Forgiveness
Take place post Doomsday for the Doctor
But just a couple weeks after The Christmas Invasion for Jackie Tyler
She doesn't hear the TARDIS, doesn't even realize that he's broken into her house until he's behind her and speaking.
"Would you forgive me if I lost your daughter?"
Jackie whirls around her frying pan raised above her head like a club, before she drops her arm to her side.
"Whadda do that for?" She asks sharply. "You're gonna give me a heart attack!"
The Doctor smiles at her, but his eyes are hallow, empty, Jackie notices.
"Are you alright Doctor? And did you say you lost my daughter?! I wanna know where Rose is right now?! Why isn't she with you? Where. Is. She?"
He gulps at this and the smile becomes more forced, "She's safe, fine, she's actually with you at the moment…just you know at different moment then this one. But that's…that's not why I came." He stares at her, brown eyes staring into hers. "I just…I just need an answer."
"Why should I give you an answer to such a horrible question?! Come in here and tell a mother that you've lost her only daughter, I mean you haven't, but you're pretending you had and—"
"Please Jackie," He cuts her off and his voice is so raw, so hurt that Jackie freezes and stares at him.
She wants to yell at him, shake him until he tells her why he looks like this, why he looks so heartbroken.
"Are you alright?" She asks instead, her eyes softening.
"No," the straight, and honest, answer takes her by surprise.
She thinks he doesn't mean to say it because he stumbles backwards, mumbling something that sounds like stupid and idiot.
Then suddenly he straightens, "Sorry this was a stupid idea, have a nice day Jackie I'll see you—"His voice cracks and Jackie doesn't understand what's going on. All she knows is that one of the strongest people she's ever seen is falling apart in her kitchen.
What happens next is instinctual.
She grabs him close, hugging him tightly.
"You're okay sweetheart," she whispers softly in his ear. "I've got you, you're fine. Rose is fine, she just called actually. Apparently you two just left the planet Barcelona."
She can feel him smiling, "Dogs with no noses."
"That's right," and for a moment she thinks it's over, that whatever mood the Doctor had been flung into has taken its toll and left, but then she feels something wet on her shoulder. He's crying.
"Oh Doctor," she mutters and hugs him tighter.
"Am I a good person Jackie?" He asks her, gripping her tightly. "I try to be I really, really, do, but I just I can't—"His voice catches on a sob and he doesn't finish.
It's in this moment that Jackie Tyler makes her decision.
She pulls away from him and grips him by the arms tightly.
"You listen to me okay and you remember every word I'm about to say? Got it?"
He nods, and she pretends not to notice the way his eyes dart around the room like a trapped rabbit.
"Don't you ever think that you're bad, because you are a good. You are a brilliant man, a brilliant wonderful man and you are good. Even if…even if you did lose my daughter, even if that happens you would still be good and I would forgive you. Because I know that you would've done whatever you could to help her, to save her."
He's staring at her now, his face fluttering through emotions, grief, hurt, fear, surprise, confusion, and then there's a soft smile on his lips. And even though it doesn't quite reach his eyes, it's a true smile.
"Thank you," he says softly and with that he turns, yanking away from Jackie's arms.
She thinks about stopping him, a part of her even wants to stop him, but she doesn't, instead simply allowing him to disappear from view.
He'd come looking for forgiveness and comfort, Jackie realizes suddenly as she watches the empty doorway.
She just didn't understand why he would come to her.
oOo
Months later, Jackie is living in a parallel world. Months later Jackie is watches as her only daughter is ripped away from the man she loves. Months later Jackie realizes why the Doctor came to her.
She never tells Rose.
So there we have it :D
This also takes place before Ten goes to burn a star to say good-bye to Rose, because if it took place after that I don't thing it makes much sense cuz then Donna shows up and stuff
If any of you are interested this is based off the 43rd Chapter of my 100 Worded Stories collection, also called Forgiveness