True Love's Gifts 2/13
First Day of Christmas
There were days Rose wondered how she got here. Her life since she had met the Doctor was nothing but one adventure after the other. Because of him she had gained a father, a brother, a universe, a career, a life, and now she had him. She had more than she had ever wanted and more than she had ever dreamed of and it was all thanks to the Doctor.
There were days over the past two months where she’d wondered if the choice she had made on the beach that day had been the correct one. There had been dark days, days of tears and sorrow and regret. But somehow she and the Doctor had clung on to their belief in one another and a hope for brighter days ahead.
Those days finally seemed to have arrived. He was happy. She was happy. They were happy. Rose was beginning to wonder if it was too early to move forward in their relationship. She knew the tabloids had made much ado about nothing over their “whirlwind love affair”, and it had been the source of many early arguments between the pair. There had been an onslaught of speculation when he had moved out of the mansion. But when she and the Doctor had continued as normal, the hype had soon died down. Rose wondered briefly what the reporters would think if they found out that she had been given a card with a cryptic note in it for Christmas. The word ‘pauper’ might surface again, and that was one fight she was not anxious to repeat.
Still, the card held a mystery that was unique to the Doctor. In all the years they had travelled together there had never even been a card, much less a card with the promise of a gift to follow. She wondered with slight horror and giddy anticipation just what would be waiting on the other side of the door when the bell rang at two.
She checked her watch; it was already 2:05. Normally she wouldn’t be the least bit put off by the delay, but her Doctor was extremely… punctual. The fact that he was five minutes late caused her to worry. She had expected him to be over early on Boxing Day, to spend the day with her and her family before the larger party that night. But he had told her that he had things to do and cryptically hinted that it had to do with her gift, so she had let it go and had spent the morning helping her mother organize everything for this evening. This afternoon though, as well as the rest of the evening, were going to be for her and her Doctor.
The doorbell finally rang at 2:08. A small smile graced Rose’s lips and she open the door preparing to greet him with a small scolding. Her smile dropped when she noticed the person behind the door wasn’t the Doctor, but instead a green-clad, slightly disgruntled delivery worker holding a gigantic gift basket of bananas.
Rose stared in shock. Certainly this is not what the Doctor had meant by ‘make sure you are the one who answers the door at two’.
“You Rose Tyler?” the voice was gruff and annoyed and Rose took an instant dislike to the man.
“Yes,” she responded, looking at him questioningly.
“I’ve got a truck load of these for you. Some daft man ordered a tree load of bananas, said we needed to deliver them to you today.”
Well that certainly explained why he seemed upset. His van had to be full of these over-sized baskets. Thinking that this was just like her Doctor, Rose stifled the urge to giggle. A van load of bananas -- what was she going to do with them all? Imagining the house covered in banana baskets, she lost her fight with the giggles and her laughter pealed through the house.
The delivery man stared at her a bit nervously, as if he was beginning to think her just as daft as the Doctor, which only made her laugh harder.
“Rose, what’s going on?” Jackie’s voice came from the dining room to the entry way. “The Doctor here?”
Despite her best efforts, Rose wasn’t able to answer her through the laughter. When her mum entered the foyer and gave her a questioning look, Rose simply gestured to the door and continued laughing. She heard her mother let out a guffaw when the situation was explained and she instructed the delivery man to pull around to the back, and unload the baskets in the kitchen.
“Oh, Mary is going to skin that man alive when he shows up tonight. The kitchen pantry is already overflowing with food for the holiday parties.”
Rose, finally free of the giggles, turned to her mum. “You have to admit this is one… interesting gift.”
“This? This is your Christmas gift?!” Jackie’s voice was unbelieving and amused at the same time.
“Looks like it,” Rose said smiling, fingering the basket that the delivery man had brought to the front door insisted on leaving there.
“A van full of bananas?” she asked incredulously.
“Well, they are full of potassium,” Rose deadpanned.
Jackie simply looked at her and shook her head, “I swear I will never understand the two of you. Quite the pair you are.”
Rose smiled as she listened to her mother walk back to the kitchen muttering about the escapades that her daughter and the Doctor had shared.
Rose reached for her mobile and punched in the Doctor’s number.
When he answered, she didn’t even wait for the hello before she started speaking. “You bought me a bunch of bananas.”
“Oh, excellent. They arrived then?” She could tell from his tone that he was grinning from ear to ear.
“Mum’s having them put in the kitchen. Oh, and I’d avoid Mary if I were you tonight. Mum mentioned something about her likely skinning you alive.”
“I’ll make note of that,” he said with mock concern.
There was silence on both ends. Rose wondered what she should say. Was she to thank him for the strange gift? She probably should. If nothing else it gave her endless teasing material for the next few years.
“What did you think of the card?” His voice was tentative as it broke the silence.
Rose looked at the basket still with her and noticed the slightly misshapen card tucked away in the bananas.
“I haven’t opened it yet.”
“Open the card, Rose.” His voice had taken on a lower tone and she felt herself shiver slightly in anticipation. She could imagine how he would look saying those words to her -- his eyes dark, his expression serious.
She reached for the card and opened it. A CD was the reason that the card had been misshapen. She set the CD aside and opened the card. Smiling at the messy scrawl she began to read.
On the First day of Christmas the Doctor gave to me a tree-full of bananas and a Partridge Family CD.
Rose smiled as she glanced down at the CD. It was indeed the Partridge Family. She giggled a little and listened to the Doctor take a sharp breath through the phone.
Concerned that he had gotten the wrong idea at her laughter, she quickly added, “Weren’t you supposed to get me pears?” Her voice was teasing and light and she hoped it helped to calm his concern.
“Pears?” he questioned in mock disgust, “Rose Tyler, do you know how awful pears actually are?”
There were days Rose wondered how she got here. Her life since she had met the Doctor was nothing but one adventure after the other. Because of him she had gained a father, a brother, a universe, a career, a life, and now she had him. She had more than she had ever wanted and more than she had ever dreamed of and it was all thanks to the Doctor.
There were days over the past two months where she’d wondered if the choice she had made on the beach that day had been the correct one. There had been dark days, days of tears and sorrow and regret. But somehow she and the Doctor had clung on to their belief in one another and a hope for brighter days ahead.
Those days finally seemed to have arrived. He was happy. She was happy. They were happy. Rose was beginning to wonder if it was too early to move forward in their relationship. She knew the tabloids had made much ado about nothing over their “whirlwind love affair”, and it had been the source of many early arguments between the pair. There had been an onslaught of speculation when he had moved out of the mansion. But when she and the Doctor had continued as normal, the hype had soon died down. Rose wondered briefly what the reporters would think if they found out that she had been given a card with a cryptic note in it for Christmas. The word ‘pauper’ might surface again, and that was one fight she was not anxious to repeat.
Still, the card held a mystery that was unique to the Doctor. In all the years they had travelled together there had never even been a card, much less a card with the promise of a gift to follow. She wondered with slight horror and giddy anticipation just what would be waiting on the other side of the door when the bell rang at two.
She checked her watch; it was already 2:05. Normally she wouldn’t be the least bit put off by the delay, but her Doctor was extremely… punctual. The fact that he was five minutes late caused her to worry. She had expected him to be over early on Boxing Day, to spend the day with her and her family before the larger party that night. But he had told her that he had things to do and cryptically hinted that it had to do with her gift, so she had let it go and had spent the morning helping her mother organize everything for this evening. This afternoon though, as well as the rest of the evening, were going to be for her and her Doctor.
The doorbell finally rang at 2:08. A small smile graced Rose’s lips and she open the door preparing to greet him with a small scolding. Her smile dropped when she noticed the person behind the door wasn’t the Doctor, but instead a green-clad, slightly disgruntled delivery worker holding a gigantic gift basket of bananas.
Rose stared in shock. Certainly this is not what the Doctor had meant by ‘make sure you are the one who answers the door at two’.
“You Rose Tyler?” the voice was gruff and annoyed and Rose took an instant dislike to the man.
“Yes,” she responded, looking at him questioningly.
“I’ve got a truck load of these for you. Some daft man ordered a tree load of bananas, said we needed to deliver them to you today.”
Well that certainly explained why he seemed upset. His van had to be full of these over-sized baskets. Thinking that this was just like her Doctor, Rose stifled the urge to giggle. A van load of bananas -- what was she going to do with them all? Imagining the house covered in banana baskets, she lost her fight with the giggles and her laughter pealed through the house.
The delivery man stared at her a bit nervously, as if he was beginning to think her just as daft as the Doctor, which only made her laugh harder.
“Rose, what’s going on?” Jackie’s voice came from the dining room to the entry way. “The Doctor here?”
Despite her best efforts, Rose wasn’t able to answer her through the laughter. When her mum entered the foyer and gave her a questioning look, Rose simply gestured to the door and continued laughing. She heard her mother let out a guffaw when the situation was explained and she instructed the delivery man to pull around to the back, and unload the baskets in the kitchen.
“Oh, Mary is going to skin that man alive when he shows up tonight. The kitchen pantry is already overflowing with food for the holiday parties.”
Rose, finally free of the giggles, turned to her mum. “You have to admit this is one… interesting gift.”
“This? This is your Christmas gift?!” Jackie’s voice was unbelieving and amused at the same time.
“Looks like it,” Rose said smiling, fingering the basket that the delivery man had brought to the front door insisted on leaving there.
“A van full of bananas?” she asked incredulously.
“Well, they are full of potassium,” Rose deadpanned.
Jackie simply looked at her and shook her head, “I swear I will never understand the two of you. Quite the pair you are.”
Rose smiled as she listened to her mother walk back to the kitchen muttering about the escapades that her daughter and the Doctor had shared.
Rose reached for her mobile and punched in the Doctor’s number.
When he answered, she didn’t even wait for the hello before she started speaking. “You bought me a bunch of bananas.”
“Oh, excellent. They arrived then?” She could tell from his tone that he was grinning from ear to ear.
“Mum’s having them put in the kitchen. Oh, and I’d avoid Mary if I were you tonight. Mum mentioned something about her likely skinning you alive.”
“I’ll make note of that,” he said with mock concern.
There was silence on both ends. Rose wondered what she should say. Was she to thank him for the strange gift? She probably should. If nothing else it gave her endless teasing material for the next few years.
“What did you think of the card?” His voice was tentative as it broke the silence.
Rose looked at the basket still with her and noticed the slightly misshapen card tucked away in the bananas.
“I haven’t opened it yet.”
“Open the card, Rose.” His voice had taken on a lower tone and she felt herself shiver slightly in anticipation. She could imagine how he would look saying those words to her -- his eyes dark, his expression serious.
She reached for the card and opened it. A CD was the reason that the card had been misshapen. She set the CD aside and opened the card. Smiling at the messy scrawl she began to read.
On the First day of Christmas the Doctor gave to me a tree-full of bananas and a Partridge Family CD.
Rose smiled as she glanced down at the CD. It was indeed the Partridge Family. She giggled a little and listened to the Doctor take a sharp breath through the phone.
Concerned that he had gotten the wrong idea at her laughter, she quickly added, “Weren’t you supposed to get me pears?” Her voice was teasing and light and she hoped it helped to calm his concern.
“Pears?” he questioned in mock disgust, “Rose Tyler, do you know how awful pears actually are?”