Chapter 11: Christmas

The apartment was warm and cozy. Red and green lights hung from the windows and the air was rich with the smell of Christmas dinner. Jackie had invited some of the neighbors over, and the kitchen was alight with laughter. Rose sat back and smiled in satisfaction at the Christmas. John had excused himself early, and she could guess where he'd gone. Trying her best not to be noticeable, she scooted her chair back.

"Oi!" said Jackie from across the table. Baby Tony was gurgling in her lap, and Patrick was seated next to her, still chatting with the neighbor's husband. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"I'll just be outside. I need a bit of fresh air," said Rose.

"You want any more roast pork?"

"No, thanks. I've had too much already," she said back, smiling

"Oh, come on, Rose. It's Christmas day! You really want to be all alone out there?" Jackie said doubtfully.

"I've got to talk to John for a moment," said Rose.

A look of understanding passed over Jackie, and she nodded. "Be right back, though. We haven't even started with the mince pie."

"I'll only be a moment," she said over her shoulder as she exited the room. She made her way to the porch. As she had suspected, John was leaning against the rail, staring at the stars. Rose shifted her weight awkwardly. Though it had been nearly a week since the Doctor had left, they'd never had much time to really talk alone with each other. She tried her best to look casual as she slowly walked up to him, looking at the sky. The stars twinkled magically in the endless night sky. For the past 4 years, she had secretly been wishing to see a blue box flying along with the stars. Now, for some strange reason, she found that the want was gone.

"It's beautiful out," she said.

"Sure is," John responded, not turning to look at her. "Even from this little planet, it's still so beautiful." He didn't say anything more.

Rose cleared her throat uncomfortably. "They're about to start on the mince pies, if you want any," she said.

"Nah, I couldn't eat any more. Honestly, your mother was practically force-feeding me," he said. Rose laughed out loud, and she saw the corner of John's mouth twitch up.

"You know, it's Christmas day," she said. John said nothing. "There is no other place I'd rather be right now," Rose said again, enunciating every word. John's gaze flicked to her, but he remained silence. Rose sighed. "Do you think you can ever find it within your heart to forgive me?" she asked hopefully. Finally, John turned to her. For the first time in nearly a week, he really, truly smiled at her.

"You had the chance to go with him," he said. "But instead you stayed here, with me. That's got to count for something."

Rose smiled back at him, and snuggled close. After a moment of hesitation, John wrapped his arm around her and held her. Rose leaned her head against his shoulder. "Merry Christmas, John," she said.

"Merry Christmas, Rose," he replied. Together, they stayed outside and stared up at the stars. Although they both knew what was out there, they were happy just standing on the porch, together, with their friends and family enjoying Christmas dinner in the other room.

Rory, Amy, and the Doctor lounged on lawn chairs in a tall, grassy field on the planet Ryam. Each of them was wrapped in a thick, woolen blanket, with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in hand. The planet's atmosphere made the sky look deep purple instead of the endless blue of Earth. "This is great hot chocolate, Doctor," said Amy, sipping from her cup. "I didn't know you could cook."

The Doctor observed his mug carefully while saying, "Neither did I. They turned out pretty well, though. Can hardly taste the crab."

Amy and Rory gave each other a look before carefully lowering their cups from their lips. "I don't suppose you'll be open to coming back to our place for some actual chocolate once we're done here?" she asked.

The Doctor turned and smiled at her. "That would be nice," he said quietly, "but no. Much too busy for Christmas dinner, I'm afraid. I'll tell you what, though. Tomorrow, I'll stop by and we can explore the Lost Caves of Brimzol. Or how about the La Tomatina celebration in Spain? You'd love. You might want to bring a pair of goggles, though, because the tomatoes–"

"My God, Doctor. Does your life ever slow down? Do you ever take a day off to relax?" asked Amy, smiling.

"We're relaxing now, aren't we?" said the Doctor.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Amy turned over to her husband. "Are you still drinking that?" she asked. Rory had picked up his cup again and was sipping from it casually.

He shrugged. "It's good chocolate," he said.

Suddenly, there was a creak as the TARDIS doors opened behind them. River Song walked out, holding a star scanner and looking at the sky expectantly. "Quiet, Dad," she said. "I think it's starting."

"Ooh, how exciting," said the Doctor. He looked up at River. "You sure you don't want any chocolate?" he asked again.

River looked down at her husband with a smile. "Afraid not, sweetie. Unlike these poor souls, I know what you put in your hot chocolate. Now, shh. Here it comes."

With that, they all turned to look up at the sky. Soon, streaks of multicolored dust flew through the air as a collection of meteors burst past the planet. Trails of fuchsia, gold, and aqua green filled the sky, more dazzling than any fireworks show they'd ever been to.

As the meteors passed, a smile graced Amy's features. "Thank you for this, Doctor," she said, not taking her eyes off of the sky.

Beside her, the Doctor replied, "Merry Christmas, Amelia Pond."

A/N: Well, that's my story! I just wanted to thank everybody for the alerts, favorits, and reviews. All your positive feedback is what encouraged me to keep writing. I really appreciate you guys putting up with my obnoxious cliffhangers.

Yes, I know it's been nearly a week since Christmas, when I wanted to post this chapter, but all the same, merry late-Christmas, and I hope you enjoyed it. For Christmas, I got a sonic screwdriver keychain and a TARDIS mug. I was very happy.

With that, thanks for reading!