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paynesgrey_ficsTitle: Christmas Grace
Author: paynesgrey
Notes: Written for Public Call Fic Exchange. Takes place two years after the 1996 movie. Doesn't take any account of any other media Grace has been in.
Dr. Grace Holloway stared morosely at the digital clock in her car in the hospital parking lot.
It screamed a blue 3 A.M. at her and she had to laugh at herself when she realized it was Christmas. After a long few hours, she’d performed a successful surgery that night. She’d given Mr. Lopez’s wife a great Christmas gift this year and saved his life for many more Christmases to come. She should be happy about that - and she was, but she always felt somewhat lonely when it was time to go home.
She had no one at her house waiting for her to celebrate tonight. Her last boyfriend had gotten tired of her 3 A.M. nights and sketchy schedules. Oh sure, men were impressed with her the moment she told them she was a cardiologist, but when they had to actually deal with her unpredictable life the luster soon wore off.
So she was alone again. Admittedly, she hadn’t met a decent guy, one that understood her feelings and purpose in life, in two years if she really thought about it. And that guy had been an alien. He was a handsome, charming and impossible alien with two hearts. She’d even fallen in love with him as he whisked her through a crazy New Year’s adventure.
But the Doctor wasn’t even human, and he couldn’t stay on Earth. At least he had asked her to come along with him, and she had thought about it too. Even today, almost two years after that fateful New Year’s night, she was tempted to go with him. She couldn’t even contact him if she did change her mind.
Yet, when she thought about it, she reassessed the lives she had saved over these last two years and she knew she’d still say no to him.
Still, it was nice to dream. On this lonely, early Christmas morning, Grace was allowed to dream a little, wasn’t she?
She exhaled a heavy breath, checked her mirrors as she backed out of her spot, and turned up the volume when she heard Puccini through the radio speakers, playing on her favorite classical radio station. She hummed along and lost herself in memory of the Doctor. After two years she still remembered him like it was yesterday: his bright, hopeful eyes, his soft light brown hair and dashing smile.
When she pulled into her driveway, she surveyed the dark, silent house. She slowly pulled into her garage and when she exited her car, the stillness of her home welcomed her. Inside her house, she fell into a comfortable ease, glanced at her couch and TV waiting for her as she longed for a glass of wine. She could have a couple of glasses to herself before she had to get up again and return to the hospital. She groaned inwardly knowing her next shift started at 10 A.M. not that many hours away.
Grace was about to pop the cork on 12 year-old Pinot Noir when she heard glass breaking just outside. She froze in a moment of panic, but then curiosity overtook her. She wondered if the feral cats were outside causing trouble in her bushes again. She had to chase them out of her yard the other night, and she was sure they were looking for food and shelter again.
She grabbed a broom and headed out the front door. She heard more scuffling against her branches, and when it was obvious that cats were not making the noises, Grace felt fear at what it could be. A burglar?
A male groan emitted from the bushes and she saw legs flailing from behind them. She held her broom like a weapon and prepared to launch an onslaught of smacks to whomever tried to cross her.
Gut instinct took over and she wondered if maybe this person needed help. “He-he-hello--?”
“Argh, not again!” the man grumbled, and Grace recognized that voice. She moved forward less cautiously and more out of anticipation. Was it -- could it be him?
“Doctor, is that you?” she asked quietly, her tone filled with hope.
“Yes, yes, who’s there?” She watched limbs move about in her bushes, and then he had righted himself, looking scuffed up and scratched, among other things. If she hadn’t already known him, she might have mistaken him for a homeless person. There were differences in his appearances too: shorter hair, a more modern, albeit scorched and haggard, coat jacket, and practical well-worn boots. He looked like he’d been through a war, and that he hadn’t had a shower and a decent meal in weeks.
Yet, even after all of this time, she still found him breathtaking. He squinted at her.
“Grace?” He said through a scratchy voice. He held out his hands and came to her like he’d seen a ghost. “Dr. Grace Holloway?”
She hadn’t even noticed the tears unshed in her eyes. She smiled and nodded furiously, coming toward him. When he was in her arms, she felt like drowning into his warmth and scent. It’d been so long since she’d seen him, and she had missed him beyond words.
Instead she whimpered as he held her. “Come on,” she said against his worn old coat. “Let’s get you cleaned up. We can talk inside.”
Clarity came back to her thoughts as she thought of what her neighbors might have thought seeing her hugging a “ragged homeless person” so she gently directed him through her front door and to the comfort of her couch.
He sat and let out a pained sigh. He shook his head, unhappy with his situation. “The old girl left me here. She has a strange sense of humor.”
“You mean the TARDIS? It left you on my doorstep?” Grace asked, and she had began warming a tea kettle and gathering cups, spoons, and tea and milk for her guest.
“Well, it left me a bit west of your doorstep but close enough.” He groaned, arched and pulled a portion of her bush out of his shaggy hair.
“Why and where did it go?” Grace asked.
The Doctor shrugged. “I haven’t a clue. She is emotional as she is capricious in nature. She seemed damaged after the last…” His words trailed off, and Grace joined him on her couch as the tea kettle warmed.
She slid close to him, her leg touching his. He leaned into her, tired and grateful for any company. “It was a war in the Lasron solar system. One of the planets was under attack, and I was… trying to stay out of it. Then the Daleks came, and no one had a chance. I barely made it out with the survivors in one piece. I dropped them off in a nearby refueling station before the TARDIS deposited me here.”
The Doctor chewed on a long moment of silence, but she saw pain in his eyes and a long, terrible story behind the expression on his face. He’d seen too much, and for some reason his ship had the presence of mind to bring him here, to her - on Christmas morning. The Doctor didn’t seem to be in a festive mood, but he did need someone right now, as much as she did too.
She put her hand on his trembling arm, and after a moment lost in his nebulous thoughts, the Doctor turned to her and studied her face. “Grace,” he said, and she loved the way her name came across his lips. She smiled and leaned forward. She wanted to touch him, comfort him in his moment of sorrow, and she wanted to bury herself into him so he didn’t look like he was hurting anymore.
Before she could embrace him again, the tea kettle screamed and filled the room with an alarming sound.
“Ah, good,” the Doctor said, and Grace moved quickly to make them two cups of tea. She remembered the way he liked his tea, just as she had learned it yesterday and not two years ago. When he sipped the soothing hot liquid, he made a noise of satisfied appreciation.
“Just what the Doctor ordered,” he said. Grace chuckled, and he turned to her. “You’re quiet for someone who hasn’t seen me in two years.”
“I, well, if you’ll forgive me, I’m still in shock. It’s so early in the morning, and I just finished a long shift, so I’m not really sure if you’re here in my living room or if I’m dreaming of you while snoozing on my couch,” Grace said. She reached over and rested her palm on his cheek.
“I assure you, Grace, I’m real,” he said. “I’m only sorry to barge in on you like this.”
Grace shook her head. “If anything, you’re a godsend. It was going to be another lonely Christmas.”
The Doctor’s attention piqued. “Christmas? Oh, I had no idea! Well, this is, yes, this is surprising. That the TARDIS would bring me here on Christmas. So sentimental… and you are all alone?”
“Well, not anymore,” Grace said. “I saved a man’s life last night. Open heart surgery. The family was prepared for the worst, but instead they got a Christmas miracle.” She smiled and shifted on the couch to face him, her legs folded in front of her. She took a sip of her tea. “Oh, I know I didn’t save a whole bunch of people like you just did, but it was a valid reason for me to be all by myself. No one else will wait up for me anymore.”
“Never ever trivialize or compare one life to many, Grace. A saved life is still a life. You do amazing things, and I’m glad to hear you still are -- doing amazing things,” he said with a soft smile. Grace laughed, feeling warmth in her cheeks. She was smitten by him again.
“Yeah well, this is definitely a better Christmas than the last one. I wasn’t alone, but it was dreadful,” Grace said, and she turned her eyes toward the Doctor. “Trust me when I say any day when you show up is much better.”
“I don’t always hear that enough,” the Doctor said, and they fell into a long pause again, just him looking at her - his eyes taking over her whole self, like he was looking into her very being.
“I’ve missed you,” they said together, and Grace laughed again. The Doctor smiled widely.
“Do I want to even know how long it’s been for you since you’ve seen me?” Grace asked teasingly.
The Doctor shook his head. “I couldn’t even say. I’ve hardly had time to keep track.”
“Well, at least, while you’re here, you’re welcome to clean up, have a place on the couch. I admit, now that you’re here, I’m wide awake so I’m probably not going to sleep tonight,” she said.
The Doctor nodded. “I don’t believe I’ll be sleeping either.” She watched him stand up, and she pointed to the hallway on the side of the couch.
“Bathroom’s that way. There should be some fresh clothes in the guest room. Also, I can throw your clothes in the wash if you like.”
“I remember where the bathroom is, strange enough,” the Doctor said. He stared at her longingly for another moment before he headed off toward her master bathroom. She heard him rustling around, and she smiled to herself as she kept busy in her kitchen.
The tea kettle was warm, and she finally popped open that bottle of wine. She put on the classic movie station on the TV, and she watched with mild interest, too preoccupied that the Doctor was once again in her house.
Even better - he was once again in her life.
She couldn’t believe that when she was at her loneliest, the Doctor was here.
Grace was happily dozing on the couch when the Doctor appeared again, smelling of her soap and wearing her fuzzy white bathrobe. She looked up, trying to shield any arousal that could be obvious on her face.
Thank you, Santa, Grace thought and she realized that it had been way too long since she’d had a man over. And the Doctor was, of course, not like any man ever.
“Better?” she asked with a toothy smile.
“Fresh as a daisy,” the Doctor said, and he plopped next to her, the fuzzy cotton warm against her.
She chattered at him excitedly, asking him questions that he graciously answered, and then she would tell him about her life, answer any questions he had of her, and when they turned their attention to the black and white movie on the TV, Grace gave into the impulse to snuggle against him. When the Doctor’s arm went over her shoulder, she reveled in his warmth against her. His scent enveloped her and filled her senses like a favorite, aged wine.
“Isn’t it rather odd to be playing this movie on Christmas morning?” the Doctor asked her as they were fifteen minutes into watching Dracula’s Daughter. After this they were playing The Bride of Frankenstein.
“This movie channel always does monster movie marathons on Christmas. It’s a bit different than the other stations. Lots of people expect warm, fuzzy movies about the holiday season, but this channel - this channel is for the lonely hearts and outcasts,” Grace said.
“I can appreciate it,” the Doctor said. The more they watched, the more Grace felt herself becoming comfortable with him and her eyes felt weighted. Sleep was calling to her, and she was letting herself relax in the Doctor’s company.
“Grace,” he whispered, and he pulled her out of her lulled thoughts.
“Hrmm,” she said.
“You don’t have to stay up for me,” the Doctor said, and he held her closer. She murmured an affirmation and resisted sleep for a second longer before the Doctor’s hand fell through her hair and like a spell, put her to sleep.
*
Grace woke up to the smell of burnt eggs, but when her brain registered why someone was making her terrible eggs, she smiled and was grateful.
Even more grateful - and shocking - was finding the Doctor in her kitchen, still in her bathrobe, with the belt coming loose at the front. He moved around her kitchen like an excited chipmunk, talking and scolding himself on how to make a true American breakfast.
“Does milk go in the eggs too? What about peppers? Or was it bean paste? I can’t remember,” he said to himself. He met her eyes and his face lit up. “Ah, Grace! You’re up. Maybe you can help me… I think I need raspberry jam for the bacon? Oh, that doesn’t sound right.”
She giggled, stretched, and glanced sleepily over at the clock. Her shift started in an hour.
“Oh no! I have to go to work soon! Time to get ready!”
“Ready? But what about breakfast?” the Doctor asked.
“I’ll grab a bite on my way out!” Grace called and she jumped into the shower for a quick wash.
When she came out, the Doctor had put some sort of egg and toast concoction on her plate, and he even managed to make her a cup of coffee - in a travel mug, of course. It was a delightful scene, and even better he was still in his loose bathrobe.
Grace really, really wished she didn’t have to go into the hospital that day. She had another twenty minutes to spare and she had to jet to work. She sat down on the high bar stool and took a couple of bites of his food out of politeness.
“Hrmm, interesting,” Grace said. She grinned at him while she chewed on a toast-egg-jam hybrid. “Best breakfast I’ve had in months.”
The Doctor grinned. “You need a good meal so you can save lives again today.”
Grace chewed, and she nodded but looked away from his eyes. A quick, sad feeling overtook her. The Doctor was here now, making her breakfast of all wonderful things, but there was no guarantee he’d be here when she came back home.
“Grace, are you feeling okay?” the Doctor asked her.
“Has your ship come back yet? The TARDIS, I mean?” she asked.
“Afraid not,” the Doctor said, and he watched her closely. She knew he was trying to empathise with her. “She could come back in minute or a year. I really don’t know.”
Grace took another couple of bites and didn’t answer him. She didn’t know how to feel about that answer. She only knew that she didn’t want him to leave her again. She wanted him to stay so that she could have one more night with him, or maybe two.
Or maybe more.
He fit too well into her life these last few hours and he filled a hole in her heart that had been growing since she first met him.
Before she said another word, she looked at her watch and gathered her purse, keys and coat. She looked at him and tried to force a smile. “Thank you for breakfast, Doctor.”
He came out from behind her kitchen island and followed her to the front door. “If you’re not here when I come back from work tonight, I will understand. It was great seeing you again.”
“Grace…” he said, and she stopped his words with a quick kiss. He uttered something, but she couldn’t hear the words.
She couldn’t even look at him as she dashed out the door.
*
Her shift had left her exhausted again, and her heart felt heavy. Thankfully, she was off that night at 1 instead of 3, but it was still late, and she was still tired. She also felt loneliness creep into her bones again, and she was sure the morning with the Doctor had all been a dream.
Real or not, she was sure he wasn’t in her house. He’d probably left the moment his ship had come back. Whatever reason the TARDIS had brought him to her had probably been more to help the Doctor and the ship itself instead of a balm for her loneliness.
She expected her house to be still and quiet when she came through the garage, but a light on in her kitchen gave her a small glimmer of hope.
Grace slammed the door to her car and fell into a quick run as she came through the door. Her eyes widened and her lips lifted in a smile. The Doctor turned around and met her eyes with his bright ones. His hair looked wild and soft and his face lit up with her return.
Amazingly enough, the Doctor was still in her bathrobe, and the belt had completely untied. Her mouth gaped, and she dropped her keys and purse on the floor with a noisy thud.
“I made dinner!” he said, and Grace still wanted to know if she was dreaming. If she wasn’t, she thanked God for such a wonderful, timely Christmas present. The Doctor took her hand and led her to the table with dinner. She followed him, and she tried desperately to look above the waistline and settled on his jubilant eyes.
When they sat at dinner and the Doctor poured her wine, she wondered idly what he had done all day.
But it didn’t matter. He was here, with her, and she didn’t know how long he was staying, but for however long it was, it was enough and Grace was grateful.
They clinked wine glasses and Grace cleared her throat. “Thank you, Doctor, and might I say, this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”
“Cheers!” they said, and with a barely robed, happier Doctor at her dining table, Grace’s lonely life had never become so merry.
END.
