Okay, this is just a little Christmas epilogue for Forgotten Roses. I know a lot of you wanted to know why I didn't give you a shippy ending and, well, mainly it was because I thought it was too much after the content of the story, but also, because I thought the show did it better than I could have. For this type of story, for the way my plot wound down and the trauma Rose experienced I didn't feel it was the right time to have anything happen. Instead, I led the fic back to storyline, so that you got your moment as it was in the final episode.

However, I decided, because it's Christmas, to write a short epilogue with the Doctor and Rose. I hope it satisfies!

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Epilogue: White Christmas

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Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Her face lights up with delight and he can't help but smile at her.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The world around them is blanketed in the first snow and their breath is forming in a mist before them. There's nothing in the universe quite like taking your first steps through a newly formed, crisp blanket of snow and the fact that it's bringing the smile back to Rose's face makes it all the more amazing to him. Recuperation, no matter if it's the mothering Jackie bestowed on her or the thrill of the new adventures he and Jack have whisked her off on since, is slowly doing the trick. Every now and again he sees her, sees the woman he knows and loves looking back at him through her eyes. Every moment he sees it makes everything worth while.

"Oi!" He blinks a few times and shakes his head to loosen the packed in snow that just hit him. He looks at her with a mock glare as he takes in the mischief in her eyes. "If it's war you want, Rose, it's war you'll get." Without giving her a moment to react, he has already packed a snowball and sent it hurtling in her direction, but at the last minute she ducks and it hits Jack hard on the chest.

Jack cocks an eyebrow at the Doctor and a moment later it's everyone for themselves. The air is filled with laughter, shouting, and snow and the Doctor's glad it's only them on this planet. It's far too soon for life to have properly formed, but it's just what he wanted for Christmas, just the three of them and Rose smiling again. The only problem, he muses (for just a little too long, allowing Jack to stuff the back of his jumper with snow), is that he has no idea what Rose wants. Jack was easy; Jack always is, he thinks with a smirk, pelting the other man with a snowball. But Rose? The old Rose he might have just picked up a pretty trinket and made up some story about where it came from; she always got a kick out of that, but the new Rose? Well, what do you give to a woman who almost lost her entire life, was almost driven insane by torture? He doesn't know, that's for sure.

"Okay, truce, truce!"

"Never thought I'd see the day when Captain Jack gave up!" Rose shouts at the man, before throwing more snow in his direction.

"Hey! I said truce!" Jack ducks behind a tree and makes a beeline for the TARDIS. "If you want a decent Christmas meal, you better leave me alone!"

"Excuses, excuses!" Rose laughs. "Alright, but it better be good!"

"The best." Jack gives her a wink and slips into the TARDIS, closing over the door behind him.

A snowball takes the Doctor by surprise, again. Rose just laughs and he retaliates by running after her, tackling her, and covering her in snow.

"Get off!" She's laughing and squirming beneath him, but he continues to tickle her and stuff snow down the collar of her jacket.

"Do you surrender?"

"Never!"

"Okay." The Doctor just grins and doesn't stop until she kicks his knees out from under him. He falls on top of her with a whoosh of air and she grunts.

"Okay, that worked much better in my head," she says with a groan. "Get off, you're heavy."

"Your own fault," he says lightly and rolls off to lie at her side. "What are you doing?" he asks a moment later, watching her arms and legs move up and down.

"Don't tell me you've never made a snow angel!" He shakes his head and she looks at him disapprovingly. "It's easy. Move over so you've got enough room to spread your arms and legs out flat, then move them up and down."

He follows her instructions a little warily. "I feel like an idiot."

"You look like one, too."

"Cheeky."

She grins and stands up. "Give me your hand and don't even think about pullin' me down with you, all right?"

"Would I?"

"Yes!"

"Only because you would, too," he grumbles, allowing her to help him up. Not that he needed it, but he certainly wasn't going to refuse.

"Now look," she says, pulling back from the shapes they've made in the snow. "Snow angels." She's smiling at the snow, but he's smiling at her. It takes her a moment to realise that she's under scrutiny, but when she does the shy smile and the faint blush on her cheeks make him chuckle slightly. He reaches out to flick some stray snow out of her hair and she turns her head, causing his hand to brush the top of her cheek. She doesn't pull away and his hand lingers.

"You didn't give me a Christmas present yet," she says softly. "I got you something." He nods as her fingers reach up to fix the top of his polo neck. "Green suits you."

"I didn't know what to get you," he says, feeling terrible about it. He doesn't want to lie to her, not after what she's been through, but he should know, he should be able to think of something.

"You don't need to get me anything. You've given me the universe. I know that sounds like one of those dodgy valentines card, but it's true."

He smiles softly and she grins at him. "I think you're finally coming back to me, Rose."

"Never really left you; you're my Doctor."

He nods and leans towards her, gently brushing his lips against hers. Her breath catches a moment and he tries not to think about the way it makes him feel. For now this is enough. She's in his arms and she's nearly whole again and that's enough.

He pulls away and grins, reaching into his pocket with one hand and pulling her closer with the other. "I did get you something, actually."

He hands her the small box and she eyes him warily. "It's not gonna bite me or something is it?"

"No, well, maybe a little nibble."

She laughs and opens the box, pulling out the chorded necklace. She turns the stone attached to it around in her hands. "What is it?"

"Ever seen Men in Black?"

She frowns. "The movie with Will Smith? Yeah, I've seen it."

"Well, I just gave you the universe. Three of them actually."

He grins impishly and grabs her hand, pulling her towards the TARDIS. "Come on, Jack should have dinner ready by now."

She's utterly bewildered. "You're not serious, right?"

He just smiles at her and pulls her next to him. "Do you care."

"Not really."

"I didn't think so."

"Thank you," she says and he stops walking and turns to her. "For everything. For taking me with you, for showing me the universe…and for coming after me, even though they made you forget."

"Not gonna get rid of me that easily, Rose Tyler," he says.

"Good, 'cause you're stuck with me, an' all."

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THE END

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And I really mean 'the end', this time! Hope you liked it.