Everyday Fantastic: The Time Lord's Guide to the Slow Path (4/15) (original) (raw)

Title: Everyday Fantastic: A Time Lord's Guide to the Slow Path (4/15)
Author: Roxyk630
WARNING: There are S4 spoilers beyond this point. Character/Pairing: Ten II (10.5, Handy!Ten, Human!Ten, Blue!Ten)/Rose, Appearances by: Jackie, Jake, Pete, Tony and others
Rating: PG-13 (with some brushing R bits later)
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who nor any of the characters contained within. All rights belong to the BBC. I do inflict humiliation upon my dalek action figures and make them wear silly hats and aprons. So... even more concern than the BBC coming after me... is the Cult of Skaro, an encounter I definitely would not survive.
Betas: mtemplar_fic and otahyonifor this chapter. Thank you both! <3
Summary: The Doctor learning to live day by day on the slow path with Rose.
Author's Notes: Nothing new from previous chapters! :D This one's Jackie heavy though. :3
Previous Chapters:Chapter 1, Chapter 2,Chapter 3

CHAPTER 4

Neither of them wakes until after one in the afternoon the following day.

Rose wakes first, an uncomfortable dead weight flopped across her stomach, and the sound of snoring intermixed with an alien language, complex mathematics, and what she thinks may be chemical equations fills her ears. Several minutes later he mumbles something about alien monkeys stealing his jam and giving it to the purple ballet-dancing hippos. The shaking of Rose’s stomach causes him to jolt upright with a rather hysterical case of bedhead and a ludicrously shocked look.

“What?” His lips smack distastefully, his tongue licking his lips before he cringes. He flops back down onto her stomach with a grunt, practically purring when he feels her fingernails scratch lightly against his scalp. “Mmm…careful. I’ll get used to that.”

“That’s the plan.” Her lips form a wide smile.

He bolts upright again and looks at Rose, absolutely terrified, almost comically so. “Is your family home yet? More importantly, your mum?” His body is tense, and he looks ready to bolt for the door. “Does that have a lock? I could deadlock it… if I had the sonic screwdriver. I’ll have to work on that. Quick—heavy furniture, we need lots of heavy furniture! A barricade? Maybe a moat? Can we build a moat in the hallway?” He pauses before turning back to Rose. “The hysterical laughter isn’t helping.”

“Why do we need a moat?” she asks, her face flushed with delight.

“Under the bed!” He hops off the bed and peers under it.

Rose hops out the other side and meets his gaze underneath the bed. “Doctor, why are you checking under my bed?”

He shifts a pile of magazines and a pair of misplaced shoes out of his way. “I’m hiding from your mother,” he states flatly as he sniffles at a few dust bunnies he unsettles.

“You kissed me in front of her yesterday. I’m sure she’s caught on by now.”

“No. Nonononono!” His face disappears, and Rose finds his head poking over the side of the mattress, his hands dug into his hair, messing it about. “Anything that keeps me from getting the slap I got last time. Always the mothers! They always slap! Only one that didn’t was Sylvia, and she’s the one I would have expected most likely to do so. Didn’t see her often enough for her to smack me really. Donna slapped me. Twice! In all fairness, I did ruin her wedding. Should have thanked me for that.” He trails off finally, resting his hand on his cheek and rubbing it in thought, as if he’s already been slapped. “Jackie Tyler? Might be the worst.”

“Martha’s mum slapped you?”

“Ha! Yes, sent me spinning. Hadn’t seen Martha in a few days by that point...”

There’s a knock at the door, and the Doctor bolts for her closet, shutting the door and, from what it sounds like by the rustling of the hangers in her closet, hiding in clothes.

“Yes?” Rose tries not to laugh too hard.

“Rose, love, I brought the Doctor some clothes.” Her mother’s voice is instantly recognizable through the wooden door. “Sorry, I didn’t— “

Jackie stops speaking quite so loudly when Rose opens the door. She has Tony on one hip and a bag in the other hand.

“I didn’t know what he’d want to wear, it being such a large ordeal last time he changed bodies, so I just grabbed a few bits—pants, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt or two, oh, and some trousers—in case he’s difficult.”

“Difficult! Hah!” he replies, muffled from her closet. Jackie grins at Rose, handing her the bag. She marches toward the closet and pulls the door open quickly. The Doctor practically falls into her.

“Morning, Jackie!” He grins his widest grin, holding his balance by pressing his hands against the doorframe.

“Afternoon, Doctor. Tony, this is the Doctor. He’s a bit of a nutter. We don’t mind though, because he’s in love with your sister. He’s the one we told you about.”

Neither of them corrects Jackie, but their eyes meet over her shoulder and they both know that they will tell Tony about the Doctor, about both of them, because the Doctor’s the reason they are together. The reason he has been given a life with Rose. Someday they’ll both come to grips with that.

“Right, get dressed and come downstairs. Bev and I got lunch ready. You can meet the family properly.” Jackie babbles a bit more to Tony as she walks out the door and Rose shuts it behind her.

“You just hid from my mum.” Rose hands him the bag of clothing with a snort.

“You’ve never been on the receiving end of one of those slaps.” He rifles about in the bag before poking his head up. “That doesn’t run in the family does it?”

“Not that I know of…”

“Just want to know what I’m getting myself into.”

She smacks him on the shoulder as she walks into the en-suite. “Cheeky.”

Rose is halfway though her shower when the Doctor’s head pokes through the door, one of his hands waving away steam. “Rose?” She hasn’t set any boundaries with him, but he has the courtesy to knock, even if it’s after he’s entered the room.

“Mmm?”

“Are you cooking yourself?”

“Sorry, my muscles are a bit exhausted.” She grins, her drenched head popping out of from behind the curtain. “The hot water feels good. I’ll be done soon. Why?”

He’s staring at her shoulder with a dazed look, his eyes slowly following a lone water droplet before it falls from her shoulder and his gaze snaps back to hers. She’s all pink and yellow and he can’t help himself. He promised he’d wait, but the water droplet… that bloody water droplet rolling down her shoulder causes him to snap.

The shower curtain gets trapped between their bodies cool in contrast to the water in the shower, causing her to gasp as his lips capture hers in a passionate kiss.

“Doctor?” She manages to get out part of a sentence as he pulls away from her long enough to remove the curtain from between them.

He steps into the shower quickly, pressing her against the wall and kissing her fiercely. He holds her against him, one hand at the small of her back, the other tilting her head just so. Rose elicits a tiny moan, breaking their kiss when he nibbles at her lower lip.

Rose blushes. “You’re all wet.” Laughing, she pokes at the damp t-shirt and the navy pinstripe trousers clinging to his body. He’s still against her, holding her closely, his face buried in her shoulder and water cascading over them. “Doctor?”

His eyes lift to meet hers with a pout. “I’m…I’m going to have to wear the jeans now, aren’t I?”

She grins. “To think I was worried and you’re goin on about trousers.”

“Sorry, not used to all these hormones. Is it like this all the time?”

“Comes and it goes.” Rose gestures off-handedly.

“No wonder Jack runs around shagging all and sundry! I’m quite foxy. How did you manage to—?” He pauses, his eyes dropping down to where her chest is pressed against his. “You’re naked!” he exclaims loudly.

“I’m in the shower! Isn’t that obvious?!” She stares at him incredulously.

He laughs nervously, his hand finding his ear lobe. “Right, sorry.” If his grin is any indication, he’s not sorry at all.

“No, you’re not!” She snorts.

“I am.” He pauses, running a hand through his hair. “A bit. Kind of.” He pauses again fingers teasing at her hip. “Maybe a little miniscule—no, you’re right. I’m not.”
He kisses her again, a hand running up her side, a sigh filtering into his words. ”I love the way your skin feels.”

Her hands find his hair and tug him down toward her lips. He grunts when her tongue slips against his. He likes to think that it will never become mundane, the feeling of her against him.

The hormones that come with this human body feel so strange; everything tingles and makes him reel. Rose always had the ability to make him giddy, but this is altogether different. Now he doesn’t just reel, he desires. He desires more than this life. He needs her in this body, he needs all of her—to see her undone, to feel her body beneath his. It’s so carnal, this feeling of lust. It’s not something he’s dealt with feeling this so strongly before. He loves Rose, always has, even his counterpart loves her, but he never desired her quite like this. He wanted her but limited himself, knowing what he couldn’t give. This burning, this passion—it’s intoxicating and completely overwhelming. He decides to blame his lack of restraint on Donna, if it’s ever questioned.

With a grumble he quickly pulls back from Rose, his puffs of breath caressing her. “Rose.”

She can’t seem to draw her eyes above his lips. The sight brings a manic grin to his face.
“Yeah?” She’s still staring, breathing heavily against him, with him.

“We’re getting pruny,” he replies, breath shuddering against her when she lifts her eyes to his and smiles tenderly.

“That generally— “

“Rose! Doctor? Are you two coming down or not?” Both tense when Jackie’s voice filters from outside the bedroom door. Jackie’s voice carries quite well, so there’s no mistaking her location.

The Doctor’s hands leave Rose’s sides and press against the wall on either side of her head. With a sigh, his forehead thumps against the wall behind her. His head tilts with an awkward grin, hair plastered to his face. “Go on, I’ll be down in a moment.”

Rose nods with an apologetic grin and kisses his shoulder. “I’ll go distract Mum.” She slips out of his arms with a small tug at his drenched and clinging shirt.

She makes it to her bedroom, wrapped in a towel, before she hears the Doctor’s voice breaking into a high-pitched yelp.

“Blimey! That’s freezing!”

She can’t help but smile as she dries.

“Where ‘ave you been then? We’ve been waiting well over an hour.” Jackie scowls, placing her hands on her hips.

“Afternoon, Bev.” Rose smiles at the woman focused intently on the television, not an unusual sight since the day Pete hired her.

“Afternoon.” Bev smiles back, then promptly turns about to watch afternoon telly again.

“I had to get dressed, Mum. All that universe hopping, I’m knackered. I took my time in the shower. It always takes me an hour to get ready anyway.” Rose gestures while refilling the kettle.

“The Doctor, when’s he going to make an appearance, then?” Jackie sips at her tea with a sigh.

Rose rolls her eyes. “He’s still trying to figure out what to wear.” She smiles. “You know him, every hair in the right place and can’t leave the room unless he’s satisfied with what he’s wearing.”

“So it’s going to be a good several hours before we see him.”

“No, I just needed to finish up. I only have three outfits—thank you, Jackie—and one of them is in need of a cleaning.” The Doctor grins, walking barefoot into the kitchen. He’s wearing one of the t-shirts Jackie purchased, the brown shirt with a rather ornate khaki print that falls over the shoulder, and some darker blue but stylishly ripped up jeans.

“Not bad, Mum!” Rose grins, handing him a banana and then moving back to the kettle and grabbing two mugs from the cabinet above. She watches, waiting for him to peel the banana in the familiar way he used to but instead he puts it down and grabs an apple from the fruit basket. Rose frowns, shocked, the image jars her into thought. Just how different is he?

“An apple?” There have been plenty of minor changes so far. He’s more like her first Doctor at times, which she’s used to but this is completely different. He’s always loved bananas. He’s part Donna, but how much of Donna did he get? “But you love bananas.”

“I like a lot of fruits, Rose. Just don’t feel like having a banana right after waking up.” He shrugs, leaning toward her, but she pulls away. “Rose?”

“Sorry, I just…” The kettle beeps and she turns quickly towards the sound. “Kettle!”

Bev mistakes their awkwardness as shyness and releases a laugh, elbowing Jackie with a grin.

Jackie sees something else. She sees Rose shutting off, the way she did at Christmas when he changed. “Doctor, we’ve got several bits over here too. Bev made some fantastic sandwiches, jam and all sorts. Rose can bring the tea.”

“Doctor? What’s he a doctor of, then?” Bev smiles.

He stammers. He hadn’t really thought about an occupation or a name yet, not expecting to run into it so quickly. “A doctor of science and mathematics. Astronomy is my particular field of interest.”

“Oh? What do you do with that, then?”

“Urm…” His hand comes to the back of his neck and plays in his hair line as he thinks of the possibilities. He can do anything, really.

“He just moved here. He’s been traveling,” Jackie adds, watching Rose. “He’s still looking in the area for something, which is why he’s staying with us. Old family friend.”
Jackie puts a hand over his and squeezes lightly.

His smile is grateful in so many ways, but mostly because Jackie has accepted him as the Doctor and nothing different since he stepped off the TARDIS and she told him about Tony. He thought she’d tell him as well, the one in the brown suit, but she didn’t. Scariest woman on the in the universe, Jackie Tyler, but he couldn’t help admiring her kindness.

“Been a rough day or two. Had to go pick him up in Norway,” Jackie finishes.

He exhales. “Yes, sorry. The Tylers are old family friends.”

Before Bev can ask another question, he’s chewing on a fruit and jam sandwich and watching Rose. She’s been stirring the tea this entire time. That can’t be good.

“Oh! I never asked! What’s your name, Doctor?” Bev smiles and he blanches.

“M’ere menutmutter in mis?” He smacks his lips.

“Yes, just a bit.” Jackie smirks. “Pete prefers them with peanut butter. Awful, isn’t it?”

“M’antastic!” He grins manically, and Jackie hands him a napkin with a slightly disgusted face.

His eyes trail back to Rose, still standing with the tea, her back turned. With a sigh he stands, dropping his sandwich and uneaten apple back to the plate and walks over to her side, startling her when he touches her shoulder. When his eyes meet hers, all he can see is confusion and heartache. Damn.

“I think I’ll take my tea to go,” he quips cheerily to Jackie. Testing a sip of tea, he cringes and then adds two and a half teaspoons of sugar before leaving the room. It’s cooled enough that he gulps it down with little effort.

The Tyler mansion is rather large, but not overly so. He hadn’t had the chance to explore it the night they arrived. Last time he’d seen it, the mansion was brimming with people for Jackie’s birthday, the Jackie who wasn’t Rose’s mum. He pokes his head through a few rooms, absently leaving his tea mug behind on a side table, before deciding to wait for the grand tour. He may get it eventually.

Parallel worlds, “Gingerbread houses indeed.” He spits out the phrase as he walks heavily to Rose’s room. Even as he moves, he recognizes his stride. He’s not used to walking it with these legs, and it seems awkward and hunkering in this body.

He kicks Rose’s doorframe in protest, forgetting his bare feet and sucking in a breath when he registers the pain. His clothing still lies on the floor from the night before, a time when he thought he’d been making progress. Nothing sexual had happened. It was all very loving, touching Rose and feeling her dress him for bed. Now she’s pulling away.

“All because of a bloody banana!” He can feel his face flush with the warmth of anger as he shoves his trainers on his feet, not bothering to tie them, and pulls on his blue suit jacket while tromping down the stairs and toward the front door.

He’s greeted by Rose—not the one he wants to see, but Rose the terrier. Her leash hangs on a hook near the door. With a resigned sigh, he clips the leash to her collar.

“Should have just stuck with you. You want to spend forever with me? ‘Course you do.”

Rose licks his hand.

“Did you just propose to my dog?” He spins on his heels rising quickly to see Jackie behind him with her hands on her hips. She’s whispering and Rose is nowhere to be seen.

“You gonna tromp off like that all the time?” she asks.

“No, I just…”

“Need to walk it off.” He nods at her words. Jackie’s hand touches his shoulder, and his entire body slumps into the touch. “She does love you.”

He doesn’t respond, just stares blankly past her.

“She spent all that time with her family. Loves being with the family but she never stopped trying to get back to you. Never really moved on with her life. Her life here was just a means to an end, never did get her own place, worked with a team only to build that cannon. Give her time to get used to you. Swept her off of her feet and now you’re walking off?” She snorts in an unfortunately similar way to Rose. “Figures. Bloody Time Lord’s the most impatient man in all of space and time.”

“Half.” His voice is broken when he says it. “Half Time Lord. If that. I’m a meta-crisis. I don’t have that life anymore, Jackie I can’t give her the universe.”

He’s beginning to wonder just what he got from Donna—just humanity, the word “oi,” the odd facial expression? Maybe he’s good at temping now. A temporary fix, until Rose finds a way back to her Doctor. He is her Doctor, the same man, or so he thought. Right now he just feels strange.

Jackie exhales through her nose. “Time Lord or half-human Time Lord meta-crisis, you’ve been part of our family for longer than I care to think about. What does Rose need the universe for, anyway? She’s got her family. You need Rose, you said so yourself—or your other self did. You ever think that she just needs you? She didn’t go universe-hopping for a lark. She went for you, you daft twit!” Jackie has the decency to pause in her tirade when he meets her eyes. “Do you love my daughter?”

“Jackie— “ His voice is a warning.

“I told Tony you loved her upstairs but now I’m asking you! Rose may not have needed those words, but I have a right to know, Doctor. I’ve watched you dance around each other for years now, no matter which bleeding body you are in.”

“Jackie, you know I do.”

“Then stop brooding and enjoy it. You gave me a chance once to be with Pete, a chance I never dreamed I’d have again. I’m not about to watch either of you waste the chance you’ve both been given due to your own stubborn behavior.”

He’s too stunned to speak, but respectfully meets her eyes.

“Now go walk your betrothed before I bullock you.” She gives him a hard smack to the back of the head for good measure.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“For sulking about, thinking no one wants you here.”

He stands slack-jawed for a moment before breaking into a grin that makes her think of the first Doctor. Then his tongue rests on his teeth the same way the second one did, and she knows it’s still him, the nutter.

“Jackie, do you want me here?”

“I want you both happy. Now, go walk the dog.”

Jackie opens the front door, and he turns to leave but not before asking, “Did you and Pete have this kind of trouble?”

“At first, He noticed more differences in me. But the thing is, he’s still Pete, and I’m still Jackie in all the ways that matter. In some cases better than before, just different. Look at ‘im! All those daft schemes worked!” Her smile says all he needs to really know. “I love him too much to lose him again.” She turns briefly from the door. “Take this, it’s a bit chillier today.” She hands him a rather large and fluffy blue and black parka.

“Thanks.”