A Christmas to Remember

Epilogue

Audrey Dubios loved greeting the guests when they first arrived at the Hotel Galaxie. Most of them were excited for a holiday of skiing and relaxation, and those who were weary from travel quickly cheered at the prospect of the fun that lied ahead. Audrey was energized by the enthusiasm around her, and even the disgruntled guests did little to bring her down. When problems arose—like incorrect accommodations or lack of vacancy due to overbooking—Audrey was able to find solutions and take extra measures that caused guests to want to return in the future. Her skill in troubleshooting and guest relations was what got her promoted to assistant manager at the end of October. However, her new position gave her little time to interact with guests. So when several cases of the flu caused the hotel to be short-staffed right as the Christmas rush began, Audrey, was delighted to once again take her place at the reception desk.

Though Audrey enjoyed interacting with the guests, even she could get weary of the repetitive nature of the job, so one of the ways she kept herself entertained was to observe the queue and try to determine the guests' back stories and reasons for staying at the hotel. Some were easy, like the middle-class family on their annual ski trip, the competition skier there to practice on the advanced slopes, or the solo traveller who just wanted some solitude during the holiday season. Others were not as easy to read, and the stories of those guests intrigued Audrey the most.

The guest Audrey encountered on Wednesday, two days before Christmas, was one of those cases. The pair consisted of a tall man with dark hair who appeared to be in his forties and a blonde woman who appeared to be much younger. When they first entered the queue, Audrey thought they might be father and daughter, but she dismissed the thought almost immediately. The affection the two displayed (while subtle and not out of place in public) was definitely of the romantic sort, which lead Audrey to guess that they were a couple. As they progressed in the queue, Audrey was able to see them more clearly. The young blonde kept holding out her left hand to gaze at it, which would cause the man to glance briefly at his own left hand (which was still interlaced with his companion's right hand.) The woman seemed almost aglow, and the tall older man was grinning so much, Audrey imagined that his cheeks would be aching after a while. The two were evidently newlyweds. Audrey shrugged as she helped the family standing in front of her. The couple had to be a decade or more apart, but they seemed happy.

Before the next guest stepped up, Audrey quickly looked up information on the honeymoon suites. Both suites had been occupied since Sunday night. She helped check in the guest in front of her then looked up the vacancy information of the hotel's other suites. Two were still available, but both of them listed only single occupants. Audrey surveyed the mystery couple again. Perhaps a suite was not something they could afford. The husband was wearing jeans and a beat-up leather jacket and looked like he would fit in nicely with the working class. The bride, on the other hand, looked like she had stepped out of a page in a fashion magazine. But perhaps it was an outfit specially bought for the occasion. Whatever their story was, it had to be a good one.

Soon enough, the newlyweds were standing in front of her.

"We'd like to check in," the blonde woman said in English. The young woman's voice was calm and professional, but Audrey could see the excitement that bubbled just underneath the surface. "My reservation should be under Rose Tyler," she said.

Audrey typed in the name, and was surprised to see that the room the woman had booked was one of the suites she had just looked up. Rose Tyler continued to talk, her excitement rapidly becoming more evident. "I wanted to put it under Rose Smith," the young woman said, "but none of my identifications say that yet. We just got married last night and found a flight as early as we could this morning. I didn't want my reservation to be filled by someone else." At this statement the new Mrs. Smith nudged her husband, who chuckled in response.

Since Audrey did not understand the humour in the bride's words, she assumed it was an inside joke and continued the check-in process. "You 'ave requested suite eight specifically?" Audrey asked the woman.

"Yes," Mrs. Smith said. "It was the same suite I stayed in last year for Christmas."

"Welcome back," Audrey said. Then she took a breath before addressing the reservation information she had noticed earlier. "I am sorry, but it appears your husband's name 'as been left off." She glanced at the man briefly then returned her attention to the woman. "Would you like me to add 'is information?" Assuming that the reason for the omission had something to do with the couple's ability to afford it, she added, "Zere is no extra fee for two guests. Zee price assumes double occupancy."

Rose Smith smiled. "Thank you, but my husband won't be staying in suite eight. He reserved his own suite."

That was certainly not the response Audrey had expected, and she did her best not to look shocked. As her mind struggled (and failed) to come up with an explanation that made any sense, she focused her gaze at the computer screen. She switched to the reservation list and selected the only suite remaining. Sure enough, it had been reserved by a Dr. John D. Smith.

Audrey switched back to the check-in screen and, trying her best not to show any signs of judgement or confusion, finished the check-in process. "You are checked in from today until twenty-nine December." She handed the woman the key card. "Enjoy your stay."

The young woman then stepped to the side as the man took his place in front of Audrey. He was still grinning. "Hello!" he said brightly, with a short wave.

Audrey couldn't help but smile back, but then she quickly got to work. "We 'ave only one suite left," she told him. "So you must be Doctor Smith in number nine."

"That's me!" he said. "And could you please add Mrs. Smith to the reservation?"

"Very well monsieur," Audrey said, but she could not hide the involuntary frown of confusion that accompanied her words.

"Couldn't make up our minds," Doctor Smith said as if trying to explain their unusual accommodations.

Audrey frowned again. "I am sorry, but I do not understand."

"We met a year-ago yesterday outside this hotel," he said.

"That's why we picked it as our wedding date," interjected Mrs. Smith.

"Then we discovered we had neighbouring rooms," continued Doctor Smith. "Suites eight and nine."

Audrey had been right; their story was one worth hearing. She stopped typing and gave Doctor Smith her full attention as he continued to explain.

"Made sense to have our honeymoon here," he told her, "but we couldn't decide which room to stay in since both held memories. So we booked both. We only just decided on nine."

"So you do not want suite eight?" Audrey's head was beginning to swim.

"We do," Rose Smith said. "But just long enough to look around and reminisce."

"I understand," said Audrey. She was glad things were beginning to make sense. "But it is not necessary to reserve zee room. I can 'ave a steward give you access for a while."

"Actually," the young woman said, "I want to pay for it in full now."

"But..." Audrey began without knowing what to stay next.

"Last year when I arrived, all the vacancies were filled," Rose Smith told her. "Are the rooms overbooked again?"

"I am afraid so," Audrey said. "Some guests reserve zere room but never show up. Therefore it is zee practice of the 'otel to overbook the economy rooms by ten percent."

"So I have learned," Rose said with a sigh. "It was only because of an upgrade that I was able to have a room." She stopped and smiled at Audrey. "You were the one who arranged it. You gave me a meal card as well."

Audrey studied the face of the young bride as a vague memory surfaced and quickly became more clear. The bride before her had been a solo traveller who looked as if she needed the holiday more than almost anyone she had seen all day. Audrey remembered the look of disappointment on the young woman's face when she learned there were no vacancies and her inability to hide her joy over the eventual outcome.

"We want to do the same thing for someone else," the woman was saying now. "We'd like a moment to see the room one more time, but then we want you to give it to another guest—someone whose economy room was filled, but you feel deserves that upgrade. Let them know their room is paid for by a guest who was once in their shoes, but not by whom."

"I will," Audrey promised.

"Also," Rose said. "Please charge all that guest's meals to our room."

Audrey was overcome with emotion, and she did not try to hide it. She finished the transactions for both suites with tears in her eyes, and took a break to compose herself once the Doctor and Mrs. Smith had left the front desk. As much as she hated telling guests that there were no vacancies, she was excited to be part of making the holiday for one of those guests a little brighter.

Rose Tyler wandered around the bedroom of suite eight, stopping now and then to close her eyes and picture the paper-made winterscape that had been there a year earlier. She ran her palm over the foot of the bed, remembering when she held the Doctor as he dealt with the pain of his past. Then she took the hand of the present Doctor—her husband—and squeezed it gently before leading him to the salon.

"We talked here for hours," she said to him as they walked over to the sofa and sat down.

The Doctor nodded. "You fell asleep in my arms." He put his arm around Rose and chuckled. "Then you did it again in my suite two nights later."

"Even then I felt so safe with you. So at peace." She snuggled in closer to him. "I still do."

"Good thing we got married then," quipped the Doctor.

Rose smiled. "Just a bit, yeah." She turned and took the Doctor's face in her hands, kissing him softly. He returned the kiss, and they lost themselves in it for an unknown amount of time.

"We should go to the other room," Rose said finally. "Who knows how soon Audrey will need the vacancy."

The Doctor stood and helped lift Rose to standing. "Come on then, wife," he said. "We have a honeymoon to begin."

Captain Jack Harkness couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No rooms?" he said to the woman behind the desk. "You've got to be kidding me! I have a reservation!" He looked at her with pleading eyes, wordlessly begging her to tell her something different.

"I am sorry," she said, "but we are overbooked. Zee last room was taken an hour ago."

Jack gaped at the woman in disbelief. She was beautiful, with auburn hair and deep green eyes, but right now she was the bearer of bad news, and he was almost too upset to care. Almost. "Come now, Audrey," he crooned as he looked at her name tag. "Can I call you Audrey?"

Audrey's expression was unchanged as she answered, "Certainly monsieur, it is my name after all."

"Well, Audrey," he said as he stared into her eyes and flashed his most alluring smile, "I am sure that as the assistant manager, there is something you can do."

"No," she said, with no sign that Jack's charms had had any effect on her. "Zere is truly nothing I can do except transfer your reservation to zee Chula Inn."

Audrey's lack of reaction took Jack completely by surprise, but worse than that was the predicament he was in. According to the map that Audrey was showing him, the Chula Inn was at the far northeast end of town—over two kilometres from the Hotel Galaxie. This might not be a problem for the average guest for whom any lodging would do, but his entire reason for being in Val d'Isere revolved around that specific hotel. Last year he had run the toy drive portion of Hotel Galaxie's Children in Need charity. This year the entire event was his to run. He had welcomed the responsibility, even if it meant his time on leave was more work than pleasure, but he could not fulfill his responsibilities at the hotel (which included the toy drive, event planning for the ball, and oversight of monetary donations) if he was marooned on the edge of town. He loved that he could use his ability to throw a good party and channel it into something meaningful, but now he was afraid the entire thing was going to fall apart. All because he had risen late then stopped on the way to the hotel for an hour to have a leisurely lunch.

If all the rooms at the Hotel Galaxie were truly taken, it was Jack's fault, and there was nothing he could do about it. But there was always a chance that there was a vacancy closer to the center of town, even if he had to pay more for it. He just needed to ask Audrey. But since flirting had backfired, Jack would have to resort to a strategy he rarely ever used: humbleness and sincerity.

Jack cleared his throat, apologized, and told Audrey his story. He even included the part about it being his fault due to poor time management.

When he had finished, he was surprised to see tears in Audrey's eyes. "I 'ave a room for you," she told him with a sniff. Then she proceeded to tell him about the anonymous guest who had reserved a suite particularly for someone like him. The benefactor had even included complimentary meals at the Restaurant Nébuleuse as part of this act of kindness.

"I'm not sure I deserve this," Jack admitted.

"You do," Audrey assured him. "Outside you seem arrogant. But your heart is much bigger on the inside."

Jack mumbled his thanks. He didn't know what else to say. He appreciated the comment, but he would have to work up to being worthy of it. His first act would be to discover the identity of the anonymous giver and express his appreciation. And as paradoxical as it was, that honest desire to show his gratitude would have to start with a small con. In this case, it meant coughing violently as Audrey was typing on the computer—possibly calling up the guest's information. When Audrey left to fetch him some water, Jack turned the monitor slightly and looked at the information on the screen.

His name had been entered for suite eight and was it marked as paid. Beneath that, it was noted that his meals would be charged to suite nine. It only took one click of the mouse to discover that the occupants of that suite were listed as Dr. John D. Smith and Rose Tyler. The surname Smith was in parenthesis next to "Tyler."

Names had a way of etching themselves permanently in Jack's memory, and these names were no exception. Rose Tyler was the beautiful blonde last year at the Yule Ball who was dressed as elegantly as any of the well-to-do guests yet had a different air about her. Doctor John Smith was her date who had looked intent on impressing her, but uncertain how to to about it. Jack had noticed them when they had walked in, and the two had intrigued him. He had also noticed Rose looking longingly at the dance floor—something her date had seemed oblivious to For some reason, Jack had felt compelled to nudge the couple in the right direction. He had to endure looks of distrust and jealously from John Smith after his intervention, but when he watched them on the dance floor lost in the magic of each other, it had been worth it. Jack had never given much thought to karma, but maybe the universe did reward good deeds.

Audrey was only gone a few seconds and returned while Jack was still looking at the screen. Jack decided again to go with honesty. "I had to know who it was," he said. "It would have been nearly impossible to handle the Children in Need duties from another location. These two saved my life...or my Christmas at least."

Audrey nodded. "I cannot say I condone your peeking, but I understand."

"I met them last year at the Yule Ball," he told Audrey conversationally. "The way Rose's name was entered...They're newlyweds aren't they?"

Audrey handed him his key card and meal card without a word, but the smile on her face was confirmation enough.

Jack grinned. He wasn't sure why the news made him so happy, but it did. "Thanks Audrey...for everything."

"You're welcome," she said. "Enjoy your stay."

Jack nodded and started to leave, but then he stopped. "Hey Audrey," he said with a smile—a sincere one, not the flirtatious one he had tried earlier. "When you're finished for the evening, could I buy you a coffee?"

"I would like zat," she said. "I am off at eight."

"See you then," said Jack, and he headed toward the elevators. This was shaping up to be a great Christmas.

It was Christmas morning. The Doctor sat with Rose on the sofa as Christmas music played, and they watched the fire burn in the fireplace. They had each opened the one small gift they had brought for each other. The rest of the gifts were at their apartment in London—the apartment that had once been just the Doctor's. They would open them at their combination Christmas and New Year's Eve party that they were hosting for friends and family. The Doctor pulled Rose closer and leaned his head on the top of hers as he thought about the events of their last holiday and the year that had followed.

A little over a year ago, the Doctor was solely focused on work and had no family or real friends to speak of. Now he and Rose had such a busy life that between their careers, their travels, and events with friends, it seemed the two never stopped running. Shortly after New Year's, Rose had insisted that Donna Noble, a temp from Arcadia, be considered for a permanent position. The Doctor hired her, and Donna and Rose soon became good friends. (The Doctor liked Donna almost as much, though sometimes they butted heads. Rose said this was because he and Donna were too much alike.) Rose had met people from Flydale fashions as well, but the Doctor could never keep their names straight. Even with all of Rose's new friends, Rose had stayed in touch with friends from the estate. Twice a month, the Doctor and Rose would meet them at the Barber's Arms. This was in addition to monthly Sunday tea with Rose's mother.

But their social circle was comprised of more than just Rose's friends. Thanks to social media, the Doctor was able to reunite with some of his old friends. These friends lived further away, so he didn't see them regularly, but it was nice to have them in his life again. Of all their friends, Ian and Barbara were probably the closest. Six months ago, the Doctor and Rose had been part of their wedding party, and three days ago, Ian and Barbara returned the favour.

In less than a week, most of those people would be celebrating in the Doctor and Rose's home. It was something he never would have thought possible. But what made the Doctor marvel most that Christmas morning were the events from the night before. He and Rose had stopped by the grand fireplace to deposit a toy in the Children in Need box that was located there and decided to stay for the family-centered program that was already in progress. To their surprise, Captian Jack Harkness from last year's Yule Ball was leading the event with assistance from Aubrey the Assistant Manager. When the event was over, the four got together for drinks at the Hotel bar. The Doctor's first impression of Jack the year before had not been favourable, but now that he had gotten to know the man better, he actually enjoyed his company. And in some ways, Jack's dancing with Rose a year earlier had given the Doctor the motivation to be the best date possible for Rose. So when drinks were done, Audrey had left, and the three guests made their way back to their rooms, the Doctor was actually pleased to see that Jack ended up right next door in the room they had paid for. He even invited Jack to go skiing with them the next day. (Rose was going dressed as Santa, the Doctor was not.) Jack said he was too busy with Yule Ball preparations, but would be glad to spend time with them later . Whatever happened next, the Doctor knew then that a new friendship had begun.

"You're really quiet," Rose said from beside him. "What are you thinking about?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Family. Friends. Christmas. You."

Rose giggled. "That's a lot. Anything in particular?"

"No," he said kissing the top of her head. "Just that I'm happy, and that I will always be grateful for the events of our last holiday here."

Rose hummed and nodded, then she turned to look at him. "Do you ever worry that maybe last Christmas was too good?"

"What do you mean?"

Rose shrugged. "It's just...last year sort of happened on its own. We would have to work pretty hard to make every Christmas that memorable."

The Doctor smiled, pulled his bride into an embrace, and kissed her tenderly. "Rose Tyler Smith," he said to her. "I love you. Just being able to spend our holidays together will make every Christmas a Christmas to remember."

Author's Notes: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I have enjoyed revisiting these versions on the Doctor and Rose, and I hope you enjoyed this little peek on what they have been up to and where their life is headed. And, yes, I had to bring back Jack. I love Team Tardis too much to leave him out.

If you want to see the loose outline for this story (including returning for next Christmas), read the lyrics for the song inspiration:

www dot metrolyrics dot com slash a-christmas-to-remember-lyrics-dolly-parton dot html

I had intended to finish this before Christmas day, but holiday responsibilities at work and at home made that difficult. I am hoping that going forward I can be more consistent with writing. I am itching to get back to my other stories.

But for now, I wish that the remainder of your holiday season is also one to remember.