Fic: Sweet December - Five Days Until Christmas (3/6)
Title: Five Days Until Christmas [3/6]
Author: WhosInTheAttic
Beta: dtstrainers; Britpicked by yumimum
Pairing: TenToo/Rose
Rating: T
Words: 2,143
Spoilers: Only the obvious, considering the pairing.
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
Rose stood in the concourse of the shopping center, utterly bewildered; the crowd surged and bustled around her, and she soon wondered why she’d come at all. Taking a deep breath and plunging into the throngs, she headed for the one place she knew would have something to interest the Doctor; the electronics store.
Once inside, she wandered the length of the walls, side-stepping other customers as she surveyed the bits and bobs. “Can I help you?” a clean-looking man in a pale blue Oxford and khakis asked. She turned to look at him, her eyes flicking to his name badge, which read Doug.
“Yeah,” she said hesitantly, still distracted by the store displays, “I’m looking for something for my...boyfriend,” she smiled internally; that word seemed weird on her tongue, and really inadequate to describe what he was to her.
“Well, have you considered the latest smart phone?”
“I’d like something a bit more high-tech than that.”
“We’ve got the latest line of gaming PCs; running Windows 12, two terabyte hard drive, fifteen gigs of RAM, and seven gigs of M-RAM.”
“Can I see it?” Rose asked, though she wasn’t entirely convinced it would be the right gift; in fact, the Doctor would probably laugh at its lack of capacity. Even more likely, he would take it apart and leave the bits strewn about the flat.
She ponders that as the Doug gives his little sales speech. When an appropriate pause arises, she asks, “D’you have parts? Like, circuit boards and that?”
“Yes,” he replies, the light fading from his eyes as he sees his big commission circling the drain.
“I’d like to see those.”
“Right this way,” Doug said, waving his arm toward the back of the store. Rose followed, and was amazed to see the extent of the shop’s wares. The entire wall was lined with bins, each full of packets or little plastic boxes; to the left were hanging displays and rolls of wire. Once behind the counter, Doug spoke, “Your boyfriend a bit of a hobbyist, is he?”
Rose grins, “You could say that,” she said, smiling.
“I assume he has all the tools then?” she nods, “So what would you like?”
“A bit of everything, really. This has always been his thing, not mine; though I know a thing or two about a thing or two. I want him to be able to put some trinkets together; want to make sure he’s got enough supplies and all that.” Rose knew a bit more about the electronics than she was letting on, but sometimes she liked to test the waters when dealing with salespeople; see if they would try to pull a fast one because she’s a pretty blonde rather than a bloke like…well, like the Doctor.
“I can help you put together a nice assortment,” he smiled, then added a bit uncomfortably, “what sort of budget are you working with?”
“The sort of budget that gets the best for my bloke,” she smiled, a bit embarrassed as she tried to assume the look of someone to whom money was no object, still not comfortable in the High Society role she found herself in here. She didn’t fancy herself the ‘moneyed type’ even though, she supposed, she now was.
“Alright then,” Doug smiled, and turned to assemble a collection of high-end parts fit for a king, including several bits and bobs he only wished he could afford, as well as several spools of insulated wires. Once he had everything assembled, he turned back to her and said, “That just about does it; is there anything else you’d like?”
Rose thinks a moment, “Jacks, cables, and soldering wire,” she considers, “and…I suppose I’ll have to pick up the burn ointment and plasters on the way home,” she smiles. Doug grins, and she says, a bit more quietly, “I’d also like four of them laptops y’showed me,” and Rose feels her cheeks flush, as if her wealth showing was more embarrassing than if she’d split her trousers and a crowd of folks had seen her knickers.
“Four?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure thing,” he smiled, and slipped out from behind the counter. A few moments later, he returned, his arms encumbered with four sleek-looking boxes. He set them on the counter between them and said, “These are ready to use, right out of the box. All back-up discs are enclosed as well as the customer service numbers for both the company and our store.
“Thank you,” she said, handing him her charge card. She saw Doug’s eyes go wide with recognition at the name embossed on the card, but other than that, his demeanor remained unchanged.
They finished up the last of the formalities, and Rose gathered up the bags, “Merry Christmas,” she said to Doug before turning to leave.
“And to you, Miss Tyler,” he said.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Once at home, Rose slipped off her shoes and socks, eager to wrap the gifts and get them on the gift table; last week they’d added a wooden carving of a reindeer to the décor, and she thought she could tuck the gift behind it, and see how long it took him to notice it was there.
She found a large decorative gift box in the hall closet; one of their finds from an earlier outing that they hadn’t ended up using, and chose a few rolls of colorful paper, some ribbon, and clear tape.
She sat in the center of the floor with the prezzies around her before filling the gift box with the bits and bobs and spools of wire. She packed the rest of the box full of balled-up tissue paper to keep the parts steady; the Doctor was a bit of a snoop and liked to shake the gifts and guess their contents. Three days ago, she had to replace a crystal sculpture she’d purchased for her mother after his curiosity had gotten the better of him.
She chose blue, white, and silver ribbons to tie around the box; and, without another person there to assist, resorted to using her big toe to hold the ribbon in place as she completed the knot. She curled the ribbon and placed a great, big silver bow on top. On the card she affixed to the top, she wrote, “To the Doctor, from Rose.”
“That’s rubbish,” she muttered, and scratched it out, taking a new card and writing instead, “All my love, Rose.” She thought it was a bit soppy, but so what? It was Christmas.
She made short work of the computers, wrapping them two-together and sparing a bit of the fanfare. After disposing of the paper clippings and shopping bags and returning the gift-wrapping supplies to the cupboard, she tucked the gifts onto the table.
Of course, on Christmas Day, these would be the gifts she’d give him in the company of her parents; useful, thoughtful, and not at all suggestive. Unlike the box she was looking at just then; she’d wrapped it in a red paper with holly leaves on it. She grinned impishly thinking of the contents.
She surveyed the rest of the gifts on the table, realizing that there were quite a few bits of negligee, lingerie and assorted pairs of knickers marked for him. She really looked forward to seeing the look on his face, both upon opening each one, and when he removed them from her body.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Doctor stared nervously into the display case, eyes flitting over jewels of multiples colors set into earrings, rings, necklaces, and even toe rings. He’d been working as a university professor, but had taken a few consulting jobs at Torchwood to pad his bank account; he hadn’t lied to Rose, so much as omitted, with Pete Tyler, of course, as his accomplice. He had no intention of keeping the secret after Christmas was all said and done, but for now…
It felt strange to be so in love with Rose Tyler, yet still so clueless about what to get her as a gift; without all of time and space at his fingertips, the ability to flit off to some alien moon to retrieve something beautiful and exotic, he was at a bit of a loss.
“Can I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked calmly.
“Ah, yes. I’d like to buy a bit of jewelry for my-” he pauses to rub at the back of his neck, “Rose. My girlfriend Rose.” The word feels small and silly in his mouth, but that was the human word for this human relationship they had in this human life they shared. Girlfriend sounded sophomoric, but lover was too sexual, best mate wasn’t sexual enough, and soul mate-while true in a sense-just sounded soppy. So girlfriend it was.
“What sort of jewelry are you in the market for, Mister…?”
“Noble,” he says, offering a hand. “Doctor John Noble; and I think I’d like to look at earrings. Rose looks brilliant in the long dangly ones…she likes them, too.”
The saleswoman (Gladys, her badge says) indicates what he’s looking for a short length down the counter, and bends down to retrieve a rack of earrings. The Doctor looks them over, his fingertips brushing over a few pieces before he says, “Do you have anything a bit more…elegant?” he asks, thinking both in terms of the size of the stones-Rose should be seen in something fit for the heiress to a multi-billion dollar conglomerate-and the style; his mind wandered back to a Christmas across the Void and over a century away.
Gladys catches half his meaning, and smiles. “Of course, Dr. Noble,” she says, moving down the counter again after replacing the first rack. She sets a new rack on the counter and he looks it over.
“Do any of these come in sets? Maybe a matching necklace, or…er…rings?” he asks. She indicates the ones that do, and he’s thrilled that his first choice is included among them. “Do you think-and I know it’s short notice, of course-you could have these refitted with blue sapphires rather than diamonds?”
Gladys arches an eyebrow, but knows better than to assume he couldn’t afford it based on his attire, “Absolutely; there’s an extra fee for the customization, of course, but we could have it ready for you to pick up on Christmas Eve morning, if you’d like to make an appointment.”
“Brilliant!”
The Doctor sorted out the particulars, and left the store reeling at how many pounds he’d spent, but still quite chuffed about the whole thing. He wandered around to a few more shops, wandering into one shop to sniff the dozens of organic lotions and body sprays, and leaving with a few he liked.
When he was done, he rang Rose on her mobile. “Hey, love. Are you at the flat?”
“No, I’m at mum’s. I’ll be back there around nine, I think.”
“Alright. I’ll see you then.”
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Doctor returned home and settled in to wrap the gifts he’d bought, a knot still in his stomach at the thought of the jewelry he’d purchased. He hoped that she would like his selection; he was never known for having an enviable fashion sense. He smirked at one particular purchase before turning instead to the organic Cinnamon-Vanilla lotion he’d bought for her. He opened the tube to smell it, and found it heavenly. He couldn’t help but imagine Rose’s soft hands spreading it over her skin, her fingers flexing as she rubbed it in, and the way her body would arch as he licked it from her...
The Doctor squeezed just a bit of the lotion onto his finger and then rubbed at it with his thumb before tasting it. Yes, he thought, this will do nicely. He pulled his finger from between his lips with a wet pop, and refocused his mind on the task at hand.
He bit his lip and furrowed his brows as he surveyed the wrapped gifts. “Ah-ha!” he shouted and sprang to his feet. He did have the perfect gift for Rose. At least he thought he did. He dashed into their bedroom and pulled open the door to the cupboard, reaching into the back to retrieve his blue pinstriped suit. He’d had several made upon arriving in this universe, and wore them often for the first few months, but the one he’d arrived in-that one he kept in the cupboard.
He tugged the jacket from the hanger and brought it over to the bed to rifle through the pockets; they were full of bits of string, a packet of stale Jelly Babies, various electronics parts, a bolt from the TARDIS control panel, a toy mouse, and a dozen other things. He reached his arm into the breast pocket and pulled out what he was looking for.
“Perfect,” he smiled.
| Part 4 |
Author: WhosInTheAttic
Beta: dtstrainers; Britpicked by yumimum
Pairing: TenToo/Rose
Rating: T
Words: 2,143
Spoilers: Only the obvious, considering the pairing.
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
Rose stood in the concourse of the shopping center, utterly bewildered; the crowd surged and bustled around her, and she soon wondered why she’d come at all. Taking a deep breath and plunging into the throngs, she headed for the one place she knew would have something to interest the Doctor; the electronics store.
Once inside, she wandered the length of the walls, side-stepping other customers as she surveyed the bits and bobs. “Can I help you?” a clean-looking man in a pale blue Oxford and khakis asked. She turned to look at him, her eyes flicking to his name badge, which read Doug.
“Yeah,” she said hesitantly, still distracted by the store displays, “I’m looking for something for my...boyfriend,” she smiled internally; that word seemed weird on her tongue, and really inadequate to describe what he was to her.
“Well, have you considered the latest smart phone?”
“I’d like something a bit more high-tech than that.”
“We’ve got the latest line of gaming PCs; running Windows 12, two terabyte hard drive, fifteen gigs of RAM, and seven gigs of M-RAM.”
“Can I see it?” Rose asked, though she wasn’t entirely convinced it would be the right gift; in fact, the Doctor would probably laugh at its lack of capacity. Even more likely, he would take it apart and leave the bits strewn about the flat.
She ponders that as the Doug gives his little sales speech. When an appropriate pause arises, she asks, “D’you have parts? Like, circuit boards and that?”
“Yes,” he replies, the light fading from his eyes as he sees his big commission circling the drain.
“I’d like to see those.”
“Right this way,” Doug said, waving his arm toward the back of the store. Rose followed, and was amazed to see the extent of the shop’s wares. The entire wall was lined with bins, each full of packets or little plastic boxes; to the left were hanging displays and rolls of wire. Once behind the counter, Doug spoke, “Your boyfriend a bit of a hobbyist, is he?”
Rose grins, “You could say that,” she said, smiling.
“I assume he has all the tools then?” she nods, “So what would you like?”
“A bit of everything, really. This has always been his thing, not mine; though I know a thing or two about a thing or two. I want him to be able to put some trinkets together; want to make sure he’s got enough supplies and all that.” Rose knew a bit more about the electronics than she was letting on, but sometimes she liked to test the waters when dealing with salespeople; see if they would try to pull a fast one because she’s a pretty blonde rather than a bloke like…well, like the Doctor.
“I can help you put together a nice assortment,” he smiled, then added a bit uncomfortably, “what sort of budget are you working with?”
“The sort of budget that gets the best for my bloke,” she smiled, a bit embarrassed as she tried to assume the look of someone to whom money was no object, still not comfortable in the High Society role she found herself in here. She didn’t fancy herself the ‘moneyed type’ even though, she supposed, she now was.
“Alright then,” Doug smiled, and turned to assemble a collection of high-end parts fit for a king, including several bits and bobs he only wished he could afford, as well as several spools of insulated wires. Once he had everything assembled, he turned back to her and said, “That just about does it; is there anything else you’d like?”
Rose thinks a moment, “Jacks, cables, and soldering wire,” she considers, “and…I suppose I’ll have to pick up the burn ointment and plasters on the way home,” she smiles. Doug grins, and she says, a bit more quietly, “I’d also like four of them laptops y’showed me,” and Rose feels her cheeks flush, as if her wealth showing was more embarrassing than if she’d split her trousers and a crowd of folks had seen her knickers.
“Four?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure thing,” he smiled, and slipped out from behind the counter. A few moments later, he returned, his arms encumbered with four sleek-looking boxes. He set them on the counter between them and said, “These are ready to use, right out of the box. All back-up discs are enclosed as well as the customer service numbers for both the company and our store.
“Thank you,” she said, handing him her charge card. She saw Doug’s eyes go wide with recognition at the name embossed on the card, but other than that, his demeanor remained unchanged.
They finished up the last of the formalities, and Rose gathered up the bags, “Merry Christmas,” she said to Doug before turning to leave.
“And to you, Miss Tyler,” he said.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Once at home, Rose slipped off her shoes and socks, eager to wrap the gifts and get them on the gift table; last week they’d added a wooden carving of a reindeer to the décor, and she thought she could tuck the gift behind it, and see how long it took him to notice it was there.
She found a large decorative gift box in the hall closet; one of their finds from an earlier outing that they hadn’t ended up using, and chose a few rolls of colorful paper, some ribbon, and clear tape.
She sat in the center of the floor with the prezzies around her before filling the gift box with the bits and bobs and spools of wire. She packed the rest of the box full of balled-up tissue paper to keep the parts steady; the Doctor was a bit of a snoop and liked to shake the gifts and guess their contents. Three days ago, she had to replace a crystal sculpture she’d purchased for her mother after his curiosity had gotten the better of him.
She chose blue, white, and silver ribbons to tie around the box; and, without another person there to assist, resorted to using her big toe to hold the ribbon in place as she completed the knot. She curled the ribbon and placed a great, big silver bow on top. On the card she affixed to the top, she wrote, “To the Doctor, from Rose.”
“That’s rubbish,” she muttered, and scratched it out, taking a new card and writing instead, “All my love, Rose.” She thought it was a bit soppy, but so what? It was Christmas.
She made short work of the computers, wrapping them two-together and sparing a bit of the fanfare. After disposing of the paper clippings and shopping bags and returning the gift-wrapping supplies to the cupboard, she tucked the gifts onto the table.
Of course, on Christmas Day, these would be the gifts she’d give him in the company of her parents; useful, thoughtful, and not at all suggestive. Unlike the box she was looking at just then; she’d wrapped it in a red paper with holly leaves on it. She grinned impishly thinking of the contents.
She surveyed the rest of the gifts on the table, realizing that there were quite a few bits of negligee, lingerie and assorted pairs of knickers marked for him. She really looked forward to seeing the look on his face, both upon opening each one, and when he removed them from her body.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Doctor stared nervously into the display case, eyes flitting over jewels of multiples colors set into earrings, rings, necklaces, and even toe rings. He’d been working as a university professor, but had taken a few consulting jobs at Torchwood to pad his bank account; he hadn’t lied to Rose, so much as omitted, with Pete Tyler, of course, as his accomplice. He had no intention of keeping the secret after Christmas was all said and done, but for now…
It felt strange to be so in love with Rose Tyler, yet still so clueless about what to get her as a gift; without all of time and space at his fingertips, the ability to flit off to some alien moon to retrieve something beautiful and exotic, he was at a bit of a loss.
“Can I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked calmly.
“Ah, yes. I’d like to buy a bit of jewelry for my-” he pauses to rub at the back of his neck, “Rose. My girlfriend Rose.” The word feels small and silly in his mouth, but that was the human word for this human relationship they had in this human life they shared. Girlfriend sounded sophomoric, but lover was too sexual, best mate wasn’t sexual enough, and soul mate-while true in a sense-just sounded soppy. So girlfriend it was.
“What sort of jewelry are you in the market for, Mister…?”
“Noble,” he says, offering a hand. “Doctor John Noble; and I think I’d like to look at earrings. Rose looks brilliant in the long dangly ones…she likes them, too.”
The saleswoman (Gladys, her badge says) indicates what he’s looking for a short length down the counter, and bends down to retrieve a rack of earrings. The Doctor looks them over, his fingertips brushing over a few pieces before he says, “Do you have anything a bit more…elegant?” he asks, thinking both in terms of the size of the stones-Rose should be seen in something fit for the heiress to a multi-billion dollar conglomerate-and the style; his mind wandered back to a Christmas across the Void and over a century away.
Gladys catches half his meaning, and smiles. “Of course, Dr. Noble,” she says, moving down the counter again after replacing the first rack. She sets a new rack on the counter and he looks it over.
“Do any of these come in sets? Maybe a matching necklace, or…er…rings?” he asks. She indicates the ones that do, and he’s thrilled that his first choice is included among them. “Do you think-and I know it’s short notice, of course-you could have these refitted with blue sapphires rather than diamonds?”
Gladys arches an eyebrow, but knows better than to assume he couldn’t afford it based on his attire, “Absolutely; there’s an extra fee for the customization, of course, but we could have it ready for you to pick up on Christmas Eve morning, if you’d like to make an appointment.”
“Brilliant!”
The Doctor sorted out the particulars, and left the store reeling at how many pounds he’d spent, but still quite chuffed about the whole thing. He wandered around to a few more shops, wandering into one shop to sniff the dozens of organic lotions and body sprays, and leaving with a few he liked.
When he was done, he rang Rose on her mobile. “Hey, love. Are you at the flat?”
“No, I’m at mum’s. I’ll be back there around nine, I think.”
“Alright. I’ll see you then.”
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Doctor returned home and settled in to wrap the gifts he’d bought, a knot still in his stomach at the thought of the jewelry he’d purchased. He hoped that she would like his selection; he was never known for having an enviable fashion sense. He smirked at one particular purchase before turning instead to the organic Cinnamon-Vanilla lotion he’d bought for her. He opened the tube to smell it, and found it heavenly. He couldn’t help but imagine Rose’s soft hands spreading it over her skin, her fingers flexing as she rubbed it in, and the way her body would arch as he licked it from her...
The Doctor squeezed just a bit of the lotion onto his finger and then rubbed at it with his thumb before tasting it. Yes, he thought, this will do nicely. He pulled his finger from between his lips with a wet pop, and refocused his mind on the task at hand.
He bit his lip and furrowed his brows as he surveyed the wrapped gifts. “Ah-ha!” he shouted and sprang to his feet. He did have the perfect gift for Rose. At least he thought he did. He dashed into their bedroom and pulled open the door to the cupboard, reaching into the back to retrieve his blue pinstriped suit. He’d had several made upon arriving in this universe, and wore them often for the first few months, but the one he’d arrived in-that one he kept in the cupboard.
He tugged the jacket from the hanger and brought it over to the bed to rifle through the pockets; they were full of bits of string, a packet of stale Jelly Babies, various electronics parts, a bolt from the TARDIS control panel, a toy mouse, and a dozen other things. He reached his arm into the breast pocket and pulled out what he was looking for.
“Perfect,” he smiled.
| Part 4 |