JKPrologue

After leaving the Doctor, Jack, and the companions behind, Jon and Rose returned to the alternate universe which had become their home. Setting Lourdes (who again disguised herself as a spruce) gently down in the backyard of the Tyler mansion, they were greeted by Tony, Arianna, and Alia flinging themselves into their arms. After making a huge fuss over the kids, they walked up to the landing where Jackie was waiting for them, eyes sparkling as she fiercely hugged her two favorite time travelers.

"Little Peter is napping," she said as she hugged her daughter, "and his grandfather is at work, naturally. C'mon in and have a cuppa. I'll let Pete know you're back."

Jon elected to stay out in the yard having fun with the kids while Jackie and Rose had tea. Jackie could see a difference in Rose. What it was, she couldn't quite put her finger on, but it was good, that she was sure of. Rose seemed tallersomehow, although she could see she wasn't really, and she had an air about her… and she wore it well.

"So," Jackie began, "you and the Doctor – what happened?"

Rose smiled at her mum, wanting dish, as always. Well, she couldn't blame her.

"Nothing, really, Mum. We could see we'd grown apart, he has his life, Jon and I have ours. Neither of us would trade our lives for anything. So we parted the best of friends, you know, and all that stuff." She waved her hand as if dismissing the whole situation. Jackie was not convinced.

"Oh, c'mon Rose. I'm your mother. You think I was born yesterday? I saw the tension between the two of you when you brought him here to visit the children, what really happened?"

Rose looked at her mum and knew she'd never get away with anything less than the truth. Oh well, she thought to herself, let's let her have it.

"Ok, we had a fight, then Jon, Jack and I got accidentally dosed with some weird alien pollen which made us dream we'd been abandoned by the Doctor again in the past of this planet, we figured out how to escape, and in doing so I realized that the pollen could not use Jon to trick me because he and I shared everything and he is my one true love, and we woke up and came home."

Jackie stared at Rose with a deer-in-the-headlamps expression, then shrugged, "Well, good then, why didn't you just say so in the first place? So you and Jon are all good then?"

"Yep-p," Rose smiled, "We're all good."

"I'm glad to hear it," Jackie replied, patting Rose's hand. Then she looked alarmed. "Blimey, your poor hand is cold! Let me heat that tea up for you! Can I get you a sweater? I'd better turn the heat up!" Jackie scrambled up from her seat.

"No, Mum, I'm fine, the tea is fine, the temperature is fine. Sit down."

"Rose, what's going on with you?"

Rose carefully considered her words, as her Mum's premonition from years ago echoed through her thoughts. "And in forty years time, fifty, they'll be this woman, this strange woman walking through the marketplace. On some planet a billion miles from Earth. But she's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human."

"Mum, do you remember how my body changed while I was pregnant with Arianna?"

"Yeah, we were all very worried about you, especially Jon. Did it happen again with little Peter?"

"Not exactly. It didn't have to. Did Dad tell you anything about our encounter with the Krillitanes after we left Earth?"

Jackie frowned, realising that she'd probably been left out of something. "He just said you'd blown them up."

Rose grinned. "We did. Jon also was able to figure out how to use their oil, - you know, the oil they were using on me and Arianna? Well, he figured out how to use it so he could give himself the ability to regenerate again. Good thing, too, because if he hadn't figured that out and put it to use, Mum, I wouldn't be here today. None of us would. He saved us again."