Human Qualities, part 2
The rest of the week and the following one passed in much the same fashion. Rose left for Torchwood in the morning, spent the entire day working on re-establishing the treaty, came home, had dinner with the Doctor and her family, and then everyone would get ready for bed and whatever the following day might bring. Usually more of the same.
It was exhausting having a day job again, Rose hated every second of it, she could not fathom how she had ever managed to live her life this way, and she could not wait until this was over and she and the Doctor could return to travelling the stars. She still didn't understand how the Doctor was taking this so well. It had been slightly more than a fortnight and he had not complained once. In actual fact, she was the one who was complaining all the time. It was surreal.
Even when she told him that for all the progress they were making there were still some sticking points and the occasional misstep, there was not a single hint of discontent or unhappiness. Of course, the Doctor was concerned and, again, offered his help but Rose simply replied, "No, it's really all right. I mean, it's slow going, believe me, I know, but I do think it will be okay in the end. I just wish the end would get here already." After a beat, she continued, "I miss us. I love my family and I love seeing them and spending time with them but I miss it being just the two of us."
The Doctor wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him, "Me too. More than you know."
"You seem to be handling it all right. I'm the one miserable and complaining and you haven't said anything about 'domestics' or staying still at all."
"To be fair, I don't have much experience with domestics, I'm still learning. There was really no such thing on Gallifrey, then once I left, I was always running, travelling, never stopping. Even when the Time Lords exiled me to earth and grounded the TARDIS, I didn't really stop moving."
"What about your companions? Their families?"
He shrugged, "I don't know. I'd never met families or stopped by for tea or Christmas dinner. When someone travelled with me, they usually didn't see their families again until we parted ways."
"They never went home to visit?"
"No. No visits, no super-phones, no domestics. You were the first person that I ever did anything like that with or for."
Rose was curious now, "So, why did you do it with me? You didn't have to. You could have just kept going like you always did and I, well, I wouldn't have been happy but I still would have probably stayed."
"That right there," he said as she looked at him. "You 'probably' would have stayed. After the war, I didn't think I would ever travel with anyone ever again. Then, I met you and I couldn't imagine not travelling with you," he took a breath. "Rose, I would have done anything to make you happy and keep you wanting to be with me. At first, yeah, I was annoyed and I didn't like it at all that we had to spend time visiting your mum but then, I began to understand more about humans and their relationships and how they work. Things I'd never really spent much time or thought on before. Then, I regenerated and realized how much I really loved it and wanted more of it."
"That's why you stopped complaining so much every time I asked to visit mum," she said more to herself than him.
"Yes, and it was terrifying."
"Terrifying?"
"I had so much more to lose than just you and I couldn't suss out how to keep everyone safe. Still can't really but I'm trying."
She reached over and laced their fingers together, "We do it together. We're going to make mistakes and disagree and terrible and wonderful things will happen. But we will face everything together. It's not all on you. Not anymore. And If I have to, I will remind you of that everyday for the rest of our lives."
He tugged on her hand and she moved easily back into his embrace and hugged him tighter when she felt him place a kiss on the top of her head.
Three days later Rose had a major breakthrough with both Torchwood and the alien diplomats and she was able to leave early. She arrived back at the Tyler estate in the late afternoon. The house was quiet, complete and absolute silence had settled over everything, and Rose didn't think anyone was home but she found her mum in the kitchen, standing at the window with a cup of tea and looking thoughtfully at something outside.
"Mum?"
"Oh, Rose! You gave me a fright. Come look at this."
She joined her mum at the window and saw for herself what was so mesmerizing. The Doctor and Tony were studiously reading, something that looked like blueprints, and all around them were tools and paint and materials to make, well she wasn't sure what but it certainly looked like it was going to impressive.
"What are they up to? What is going on out there?"
"A few days ago, whilst the three of us were at the park, Tony mentioned that he wanted a tree house or a club house. Just something that was all his own. You know?"
"The three of you were at the park?"
"Well, Tony got off of school early. So, the Doctor and I picked him up and we went to the park. Had a lovely picnic too."
"You and the Doctor had a picnic in the park?"
"Well, we were in the park and none of us had had lunch yet. Besides, himself is a huge help with Tony. Haven't needed the nanny at all since you two got home. Anyway, may I continue?"
Rose nodded, mutely, in response as she continued to watch her husband and her little brother from the window.
"Anyway, Tony said he wanted a tree house and the Doctor asked what sort of tree house and Tony told him 'Well, I really wanted a spaceship but mum said no.' Then the Doctor says, 'We should build you a TARDIS.' Well, Tony was pleased as punch about that so they drew up plans and went shopping for supplies and they've been working on this ever since."
"The Doctor is building a TARDIS for Tony?"
"Well, it's just made out of wood and not 'bigger on the inside' but, yeah, he is."
Rose looked at her mum and then back to the scene playing out in the yard. It amazed her sometimes. No matter how many years she had been with the Doctor he somehow still found ways to make her fall in love with him all over again.
Her mum's voice brought her attention back to the present, "You know, Rose. I never would have admitted it before, and God knows, I couldn't stand that man for a long time but he's one of the good ones."
Rose looked up at her mum, shocked that she was actually admitting to what Rose had always suspected to be true.
"That man, he loves you so much. I reckon there isn't anything he wouldn't do to make you happy." Jackie looked seriously at Rose, "I'm glad you found him, sweetheart, and I'm glad you chose him. I don't know if the two of you ever talked about having kids, and I swear I'm not prying, just if you did, he would be a wonderful father. I know I worry about your safety when you two go off on your mad adventures but I worry about him too. I love you so much, I just want you, both of you, to always come back home. I know he's centuries old, he must be, but I still think of him as one of mine as much as you or Tony are."
Rose had tears in her eyes as she listened to her mum. "We love you too. All of you. You know that, don't you?"
Jackie wrapped Rose in a tight hug, "Of course we do, sweetheart. I just wanted make sure that you know how much we love the both of you."
Rose nodded against her mum's shoulder and wiped her eyes as she lifted her head and pulled away, "We haven't talked about kids. Haven't really even thought about them, not even sure how they would fit in with our daily life, but you're right, he would make an amazing dad. Even if he doesn't believe it." She stopped and looked at her mum, "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Is this what he's been up to whilst I've been at Torchwood? I mean, is this what he's been doing?"
"Well, not exactly this," Jackie said, gesturing vaguely towards the yard.
"What does that mean?"
Jackie poured two more cups of tea and they sat down at the table, "Well, there's been the tutoring, the museum trips, the 'London Adventures,' the pretend alien hunters, the science centre, the natural history museum – where himself was almost thrown out and permanently banned but we took care of it – and the planetarium. Quite a few trips to the planetarium, so many, all at your brother's insistence."
Rose was amazed, "He's been doing all of that?"
"Oh, he's quite the teacher. I wouldn't admit this to him but I've been learning more than I ever knew about the universe and history. He'd make a brilliant professor, Rose. If you two ever decide to settle on earth, that man should definitely go into teaching."
"You've been going with them?"
Jackie shrugged, "Sort of sitting in on his classes, I suppose, yeah. If you get a chance, Rose, you should too. I hope he never finds out I said this but, he really is brilliant."
Rose couldn't help but laugh, "He really is and yeah, I think I will try to sit in on one of his classes."
"All right, enough of this. Should we call them in for dinner?"
"Yeah. Yeah we should."
Much later that night, after the rest of the house had gone to bed, Rose and the Doctor were snuggled in a duvet, sitting outside, looking up at the few stars that could be seen in London.
"Another day or so," she started, "and the new treaty will be signed and in place."
"I knew you could do it."
"You have that much faith in me?"
"Rose, you are the only thing, in any universe, that I have faith in."
"You make me so happy."
"Good. That's all I want, you know, is to make you happy," he whispered. "Although, I cannot wait to start travelling again."
She turned to look at him, "Really?"
"Of course. I miss the stars, new planets, new civilizations. Why do you ask?"
Rose smiled, "I miss the stars too. And I guess I'm asking because, well, you seem so comfortable here. Doing the domestic, human life thing."
"I have enjoyed the time I've gotten to spend with your family, I truly have, can't deny it, but I am more than ready to start travelling."
"Our family," she corrected him, firmly. She hated that he still didn't feel worthy of claiming her family as his. "One day I am going to get you out of the habit of saying they're just my family. We're married, so that automatically makes them yours as well and even if we weren't, you would still have a family in my mum and Pete and Tony."
"I know," he admitted quietly, "logically, I know. Still can't quite stop the voice that is telling me I don't deserve this. That I don't deserve any of you. That I'm still unworthy of this and always will be."
"Deserve? It's not about deserve. And even if it was, yes, you do. As for unworthy, I don't even know what to say to that," she stopped, trying to gather her thoughts. "You have done so much good and you have sacrificed so much and yes, you've had to make horrible choices but no matter what you say, I believe that you did it, all of it, for the greater good."
The Doctor looked at her for a long moment and then nodded decisively, "Our family."
Rose smiled then and reached up to kiss him; a kiss he gladly accepted.
"I can't promise miracles, Rose. Can't promise that my guilt and self-disgust is going to vanish but I'll work at it. Okay? I promise I'll keep working on it."
She smiled with a hint of her tongue peeking out, "You better and you don't have to do it alone. When you're guilt starts to get the better of you, I can help knock it back into place. You keep thinking you still have to do everything but I'm here too and I can help, with everything."
"I know, I know you can." He shook his slightly, "So, where do you want to go first?"
Realizing that this was as far as he could go with healing himself tonight, she leaned against him and pointed, "There. And there. And that one too. Where do you want to go first?"
"All of them. I want to visit all of them."
"Then we will have to do that. Do you think you can wait a few more days?"
"Yep. It'll give me some time to help Tony finish his TARDIS."
"About that," she trailed off.
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering. Would you mind if I tagged along the next time you take Tony on one of your adventures?"
"I'd love it. Everything is always better when you're with me. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah," she whispered. "Yeah, I do."
The next three days were hectic for both of them. Rose and Pete managed to get the treaty ratified and the Doctor and Tony worked non-stop to get Tony's TARDIS finished. Once they had the TARDIS painted, the Doctor then worked on one last surprise for Tony, his very own sonic screwdriver. It didn't have any of the functions that the Doctor's or Rose's had, much to Jackie's relief, but it did make a buzzing sound, had a simple GPS setting, and also functioned as a torch.
Tony loved it and was now refusing to go anywhere without it; he even slept with it under his pillow. No one had said anything to him but he knew that the Doctor and Rose would be leaving for more of their space adventures soon and so, on the last afternoon before they were off again, he announced, "I'll be the Doctor and keep everyone safe till you get back."
Rose hid a smile and the Doctor beamed proudly, "Right you are. Now, let's head off to the planetarium for one last trip around the universe."
Both Rose and the Doctor held Tony's hands whilst the three of them headed out for one last London Adventure before travelling back out into the universe.