photograph of her and the Doctor asleep on Santa’s couch. She grinned. “Well, now I have proof that you really do sleep,” she said showing it to him.

"I was just resting my eyes."

“You were snoring!" She giggled.  "What’d you get?” she asked.

The Doctor opened his gift more slowly and he gasped when he saw the beautiful pendant lying inside. It was a large carved ball of frosted glass covered in silver filigree. A pale blue stone sat at its very center. Eight reasonably sized diamonds surrounded it and it hung from two heavy chains.



“Oh,” said Rose. “That’s…that’s beautiful. Maybe they got us mixed up. That’s an awfully feminine necklace.”

“No,” said the Doctor in a quiet voice filled with wonder and when he looked up at Rose there was moisture in his eyes. “It’s Gallifreyan. It’s from my home world. It’s a bonding necklace.” His fingers clenched over the rough pendant.

“Bonding?”

“Like marriage only more so,” he said. He scooped up the necklace and deposited it in his inner coat pocket. “I’ll put it somewhere safe in a bit.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she cuddled into his side.

Rose leaned back and her eyes caught a long ribbon hanging from the ceiling above their heads. She smiled when she saw it was mistletoe at the very bottom of it and they were very firmly sitting under it. “We’re under the mistletoe,” she whispered softly.

The Doctor looked up with a startled jerk. “That we are,” he said a moment later. He turned towards her, his eyes studying hers intently.

“Rose, I shouldn’t—.”

“Shut up and kiss me,” she said softly pulling him closer by his jumper. Their mouths met in a soft, chaste kiss. His lips were softer than she’d ever imagined. It was gentle and sweet and when the Doctor pulled back he rested his forehead against hers.

“I think he thought I might want it,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“Santa. The necklace. I think he thought I might want it…in the future.”

“Oh,” Rose breathed out. “In case you…meet someone.”

“No,” he said. He gave her another soft, sweet kiss. “In case I…in case we…” He trailed off.

"Oh, " she breathed again as his meaning became clear to her.  Rose smiled as the Doctor shifted uncomfortably. “Then that was very kind of him,” she said. Hesitantly she asked, “Are you happy?”

“Yeah,” he said as if he couldn’t believe it himself.

She stood up, offering him a way out of his new and difficult emotions. “Think I’ll have that bath now.”

“Yeah, good idea.” The Doctor swallowed audibly. “Rose?”

“We’ll take it as it comes, yeah?” she said with a brilliant smile.

“Yeah.”

As she soaked in the blissfully warm bath a few minutes later, the memory of the Doctor’s sweet kisses on her lips, Rose knew that she’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted for Christmas—the Doctor’s happiness, and as an added bonus, her own.