The thing about the Doctor is that he’s infuriating. Maddening. The soul of a snowstorm, the temperament of a tornado, trapped in the body of a mere man. An oncoming storm. The living embodiment of chaos.
And, when it comes to decorating Christmas trees, positively hopeless.
“Doctor!” Jackie’s voice rings through the apartment. “Get your tall self over here, I can’t get this mistletoe hung.”
The Doctor makes a harumphing noise. “I disapprove of mistletoe on general principles,” he mutters.
“I don’t bloody care if you approve or not, just get over here and help me hang it up!”
“Don’t argue with Mum,” Rose says, pushing him gently towards Jackie. “She gets all worked up over her Christmas parties. The faster you help the faster it’s done and we can just relax. Drink eggnog, eat biscuits–”
“Hide in the corner,” he mutters, but he ruins his sulk with a wink.
Author’s note: tagging @doctorroseprompts because I used the Short Fic Challenge list. I’ve combined 1, 2 & 9 to write this. (A moment from canon, familial love, and dialogue you wish had been in the episode.) So glad I ran across those prompts! Set after Rise of the Cybermen.
***
The Doctor was really itching to get out of Jackie’s flat, but just before they could make good on their escape, Rose’s mum had insisted they wait a few moments and then she’d scurried off to the kitchen.
He rocked back and forth on his his heels, fidgeting, edging ever closer to the door. Rose sighed, and with a smile, she told him, “It’s not like we have anywhere we have to be.”
“Time is of the essence, Rose Tyler. Who knows what we’re missing? Let’s go. Ooh, I need to figure out a more fun way to say that…”
Rose took his hand. “Thanks, though, for being willing to stay a bit. I appreciate it.”
He entwined their fingers. It was funny how a touch of her hand could ground him. “You needed a visit with your mum, especially after all that happened.”
“Thanks for not disappearin’ while Mum and me had our time together. Needed you here, too,” she murmured, looking away. He let go of her hand, reeling her in for an embrace. He couldn’t speak around the sudden lump in his throat, but he hoped she realized how relieved he was that she hadn’t stayed behind with Mickey and the man who looked like her father. In a way, he was glad he couldn’t explain himself at the moment, because then he’d have to admit that it was also a relief to see Rose’s Jackie, alive and well after the horror of parallel Jackie’s cyber conversion.
Rose looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears again, and suddenly, he was willing to stay however long she needed, just so she wouldn’t cry again. He wasn’t confident that he wouldn’t join in. He bent slightly to place a kiss on the top of her head, when they were both startled by the sound of the kettle whistling.
“Apparently, it’s tea time?” Rose told him apologetically.
“It’s fine,” he assured her.
“I know you’re antsy to go.”
“You never turn down tea, Rose Tyler. It’s impolite, and that’s how wars start. And I’m not going to war with your mother.”
Rose beamed at him, and he felt his own smile widen in return. He was about to say something (hopefully) witty in hopes of making her laugh, but they were interrupted by Jackie entering the lounge, bearing a thermos.
“Now, I know you have places to be, so I’m not gonna keep ya, but here. Take some tea for the road. Or wherever it is the pair of you go.” She winked at the Doctor. “Wouldn’t want you feeling poorly.”
“Jackie Tyler’s tea, the miracle cure-all,” the Doctor said, gratefully accepting the warm thermos. He neartly dropped it when Jackie pulled him down to her and gave him a wet kiss on the cheek. Quite shocked, he barely heard Rose’s snicker. That was the first time that had ever happened, and his brain shorted out a bit at the action.
“Now, don’t be strangers, and take care of each other, yeah? You’re both my family,” Jackie told them, her voice quivering a bit. Rose enveloped her mother in a tight embrace.
“We will, we promise. And we’ll be back soon,” Rose vowed, and the Doctor found himself shaking his head in agreement.
He also heard himself saying, “If you need us for anything, don’t hesitate to call. We’ll be there.” It was quite surprising to hear those words coming from his own mouth, but he knew it couldn’t be any other way.
Family.
They were finally on their way down the stairs, when Rose said, “You know, you’ve been hers for a while now.” Somehow, she had known just what was on his mind.
“Have I?”
“Did you know when I was losin’ my mind on Christmas, she stayed by your side all night, even though she didn’t have a clue as to how to take care of you? She just thought her bein’ there would protect you somehow.”
The Doctor didn’t know what to say to that revelation. Finally, he spoke, “Suppose we’ve come a long way since that slap.”
Rose snorted. “Yeah, I’d say so.” He opened the door at the bottom flight of stairs.
“Rose… is she gonna kiss me every time we visit?”
Rose guffawed. After taking quite a while to get under control (she was still giggling when they reached the TARDIS) she advised, “I’d be prepared for it, if I was you.”
She was still chortling when they entered the TARDIS. Somehow, he found he didn’t mind the thought of being one of Jackie’s. But he did hope Rose was joking about the kissing.
Summary:Single parents Rose Tyler and James McCrimmon come together to embark on a whirlwind, passionate romance that seems to be the happy ending each of them never thought they’d get. But when James’s past comes back to haunt them and threatens to tear away everything they’ve built together, they must find a way to weather the storm that will either break them or draw them ever-closer, all while answering the question of what it means to be a family.
It took every ounce of restraint Rose had to keep her eyes off of James as he drove them silently to her house and not stare at the erection tenting the front of his jeans. God, how worked up had he been that, ten minutes later, he continued to sport an impressive hardon?
Very, Rose thought. She could still hear his frantic, grunting moans, the breathy warning he’d been about to give before they were interrupted by her phone.
At the memory, heat throbbed insistently low in her belly and between her legs. She shifted, pressing her thighs together as she tried to ignore her desire.
Finally, he pulled down her street and parked in front of her house. He didn’t turn his car off, clearly intending to leave as soon as she got out.
“I really am sorry,” she muttered, sighing as she looked out the side window to her house.
“And I told you, don’t be,” he said, reaching over to thread his fingers through hers. “I would offer to come inside with you, but…” He chuckled and gestured to his lap. “Well, I’m not exactly fit for company right now.”
She winced. He noticed and waved her off. “It’s fine. Nothing a few private minutes in my bathroom won’t fix.”
Her body burned, wanting so badly to be there with him as he touched himself, wanting so badly to be the one touching him.
“Enjoy the rest of your night,” she said, forcing a teasing inflection into her tone. “Think of me, won’t you?”
