Rose Tyler was shuffling through paperwork at the kitchen table in the flat she now shared with the Doctor. There was more work here than she thought she could reasonably be expected to get finished up this evening. A headache began to make its presence known to her as it flared behind her right temple; she rubbed at it with a fingertip as she looked for a specific report.

"Bloody Torchwood," she muttered. She would much rather be curled up on the couch with the Doctor, watching a cheesy Christmas movie. The holiday was only a fortnight away and it would be their first Christmas spent here together in this universe. She wanted to enjoy every moment she could.

It had been roughly six months since Bad Wolf Bay. They were even now still adjusting to life together and the Doctor especially was still getting used to the constraints of his now mostly-human body. The first month had been the roughest. She'd been so exhausted from her travels across so many parallel worlds, searching for the Doctor. She'd also been confused. In one day's time, she'd both found the Doctor and lost him. She'd said hello and goodbye. Wrapping her mind around the implications of everything that had happened and the Time Lord's desire for her to live out her life with his metacrisis had taken her some time.

In the end, they both had just been so grateful to have one another that any other difficulties had been minor in comparison. They argued quite a bit, just as much as they ever had back when they'd traveled together. Actually, the frequency and intensity of their arguments were more like the ones she'd had with her first Doctor than the occasional disagreements she'd had with her second Doctor. Of course, that level of passion made for delicious friction between them in the bedroom.

"Busy?" a warm voice murmured from behind her. Rose turned in her seat at the desk to take in the form of her Doctor, standing in the doorway with his legs crossed casually and his hands in his trouser pockets.

"Extremely," she replied, taking her time running her eyes back down his body. She sighed. Bloody Torchwood indeed.

"Can I tempt you into taking a break?" he asked, stepping forward and reaching out to rub at the stiff muscles in her shoulders.

"I probably shouldn't; there's still so much paperwork to go through," she said, shuffling through the papers some more. "But I have to admit that a break sounds fantastic."

"Come with me," he commanded gently, reaching out for her hand. As he wrapped his fingers around hers, the Doctor helped her to her feet and led her to the kitchen where two travel mugs sat on the corner. She raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned. "Hot cocoa with a little bit of peppermint liqueur."

She took a mug and he took the other. Then he led her to the entryway where he held her cocoa while she put on a coat, hat and mittens and she held his while he did the same. She was deliciously intrigued. "Where are we going? What do you have up your sleeve?" she asked.

The Doctor just smiled enigmatically. "Just a walk," he assured her. "You'll see."

Rose took his hand again and together they left the flat. They lived on the second floor so they took the stairs instead of taking the rickety but charming lift. He held the lobby door open for her, allowing her to step outside. She gasped at what she saw.

Sometime in the hours since she'd gotten home from work earlier that evening, it had begun to snow; thick fluffy flakes now covered anything and everything in a deliciously frosted coat of white. The flakes were still drifting down from the sky steadily, muffling all the noises of the city. The sky was tinged a soft orange from the street lights, giving the night an especially ethereal look. The overall effect was magical and Rose turned slowly, tilting her head back and sticking out her tongue to catch a snowflake.

The Doctor chuckled as he drew up beside her. "Snow, Rose!" he said, sounding so very excited. She remembered how much the Doctor had always enjoyed snow and had wished for a real, proper snowfall. This, right now, definitely qualified.

"Your first snow," she elaborated. "In this universe, anyway."

"And in this body," he agreed. He held out a gloved hand and watched as a flake settled on it. It didn't melt for many long seconds and he studied it, admiring the crystal formation.

"Shall we walk?" she suggested. She held a hand out and he slipped his into it easily. They walked in silence for a few blocks, sipping at their spiked cocoa and leaving perfectly formed footprints in the ever-deepening snow. Her feet grew cold, even within her boots, but she welcomed the cold. She always loved the first snow of the season and taking a long walk out in the drifting flurry was well worth any chilled extremities.

Soon, they came upon a park where all the trees were trimmed in white fairy lights. Her mouth fell open as she looked around her... the lights, the trees trimmed in white, the flakes falling from the sky, the muffled peace of the city around them... it felt like they could possibly be the only two people in all of London at that very moment. It was breathtaking.

"Oh, Doctor," she gasped. "This is..." She didn't have words.

He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her torso, resting his chin on her head. "I wanted to share this with you," he said softly. "I wanted to see you here in this park, under the fairy lights and with the snowflakes in your hair like little jewels."

She pulled away and turned around to face the Doctor. She plucked his travel mug from his hand and set it and her mug down on the small ledge next to them. Rose then reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she said before brushing her lips against his. He rubbed his nose alongside hers before dropping a kiss on the tip.

"It's my pleasure," he replied, his voice rumbling. The rumble made her think of other things that might be his pleasure as well and her blood began to race through her veins.

"I can't wait to share Christmas with you," she whispered, stroking the side of his face with a gloved finger.

His eyes glittered as he watched her. "Christmas with you," he murmured. "The best present I could hope to receive."

"Christmas together," she clarified. "The first of many?"

"Oh, definitely," he said. He reached up to cup her cheeks and drew her into another toe curling, snow melting kiss. As they settled into their embrace, the snow continued to fall around them, lighting on their hair, their cheeks, their shoulders. Rose no longer felt the cold, but was infused with warmth as the Doctor's tongue stroked alongside hers. His mouth covered the sound of her whimper as he pulled her more firmly against him, their hips bumping together deliciously.

Suddenly, Rose wasn't thinking of snowflakes and fairy lights and hot cocoa anymore. She was thinking about how bloody inappropriate it would be to ask the Doctor to take her up against that tree over there. Inappropriate but oh, so good.

He broke away with a gasp. She felt a small surge of pride at the way his chest was heaving for air just as hard as her own was. His eyes were dark and hooded as he stared down at her. "I think we should head back to the flat now," he told her, his voice a delicious growl.

"I think that's a fantastic idea," Rose murmured, grinning with her tongue poked at the corner of her mouth.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and all but pulled her back the way they'd come, back to their flat. She laughed, the sound beginning to echo off the buildings and being swallowed prematurely by the snow, falling more swiftly now. He joined her in laughter and she relished it; this one perfect moment that she wanted to remember forever. As he pulled her through the door to their building, she found she was looking forward to many more opportunities to make more perfect memories together in the years to come.