The Human Condition Chapter 3
Rose emerged from her room to find Jackie showing the Doctor pictures she had of little Tony which she kept tucked safely away in a small wallet in the inner pockets of her blue over coat. He grinned up at her as she walked in and sat down across from them. He quickly jumped up and moved to sit next to her as one of the pilots brought their dinner to the table.
"This is all a little bit posh Jackie." The Doctor commented as he surveyed his surroundings once more.
"Since when is steak and veg posh?" She frowned at him around her mouthful. "Besides," Jackie added, "They brought it on in Bergen and nuked it. I can tell."
"I wasn't talking about the food Jackie," The corner of his mouth rising up in an almost smirk. "I meant all this." He gestured to the grandeur of their current means of transportation.
"Yea, it is a bit much really." She took a sip of water. "Some days I'd kill for a cramped plane trip with a shitty TV dinner, just for the normalcy of it. In some places this world isn't half a bit balmy."
The Doctor laughed and stuffed a forkful into his mouth. Jackie definitely suited this new life of hers he thought, but even if she could afford a posh zeppelin and things, she was still an estate girl, foul language and all bless her. The Doctor was glad some things never changed.
The meal concluded with the ringing of Jackie's phone and soon after, she bid The Doctor and Rose goodnight and retired to her room cooing and babbling to her young son in the ear piece.
"Come on." He nudged, taking Rose's hand and moving them silently down the hall. He opened the door to Rose's temporary quarters and wandered towards the large windows at the far end. Neither of them bothered with lights save it destroy the beauty of the North Sea sparkling by moonlight.
He sat down in the sofa next to the window and stared out into the night, at the moon that wasn't his own, at the stars that hung around it, also not his own. It was all completely new to him and he was excited. He glanced over at Rose leaning beside him.
"We've a whole new universe to discover," He smiled gently, slipping his hand into hers. She squeezed back and grinned up at him before returning her head to his shoulder.
"Better wif two." She murmured.
"Oh definitely." He agreed quietly glancing fondly at the top of her blonde head.
"Do you still feel it?" Rose queried after a time. "The spinnin' and all?"
"I'm still the same Rose; I'll just get old this time round." He replied, entwining their fingers as a yawn broke across her face.
"Go on, off you go. Sleep now." She let out a sigh and lay down resting her head in his lap.
"Can't believe your really here." She murmured softly drawing a soft smile across his face.
"Me either." He whispered. "But I am, and I promise you, this time we have forever."
She missed his reply completely as she dropped into unconsciousness, the first real sleep she'd had in four years. Dreams of their future came unbidden as she slept, and in those the tiniest inkling that perhaps the presence of The Doctor now in this universe, was no coincidence.
The Doctor who had sat watching the night pass into early morning frowned down at Rose as her dreams siphoned gently into his head as he sat watching her sleep, her proximity and contact strengthening the link she was unconsciously trying to make with his mind.
"What's this then?" He frowned examining the thought processes and waves emanating from her sleeping form, slightly higher than normal brain activity for a human he noted briefly, and watched as somehow, somewhere in her mind a puzzle piece drifted into place, almost similar to how his timeline, at that precise moment solidified and stretch out before his eyes, with the pinkish gold thread of his companion twisting and colliding with his own.
"Interesting." He mused wiping a hand across his roughening stubble, speaking aloud to himself. "Seems as though this universe is taking my presence in its stride." His attention refocused as his companion stirred and sat up squinting at the soft light coming through the glass before turning to grin up at him sleepily.
"Hello." She blushed looking down at their entwined hands. He just grinned at her, earning him an eye roll.
"Shut up." She laughed softly as she got up and opened a small cabinet which revealed a tiny kitchenette. She set the kettle to boil and pulled out two mugs.
"Be back in a sec, jus gotta use the loo." She called ducking into the small ensuite. He chuckled and moved to finish the tea just as the kettle bubbled its completion. He sipped his mug as he held out Rose's just as she stepped out the door and smirked as she took it from him without missing a beat. He always knew they revolved around each other, good to see he hadn't lost his touch. She stopped and took a tentative sip before turning toward him questionably.
"What do you mean?" She frowned and it took a second for him to catch up, recalling his previous vocalised thought just as she had awakened.
"Times lines," He replied by a way of explanation, "I can see them again."
"Oh right." She nodded cupping her hands around the warm mug, gently blowing across the steaming liquid. He stood watching her as a smile began to twinge on his lips developing into another smirk, which he noted he'd done a lot in this new body, as she continued not really understanding.
"So is that a good thing?" She frowned pulling her messy hair up in a loose knot. "A normal thing for a meta- um no, regenerated hand, Doctor, whatsit?" She stared at him blankly before hurling a pillow from the nearby chair at his head as he tried to hold back a laugh.
"Yes, it is a good thing." he breathed happily, sitting back down in his spot on the couch, "And the easiest way for you to wrap your head around what happened to create me is actually no more than a regeneration." She plopped down next to him and put her mug on the coffee table. "You remember when I challenged the Sycorax and I grew a hand to replace this one?" He held up his right hand and wiggled his fingers at her. She nodded. "Well I simply grew a new body, with a little help from Donna."
"New, new, new Doctor then?" She smiled.
"Oh yes." He grinned and drank down the remainder of his tea. Rose seemed to consider something for a moment.
"So how much of you is Donna?" She asked curiously, "You don't look like her at all that I can see." She observed him from a different angle as she leant back against the couch.
"A few mannerisms here and there, my base DNA were my own, which is why, thankfully, I still look like me, Donna merely caused its structuring to revert itself slightly, back to a time before the time lords started meddling with genetics."
"So, you were what, all human once upon a time?" She questioned draining her cup and placing it on the table next to his.
"No, Rose." He smiled indulgently at her. "The Time Lords were one of the oldest civilizations in the universe, but that's beside the point." He rambled realising the extent of Donnas' affects on him didn't extend to any part of organising his thoughts before they were ejected out of his mouth. His attention was refocused by a small cough.
"Sorry," He shook his head and tried not to think of Donna. "What I am, is still a Time Lord," He stressed, "I spent the time at the academy, I passed my exams, I still did all of that, therefore I am." He looked at her then and at her small nod he continued. "What I am now, physiologically, is early Gallifreyan, with a few upgrades." He added as an after-thought.
"So you're not really human?" She queried softly and he smiled knowingly.
"The question you should really be asking me Rose Tyler is...," He replied gently. "...are all you humans really humans?" She stared at him incredulously for a moment.
"So all that talk about us really lookin' like you wasn't just you tootin' your own horn?"
"I most certainly do not 'toot my own horn' thank you very much." He folded his arms across his chest and proceeded to pout slightly. "And besides, how did you know I said that to Martha?" He raised his eyebrow at her.
"Spent a lot of time lookin' for you in other dimensions, came across a few companions too actually, spent a while with Martha Jones, she was nice, seen her once or twice here too, even met a few more of your incarnations." Her smile slipped slightly. He noticed.
"Which ones?" He asked grimacing, not sure whether he should be horrified or not.
"Nothin' bad," She started, "I mean none bad, was what I meant, just thought you said there was only one of you, yet every universe I landed in there was a different version of you." She shrugged. "Just not this one."
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," he pulled her into his lap. "So sorry for everything I put you through."
"Was worth it." She spoke into his shirt. "You're worth everything to me." She whispered more to herself than him. "All of you."
He smiled into her hair then was suddenly thoughtful. "Just how many of me did you meet?"
"Eleven." She frowned at his expression.
"How is that even possible?" He mused.
"As far as we could tell, apart from things like the dark ages never happenin', or tiny subtle differences like the zeppelins, it was only the passing of time that changed, or you met someone that you didn't meet, or didn't meet someone or did something you didn't in the original universe which resulted in the divergences, therefore altering what had happened to us in our original time lines."
"Hmmmmm," he was quiet for a moment. "That was impressive." He nodded approvingly at her and she grinned.
"It's all a big ball of wibbily wobbly timey wimey stuff." She teased and fell to the floor clutching her stomach as she laughed hysterically.
"Caught that one did you?" He groaned.
"Yea." She squealed between fits of giggles. She laughed harder when he started to sulk.
"I'm never going to live that down am I?" He shook his head.
"Not in a hundred years Doctor." She smiled catching her breath and moving back to sit next to him.
"Suppose we should get ready." The Doctor mused as he stood and straightened his tie and slipped his suit jacket back on.
"Ready for what?" Rose asked standing up and nearly tripping over the coffee table.
"Jackie." A second passed and the woman in question knocked on the door, pushing it open to poke her head in.
"Oh good you're up." She smiled. "We had a good tail wind last night; we'll be back at ours in about ten." She ushered them out and after placing a fresh cup of tea in front of them both she sat and buckled her seat belt.
"You alright Jackie?" The Doctor asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I'm alright you plum," She huffed happily. "But you try being away from your child for more than a week." She instantly regretted it as she noticed his steely expression as he glanced out the window.
"Quite right." He mumbled.
"I'm sorry Doctor I..." He cut her off with a shake of his head and a wave of his hand.
"It's fine Jackie really." He smiled awkwardly, sipping his tea and held Rose's hand in his a little tighter.
"We're beginning our descent now Ma'am." Came the pilot's voice out of the overhead compartment five or so minutes later. And a few seconds after that the zeppelin shook and then stilled along with the sound of engines. The two men emerged and opened the hatch just as they were unbuckling themselves.
"Jacks?" Came Pete's anxious voice from the open doorway.
"Oh Pete." She practically launched herself down the stairs and right at the poor man, arms full of toddler.
"Oh I missed you so much, and my boy, how are you my little man, Mummy missed you." She peppered small kisses on his little laughing face before snogging Pete as she took the small boy out of his arms and cradled him to her chest.
Rose and the Doctor wore identical smirks as Pete blushed and released himself from Jackie's clutches to shake the Doctors hand.
"Doctor, Good to see you again." He smiled.
"And you Pete," He grinned. "Glad we're meeting under better circumstances this time round."
"Indeed Doctor." Pete chuckled smiling like a man who had just had the weight of the worlds taken off his shoulders. He could definitely identify with him there. He watched as he took Rose in his arms.
"Good to see you safe love." Pete squeezed her happily and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Missed you too Dad." She smiled as he pulled back to take in the face of the child he thought he might've lost. They began towards the house and Pete slipped back to stand between the Doctor and Rose as Jackie scrambled happily along in front chasing after her small but energetic son.
"Everything went how we planned on this side." Pete spoke quietly, only loud enough for them to hear. He looked across at the Doctor.
"I'm sure Rose will fill you in on that if she hasn't already." The Doctor nodded.
"But for now," Pete smiled, "there's a few people inside that wouldn't take no for an answer when I said you were all coming home."
"Dad, really, now isn't the time..." Rose began.
"I know, I know, that's what I said, but you know what they're like, especially that red-headed menace." Pete patted her on the shoulder apologetically and caught up with the rest of his family. The Doctor eyed Rose warily.
"I should have told you this sooner." Rose apologised. "I couldn't help finding them all, well, actually they all found me." She frowned and looked up at the Doctor as they came into the Tyler's kitchen and there, drinking tea and chatting were Sarah Jane, Jake, Martha and "Donna." He whispered.