A/N: Yay! Chapter 2!
Disclaimer: Just... is this necessary? Fine. I don't own Doctor Who or any of its characters. There. Done.
Jackie was completely at a loss as to how Rose could simply walk into the TARDIS without looking about in awe. The Doctor, of course, she could understand. He was, after all, an alien.
The whole bigger-on-the-inside concept was a difficult one for Jackie to wrap her head around, though it was certainly easier than the fact that the interior of the TARDIS existed in a different dimension than the exterior.
"How warm do you want to be, Jackie?" the Doctor asked, pulling levers and twisting knobs. "I-have-an-extra-sweater-on warm or I'm-standing-next-to-a-sun-in-the-process-of-supernovaing hot?"
"Been there," Rose muttered, punching a button before the Doctor could ask.
Jackie blinked. "Been there?" she repeated.
"That was our first date," the Doctor added in affirmation.
"And what a success it was," Rose teased him, "Evil robot-spiders, bitchy trampolines…"
"And chips," the Doctor reminded her. "We had chips."
Jackie glared at the Doctor. "Where the hell have you been taking my daughter?!"
"Ah." The grin on the Doctor's face froze and he tugged on his ear nervously. "Loads of places!"
Jackie opened her mouth to reply that no, that isn't a good enough answer, but the Doctor interrupted her. "Where to?"
-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-
The planet they ended up on was similar to Earth in nearly every respect. The only major differences were the purple sky and neon-yellow grass.
"Blimey!" Jackie exclaimed, stepping cautiously from the TARDIS, her head swiveling to take the planet in. "I must be mad," she added, more to herself than anyone else.
"You're not mad," Rose promised her, close on Jackie's heels. "You're just as sane as I am."
"Oh, that's reassuring," Jackie griped.
"Remind me why we need all this," the Doctor requested, stumbling out of the TARDIS, his arms filled with blankets and boxes.
"How else are we s'posed to eat?" Jackie demanded. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, as if to say, Aren't you funny?
"Eat!" the Doctor repeated, "Rose and I have been eating just fine without all this, thank you very much."
Rose gave him that look again.
Jackie decided she really needed to ask her how she did that.
The Doctor's shoulders fell ever so slightly. "Right, yes, fine. Let's be going then," he conceded, "Allons-y!" With that, he took off at as quick a pace as he could managed, despite the load in his arms, his path aimed at a field a few hundred yards away.
Rose grinned excitedly and trotted after him, asking questions about the natives and the other lifeforms scattered across the planet.
Jackie followed, albeit at a slower pace. She enjoyed watching them converse. Rose would ask a question, the Doctor would look down at her with that face-splitting smile of his, and launch into one of his I-can-literally-talk-your-ear-off rambles, yet Rose didn't seem to mind. If anything, she seemed to enjoy them, her eyes constantly fixed on his face, smiling and nodding along.
But when it appeared that the Doctor was about to explain their mating rituals, –the alien just didn't know how to stop while he was ahead, did he?– Jackie decided to step in.
"Ya gonna tell me where we are?" Jackie butted in, directing her inquiry at the Doctor.
The Doctor paused in his babble and answered, "Pecinta-bodoh II. It was named after this explorer –Kokoontua Jo– who found it completely by accident, after his dog –well, his equivalent, anyway. He was a Sokea, so it was actually a Ruam, but that's not the point…"
And so, he was off once more.
-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-
As it turns out, Jackie was more than right to bring the blankets. The ground on Pecinta-bodoh II was surprisingly moist; so much so that the trio was forced to layer both blankets on top of each other.
Despite the lack of stretching room, there was more than enough space for everyone to have their personal-bubble. Jackie couldn't help but smirk when she noticed just how close Rose and the Doctor had elected to sit. And they didn't even seem to notice, which made Jackie wonder if this were commonplace for them.
"Mum?" Rose asked, waving her hand in front of Jackie's face, "Hello?"
Jackie colored. She'd been so busy analyzing her daughter and the man –alien– next to her, that she'd missed the question. "What?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "I asked if you'd brought the turkey."
Jackie's face darkened further. "I forgot it," she admitted.
The Doctor grinned. "You owe me a fiver," he informed Rose happily.
Rose gave him a playful shove. "I do not. She didn't burn it, she forgot it." She turned to her mother. "Right?"
Jackie didn't reply.
"Oh, great, Mum," Rose complained, "Thanks."
"Pay up," the Doctor requested, his lips popping on the "p," "C'mon." He held out his palm and waggled his fingers, reminiscent of the first time he'd offered her this hand.
Rose caught his train of thought, the memory distracting her for half a second. "What? Ya think I just walk around alien planets with my pocketbook?" Rose admonished him, her tone light, "And with all the trouble we seem to get into?"
"We're not in trouble now," the Doctor pointed out.
"For once." Rose smiled. "It's a nice change, isn't it?"
The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, I'll make you a deal," he offered and pointed at a tree on the opposite side of the field. "If you beat me there, I'll forget Jackie burnt the turkey."
Rose's smile widened. "And if you win?"
"Then I'll probably forget to collect anyway," he admitted. "So how 'bout it?"
Rose stared at him for a moment, considering. "You're on."
Jackie laughed at their antics. "I'll be here," she informed them, making herself comfortable on the now all but vacated blanket.
The two of them didn't seem to need to count off; they simply looked at each other, waited, and in perfect synchronism took off, sprinting toward the chosen tree.
Jackie had to do a double take when she saw her daughter run. This was the same girl who'd worked in a shop, just a year and a half ago, yet she ran with the speed and agility of a practiced athlete. Her form was lacking, but she moved with enough confidence that Jackie couldn't help but wonder where her experience was coming from.
She's alive, Jackie reminded herself, that's all that matters.
From her vantage point, Jackie couldn't tell who hit the tree first. When they collapsed into each other, laughing and catching their breath, Jackie caught her own breath hopefully. But then they broke apart, repeating their mad dash in the contrasting direction.
Jackie sighed. When would they figure it out?