Reminders for fanfic writers who think it “doesn’t count”
✦ Your writing counts. like, a lot. If someone felt something because of what you wrote, then it matters. That scene you almost didn’t post? Yeah. Believe me, someone out there bookmarked it for a reason.
✦ Writing existing characters doesn’t make it “less than.” You’re building arcs, crafting dialogue, emotion, pacing. You’re studying character psychology like a scientist. That’s not “just fanfic,” that’s storytelling.
✦ “but it’s just fanfic” ...no. STOP, it’s craft.
It’s understanding tone. It’s hitting emotional beats. It’s layering theme and backstory and prose into something people feel. You’re doing the work, you just don’t get graded on it. (Which, honestly is a blessing.)
✦ Writing fanfic means you love stories enough to live inside them.
You care, deeply. You care enough to reimagine, to explore, to add something of yourself to a world you didn’t create and somehow still make it feel brand new.
✦ Someone out there rereads your fic like it’s their favorite book.
Maybe they’ve saved a line to their notes app,or they quote it to a friend. Maybe they just think about it when they’re having a bad day. That little fic you almost deleted, it’s comfort now.
✦ Your comments section is real. Every “I needed this” and “this made me cry in a good way” is proof, you don’t need a book deal to matter. You don’t need a publisher to have an impact, because you already do.
FANFIC IS WRITING! Fanfic is yours.
You’re not “just” anything. You’re a writer, own it. Be proud of that.
Apologies in advance – it's been a while, and I've clearly forgotten how to do this.
Fic : Night Blooms
Pairing: Nine/Rose
Rating : Adult
Length : 522 words
The air in the room was warm and sweetly scented by perfumed blooms, that grew wild in the gardens outside the open windows.
The room itself was bathed in a darkness softly kissed by flickering candlelight, and a ghost white moon.
It was a room of simple necessity, offering no more and no less than that which was required by weary travellers. The floor was plain wooden boards, aged and smoothed by time. The furniture was scant and simple; a chest of drawers, a mirror, a chair, and a bed.
In truth, they had only needed the bed.
Rose was curled up into the Doctor, lost in her dreams, but dangerously close to waking.
The Doctor let out a long slow breath as he considered the events of the night, and the inevitable consequences.
Rose stirred slightly in his embrace, before drawing back a little, opening her eyes and offering him a sleepy, content, smile.
Without even thinking, he smiled back, and where he held her, his fingertips brushed a soft caress across her skin.
She stretched a little, then curled back against his body again.
There was silence between them, but it was warm and comfortable and tender.
Then, after a while, Rose lifted her head and with wide, bright eyes she stared at the Doctor.
"I thought I was dreaming," she confessed, her words barely more than a whisper.
"Maybe you are." He held her gaze, watching her thoughts dance in her eyes.
Rose shook her head. "It's not a dream," she said, "it's real."
"What makes you so sure?"
Her tongue flicked to the corner of her mouth as she smiled. She moved in the bed, leaving the Doctor's embrace to take her place above him. Her eyes half closed as she straddled him, lifted, moved, adjusted, and then with an oh so soft gasp, she stilled.
Her eyes slowly opened and she looked directly into him, into his soul, into his hearts. "I know the difference," she said.
He hardened inside her, thickened, felt the warm, wet, tightness of her.
Reaching out a hand, he brushed a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. Then allowed his fingertips to trail lazily down across her cheek, jaw, neck, breast and stomach, until finally letting his hand come to rest on her thigh.
"I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you," he told her.
Rose let out a breath and beamed a wide, bright smile. "Good thing you did though," she said as she began to move.
The Doctor held her gaze even as he lost himself in the slow rise and fall of her body.
He slipped a hand between them, where their bodies met. Long fingers began to stroke and tease as breathless, Rose arched and gasped.
Under his expert touch she lost her rhythm, swearing as she broke, shattered, flying and falling all at once.
The Doctor took her hand, anchoring her to him, as only moments later he followed her over the edge.
Breathless, they lay together as outside, clouds drifted across the moon, and the scent of the night blooms filled the air
(pick a quote + a feeling + a trope ! let’s see what fic you end up with.)
author's addition: this lil build-a-fic is inspired by @scealaiscoite ’s adorable idea ! her prompt lists are literal perfection. go stalk her blog pls she’s the best ever 🧸
— a quote !
☆ “stop smiling like that. it’s distracting.”
☆ “you make it really hard to stay just friends.”
☆ “why does it feel like a goodbye?”
☆ “you’re blushing.” — “no i’m not.”
☆ “just friends don’t look at each other like that.”
☆ “i missed you. that’s all.”
☆ “you remember the little things. that’s what gets me.”
☆ “tell me to stay. and i will.”
☆ “my hand fits so perfectly in yours. it's like i'm made for you”
☆ “do you want me to leave?” — “no. i want you to stay forever.”
☆ “i think i knew it was you. even back then.” — “then stay.” — “but that's the thing. i don't know if i know you anymore.”
☆ “i don’t know how to stop wanting you.”
☆ “this means something. don’t pretend it doesn’t.”
☆ “you’re not just anyone. you’re you.”
☆ “if we kiss now, everything changes.” — “i know but that's a risk i'm willing to take.”
☆ “i’ve been in love with you since the night we met.”
☆ “tell me it meant nothing. lie if you have to.”
☆ “i was easy to leave, wasn’t i?”
☆ “you don’t get to miss me now. you lost that right when we broke up.”
☆ “say something. anything. please.”
☆ “i loved you. that should’ve been enough.”
☆ “i wish i didn’t remember everything.”
☆ “don’t look at me like you still care.”
☆ “i’m tired of pretending this doesn’t hurt.”
☆ “you said forever. i believed you.”
☆ “if you didn’t mean it, why did you say it?”
☆ “you chose them. you always do.”
☆ “i don’t hate you. i just wish i’d never met you.”
☆ “you let me go like i was nothing.”
☆ “please don’t make this harder than it already is.”
☆ “are you sure? cause whatever this is it doesn’t feel like love.”
☆ “it’s always been you. i just didn’t know how to say it.”
☆ “say that again. i dare you.”
☆ “you really don’t see it, do you?”
☆ “i think i like you. like, like like you.”
☆ “do you always look at people like that?”
☆ “you make it really hard to think straight.”
☆ “oh my god. you’re blushing.”
☆ “this means something. don’t pretend it doesn’t.”
☆ “i should’ve kissed you when i had the chance.”
☆ “you’re not helping. you’re being pretty. it's distracting.”
☆ “you make me nervous in the best way.”
☆ “every time you look at me, i forget what i was saying.”
☆ “just admit it. you like me.”
☆ “if you don’t kiss me right now, i might explode.”
☾ only one bed
☾ mutual pining
☾ fake dating gone real
☾ friends to lovers
☾ strangers to almosts
☾ found family
☾ rivals with tension
☾ the “oh” moment
☾ confessions at 2am
☾ sunshine x grump
☾ forbidden
☾ hurt/comfort
☾ secretly in love
☾ reunion after years
☾ accidental domesticity
☾ slow burn
☾ “just friends” denial
☾ second chances
☾ love letters never sent
☾ childhood friends
☾ exes
☾ soulmates who don’t believe in fate
☾ enemies on the same side
☾ sleep talking confessions
☾ one falling first, the other falling harder
☾ patching up wounds with shaky hands
☾ “who did this to you?”
☾ dancing in the kitchen
☾ jealousy over nothing (but also everything)
☾ late-night phone calls
☾ caught in the rain
☾ almost kissing but someone interrupts
☾ waking up next to them
☾ fixing each other’s tie/collar
☾ taking care of them while they’re sick
While the Doctor/Rose tag on ao3 has a slow but steady stream of content coming out every day, I can’t help but feel that one day it’s going to eventually dry up. However I’ve come up with a solution.
Announcing the Doctorrose Fic Marathon
This fanfiction writing marathon will be set from September First (1st) to the Thirtieth (30th). The goal is to simply write as much fanfiction as you can in that month. Anyone can participate. Even if you haven’t written doctorrose fanfiction before. And you don’t even have to participate every day. There are only four (4) rules.
If you’re going to connect the stories, connect them via series instead of a single book
There is no set length. Write however long or short a fic you want.
Use the tag Doctorrose Fic Marathon on Archive of Our Own
And have fun!!
There is also a set of prompts you can follow if you’d rather have them as well. One for each day. Remember you don’t have to follow them if you don’t want to, and you don’t even have to do them in order. Or even combine them if that inspires you! The whole point of this is just to write.
Prompt 1: Alternate Meetings
It’s simple. Write another way the Doctor and Rose could’ve met. This is one of our less vague prompts. So if you feel like it’ll stifle you’re creativity? Go ahead and pick something else from the list.
Prompt 2: Holding Hands
If there’s anything the Doctor and Rose know how to do, it’s hold hands. Whether it’s while running, for comfort, or just because. Run wild with your imagination.
Prompt 3: First Kisses
Kisses! The Doctor and Rose have had several, but were they the first? That’s for you to write and for us to find out.
Prompt 4: Mutual Pining
The Doctor and Rose are known for being two idiots in love pining over each other. Give us a moment we haven’t seen before.
Prompt 5: Domestics
Nine famously said “I don’t do domestic.” Well we all know that’s a lie. Whether it be holding a friend’s baby, shopping, or changing sheets. Write a view into the Doctor and Rose’s domestic life
Prompt 6: Cuddling
Soft, sweet, classic. Everyone loves a good cuddle fic.
Prompt 7: Hurt/Comfort
It’s a classic theme for a reason. Go ham! Hurt us with your best shot. Make us fall apart. Then put us back together again.
Prompt 8: One Bed
The classic “only one bed” trope is so well known that it’s reached into popular consciousness. What better way to make the Doctor and Rose confront their feelings than bed sharing?
Prompt 9: Time Loop
It’s surprising that the only time loop story in Doctor Who is Heaven Sent. Time loops are a great way to tell a story for a character with regrets. And the Doctor and Rose have plenty.
Prompt 10: Jailbreak
There is a famous trope in Doctor Who fanfiction that I have noticed. The Doctor and Rose always mention the tens of times they got thrown in a jail cell. Let’s actually see it!
Prompt 11: Chase Sequence
The Third Doctor is known for his long vehicle chase sequences. Whether it be boats, cars, or motorcycles. I find it hard to believe the Doctor’s habits for a good chase sequence went away.
Prompt 12: Truth Serum
Truth Serum is one of those tropes that will never really go away, and has been apart of almost every fandom with even a modicum of fantasy or sci-if in it
Prompt 13: Declaration(s) of Love
The Doctor not telling Rose he loved her for the audience to hear is one of the most painful things in Doctor Who. Write a declaration of love, from the Doctor or Rose, (both works too) and get some closure.
Prompt 14: Meddling TARDIS
It’s so clear, given how much the TARDIS likes Rose (as proven by the books), that the TARDIS wants Rose and the Doctor to be together. And she is alive after all.
Prompt 15: Jealousy
Rose and the Doctor have both been jealous multiple times in the story and it never gets old. And the possibilities for angst are endless
Prompt 16: Multiple Doctors
Remember when Rose was almost in Day of the Doctor, but instead it was the Moment? So Rose technically wasn’t in DotD? Channel that rage and write one of the best things we’ll never get. Unless you count Journey’s End.
Prompt 17: Reunion
Reunion fics are the backbone of the Doctor/Rose tag with good reason. It’s one of the few things that can appease our aching souls.
Prompt 18: Playing with Hair
The Doctor and Rose both have really great hair. Yes, even Nine, and given how domestic they are, it’s a shame we never got to see them playing with each other’s hair.
Prompt 19: Girl in the Fireplace Fix-It
Now we enter what I call the Fix-It Trilogy. Three fix-it prompts that hit all the basics. Girl in the Fireplace, the episode that makes no sense in the context of the series.
Prompt 20: Doomsday Fix-It
Doomsday, the ending that broke our hearts.
Prompt 21: Journey’s End Fix-It
And Journey’s End. The ending that healed us, only to rip out our hearts all over again.
Prompt 22: Alternate Universe
This one is fun! Alternate universe can be anything. Whether it be canon divergence, or the Doctor and Rose meeting in a coffee shop. The world is your oyster.
Prompt 23: Historical
Rose never got a lot of chances to wear period wear in the show. It’s a shame since it led to such an iconic moment. “You look beautiful”
Prompt 24: Rose Meeting a Classic Doctor
The one thing we want that we can’t have.
Prompt 25: Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey
It’s a famous phrase and unlike the Time Loop prompt, this has a bit of wiggle room for what the parameters are. It could be a time loop, or a paradox!
Prompt 26: Chameleon Arch
The Chameleon Arch is one of the most fascinating pieces of Time Lord technology and has only been explored a couple of times in the show and the extended media. Go wild!
Prompt 27: Bad Wolf
This one is more up to you! Is Rose the Bad Wolf again, is she protecting the Doctor? Or has her biology been changed? There are many interpretations of this prompt and every possibility is exciting.
Prompt 28: The Oncoming Storm
The Doctor has been known to be protective of Rose to say the least. And sometimes the Doctor has to let everyone know why he’s called The Oncoming Storm.
Prompt 29: Soulmates
A good old fashioned soulmate au can never go wrong. There are so many to choose from! The possibilities are endless, let your imagination go wild!
Prompt 30: Wedding
And to close out the month weddings!! They could be at a wedding, they could be going to a wedding, or even having a wedding, just make it so the Doctor and Rose are involved with a wedding somehow.
i’m reading billie piper’s autobiography and just the way she describes her relationship with christopher eccleston is sending me:
‘We’d talk about music, and he introduced me to Sam Cooke and Donny Hathaway. He’s a serious, intense actor, but he can do absolutely brilliant impersonations and every accent known to man. He has a great sense of humour and was always extremely self-deprecating. We’d collapse in the trailer during breaks and chat about our pasts, our families, our romances. (I was a wife; other men didn’t come into it. But it wasn’t doing my marriage very much good.) There was a lot of jokey banter, and I got on well with Chris’s driver, Robin. We’d gossip about who was in the papers, who was shagging whom on set - not literally on set, obviously, but back in the choice rented accommodation.’
then remember christopher eccleston had this to say about their time:
i have nothing else to really say but *chef’s kiss*
I may never recover from finding out today that Winona Ryder married Keanu Reeves while filming in Romania in 1992 and legit does not know if it was legally binding or not,,, 25 years later and she’s just like lol idk
Apparently, Francis Ford Coppola decided to get an actual Romanian priest to do the marriage scene in Dracula and then for some reason decided to do the entire marriage ceremony, and then when they were promoting Destination Wedding she was telling that story and realized midway through “Wait….does that make it legally binding?”
The Doctor and Rose starred opposite each other in a gorgeous drama filmed on location. During the story, their characters get married… but what they don’t realise is that they themselves are actually married.
Throw in healthy amounts of mutual pining and maybe a current significant other as an additional obstacle. (Or someone who has been trying to get together with one of them for months who reacts jealously when they find out?)
When they finally learn they’re married, it turns out the only way to get it dissolved is to go back to that country. And of course a private holiday to a romantic destination turns into a honeymoon when they realise they’re in love.
If you get a “bingo” by using all the words in a row, column, or diagonal, upload your bingo card with the boxes you used crossed off!
Use as many words you want per fanwork.
You can use this card to take requests from your readers (readers can send you a word in your askbox they would like you to write). Just reblog this with a note that you are open to that if you are.
As the creator, I (Sky) don’t mind you using this for other ships/fandoms (with the credit still attached), but since this is a Doctor x Rose blog, we’re only reblogging Doctor x Rose pairings here.
Have fun and let us know if you have any questions!
(Thanks to @kelkat9 @lostinfic and all who have helped along the way this year and to @lizann5869 for inspiring it back last summer in the first place!)
Rule: Post the last line you’ve written and tag as many people as there are words in that line.
Mine: “What a serendipitous occurrence,” His voice is unlike anything you’d expected to find all the way out here, some far flung corner of the star system on a planet you think wants to kill you in particular.”
There’s no way I’m tagging a person for every word in that monstrosity.
Thank you for the tag my love @yougottakeeponkeepinon
‘He noticed it, the way you always reached for him above anyone else for comfort and in that moment he welcomed your presence with your hand in his, tucked into his side.’
“You moan against his mouth as he pulls you into his lap, all thoughts of work put on hold. “
Tagging: @jewels2876 @beckzorz @itsunclebucky @when-the-hell-is-bucky @mushyjellybeans @ninjabucky @marvelgirl7 @wintersoldierissucharide and anyone and of course don’t feel obligated or anything🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 love u all!
“His lips brushed against yours and in that moment it was just the two of you.”
Tagging: @wintersoldierissucharide @sebbbystaaan @crushedbyhyperbole @valkyriesryde @stuckonjbbarnes @criminal-cookies @itsunclebucky and anyone else who wants to join in! It’s free for all 😍
“They’ve used them before, and their work wasn’t horrible, and it was cheap as all get out, so….yeah. That.”
Not very exciting but is part of the plot nonetheless. Tagging anyone who wants to participate because I’m hopped up on NyQuil and can’t remember where my writers at.
written for #31 Days of Ficmas @doctorroseprompts
They gave 31 prompts, I went crazy and used them ALL. :)
01. Workshop 11. Ornaments 21. Coal
02. Tinsel 12. Family 22. Ribbon
03. Cider 13. Celebrate 23. Joy
04. Tree 14. Peppermint 24. Stockings
05. Gingerbread 15. Love 25. Unwrap
06. Eggnog 16. Naughty and/or Nice 26. Friends
07. Garland 17. Wreath 27. Rooftop
08. Ugly jumper 18. Santa and/or Elves 28. Earmuffs
09. Party 19. Chestnuts 29. Star
10. Cookies/biscuits 20. Gifts 30. Mistletoe
31. Bright
When she'd first told the Doctor about her Christmas plan, his lack of enthusiasm for her 'leave of absence' from the TARDIS had only made her more determined.
All I Want For Christmas is You
Rose was sitting on a workbench, swinging her legs in time with the ticking of the clock on the wall, while eyeing it with a determined gaze as it edged ever closer to 6.00pm. The basement storeroom, although strewn with toys, ribbons, gift tags, wrapping paper and tinsel, was empty of people. Everyone else was in the canteen enjoying a staff Christmas party; eating chocolates, mince pies, cookies, gingerbread and other assorted festive 'nibbles'. Rose had mingled for a little while, before escaping to the storeroom in an effort to enjoy some solitude in what had otherwise been an exhausting day of wrapping gifts, handing out gifts and evading the wandering hands of a Santa who clearly had an 'Elf fetish'.
With a heavy sigh, Rose glanced down at her aching feet and asked herself for the hundredth time, why she had insisted this year, on getting her mum's Christmas presents the hard way – by working ridiculous hours and wearing a ridiculous uniform.
When she'd first told the Doctor about her Christmas plan, his lack of enthusiasm for her 'leave of absence' from the TARDIS had only made her more determined. He'd told her that she'd hate it, and she had been adamant that she wouldn't. Of course she did hate it. She really did. But she had no intention of telling the Doctor that. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. No, as far as the Doctor was concerned, she loved being an Elf. LOVED IT.
She continued to stare at the uncomfortable Elf shoes she wore. They were bright green, with a shiny golden bell hanging from the curved tip of the toes. Every step she took, all shift long, she jingled. Her tights (uncomfortable, hot and itchy) were red and white broad horizontal stripes. Her short, tunic dress exactly matched the green shade of her shoes, and had large black as coal wooden buttons on the front. Topping off her outfit was a 'jaunty' red elf hat, which was finished with a large, shiny, golden bell that jingled even louder than her shoes. Rose particularly hated the hat.
Working a temporary job in Henrik's (completely refurbished) department store in the run-up to Christmas was always going to be busy, but being one of the Elves in 'Santa's Christmas Workshop' was on another level entirely.
Truth be told, being one of Santa's Elves had never been one of Rose's life ambitions, but she'd remembered a time, pre-Doctor, when she'd seen a poster on the staff room notice board, asking for Elf volunteers. She'd seen this time too that it paid more than shop floor work, and as she needed the extra money for Christmas, she'd quickly decided that becoming an Elf was a career move that made financial sense.
And, despite the long hours, children throwing tantrums, parents having melt-downs, and... jingling everywhere she went, Rose had worked her little elf-socks off, and she'd made enough money to buy her Mum a few really lovely Christmas presents. In fact, thanks to her staff discount, (meagre though it was) Rose thought she'd even be able to treat herself to a top she'd had her eye on for a while. So all in all, her time as an Elf had been worthwhile.
Still... she was glad that it was finally coming to an end, as tonight, her last shift, was Christmas Eve. She couldn't wait to (metaphorically) throw her Elf hat to the wind and be a normal girl again – or as normal as she could be while travelling through time and space in a TARDIS, with a nine hundred year old alien.
Rose glanced up at the clock on the wall and grinned – it was 6.03pm – she was officially free! She jumped down from the workbench and... jingled, but somehow she didn't mind it so much now.
The storeroom door swung open, and Rose glanced over as Joy, a fellow Elf, walked in carrying a paper plate heavy with snacks and nibbles, and what looked like a glass of cider.
"Hi, Rose!" Joy said as she approached somewhat unsteadily. "I thought you'd be in here. I brought you a couple of sausage rolls and a gingerbread man."
"Oh," Rose said. "That was nice of you, but you really shouldn't have bothered..."
"And some cider!" Joy continued, thrusting the glass toward Rose.
"No, really. It was a lovely thought, but..."
"And sausage rolls an' a gingerbread man!"
Rose managed to contain her smile. "Yeah, you did mention that before."
"Did I?" Joy asked, sounding taken aback. She took a sip of the cider. "What about the gingerbread man? Did I mention the gingerbread man?" She waved the paper plate in Rose's direction. "'Cos, look – it's a man made out of gingerbread."
Rose's brow furrowed. "How much have you had to drink?"
Joy took another sip of her cider. "Not enough."
"I think maybe you have."
Joy shook her head. "Nope" She smiled broadly. "We're all going to the pub. Oh, come with us Rose. Us Elves have to stick together, especially at Christmas." She drained her glass of cider then contemplated it mournfully.
"I think I'm gonna have to pass," Rose said. "I'm not an Elf any more – I'm off the clock."
"Off the cock!" Joy said loudly, and spluttered with laughter. Then she sighed. "I know the feeling. I've been off the cock for weeks." She paused and leaned in closer to Rose. "I have a feeling that's all going to change tonight, though." She giggled as if she had a secret. "Between you and me... Santa might be getting a special present before he cocks, clocks... before he clocks out tonight." She gave Rose a wink. "An' by special present I mean..."
"I know what you mean!" Rose interrupted quickly.
Joy eyed the sausage rolls on the plate she still held. After a minute, she looked over at Rose."Maybe I'll just have a sausage roll instead."
"I think that's the smart choice," Rose said with a smile. "Come on – let's get you back to the others. You don't want them to leave without you, do you?"
"You sure I can't convince you to come to the pub with us?"
Rose shook her head resolutely. "I just want to go home and put my feet up. Maybe watch a Christmas film."
"Elf?" Joy suggested brightly.
Rose glanced at her uniform. "Anything but Elf."
Joy nodded her acceptance. "I can't let you leave with nothing though, can I? Wouldn't be right." And then she smiled. "Oh, I know!" She reached into her pocket, withdrew something and held it out to Rose. "I was saving it for later, but now I want you to have it." She opened her hand.
"A satsuma?" Rose said.
"Wouldn't be Christmas without a satsuma," Joy said wisely.
"I suppose not." Rose smiled and took the satsuma.
Together, Rose and Joy walked out of the storeroom, down the corridor and into the staff room where the rest of the ex-Elves were clearing up the party things, pulling on coats and grabbing their bags to head off to the pub.
Rose wished all her Elf friends a Merry Christmas, then made her way back out into the long basement corridor, and headed toward the staff locker room to change out of her Elf uniform for the last time.
~oOo~
The locker room was empty – as the other girls had either gone home, or were among those clearing up the last of the party bits. Rose headed to her locker, opened it, pulled out her hoodie, jeans and jacket, and quickly changed clothes. Walking across to a wooden bench that ran along one wall, she sat down and put on her trainers. Then, leaning back she closed her eyes and sighed. It had been an extremely long day and she was more tired than she'd realised. She could hear the distant sound of Christmas songs coming from the staff room along the other end of the corridor, and then silence, a door opening and closing, and the sound of hurried feet. Then more silence.
She yawned. She meant to open her eyes, but somehow she couldn't quite. She yawned again. And really there was no harm in just keeping her eyes closed for a couple more minutes, no harm at all in losing herself for just a little while longer in the peaceful calm. No harm in...
~oOo~
Rose's eyes snapped open. At first she didn't know where she was, but then almost at the same time she found she could smell a subtle undertone of wet umbrellas and deodorant, and she quickly realised she was in the locker room.
A second later she realised that she had been asleep.
She reached into her jacket pocket for her phone to check the time, as of course she'd probably missed her bus home by now.
With a groan she saw that her phone was dead. Disgruntled, Rose pushed her phone back into her jacket and left the locker room, heading down the corridor and back to the staff room, hoping to catch one of the girls and beg a lift off someone.
Even before Rose pushed open the staff room door she had a sinking feeling that luck was not on her side. It was far too quiet for a start. And once she was inside the staff room she found it to be completely empty. Disheartened, she glanced up at the clock on the wall, and as she did so her heart sank even further.
Unbelievably it was 9.18pm – she'd been asleep for hours!
Turning on her heel Rose sped out of the staff room and along the corridor to the staircase door that led up from the basement to the ground floor and the exit doors.
Reaching it she grabbed the handle, but it wouldn't turn. It was locked.
"Hello!" she called out. "Hello, is anyone there?"
Of course there was no reply. It was Christmas Eve night and the store had long since closed. Rose's heart sank just that little bit further at the hopelessness of her situation.
She couldn't help but get a sense of déjà vu. Getting trapped in Henrik's basement one time was bad luck – but twice was seriously pushing it. She could only hope that the store wasn't about to be blown up... again.
Infuriated, she hit the door a couple of times with her hand, despite knowing that it was useless. She let out a growl of frustration and kicked the door. This was not how she wanted to spend Christmas Eve!
She turned around, leaned back against the metal door and contemplated her predicament.
And then she heard it. A sound. A sound she recognised. It was the service lift!
She pushed away from the locked door and ran as fast as she could in the direction of the lift. Her thoughts whirred with the possibilities of who might be in it at this time of night, especially on Christmas Eve. Only a handful of people had access to that particular lift, as it needed a security code to use it. Maybe it was Kelvin the electrician, or Maureen the cleaner, or Derek the security guard. Maybe it was... never mind, she thought; it didn't matter who it was, it was someone, and that was good enough for her.
She skidded to a halt just as the dark grey metal lift doors began to open. She took a moment to catch her breath as the gap in the lift doors widened.
Maybe it was a serial killer.
She glanced around for something weapony – just in case – but all she could see was a mannequin's arm sticking out of a nearby cart. She grabbed it and held it up as menacingly as she could as the lift doors parted to reveal... the Doctor.
"Hello," he said, and waved at her.
Rose was momentarily dumfounded. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm responding to an emergency call from a frantic woman."
Rose frowned. "What emergency call? What frantic woman?"
"Your mum," the Doctor stated dryly. "According to Jackie, you should have been home hours ago. She was worried you might be in danger."
"Why would she think I'd be in danger?"
"If I had to hazard a guess... because you're jeopardy friendly, and it's Christmas and well, we do have a bit of a track record really."
Rose gave an exasperated sigh. "I got locked in, that's all."
"Well, it's a good job I dropped by, isn't it?" He looked Rose up and down. "By the way, why are you holding a dummy's arm? Feeling nostalgic for the old days, are you?"
Rose looked at the mannequin's arm she was still holding. Deciding not to dignify the Doctor's question with a response, she instead threw the arm back into the cart she'd pulled it out of, and charged into the lift to stand next to the Doctor.
"Can we just go?"
"Where to?" the Doctor asked.
Rose set him with a sullen glare. "Home," she said insistently.
The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the lift's control panel. "Your wish is my command," he said, as the metal doors closed with a creak, and the lift juddered into life. The Doctor glanced at Rose. "Ground floor, perfumery,
stationery and leather goods, wigs and haberdashery, kitchenware and food.
Going up."
Rose struggled to suppress a smile. "Ground floor exit doors – that's all I'm interested in."
The Doctor nodded. "I suppose you want to put your feet up and watch a Christmas film."
"As long as it isn't..." The lift jerked, and at the exact same moment there was a loud 'bang' from the control panel as the lift stopped abruptly.
Rose saw that both the basement button and the ground floor button were lit up, which she assumed meant they were stuck between floors.
She looked accusingly at the Doctor. "What did you do?"
"What makes you think I did something?" the Doctor asked, sounding somewhat affronted.
"Because I didn't do anything, and by process of elimination that means you did something!"
"Let me have a look," the Doctor blustered, as he approached the control panel and hovered his sonic screwdriver over the buttons.
"Do you think you should be doing that?" Rose asked.
The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at Rose. "Are you casting aspersions on my screwdriver?"
"Yes," Rose said firmly.
The Doctor's mouth narrowed. "I'll have you know that my sonic screwdriver is a multi-functional, highly complex analytical tool."
"Oh," Rose said in feigned surprise, "so it's not just for resonating concrete then?"
"Resonating concrete is just one of..." he stopped, took a calming breath, and began again. "It's a technological wonder of my own making – a pocket-sized phenomenon, if you will."
"Then maybe you should be more careful what you wave it at," Rose grumbled.
"I don't wave it," the Doctor corrected witheringly, "It's not a wand."
"Maybe it'd be more use if it was a wand. Maybe if it was a wand we wouldn't be stuck in a broken-down lift on Christmas Eve!"
The Doctor turned his attention back to the control panel. "And maybe if I didn't keep getting interrupted I'd find out what's wrong with the lift," he muttered under his breath.
Rose leaned back against the metal wall of the lift and allowed herself the luxury of watching the Doctor as he scanned the control panel with the screwdriver. His face was intent, his eyes steely, his jaw clenched. His hands were large and his fingers were long, his body athletic in build. His muscles were taut and lean. She couldn't help but imagine...
No, no, no. She couldn't, shouldn't and wouldn't let her imagination wander off on its own like that. Especially not in enclosed spaces. No good would come of that.
The Doctor stepped away from the control panel and Rose forced herself to derail her train of thought and get back to the right here right now.
"Well," she asked hopefully, "do you know what's wrong with it?"
The Doctor slipped his screwdriver into his jacket pocket."Yes," he said. "It's broken down."
Rose wanted to contain her smile, but she really couldn't. "Assets?" she suggested.
"Not even a banana," the Doctor replied mournfully, all the while mirroring Rose's grin.
"I've got a satsuma," Rose said, reaching into her pocket and throwing it to the Doctor.
"Fantastic," the Doctor said as he caught the satsuma and put it into his pocket. "Not as good as a banana but fantastic all the same."
Rose closed the distance between them and looked up into his eyes. "You're an idiot," she said fondly.
"An idiot with a satsuma," the Doctor corrected, his eyes sparkling. "And a plan."
"You have a plan?"
"Rose Tyler, when have you ever known me not to have a plan?"
Rose shrugged. "I dunno... I always get the impression you kind of make it up as you go."
"Yeah well," the Doctor conceded, "I do that too – but only when I don't have a plan."
Rose smiled. "Ok, so what's the plan?"
The Doctor looked up at the lift ceiling, and its square shaped plastic panel. Then he looked back to Rose. "We go up."
"Up?" Rose echoed doubtfully.
"Yes."
"Your plan is that we climb up the lift shaft?"
"Yes." The Doctor grinned.
"To the ground floor?"
"To the third floor."
"No," Rose said.
"We have to climb to the third floor because that's the only way we can get to the roof."
"Why do we have to get to the roof?" Rose asked.
"That's where the TARDIS is."
Rose was silent.
"Well?" the Doctor pressed.
"I'm thinking!"
"And?"
Rose frowned. "Is it safe?"
"Perfectly safe." The Doctor held Rose's gaze for a moment. "Probably safe," he corrected. He sighed. "It's safe-ish."
Rose waved her hand to stop him from digging a bigger hole. "Fine," she said.
"Really?" he sounded surprised.
"It's not like I have much of a choice, is it?" She shook her head. "Ok, so how are we doing this?"
"Ladies first," the Doctor said emphatically.
Rose lifted a sceptical eyebrow. "Seriously? Ladies first? This isn't the sinking of the Titanic, Doctor."
"Ladies first, because you're going to have to stand on my shoulders to get through the hatch," the Doctor explained.
Rose looked up at the ceiling of the lift, and then back at the Doctor. "Oh," she said.
~oOo~
Rose stood on the top of the service lift, carefully balanced to avoid the open hatch as the Doctor climbed up to join her. She peered dubiously upward, silently contemplating the wisdom (or stupidity) of what they were about to do. The shaft was dark, aside from the light that came from the lift below, and it had an oily odour that reminded her of a car engine. She wrinkled her nose in disapproval. After a second, she looked at the Doctor, only to find him grinning like a schoolboy.
"You're enjoying this," she said accusingly.
"Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Your gormless grin for a start."
The Doctor glanced around the lift shaft. "I don't know what you're so worried about. This is going to be a doddle. Look," he said, pointing to something behind Rose. "There's a maintenance ladder running the entire length of the shaft. What more could we ask for?"
"A safety harness?" Rose suggested.
The Doctor gave Rose an earnest look. "You don't need a safety harness; you've got me. Do you really think I'd let anything happen to you?"
"No," Rose conceded, "I don't."
"Glad to hear it," the Doctor said as he stepped over the open hatch, so that he was standing next to Rose. "Because that's not the kind of man I am."
"Ladies first then," Rose said briskly as she turned, grabbed hold of the ladder and took a step up.
A couple of seconds later, the Doctor stepped up onto the ladder too and each began their climb.
They made steady progress, and in very little time, they had almost reached the second floor lift doors. It was then that they heard a metallic creaking noise reverberate through the shaft.
Rose abruptly stopped climbing and glanced over her shoulder to the Doctor.
"What was that?"
The Doctor looked down the shaft then back to Rose as another, louder creak echoed from below them.
"We might have a slight problem," the Doctor admitted.
"What kind of problem?"
There was a noisy grinding sound beneath them, as the lift below shuddered into life, moving slowly up the shaft toward them.
"Looks like the lift is working again," the Doctor said somewhat unnecessarily.
"How can it be working?" Rose asked as she climbed another couple of steps higher on the ladder. "You said it was broken-down!"
"Yes, well..." the Doctor glanced back to gauge the lift's progress. "It might not have been as broken-down as I first thought."
"You think?" Rose climbed another three ladder rungs.
"I suppose there could have been a slight delay when I tried to repair the control panel with the sonic screwdriver," the Doctor mused, and then he grinned to himself. "So you can take back all that wand rubbish now can't you?"
"Never mind that!" Rose interrupted. "What are we going to do now?"
The rumbling noise was becoming louder and both Rose and the Doctor could clearly see the lift getting closer and closer.
"We're going to have to jump," the Doctor said decisively. "I'll go first and I'll tell you when it's safe for you to jump down after me."
He smiled at Rose, then let go of the ladder and jumped. Rose heard a thud as he landed on top of the approaching lift.
Rose waited a second, her wide eyes watching the lift move steadily closer and the Doctor balancing on its top.
"Doctor?" As a precautionary measure, she climbed another two rungs of the ladder. "Doctor?"
"Now, Rose!" the Doctor shouted from below. "Jump now!"
Immediately Rose let go of the ladder and, aiming as best she could she jumped down. As soon as she landed, the Doctor swept her into his arms, holding her tightly against him; making certain that she didn't stumble.
Rose held onto the Doctor too, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck as the lift shuddered beneath them. She looked up and found herself staring into such intense, dark eyes that for a moment the entire world fell away, and they were all that existed. But then, only a second later, the moment was gone as the Doctor scrambled for the open hatch, and Rose followed, lowering herself through the gap as the Doctor reached up to help. She was halfway through, when the lift gave a sudden jolt and she and the Doctor fell into a heap on the floor.
After a moment, Rose pushed herself up onto her hands, realising as she did so that she was straddling the Doctor, who was lying beneath her; having softened her landing as they'd fallen. He looked a little winded and his eyes were closed.
"Doctor?" she asked. "Are you ok?"
"Never better," he replied, then groaned. "On second thoughts, remind me to book an appointment with a chiropractor when we get back to the TARDIS."
Rose bit back a smile then leant in close and dropped a kiss to the Doctor's cheek. "My hero," she teased.
The Doctor opened his eyes and looked at Rose as his hand slid to her hip. Rose held her breath for a heartbeat or three and stared at him. It would be easy to lean in again, to kiss him the way she'd always imagined doing. All she would have to do was...
In one swift, easy movement, the Doctor rolled Rose over so that he was above her. Before Rose even realised what was happening, he had pushed himself up onto his feet and held out his hand to her as the lift shuddered once more, but this time, the metal doors opened.
The Doctor shot Rose a broad grin as he took her hand in his and helped her to her feet. "Run!"
~oOo~
The third floor of Henriks was mainly offices and storage space. There was also a canteen and a locker room, but both were strictly for senior staff and managers.
However, one of the rooms had a plaque on the door that read 'CCTV SECURITY'. Upon seeing it, Rose stopped suddenly, let go the Doctor's hand and gestured to the door.
"Doctor, what about the security cameras? The police are going to turn up at my door on Christmas Day! My mum's gonna go mental!"
The Doctor shook his head. "This isn't my first rodeo, Rose. I took care of the cameras when I came in from the roof. I don't want to go viral on YouTube any more than you do."
Rose let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that's ok then."
"Did it with my sonic screwdriver if you're interested."
Rose struggled to contain her smile. "Ok," she conceded, "I take back everything I ever said about your screwdriver. Now, how do we get onto the rooftop?"
"This way," the Doctor said as they continued down the hallway, passing office after office, each one decorated with garlands, tinsel and shiny Christmas ornaments. "It's the door at the end."
The door at the end of the hallway was an unassuming white metal door. The Doctor turned the handle easily, and the door opened without a sound. Rose and the Doctor walked through, closed it behind them and walked up a set of seven metal steps that brought them out onto the rooftop itself.
Rose looked up at the night sky, which was a deep midnight blue, scattered with a thousand bright stars.
"Wow," she said softly, "it's beautiful." She looked at the Doctor and saw that his eyes shone just as brightly, except that he was looking at her and not the stars.
"Never gets old, does it?"
Rose shook her head. "Never," she agreed.
The Doctor looked up at the night sky. "Look," he said, and pointed. "It's a shooting star! Make a wish!"
Rose looked up and wrinkled her nose in consideration. "It's probably not a shooting star, it's probably just space junk, or a satellite," she reasoned, then she shook her head. "Actually with my luck, it's more likely to be the first ship of an invading alien fleet."
"Or it's a shooting star," the Doctor countered. "Do you really want to take the chance?" He leaned in close to Rose and gently brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear as she stared up into his eyes. "Make a wish," he said softly.
Rose's eyes fluttered closed and she held her breath for a moment. She imagined that she could feel the turn of the Earth, she imagined she could feel the Doctor draw her into his arms, and despite her previous misgivings she made her wish with all her heart.
A shrill noise broke the moment, and Rose opened her eyes to see the Doctor rummaging through the pockets of his leather jacket for his phone. The expression on his face when he looked at the screen, told Rose exactly who was calling.
"Hello Jackie," the Doctor said as he answered the phone. "Yes, yes of course I found her. She's here with me now. No, she wasn't abducted by aliens..."
Rose took the phone from the Doctor. "Hi Mum, it's me. Yes, of course I'm ok. Yes, I'm sure." Rose rolled her eyes. "I just got a bit delayed at work, that's all. Nothing to worry about. I would have rung you, but my phone's dead." She hesitated for a moment. "But I thought we were gonna watch a Christmas film and..." She shook her head. "No, it's fine. Really. I don't mind. No, really I don't. You have a good time. Yeah. Love you too. Bye." She hung up and handed the phone back to the Doctor.
"Everything ok?" he asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Rose said. "She's off out with her mates now that she knows I'm not in mortal danger. There's an ugly jumper contest on at 'The Grapes' an' she thinks she's in with a chance of winning." She shrugged. "She's going to stay the night at Karen's."
"Come on," the Doctor said gently, as he took Rose's hand in his. "Let's get you home."
And hand in hand they walked together toward the TARDIS, which was standing on the far side of the rooftop.
~oOo~
The door to flat 48 Bucknall House on the Powell Estate, boasted a large Christmas wreath trimmed with red tinsel, holly and tiny silver bells. The bells jingled slightly as Rose put her key into the lock and pushed the door open. She stepped inside the flat, switched on the lights and glanced back at the Doctor.
"You really didn't have to walk me home you know."
"I couldn't risk you being abducted by aliens, could I?" the Doctor teased as he closed the door and followed Rose inside.
Rose shrugged off her jacket and hung it up. "Well in that case, the least I can do is make you a cup of tea."
"I've never been one to refuse a cup of tea," the Doctor said, "especially if it comes with a biscuit," he hinted.
Rose laughed. "Well you're in luck – mum bought a tin of posh biscuits yesterday. In fact, I might even be able to stretch to a mince pie. It is Christmas after all."
"Rose Tyler, are you trying to tempt me with Christmas pastries?" the Doctor asked, as he followed Rose into the sitting room.
Rose glanced over her shoulder, her tongue slipping to the corner of her mouth as she smiled. "Might be."
As Rose went into the kitchen the Doctor looked around the sitting room, which was heavily decorated with tinsel. Two stuffed Christmas stockings hung on the fireplace, and festive cushions were on the settee. He walked over to the Christmas tree, which was decked out with multi-coloured fairy lights, baubles and red and white peppermint candy canes. He looked at the pile of gifts laid under the tree, all wrapped in bright, colourful paper and ribbon.
"Kettle's on," Rose said as she returned to the sitting room.
The Doctor smiled at Rose, then glanced back to the Christmas tree. "It's not hard to tell if you've been naughty or nice this year."
Rose shook her head. "They're not all mine! Some are mum's, and there's a few there for Mickey an' a couple for you."
"Me?" the Doctor said, sounding genuinely surprised. "Why do I have Christmas presents?"
"Because Christmas is a time to celebrate. To spend time with family, with friends, with people you... love. Gift giving is a tradition," Rose explained. "It's part of Christmas, like crackers and chestnuts and mince pies and eggnog."
"You have eggnog?"
Rose stared at him. "No," she said after a moment. "We're out of eggs... and nogs."
"Oh," the Doctor said.
"Doctor," Rose continued, "You are coming tomorrow aren't you?"
"Tomorrow?" the Doctor echoed.
"Christmas Day."
He shrugged. "I didn't think I was invited."
"Of course you're..." Rose stopped and began again. "It wouldn't be Christmas without you."
"You said Christmas was a time for family and..."
Rose took a step closer to him. "You are family." She smiled up at him. "Weird, alien, nine hundred times removed family, but family all the same."
"Well, when you put it like that." The Doctor grinned.
"I almost forgot," Rose said as she beamed at him. "You get to open one Christmas gift on Christmas Eve."
"I do?"
Rose reached under the tree, and picked up a box wrapped in shiny blue paper and a silver ribbon. "It's tradition," she said, as she handed it to the Doctor.
"What is it?" the Doctor asked as he shook the box experimentally.
"Open it an' see." Rose laughed. "Do you have any idea how hard you are to buy for? I mean, what do you get the man who has everything?"
The Doctor unwrapped the box as Rose watched. Wrapping paper and ribbon fluttered down to the carpet, revealing a plain cardboard box. The Doctor opened the box to reveal a pair of fluffy earmuffs in baby pink.
He looked at Rose and bit back a smile. "Very amusing."
"Put them on!"
"No."
"But pink might be your colour."
"I'm making an effort not to be insulted."
"They were mums idea, not mine," Rose confessed as she swallowed down her laughter. "I like your ears."
The Doctor stared at Rose for a moment then put the earmuffs back into their box, and set them down onto an armchair. "I think maybe I should go."
"You're not staying for a cup of tea? The kettle should be boiled now..."
The Doctor shook his head. "It's late."
"I suppose it is." She held his gaze for a moment. "You will come over tomorrow though, yeah? For Christmas."
The corner of the Doctor's mouth tugged up into a crooked smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
Rose smiled back at him. "I'll see you out then," she said, and they walked together the short distance from the sitting room, out into the hall to the front door of the flat.
At the door they hesitated and the Doctor glanced up to see a spring of mistletoe hanging from a red ribbon.
"Another Christmas tradition?" he asked quietly.
"Oh," Rose said a little awkwardly. "Yeah, I suppose so."
The Doctor stepped closer, put one hand on Rose's hip and leaned in to press a slow, soft kiss to her lips, before drawing back slightly to look into her eyes.
"You're wrong, you know," he said quietly.
"Wrong about what?" Rose asked.
"I'm not the man who has everything." He let out a breath of confession. "And... all I want for Christmas, is you."
Wide-eyed, Rose stared at the Doctor for a moment, half convinced that she'd imagined... and then impulsively, she slipped her arms up and around his neck. Drawing him closer, she finally kissed him the way she'd always wanted to.
What started out so innocently, so gentle and tentative, quickly became hungry, passionate and desperate. They clung to each other, their hands frantically pulling their bodies closer, but somehow failing to reach the singular intimacy they needed.
Their kiss broke and Rose gasped for breath as she felt herself being lifted up, turned, her back pressed against the wall. She wrapped her legs around the Doctor's hips, raked her fingernails through his cropped hair, sought the ferocity of his kiss.
She had dreamed of this so many times, night after night, but even her wildest dreams hadn't come close to what it felt like to know that this was real.
They moved again, this time she was pushed up against a door as the Doctor lifted her higher, pushing into her body, tasting and seeking and learning with a desire he had never before allowed such freedom.
Again they broke the kiss. The Doctor found the secret hollow at the base of Rose's neck and pressed his lips to the pulse that raced beneath her skin. Rose's eyes closed and she felt her blood burn.
"I want you," he confessed, the words falling through kisses against her fevered skin.
Rose felt her smile grow wide with satisfaction. "Want you too."
She reached behind her, her hand searching for the door handle. Frustration and desire and need made her clumsy, and she groaned because of it. Eventually she found the handle and her fingers wrapped around it, pushing down.
They stumbled into the bedroom, but clung together, finding the bed in the shadows of the room, and falling into its soft welcome.
The Doctor pulled back, his eyes intently searching Rose's. She stared back at him, instinctively understanding the reason behind his sudden hesitation. She knew that he was certain, even now, that if he looked close enough, deep enough, he would see doubt in her eyes. A reason to walk away.
Her hand cupped his face and she smiled, wanting so much for him to see everything that was in her heart.
She watched his doubts fade away; seeing them disappear before her eyes. Her heart filled with her love for him, and she drew him close to her as he moved toward her body, seeking and finding his place there.
They pushed at their clothes, and between caress and kiss and trembled breath, they revealed their bodies, naked skin to naked skin. They moved together, breathless, restless and desperate for the completion they both needed.
Their bodies arched together. The Doctor pushed inside Rose and as she cried out his name they began to move into a rhythm as old as time. Bliss came quickly for them; as everything they had ever hoped and dreamed, they found in one another. Together they burned in a fire brighter than any sun.
Afterwards, tangled and breathless, the peace of perfect oblivion claimed them both.
~oOo~
"Rose?" Jackie called as she closed the front door and walked into the flat.
"I'm in the kitchen, mum!" Rose reached for a mug and set about making a strong coffee.
Jackie walked through the sitting room and into the kitchen, where she wrapped Rose up into a hug. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."
"Merry Christmas, mum."
Jackie picked up the mug of coffee and took a sip, before letting out a long slow sigh of satisfaction. "You're a mind-reader Rose, you really are. Coffee's just what I need to make me feel human again."
"Thought it might be," Rose said as she walked into the sitting room with Jackie following behind. "Did you have a good night?"
"Yes, it was brilliant," Jackie enthused. "You should have come down. You would have enjoyed yourself."
Rose shook her head. "I wanted a quiet night."
"I won the ugly jumper contest!" Jackie announced, as if she'd only just remembered, and took another sip of coffee.
Rose looked at her mum's garish red, green and white Christmas jumper. "I'm not surprised."
"So how was your quiet night then?"
Rose smiled to herself for a moment. "I saw a shooting star and made a wish."
"Shooting star," Jackie said with a not so subtle roll of her eyes. "It was probably a satellite."
"No, it was definitely a shooting star."
"Oh yeah?" Jackie said sceptically. "Wish come true did it?"
Rose said nothing, she just took a sip of her tea.
"I'm gonna have a lie down for a half an hour. Then we'll do presents," Jackie announced. "You don't mind do you, sweetheart?"
"'Course I don't mind," Rose said as she sat down in the armchair and picked up the TV remote.
Jackie dropped a kiss to Rose's head, then she took her coffee through to her bedroom as Rose started flicking through channels until she found what she wanted to watch.
A minute or so later Jackie walked back into the sitting room. "Rose?" she began, sounding somewhat confused.
Rose glanced up and immediately bit back a smile of surprise. "Yeah?" she said, as innocently as she could.
"Why is there a satsuma in my bed?" Jackie asked as she held up the offending fruit.
Rose struggled to contain her smile. "Wouldn't be Christmas without a satsuma."
Jackie hesitated a moment as if thinking over Rose's reasoning, then she shrugged. "I suppose not," she said, and headed back to bed.
Rose allowed herself a broad, secret smile and, wrapped up in her fluffy pink dressing gown, she settled down to watch 'Elf'.
Link to Teaspoon : https://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=63110
The TARDIS had dimmed the lights a couple of hours ago, and since then the Doctor had been quietly walking the corridors, hands in pockets, head bowed, lost in his thoughts. He often spent his 'nights' this way when he couldn't sleep, which was more often than not.
He didn't require much sleep, never had, and for the most part he resented 'downtime' — considering it a waste of perfectly good 'uptime'. But lately... lately he'd began to realise that there was a particular reason for his nocturnal restlessness.
His late night walks through the TARDIS, no matter the route, no matter the variation, always finished at Rose's bedroom door.
At first the Doctor had shaken his head, chuckled to himself and put it down to coincidence. But night after night, coincidence had turned into pattern, and pattern had turned into consistency and then, one night, standing outside Rose's room, he'd been struck by a singular, illuminating moment of clarity. It had been like being blindsided by a train.
He was in love with her.
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, after his moment of epiphany, the Doctor had not ceased his solitary walks through the TARDIS, and he hadn't stopped absentmindedly finding himself outside Rose's door. But at least now he understood the madness behind it, and in that he found some small comfort.
Tonight, like so many nights before, he turned the corner and walked quietly toward the door at the end of the corridor. As he drew closer he could smell the drifting scent of a perfume Rose had taken to wearing lately; it was sweet with notes of mandarin, honey and blackberry.
The Doctor smiled to himself, looked up and found that tonight was not like so many other nights, as tonight, the door to Rose's room was ajar.
He hesitated for a second, this minor but considerable change scattering his thoughts. His hearts pounded in his chest as he stared into the room.
Rose was sitting cross legged on her bed, she was facing away from him, dressed in pyjamas, her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail tied with a red ribbon. She had something in her lap, but the Doctor couldn't see what — maybe a book.
He stared at her a moment longer, breathed in the sweet scent of her perfume and then, taken by bravery or lunacy, he didn't know which, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Rose... don't turn around. There's something I have to tell you. If you turn around then the words won't come. I'll think better of it and swallow them down." He hesitated a moment. "It's something I should have told you a long time ago to be honest. But it was never quite the right time. Ironic I suppose, me being a Time Lord." He sighed and began again. "Something's happened. Not sure when it happened exactly. But if I had to narrow it down I'd put it somewhere between 'run' and 'I'm so glad I met you'. You see, I wasn't paying attention, and it crept up on me. Not that that's an excuse for me not telling you. Well, I suppose it sort of is. I mean, I can't take all the blame, not really. There were mitigating circumstances... Slitheen, Daleks, pretty boys ... an' you being jeopardy friendly didn't help. Not that I'm blaming you. I'm really not. None of this is your fault. It's not like you knew, it's not like you could have guessed. Not with my poker face." He smiled ruefully. "Like I said, I should have told you a long time ago. So, me not telling you, well, it's my fault. Entirely my fault. And I completely understand if you... if you don't..." He took a breath. "I'm in love with you."
He stared at Rose. She still sat facing away from him, silent.
He bowed his head a moment. Of course she didn't feel the same. Why would she? He'd been a idiot to...
He looked up and took a step forward. He pushed the door further open and headed into the room, ready to make amends, to apologise , to do whatever he had to do to make it right.
As the bedroom door swung open, Rose glanced up and upon seeing the Doctor standing by her bed she offered a bright, wide grin. She swung her legs off the bed and pulled her earphones out, laughing as she held out a cassette player to him.
"I couldn't sleep," she said with a smile, "so I went for a rummage in the wardrobe room and found this, an' a bunch of old tapes." She waved the cassette player at the Doctor. "Talk about old school!" She cocked her head as she smiled at him. "Is it yours?"
Returning Rose's smile, the Doctor took the cassette player and looked it over. "Yeah... not seen it since the 1970's though." He gave it back to Rose. "That was my roller disco phase. I was pretty good."
"I bet you were super groovy." Rose laughed. "Can we go?" she asked.
"To the 70's?"
"Yeah! To a roller disco." Her tongue slipped to the corner of her mouth as she smiled up at the Doctor. "You can show me your moves."
He smiled at her. "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."
Rose's grin became wider still, as impulsively she reached up and kissed the Doctor's cheek. "You're on!"
Dropping the cassette player down onto her bed Rose darted out of her bedroom and headed along the corridor that lead to the wardrobe room.
The Doctor let out a breath.
He loved her. He'd tell her one day.
There was plenty of time.
Thanks to the overwhelming support by our wonderful fic writers, 31 Days of Ficmas is back for its third year! There are some new words on this list, in addition to old classics.
What is 31 Days of Ficmas?
It’s a writing challenge based on the old fanfic advent calendars that have been around for ages. We’ve provided you with a list of 31 words, one for each day in December. You can write a fic based on each one or combine a few prompts into one story, or just skip around and use the ones you like. No rules!
I don’t like holiday stories.
That’s okay! Very few of the words are strictly holiday-themed. Several of them are wintery instead of holiday, and honestly most of them could be used for completely non-seasonal fics.
Do I have to wait until December to write?
Nope! In fact, we encourage you to write ahead. As many people discovered last year, trying to keep up with a daily fic in December can be… its own kind of challenge.
Is there an AO3 collection like there was last year? What about a Tumblr tag?
Yep! You can add your stories to the 31 Days of Ficmas 2019 collection on AO3.
And on Tumblr, you can tag 31 Days of Ficmas. (Please tag doctorroseprompts as well. Finding things in our activity in December is impossible.)
If you have any other questions, you can send us an ask. For now, let us present…
31 Days of Ficmas (2019 Edition)
1. Workshop
2. Tinsel
3. Cider
4. Tree
5. Gingerbread
6. Eggnog
7. Garland
8. Ugly jumper
9. Party
10. Cookies/biscuits
11. Ornaments
12. Family
13. Celebrate
14. Peppermint
15. Love
16. Naughty and/or Nice
17. Wreath
18. Santa and/or Elves
19. Chestnuts
20. Gifts
21. Coal
22. Ribbon
23. Joy
24. Stockings
25. Unwrap
26. Friends
27. Rooftop
28. Earmuffs
29. Star
30. Mistletoe
31. Bright
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