The Twelve Kisses of Christmas

The first day: Homewards we go!

A/N Ok, I'm not quite sure that the twelve days of Christmas are the twelve before it, but I'm pretending that they are anyway. I came up with the idea for this fic when I joined and I've been waiting to write it since as I think it's a pretty good idea, if I do say so myself, so here's the deal: 12 days, 1 Doctor, 1 Rose, 12 kisses! Hehee! So, anyway, I'll just go and check when exactly the 12 days of Christmas are, and you read this! Thank you xx

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"Please?"

"No!"

"Oh, come on!"

"No! Absolutely not! I refuse to go within 100 light years of your mother's cooking!"

Rose bit back a grin, pretending to be hurt by the Doctor's words. She batted her eyelashes, opened her brown eyes wide and leant against the console, putting on her most innocent expression.

On the opposite side of the console from her, the Doctor leant back against the rail and folded his arms across chest, refusing to budge from his decision.

For a few moments the two remained staring at each other, before the Doctor's mouth started to twitch, and finally he sighed, unfolding his arms.

"Alright. Seeing as you seem to be spurning my offer of Christmas on the most beautiful planet in the universe, we'll go home to your mother's."

She smiled at him and hurried over to give him a hug. The Doctor grinned and pulling away from her, set the coordinates for the Powell Estate. As he saw her shining face, he realised there really was nothing he could deny her.

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"You're here!" In a blur of blonde hair, denim jacket and tracksuit trousers, Jackie pulled her daughter into the flat and seized the Doctor in a fierce hug. As the Doctor worried for his ribcage, Rose laughed at the two. When Jackie finally released him, the Doctor hastily retreated to the kitchen.

"I never thought you'd be back for Christmas. I thought he'd have you off on some other mad adventure!"

Rose laughed. "He has a name."

Jackie shrugged as she took the bag Rose was carrying from her and heaved it into Rose's old room. She dumped it on the bed and returned into the lounge. "I take it you'll be sleeping here, then?"

"Well, Rose can, but I – " The Doctor appeared in the doorway, a jar of marmalade open under his arm and a digestive biscuit smeared with the orange jelly half way on it's route to his mouth.

" – will be on the sofa." Rose finished for him, deciding that if he was going to spend Christmas with them, he may as well do it properly.

The Doctor choked on his biscuit, coughing away in shock. Rose thumped his back for him as Jackie beamed and bustled off to make some tea.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Rose admonished, as soon as the Doctor stopped coughing and opened his mouth to speak.

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Later on that evening, the two sat on the roof of the flat, swinging their legs. The Doctor was still sulking about having to spend Christmas on a sofa in Jackie's flat, but when Rose started shivering in the cold night air, he shrugged off his coat and put it around her shoulders. Drawing it closer, she leant against his shoulder.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She asked him, looking down on London.

The Doctor looked around him. Cars and buses rushed to and fro, their lights blurring in the city streets, the London eye stood out, illuminated on the horizon, voices of out of tune carol singers drifted on the breeze and the moon bathed in the heavy blue blanket that was the heavens. It was not as magnificent as Venus, or as spectacular as the Starburst Nebula, but he had to agree that there was something rather beautiful about the terribly human landscape.

"It's Earth." He whispered, putting an arm around her.

"It's home." She smiled, "As is that little blue box." She gestured to the Tardis standing aloof in its favourite spot. She sighed happily, and tucked her head under his chin.

"Thank you, Doctor." She murmured.

"Ah well. What's Christmas without friends and family, eh?"

She smiled and thought for a moment, before retracting her head and softly kissing him on the cheek. Then she slipped off her perch and disappeared downstairs, back towards the flat, pulling the Doctor's coat around her as she went. The Doctor sat in shock for a little while, before he slowly put a hand to where she had kissed him and gave a little smile. Standing up, he dug his hands deep into his jacket pockets and followed Rose back inside, absentmindedly whistling "Good King Wenceslas" as he walked.

A/N Right, I just checked on Wikipedia, and the twelve days of Christmas are the twelve after Christmas Day. Ah. Oh well, I don't care, it's better this way, then there's something to build up to: Christmas Day! So, yeah. So what, I know nothing about the Christmas Calendar? Review!! Please!!!