The Magic Snowman

12th Doctor x Clara

Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and its creators. I'm just having fun.

A/N: I didn't plan this to be so long, but well… There is a parallel with 2012 Christmas special (The Snowmen) but not in a scary and sad way I promised. Everything here is fluffy and cute, because hey it's Christmas! :)

When I was a child, my mother used to bake the best Christmas meal I've ever eaten in my life. The turkey had a special seasoning that she never told anyone what was the secret. Her pudding was so delicious that I could swear my neighbors - most of them being old grandmas who only knew how to gossip - had a big envious of her brilliant culinary skills.

After the meal, we sat down at our living room feeling heavy and happy waiting for midnight. My cousins and aunts would join us with a silly and funny conversation, talking about plans for the next year and everything that went well during the year that passed. I'd take my kitten, a fluffy gray cat called Flora to my lap and caressing her soft fur while seeing the snowflakes falling down at the window.

Far away at the street, people at the church sang sweet melodies that crossed the air with the snow, dancing together their synchronized music. At midnight, the bells rang joining the little orchestra. Everyone hugged each other wishing Merry Christmas while I'd run to the window to see my friend: my magic snowman.

Every Christmas I used to build a snowman at the yard of my old house. I'd take hours to do it by myself since my cousins only wanted to fight and scream in the snow like a bunch of happy baboons – oh well, it was so funny that sometimes I stopped my little project just to see them getting dirty and soaked. Then I'd come back to my task, making the eyes, the nose and a happy mouth to my snowman.

Of course, I wouldn't forget the scarf and his hands. After staring at him to make sure he was perfect, I finally smiled feeling very satisfied with myself, ignoring the cold and some blood at my hands because of the boughs I needed to get.

When the midnight came and the bells of the church rang, my magic snowman smiled to me with his funny scarf and his big button eyes, making the most beautiful snowflakes to me. It went out at the cold air and stayed there flying for hours, always the same without dissipating like the others ones. It was special because it always used to fly at my window exactly where I was with Flora.

This happened every Christmas while my mom was alive. When she died, it stopped and everything changed.

I stopped building my magic snowman, but then I tried to make it few years later to see if he would do his magic again. It didn't work. I cried that Christmas promising to myself to stop being silly and never do it again. Every Christmas since then has been sad to say at least.

My dad got married for the second time, but I had never liked my stepmother and I knew the feeling was mutual. Flora also died few years after my mom and I didn't want another cat. Why? Those things were for kids, not for me. The meal hadn't been pleased and I've been skipping the pudding mainly.

My aunts and cousins stopped coming to our new house because they always had something to go on Christmas day. The Brighton's invited us to the supper, we couldn't say no, they always have been saying it in the last years. Even if I wouldn't admit it aloud, I've been missing my happy baboons cousins running at the yard – I forgot how their laughs used to sound.

Until I finally had enough and decided to have my first Christmas alone this year.

It wouldn't be so bad, I said to myself. It's just a holiday; I'd eat, watch a bit of TV and go to bed. Next day I'd visit my dad and his family for lunch. Not bad. It was just a real reflection about how my latest Christmas has been empty.

I made clear that I wanted to be alone and when I said alone, it meant not have any calls, messages, etc. I knew those things wouldn't make things better between me and my dad's new family. Nevertheless, I forgot someone in the middle of this radical decision: The Doctor.

He has been aware of my family problems though I didn't mention about my plans for Christmas. Since he is not human at all, I didn't have sure if the Time Lords had this kind of traditions like celebrate Christmas.

Surprisingly, he showed up my door wearing a silly Christmas hat with snowflakes soaking his velvet coat.

"Doctor?"

"Merry Christmas for you too, Clara".

Not only the hat but also the sincere smile made me speechless. I raised my eyebrows with a teasing grin.

"What is this? I didn't know you celebrate Christmas".

I let him enter the hall where he made sure to throw all the snow on his velvet coat at my clean carpet. I'd kill him after. Besides, all that time traveling with him, I didn't remember seeing him so cheerful and relaxed. This made my heart beat fast in my chest. He was so beautiful when he's happy. He was almost shining, a big contrast with my melancholic mood in the moment.

"Well after spending so much time with humans, I started to get into your traditions. Even that most of them are silly anyway".

That's my Doctor, always so polite with everyone. He was worse than this, believe in me. I cleaned my throat because well… I wasn't going to be so polite with him too.

"Doctor… I wasn't expecting any visitant. Anyone at all".

"I know", he said joyfully going to the living room while I followed him. He sat down at the couch like it was his home as known as the TARDIS. "That's why I'm here".

Something clicked in my mind. There was something very wrong going on because it wasn't his normal behavior – the Doctor wouldn't appear at my door on Christmas' Eve for nothing. I didn't believe he was there just to make me company. Not in the beginning, though.

I sighed, knowing something would go wrong and my plans for a solitary Christmas wouldn't happen. Or I'd do something stupid to ruin everything in the end – I've been doing this a lot recently because of my big mouth and control-freak behaviour.

"All right, what's the deal?" I sat down on the couch in front of him crossing my arms.

"Hum… I'm hungry" he humbled. "Tell me you have something comestible! I was so busy trying to fix that lever in the TARDIS that I completely forgot…"

"Doctor?! I'm serious here!" I tightened my arms in frustration. "You're hiding something from me, don't deny that you gray insect".

"Oi, more respect here young lady! And I'm not hiding anything, why are you thinking such a thing?"

His attack eyebrows frowned studying me with his accent getting strong as a signed of nervousness. His face didn't lie; it just confirmed there was something that he didn't want me to know.

"It's Christmas and I want to be alone. I forgot to warn you about it… Then, you appeared here in such festive mood. Don't you think I shouldn't be suspicious?"

The Doctor opened and closed his mouth quickly. Guess I got him, right?

"Fine", he sighed. "I knew you were alone and why, but it didn't stop me to come here. I had to".

Whatever I was expecting, it wasn't this confession. I didn't move at the same time staring at him with my eyes almost throwing out of my face. What did this mean? Did he really want to say what he wanted to say or…?

My melancholic thoughts came back again with some tears. That alien man who has run away from any too sentimental situation was here with me just to make me company while was in a deep sadness. Was it possible things were turning around three hundred and sixty degrees like that?

I sensed his eyes on me as if they were transfixed me, trying to guess what I was thinking. I couldn't look at him without break my self-control and cry, so I glared down making patterns on the carpet. Who was running away now?

"Clara? Are you ok? Don't be so quiet, I don't like when you're so quiet like that. Please, say something".

"How did you know?" I murmured already feeling the tears flowing down on my cheeks. "I mean, how did you know I was away from my family today?"

He swallowed hard getting up of the couch with his hands on the pockets of his trousers. Minutes pulsed. He stayed with his back to me while talking.

"I paid a visit for your family…. I thought you'd be there, you know".

He turned around to me not in the cheerful mood he was minutes ago.

"You grandmother is a very nice lady, I have to say" a tiny smile appeared on his lips. "She talked to me about many things".

He didn't need to say the rest because I already knew. I felt utterly guilty to put my grandmother on my selfish actions. When I stared at the Doctor again I didn't know how to say how much he meant to me, how much I was grateful he cared.

How much I loved him.

The Doctor had never looked at me the way he did on that moment – it was as if he left behind a mask and showed me his true self. My Doctor wasn't that grumpy, discourteous and mood man he wanted the world to believe. Yes, he was like that too, but for me, in those long minutes, he showed his sweet, lovely and kind soul – which was his true nature.

I could have jumped on his arms and kissed him until I need to breathe.

That was exactly what I did though and I almost break our kiss to laugh at his funny shocked face.

In the beginning he didn't know what to do with hands, while I hugging him tight to me, putting myself on tiptoes to give to him a proper kiss – I didn't want to ruin his first kiss experience in his new body because of my silly height. One entire minute passed until the Doctor finally reacted and hugged me back, letting me conduct him on his lips. It was crazy and unplanned but perfect. His hair was soft and fluffy as I expected and his lips were gentle, caressing mine back with the same passion.

When we pulled apart, I breathed hard trying to get air for my lungs for the period my heart raced in my chest. The Doctor's big owl eyes were between the shock and the tender gazing me. Hesitating, he kissed my forehead sending more sparkles to my shaking body. He rested his head in mine.

"Next time can you give me a sign or something? I almost thought you were attacking me". He whispered to my hair. I chuckled. Silly Time Lord.

"Sorry," actually I wasn't to be honest. "So it means we'll have the next time?"

He didn't answer me, but I felt he was blushing. I buried my head on his chest inhaling his scent and he rubbed my back until I finally broke the silence.

"Did you regret it?"

The Doctor waited for a moment before answer. I got anxious with the thought he didn't approve our kiss.

"No, it's fine" he stepped back a little to look at me. "I liked it".

"Good" I smiled feeling warmer inside. "Now can you help me with something?"

"Yes, with what?

I grabbed his right hand conducting him to the kitchen, going to the door that opened to my little yard. The snow fell slowly, enough to have a large amount on the floor. The Doctor frowned.

"Clara, it's cold here"

"I know, but this is the best moment to make it". I said happily while I was taking the snow with my unprotected hands. They shivered in protest.

"Make what?"

"My magic snowman". I smirked to him. "C'mon alien man, help me here. Or are you planning to stand there all evening?"

He finally joined me on my no sense desire. I told him about my childhood memory and the story about the snowman. For some reason, it made him grin.

"What? Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing" he grabbed more snow to finish the head of our creation. "I just thought how funny human children are".

I was holding a pair of old buttons to make the eyes, not believing in his explanation.

"Don't tell me you have something to do with it".

The Doctor kept too busy and interested on his task, which made me impatient.

"Can you just tell me?"

"Maybe. It's a long and complicated story, it doesn't worth the time".

He looked at me in a more serious way; enough to me don't ask anymore. Later, I'd back to that subject again.

We finished the snowman quickly if I had done it by myself. He begged me to go inside and eat like the drama queen he could be while hungry, which I happily did.

There was a warm atmosphere in the house that hasn't been there while I was alone and sad. We made our supper with laughs and silly jokes. Later we sat on the couch near the window that showed my yard. He put his arm around me and I rest my head on his shoulder, kissing quickly his neck first. He gave me a half smile.

When midnight approached, my inner child waited for the moment to come. I haven't paid attention on people at the church singing since my last Christmas with mom. It happened. They start singing happy melodies while the bells ringing and filling the air. I looked anxious at the exact moment when my magic snowman smiled to me and make the snowflakes danced around him, never falling down, never disappearing. The way I wanted to be with my Doctor.

Like me, he was paying attention at the window and the sound on the streets, but I cut him off again without making any advance. I kissed him repeatedly every time more passionate until he laughed, his cheeks redder than ever.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Doctor".

Hope you all have an awesome holiday with your families and beloved ones. Merry Christmas!