Chapter Text
“I think she’s ready for a burp,” Rose sighed. The Doctor jolted from his half doze on the sofa next to her.
“Yes! I’m here!” he announced unnecessarily, startling Susannah. His tiny daughter was too milk-drunk to cry but she looked displeased. He reached out to take the baby from his exhausted wife. Susannah melted into his shoulder as he began to pat her back. He adored the feeling of her warm little body snuggled up to his, and despite the late hour and his exhaustion, he beamed.
Rose’s heart was full. As a teenager she couldn’t have ever imagined wanting a child. Now she couldn’t imagine life without this little girl and her husband. She frequently ended up watching him taking care of Susannah rather than napping.
“Think we’ll be awake to ring in the new year?” the Doctor whispered.
She pulled the soft blanket over her legs, sighing in contentment. “As far as I’m concerned our new year started on twenty-third November at half-eleven,” Rose said with a chuckle. “I’m not too fussed if we sleep through this one.”
The Doctor nodded in agreement, thinking of the moment when Susannah was finally born. He recalled Rose holding their daughter, smiling at him through exhausted, joyful tears. He had sat in bed with her later, holding the baby, Rose snuggled next to him, marveling at their family.
Susannah had already changed so much from November to the end of December. It was a constant reminder of time marching on, but instead of dreading it as he would have before he was granted this one life with Rose, the Doctor found himself excited over every change. Susannah was brilliant (of course she was) and every day brought something new for him to marvel over.
Rose sighed, startling him out of his thoughts. “I’d hate to miss that kiss at midnight, though.”
The Doctor stood carefully, then tiptoed to the travel cot set up next to the sofa. He put Susannah down, and miraculously she stayed asleep.
Rose patted the space on the sofa by her and he grinned. He crawled under the blanket with her and they curled up together. “Could do now, just to be on the safe side.” He nuzzled her nose and she leaned up to catch his bottom lip between hers. They settled into a slow, sweet snog that only ended when Rose yawned hugely. The Doctor chuckled. “So, your mum is taking Suzy overnight next weekend, right?”
“Yep,” she confirmed, popping the p. Her six-week checkup was coming up, and they were both hoping to spend a little quality time alone after that.
The Doctor and Rose cuddled together, content. He had fully intended to turn on the television so they could see the fireworks from London, but before he could make a move, they’d both dozed off, snuggled together under their warm blanket. When Susannah woke them later, the new year was forty two minutes old. And as Rose predicted, neither one of them was disappointed to have missed the turning of the year.