Was a Dame even 'fore it was a title...

The knot in her stomach twisted as she watched his features nearly betray him. The way his eyes pleaded with her not to ask, not to want to need such an answer from him. The words weren't even important, not to her at least, it was whether or not he wanted to say them. Here he was though, standing with what might be another ending, another last chance to say the words and he was telling her that the words didn't need to be said.

"Does it really need saying?"

Her cheek clenched, a slight tremble hidden in all the hurt and need for this to not be a goodbye. Rose Tyler wasn't this weak, she didn't need three words to tell her that she was important to him, didn't need three words to let her know that she was always going to be a part of him.

She needed to know he wanted to say them, but instead of letting him have his answer, instead of settling for the way things always were she turned to face another chance at the answer, another chance at what didn't need to be said, but she still wanted to know should be said.

Letting her lungs hold in the breath she had taken she knows it hurts to hear it from him, knows that it shouldn't sound like a relief, or like something she's wanted to hear for so long. Part of her hates herself for the feeling of weakness in her knees when his cheek is warm pressed to hers. The heat of his breath pushing words of a whisper that makes those words something only for her.

They aren't only for her, they're known... they should be known by the one that should be saying them as well. Everything twists up in her head and what was important shifts with what she wants, and what she can have. If she shuts her eyes it's all the same, and she pulls him into her, against her mouth and toward her life.

The sound betrays her hopes though, and she hears the last goodbye she never gets to say.

01 - Check the tree was one we bought
02 - Check all Santas in town for stalking
03 - Explain to the malls that we weren't stalking the Santas
04 - Give the decorated tree a good shake to make sure anything attached won't just fly off
05 - Box of tea on hand just in case of emergency
06 - Satsuma on hand just in case of emergency
07 - Watching the news to make sure everything went off okay
08 - Reading the paper the day after just in case the news didn't cover it
09 - Time with the family and those important
10 - Exchanging gifts with the family and those important

Things. Your room is full of them. You've gotten them for various reasons. Accumulating over the days/weeks/months/years you've been in Paradisa. They range from items from a loss, things you thought didn't exist until you wished them up, to leftover items from a World Change, and all of them are taking up space in your room! Don't just throw them away... GIFT THEM AWAY!

Rose Tyler is holding the First Ever Paradisa White Elephant Party! Wrap up those items in the prettiest paper you can think of and get ready to get rid of it! You'll bring your wrapped items to the party and trade them for something else! The trick of it is? You won't know what's inside until the end of the party!

On December 26th, Rose will open up the ballroom to take those gifts (pre-wrapped) and let the trading begin. In exchange for the gift you bring, you'll be taking home something new; during a night that should be filled with fun and chances to meet new people!


How it Works ICly:

Rose Tyler will be making an In Journal announcement inviting everyone to the party. RSVPing to Rose is not needed. She will simply plant the suggestion, and hope for the best. Your character then finds junk they own, wraps it up, brings it to the party, and trades it with someone else.


How it Works OOCly:

Sign up in this post by commenting with the names of all the characters that you wish to participate with.
(Make sure to include them all in one comment, so that I don't have to remember who writes who)

In this post I will assign each of your characters a number. This number is to be used for the gift they are going to be bringing to the party. You are required to think of what the gift will be, as well as how it is being wrapped. Please do not share this information with anyone.

On December 19th a new post in the OOC will be posted. This post will ask you to comment (it will be screened) with your character's name, gift number, manner of wrapping, and the gift item itself. You will have until Midnight on December 23rd to comment with your information. On Christmas Eve, I will comment back to you with a second set of numbers. These numbers will be for the initial gift you will be looking for, at the party.

In the Ballroom post, which will go up on later in the evening on December 25th, your character should comment with what their individual present is wrapped like. Be as descriptive as you like; from the color of the paper, shape of the package, to the sound it makes when you shake it. (If you are being deceptive with the sound it makes, include that in the OOC post when you mark down what is inside the box; ie: Bells, corn flakes, film canisters) The subject line of your comment should be your gift number. (instructions will be inside the actual post as well)

Then, seek out the number you were given as an initial gift to take from someone. You are welcome to simply keep that item or you can go around looking for other presents. If you want to trade with someone, you must get them to comment and approve the trade. Talk up that still wrapped present, make it seem better than what you have, even though you have no clue what is inside of it.

If you were not part of the initial sign up, and want to see if you can trade with someone regardless, feel free to comment to the OOC post with a "Party Crasher" comment, and simply leave the information about what your present looks like and contains. From there you can attend the ballroom post, and simply put down in your subject line "Party Crasher" to try to get people to trade with you. However, there is a chance that you will still go home with what you came with, since everyone is matched up OOCly initially.

Late in the evening on December 26th, I will return to the OOC post where you all marked down what your items were, and unscreen all of the comments. Everyone will then be welcome to see what they ended up with, and hopefully a good time will be had by all!

If you wanted I could try to run a list of places. Sort them out alphabetically, maybe by the time we spent there, or the lack of time we spent there. I could put them in top to bottom order of least likely to return to since he ended up on the wrong side of things, or I ended up saying the wrong sort of things.

We've gone to thousands of places, and been through all sorts of times. The past, present and future are all things that have some sort of meaning to me. I'm not collecting trinkets from them all, mean he's got entire rooms of things he'll probably never actually look at again, I'm not adding to that. I don't even take too many memories of them either, the usual I guess? Hung off a cliff wall, ate something that turned my tongue purple, had a lovely tea? Sort of blends a bit after time I guess. Not that I have that sort of time to compare to his either. Still there are places that stand out. Things we've done and seen that I know I'll never be able to see again. No second chances at seeing the Earth die, no do-overs available for watching out for Clock Men to come back from the past. I remember that, I remember a lot of it actually, just not everything.

Special places are scattered through the universes and the timelines of a hundred different things that could've happened. I don't have to look too far though because the constant for me is right here. Well not here, because this is my room and while I've fallen out of this bed more times than I'd care to count I mean here in the TARDIS.

Actually out the hall, turn left, take the stairs and then down the corridor through the entryway and out into the console room. There, right there actually before the doors open, when he's in his own way of thinking, trying to pick out one of those special locations he's seen before, but just not with me, and not like this.

They're all special sure, but when it's over and it's time to move on, we always end up in the same spot and I'd rather not say anything is more special than that.

01. What?
02. Well....
03. Did you see that?
04. Wibbley Wobbley.
05. Timey Wimey.
06. RUN!
07. You should really wear sensible shoes.
08. Oh, I like you.
09. Brilliant!!
10. Your mother just slapped me! Again!

Oh, wait this was supposed to be ten things I say too often? Yeah, I must've gotten confused. See there's this guy I travel with? See and he's always saying a lot of the same thing, so when I went to do this, for some odd reason? I just could only think of things I hear all the time, not say.

So, I hope this still counts. Should though. Still ten things. Still often repeated words too.

Just, not mine.

At least he's running beside her. That's the only thought she's having as her feet continue to hit hard into the dirt path. Her shins hurt, her thighs ache and her lungs sting from having to breathe so heavily, so deeply for so long. A glance to her side though and she wants to smack him. He's smiling. A hundred percent dopey grin of smugness and she can't help but want to hit him.

"Ow! What was that for?" His words bounce much like his steps, broken up between breaths.

"You're smiling!" Rose retorts, her own words spaced by labored breathing. "We've been running..."

"Not the whole time!" He replies very matter of factly, which still sounds smug despite the pauses for glances around. "Just to get to the other end! See what we see!"

"No, but long enough! Plus? Who knows if there is another end."

( It's true though, and he knows it as much as she does. )