A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS

Chapter Thirteen

The Doctor and his family watched while Jim and Dan passed out the gifts to everyone. Brittany and the adults waited to open theirs but the children tore into the wrapping with gusto. The Doctor had received three gifts so far even though he was having fun just watching the children's faces light up with glee at the toys and clothes they were getting. He noticed that Michelle was getting more books along with clothes.

"You know," the Doctor said after she received her fifth book, "they should just convert your whole house into a library since you and your books will be overtaking the space in no time."

"Are you watching me?" Michelle teased, looking up at him.

"Well, you plopped your bum down in front of me and the tearing of the wrapping is quite loud so yes, I am watching," the Doctor said. "How many books do you have now, eighteen zillion?"

"No, twenty zillion," Michelle said.

"Sorry, my bad, twenty zillion then," the Doctor said while his family giggled.

"How come you're not opening yours?" Michelle said, pointing to the presents by his feet.

"Because I'm busy watching you unwrap another personal library for yourself," the Doctor said. "They certainly know what you like and…oh God…" the Doctor said when Michelle unwrapped an enormous Ziploc bag filled with pigs in a blanket. "And you're so addicted to those things they had to wrap up a bunch and give them to you?"

"THANK YOU!" Michelle squealed, holding them up while everyone laughed.

She held them close to her chest.

"NOBODY TOUCH THEM!" she yelled when everyone else laughed harder.

Should we do a pigs in the blanket intervention on this child?" Rory asked the Doctor.

"I think so, I think we should eat the drugs before they clog her tiny arteries," the Doctor said while Michelle pressed the bag against her chest and giggled.

She sat them down on her pile of books and unwrapped the next thing. She pulled out a package filled with pink socks, made a face and put them in the Doctor's lap.

"Here, Merry Christmas to you," she said before turning back around.

"Pink? You gave me pink?" the Doctor said, feigning indignation while his family laughed. "Besides, these are yours. I'll have the piggies there."

Michelle snatched up her bag and put it in her lap before reaching for her next present. The Doctor bopped her on the head with the package of socks and put them on the books while Michelle giggled. She opened up another book, looked at it and giggled again.

"Look," she said, passing it to the Doctor.

The Doctor took it and studied it. The hardback cover showed two humans cowering in fear while a squid headed monster menaced them with a ray gun. The book's title read, HOW TO SURVIVE AN ALIEN INVASION.

"I think they're trying to tell me something," Michelle said while Amy chortled at the title of the book.

The Doctor bopped her on the head with the book and handed it back to her.

"THANKS FOR THE BOOK ON SURVIVING ALIEN INVASIONS!" Michelle yelled as she held it up.

Everyone laughed as the Doctor turned beet red. Michelle giggled and put the book in her pile of gifts. She was finished for the moment, even thought the gifts were still being passed out. She grinned and took a bulky gift off the top of the Doctor's pile.

"Oi! That's mine, you sneak thief!" the Doctor said, trying to grab at it while Michelle giggled and held it close to her. "Eat some of your nibbles while you wait for more books. Some of us prefer to wait."

"Can I open this one for you?" Michelle said.

The Doctor pretended to think it over and then smiled and nodded. He watched while Michelle opened it. He frowned when she pulled a badger puppet out of the wrapping and held it up to him.

"What?" the Doctor said while his family giggled. "Okay…"

"I like it," Michelle said, laying it in his lap.

Alicia noticed the Doctor picking it up and putting it on his hand and told everyone to look. Everyone laughed when the Doctor held it up and announced it was his before thanking Alicia and Tom for getting it for him. Michelle giggled when he made the badger eat the top of her head and he smiled when Sarah toddled over from her pile of gifts and stared at it in wonder.

"Hi," the Doctor said, making the badger talk, "I'm Charley the Badger, nice to meet you."

Sarah touched the puppet but the Doctor snatched it away when she tried to pull it off his hand.

"No, my badger," the Doctor teased as Sarah came up to his knee and put her hands on his leg while she stared at it.

He looked at River and put the puppet in her face.

"Rrrrr, I'm a badger," he said to her.

River held up her hand and closed and opened it.

"Hello, I'm a hand and if you don't go away, I will slap you," she said as she opened and closed her hand.

The Doctor pouted and put the badger puppet on the desk behind him. He noticed someone was giving Michelle another gift so he turned his attention back to her while she tore open the wrapping.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

After the gifts were all passed out, Brittany and the adults opened theirs while the children finished up or played with their new toys. The Doctor picked up the next gift and unwrapped it while Michelle watched. He unwrapped a black gift box and looked at it. He noticed it was taped up so he ran his finger along the edges and broke the tape. He opened it and froze with a stunned look on his face while Alicia and Tom watched from across the way with big grins on their faces.

"Doctor?" Amy said when she noticed he wasn't moving.

She tried to get up to see his gift but the Doctor slammed it shut and put his hands over the top of the lid. By now everyone was watching him since he was once again extremely red in the face.

"Come on, Doctor, show us your Christmas gift," Amy teased while she tried to take his hands off the box.

"You open this box and I leave you behind in this time period forevermore," the Doctor said while Tom and Alicia laughed.

"Let me see what you got," Michelle said, standing up.

The Doctor opened his mouth in protest when Amy and Michelle worked together to get his hands off the box and get it away from him. Everyone laughed when Amy finally snatched the box away from him and ran to the tree before he could catch her. She opened the box and chortled before she pulled out a pair of black boxer shorts with little green alien faces all over them. Amy held them up and wiggled them around while the Doctor turned crimson all over again and hid his head in his hands. The adults laughed and cheered when Amy took the box and the shorts back to the Doctor and put them in his lap. He gave her a look of death while she patted him on the head and sat back down.

"We're just kidding about those shorts," Alicia said to him. "It's a gag gift."

"I know," the Doctor said with a grin. "Thank you for them."

"We figured that was what all the well dressed aliens were wearing nowadays," Tom said with a wink.

"Don't worry, he'll get some use outta them," River said loudly.

Everyone laughed when the Doctor blushed again and River patted him fondly on the back.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

As they finished opening the rest of the gifts, the Doctor and his family received gifts that were for anyone or things about Indiana. They also received gift cards for different stores and restaurants. The Doctor opened one and found a 50 dollar gift card for Walmart from Dan along with a little note. He set the card on top of his gifts and read the note.

Doctor,

I didn't know what to get you since I now learned you're an alien that travels in time. That would mean you probably have access to everything you want but I decided to get you a gift card so you can choose your own gift. Walmart has a lot of different things so I hope you find something you like.

I also want to say I'm sorry for my behavior and I'd like to be friends with you if you don't mind. I'm glad you're here and you're welcome and mine and Ruth's house any time you and your family members want to drop by.

Dan

The Doctor smiled. He looked up and noticed Dan was watching him. He got up, walked over to Dan and hugged him, thanking him for the gift card and the offer of friendship. He hugged Ruth and thanked her as well before he went back to his seat.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After all the presents were opened, everyone helped clean up and put all the wrapping paper and trash into more trash bags. Everyone relaxed afterwards and got some more food if they wanted it while the children played with their toys. They chatted for a few more hours before people began to leave and Jim and Lori told them they had to go too.

The Doctor stood up with his family. Tom and Alicia was handing out grocery sacks for people to put their gifts in. Alicia handed the Doctor a sack and hugged him.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said to him. "I hope you enjoyed our family Christmas."

"I loved it," the Doctor said.

"Feel free to take any food you want home. Lord knows we won't eat it all."

The Doctor chuckled and hugged her once more. He hugged everyone and wished them a Happy Christmas along with his family. When Dan and Ruth got to him, Dan shook his hand.

"We're coming tomorrow too, so we'll see you then," Dan said.

"Take care on the drive home," the Doctor said before he hugged them both.

By that time most of the food had been taken but the Doctor picked up a tiny chocolate chip cookie, put it in his mouth and munched it contentedly while he and his family carried their gifts out to the van.

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