Well, I asked, and the large majority spoke - finishing this book it is! Which is actually what I was hoping people would say since I kept thinking about all the twists and turns and overall awesomeness (I think) will be in Series 9's book, and I really wanted to get "Last Christmas" out of the way so I could dive right in. I think shavingforsherlock would agree with me when I say that it's better to get there sooner rather than later, so here we go!

Clara's got plans for the night before Christmas, but a myth drops by (*coughs* crashes by) and those plans go down the drain. Just a regular Christmas in her life now.

***

Clara finished marking the last exam of the semester before blowing out her breath, dropping her pen and resting her head on her arms. She had been working the entire afternoon to get all of her marking done before the holidays, not wanting to waste a single second even though she could have easily done it in the TARDIS. That would have been cheating, though, and she more than likely would have been distracted, either by her boyfriend or by the Time Lords.

"Still here?"

Clara yelped and backed away from her desk, flailing about in surprise. She stared at the laughing woman in the doorway in shock. "You're still here!" she protested.

"I left three hours ago, completed holiday shopping, just happened to pick up an extra hot cocoa, and saw your car still in the parking lot," Rose corrected, holding up the extra cup. "Have you even moved from your chair?"

"No," Clara admitted freely, holding out a hand for the cup.

"I thought not," Rose sat on the edge of Clara's desk, handing her the cup. "Cheers."

"Cheers," Clara tapped Rose's cup with hers, taking a long sip.

Rose smacked her lips, then looked at Clara. "So do the Avengers have a holiday party, or do they all do their own thing?"

"I think after the Accords, they're doing their own things," Clara said dryly. "But in my experience, something always happens on Christmas, whether it's in the present or another time."

Rose blinked, then nodded. "The Time Lords?"

"The Time Lords," Clara snorted.

Rose hummed absently. "Doing anything Christmas Eve?"

Clara tilted her head. "I don't think so," she shook her head. "I know Pietro and Wanda are spending Christmas Day with me, but nothing the day before."

"Come spend it with me," Rose offered. "Spend the night, too."

Clara blinked in surprise. "You don't have any plans?" she asked.

"I do," Rose shrugged. "Just not until Christmas Day. Come on," she leaned forward, grinning her tongue in teeth grin. "Have you ever stayed up until midnight just to say 'Merry Christmas' as soon as the bells strike?"

Clara couldn't help but grin back. "All right," she nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"Yes!" Rose whooped.

"I'll see you Christmas Eve," Clara giggled.

"I'm holding you to that!" Rose pointed at Clara.

"You better!" Clara gave her a quick hug.

***

"Oh, blimey," Clara leaned back against Rose's couch, head back on the cushions. "Where did you get this tea recipe?!"

"Family secret," Rose sang, giggling from her place in the armchair. "Seriously, I may have to kill you if I shared it."

"Oh, we can't have that," Clara tsked, putting her mug down. "How long do we have?"

"Er," Rose checked the clock. "Ten minutes."

Clara groaned, picking up a pillow and burying her face in it. "Christmas takes forever to arrive!"

"I know," Rose nodded in agreement, taking a bite off the candy cane she had in her mouth. "I always remember my dad was so ready for Christmas because every year, something exciting would happen – "

Something thudded on the roof above them, and both froze, then Clara hastily backed away from the window when lots of snow fell past it. "Argh!" a bellow came from above, making the two girls look at each other in shock. "Moron! Numbskull! Elf!"

"That's racist!" another voice shouted.

"Of course it's not racist, you are an elf!"

"Like that?" Clara asked weakly.

"I wasn't expecting that," Rose gulped.

They hastily put their mugs down, and Clara grabbed her dressing gown, Rose a peacoat, and the blonde led the way to the staircase going up to the roof. When they headed outside, they froze in their tracks, staring blankly at the scene in front of them.

Mainly at the white-haired, white-bearded man in red with a sleigh on the roof, two smaller men by him. "Chimneys?" the old man huffed.

"I'm sorry!" one of the younger men whined.

"I'm just checking that you can see these massive chimneys!"

"I, er . . . they're hard to miss!"

"Well, as you've clearly demonstrated, Ian."

"Donner!" the other young man shouted, and Rose squeaked, eyes widening as she watched reindeer fly through the air. "Donner and Blitzen! Come on down! Down here, boys! Good boys, good boys. Good boy. Rudolph!"

"Just, just clear all the tangerines up," the old man gestured. "Pick 'em up, all of them, Ian."

Ian cleared his throat. "You know no one really likes the tangerines, don't you?"
"How dare you!" the man protested. "That's my signature gift! That and the walnut!"

"Down here, boys, come on!" the man trying to herd the reindeer called. "Come, Rudolph!"

"His name is Wolf?" Rose whispered, pointing at the name on his back.

"Wolf and Ian," Clara said blankly.

Said Ian looked up from gathering tangerines, and his light hit the girls in the face. He froze, gulping. "Er, sir?" he said warily. "We've been seen."

The old man looked at them, blinked, then smiled. "Hello."

"Hello," Clara and Rose automatically waved back.

"Hello!" Wolf laughed.

"Hello, humans," Ian nodded.

"You can't call them humans!" Wolf scoffed.

"It's not racist! They don't mind!"

"Hush up, both of you," the old man gestured at them, walking forward. "Oh, sorry about this, girls. We are just three passing, perfectly ordinary roof people, doing some emergency roof things. Carry on, Merry Christmas – if, if it is Christmas, I mean." He laughed nervously. "I don't much care for things like that myself. Pfft! I mean . . . Christmas!"

"Are you fooled by this?" Clara asked quietly.

Rose put her hand in front of her eyes, then lowered it. "Working on believing right now."

"Right," Clara cleared her throat. "Are you Santa Claus?"

"Me?" he pointed to himself. "No! Oh, no, it's ridiculous! No, no, no."

Rose pointed past him. "The reindeer with the glowing red nose behind you says otherwise."

"Rudolph!" Wolf shouted, waving at the reindeer. "Rudolph! Down here, now!"

The man sighed. "All right, fine, yes. Yes, it's me! Ha! Guilty. How did you recognize me?"

Rose and Clara stared blankly at him. "You know how you grew that beard as a bit of a disguise?" Wolf gestured. "People have picked up on it."

"OK, no, hang on, "Clara shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Stop, shut up." She walked up to Santa, staring at him. "What? Seriously? You . . . you're Father Christmas. You're real."

"Of course I'm real!" Santa grinned.

"How could he not be real?" Wolf asked.

"Huh?" Santa tilted his head. "How do you think those presents got under the tree every year? By magic?"

Clara fidgeted. "Well, I thought it was my mum and – "

"Mum and Dad?" Ian and Wolf spoke with her.

Santa laughed as Ian grinned. "Well, of course it was!"

"I mean, it makes perfect sense!" Wolf nodded.

"Yeah, your mum and dad, one day a year, for no particular reason, just out of the blue, suddenly decide to give you a great, big pile of presents," Ian snickered.

"Er," Rose cleared her throat. "Sinterklass?" she asked. "Saint Nicholas? Secret gift giving, typical day is December 7th?" She got incredulous looks from everyone, and she held up her hands. "Sorry. Used to be a history nerd."

"Well," Wolf shook his head. "It's a lovely story, dear."

"Yeah, but it's time to start living in the real world, yeah?" Ian nodded.

"OK," Santa pulled out a notebook from his coat. "Right . . . Clara Oswald. Mostly favors travel books, science kits, strict ban on hair products. Marginal for the naughty list, '01. Tut, tut, tut. Believer until the age of nine." He closed the book, looking at Clara in disappointment. "Why did you stop?"

"Because you're a fairy tale," Clara answered. "I grew out of fairy tales."

Santa sighed, giving her a chastising look. "Did you, Clara? Did you really?" As if on cue, wheezing started on the roof, and Rose hurried to the side as the TARDIS started to materialize. "Now you, on the other hand," Santa turned to Rose, who looked paralyzed in place as he flipped to a new page. "Hmm . . . one Rose – "

"Clara! Rose!" The Doctor burst out of the TARDIS, pointing at both girls. "I want you to step inside the TARDIS. I don't want you to talk, I want you to do as I ask, please."

"That was good, with the box," Ian frowned, looking at the TARDIS.

"Hmph," Wolf scowled. "Not often we get upstaged on a rooftop."

"Now, Doctor, I was just about to – " Santa began.

"Rose," Jessie came out next, her black suit jacket replaced by a black fur parka. "Come inside. It's important."

Rose made a dash for the TARDIS, hurrying inside without another word. "Always Christmas," Clara mumbled, stepping past the Doctor to do the same.

Jessie stepped back in after them, and the Doctor turned to glare at Santa. "I know what this is," he said. "I know what's happening, and I know what's at stake."

"I don't think you do, Doctor," Santa shook his head. "But I promise you, before this Christmas Day is done, you will be glad of my help."

The Doctor snorted his opinion of that. "Happy Easter."

"Ooo, brutal!" Wolf grinned.

"Cool exit line, though," Ian offered his opinion as the Doctor headed back to the TARDIS.

"Be sure to save some room for a tangerine, Doctor!" Santa barked.

Jessie poked her head back out of the TARDIS, a confused look on her face. "Who likes tangerines?" she wondered.

"Nobody likes tangerines," the Doctor nodded in agreement, delighting in Santa's annoyed face as he closed the door.

***

"Always Christmas," Clara repeated, noting Pietro and Wanda in winter parkas as well, then saw Rose staring up at the time rotor in shock. "You all right?" she asked.

"We're actually going somewhere, aren't we?" Rose asked, looking around. "It's Christmas, and you're needed somewhere, and I'm along for the ride?"

"Merry Early Christmas, Rose," Wanda smiled apologetically as Pietro nodded.

"Wow," Rose breathed, a smile making her face wide.

"Right, Rose," the Doctor moved in front of the blonde as Jessie moved about the TARDIS, inputting numbers and the like. "Since you're the guest, you're the one getting asked."

"Yeah?" Rose's eyes were wide.

"There's something you have to ask yourself, and it's important. Your life may depend on it. Everybody's life. Do you really believe in Santa Claus?"

He moved away to assist Jessie, and Rose slowly turned to look around the TARDIS, a mesmerized look on her face, and Clara recalled with a start what she had said earlier. I always remember my dad was so ready for Christmas because every year, something exciting would happen.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, a gleeful laugh coming from her. "Right now, here? I really do."

***

Whoops, the TARDIS has an extra passenger. Guess Rose is tagging along to the North Pole!

I'm gonna keep working on "Last Christmas," and hopefully it'll be up before I go back to school, so keep your eyes open! I'll most likely publish all of the end in one go (and most likely the start of the next book!), so you'd get quite the treat!