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Tony pelted down the wooden back stairs. It was amazing really, the Doctor thought, how one little boy could make enough noise for ten; particularly since he had already opened his presents. It was Christmas Day, and he had just noticed, while towelling his hair dry after a shower, that it had started to snow.
The Doctor smiled to himself. Snow at Christmas had always been special, but he was glad that, for once, it was the real thing rather than ashes or some sonic trickery. Temperatures had dropped dramatically overnight, and just as he began helping the boy with his bath it had started to snow. He picked up Tony’s robe and his shoes and bounced down the stairs. It wouldn’t do for Tony to just wander around with a towel around his hips. The Doctor thought that this time he’d gladly take Jackie’s reprimand – he was to blame for the boy’s emulating him, after all.
He couldn’t be more surprised then, when Jackie grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace, planting a resounding kiss on either of his cheeks. “Oh Doctor!” she cried.
“Merry Christmas to you too, Jackie,” he mumbled, chuckling bemusedly. He had only seen Rose and Tony that morning, who had dragged him down to the Christmas tree.
Then he saw Rose, and she was holding up her hand. The ring he had given her was sparkling on her finger, and she shrugged apologetically.
“Oh.”
“I’m so happy for you, for you both! Have you set a date yet? I have this wonderful–”
“Jackie,” he interrupted her firmly, disentangling himself from her arms.
“If you’d rather,” she continued.
“Jackie, stop!” he cried.
That drew Tony’s attention to them from where he’d been glued to the French windows, staring out into the thickly falling snow.
The Doctor drew a deep breath. “It’s not an engagement ring.”
Jackie blinked. “It’s not?” she squeaked eventually.
“No.”
Jackie turned around to look at Rose. “It isn’t?”
“It’s just a ring, Mum,” Rose confirmed with a soft smile. “I tried to tell you, you know. It’s just a ring.”
“But... I thought, now that you’re here... you’re such a wonderful couple...”
“We’re not getting married, Mum,” Rose said firmly, but with a sigh.
“Well,” the Doctor began, very softly, picking up Tony’s robe and slippers. When he looked up, neither of the women seemed to have heard him. Which was good, actually. “Guy at the jeweller’s thought that too. Explained his mad grin,” the Doctor offered. He didn’t like seeing Rose embarrassed; he could deal with being embarrassed better.
“Oh you terrible man,” Jackie sighed, but it was affectionate, like it always was when she meant that he was still a little lost alien boy. She took Tony’s things from him and put them on her son, who was totally unimpressed by the not-news. He went over to Rose to kiss her good morning.
“Can we go out, Mum?” he asked, lifting his foot so she could slip on his shoe.
“Maybe a little later, when it’s stopped snowing.”
“Are you coming, too, Doctor?” Tony had turned away from the beginnings of the snowy splendour in the garden.
“I’d love to!” the Doctor said. “We can try out your new sled.”
Rose giggled in his arms.
“What?”
“Just picturing you, is all,” she managed to say.
Pete joined them with a tray of hot chocolate. It was their Christmas tradition to start the day with hot chocolate rather than tea, and the Doctor gingerly balanced his mug on his drawn-up knee as he watched everyone else open their presents. Tony had loved the collection of stories he had given him. He’d had them bound into a beautiful little volume, in crimson linen, at the bookbindery near the academy. Tony had insisted he read him one at once. Then he had discovered Rose’s gift, the wooden aeroplane, and all the other presents, though appreciated, had lost their appeal.
The Doctor watched Tony thank Rose for his present and give her one in return.
“It’s not an engagement ring,” Jackie was telling Pete once he had noticed the sparkling on his daughter’s hand.
Pete laughed. “I guess it isn’t.” He kissed his wife, then winked at the Doctor.
The Doctor smiled a little wistfully. Rose’s words of the previous night were still ringing in his ears, and he felt suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude for being here with them, with his adopted family, and with love for Rose. After all that had happened, they had welcomed him into their family with open arms.
“Are you all right?” Rose asked, joining him on the sofa. “I’m sorry for earlier. She wouldn’t let me explain.”
“It’s okay.”
“Are you, though? Okay?”
“I am. I’ve never felt... well, domestic isn’t so bad after all. I’m really glad I’m here, with you,” he said softly, hiding behind his mug as he finished his sentence. But Rose didn’t let him off the hook that easily.
“I’m glad too. About the domestic thing. And your being here, of course,” she added quickly. “Is it okay? That it’s just a ring? You hadn’t anything else planned?”
“Did you want the anything else part?” he asked, his heart in his mouth. He dearly hoped he hadn’t messed things up.
“Not just yet,” Rose said, resting her head on his shoulder, and her hand above his rapidly beating heart.
“Then it is okay.” He kissed her hair. “I love you, Rose Tyler.”
-:-
It was still snowing by the time it began to get dark, and Tony was disappointed. All day long he had returned to gaze at the falling snow, his breath steaming up the glass. “When’s it going to stop?” he whispered dejectedly. Rose knelt next to him and pulled him to her so he sat on her lap.
“I don’t know. It’s very pretty, isn’t it?”
“I want to try my sled with the Doctor,” he said.
Before she could answer, the Doctor returned from wherever he’d been, bringing with him a whiff of cold air. He was still wearing his coat and beanie. “What’re you waiting for, Tony Tyler? Let’s go and have an adventure!”
Before Rose could turn round, her brother had launched himself off her thighs and had joined the Doctor. “We’re going outside?” he asked excitedly.
“Oh yes!” the Doctor cried just as excitedly, taking the boy’s hand. “Wanna come?” he asked Rose, holding out his free hand for her.
A short while later they joined Jackie and Pete outside where the garden sloped down into the park below. All of them were bundled up against the still thickly falling flakes. The siblings gasped when they saw the double line of torches that marked a little piste. Tony’s sled was already there, along with two more Pete had found in the garage.
“This is brilliant!” Rose gasped, hugging the Doctor’s arm. “Thank you.”
“It was Pete’s idea,” the Doctor said. “Ready?”
“Always,” Rose beamed.
She sat down on the sled between the Doctor’s legs, and they kicked off into the torchlit darkness. It was a short but wild ride down the rather steep slope (there weren’t steps leading down to the park for nothing), accompanied by their gleeful cries, and it ended in them toppling into the deep snow in a giggling screaming heap of flailing arms and legs. They were soon joined by Tony and Jackie and Pete.
The snowflakes were melting on his face, and so were Rose’s kisses before Tony gave him a thorough rubbing with snow, and the whole thing ended in a mad snow battle from which they all emerged looking like snow people, their faces flushed with cold and fun.
“Can we do that again?” cried the Doctor.
Grabbing the string of his sled to pull it back up the slope, Tony cried,“Allozy!”