Sorry this took so long…I've been rather busy and also rather uninspired…but then I got some inspiration and here is another chapter!
Rose grumbled and stretched. The aches of the day before had settled deep into her limbs during the night. With a sigh Rose rolled over and peeked out from under the covers. This was what she did every morning. It was her way of making excuses to sleep more. If she looked and it was still a bit before her alarm would go off she would turn her alarm off entirely, telling herself that she was so sleep deprived that she had woken up just to turn the alarm off. Her mum had always harped about that habit of hers. However, when Rose turned over she didn't see her alarm clock. Instead she saw a dresser that was not hers. She then realized the sheets and blankets on the bed were not the right color either. Even in the TARDIS she had pink sheets, these were dark green. She slowly looked over her shoulder to see if her memories were correct.
She was greeted by a body shaped rumple in the covers that fit the proportions of the Doctor. Rose sighed. It had truly been an uneventful night, as much as her imagination had wished it wasn't. Both she and the Doctor were so tired that they had slipped into the large bed and fallen asleep. They hadn't even argued over who got which side. They always argued over than on overnight stays because they both slept on the right side of the bed. Rose smiled; she must have been extremely tired to take the left side without a fight. Standing she extricated herself from his room, doing her best to be silent. It was awkward enough that she had been forced to sleep there. Him walking out of his bathroom in just a towel would take the awkwardness no a whole new level that she did not wish to investigate.
Once outside of his room she glared at the door that was now next to his. Grumbling things about "bloody machines" she went in and got cleaned up for the day. Half an hour later she reappeared in the main console room to find the Doctor examining a screen. He noticed her when she closed her door.
"I see the TARDIS decided you deserved your clothes this morning." He wasn't facing her but she could hear his sarcastic grin in his tone.
"Yes, rather nice of it I think."
"Well the awareness chip is set back to a minimum. I've had enough surprises for a month or so I think. Right, you ready to see where we are?" He finally turned to face her, grinning like a schoolboy. The subject of sharing a bed, even in a platonic fashion, was masterfully glazed over and they could now resume normal interactions.
"I'm both excited and afraid" she smirked.
"Me too, let's go!" With that the Doctor grabbed his long coat and opened the door, stepping out first as was his habit. He never said why but Rose suspected it was just in case there was anything dangerous out there. When she followed him she was greeted with a fairly ordinary looking street. It was a suburban lane with houses and grass and lawn gnomes.
"It took us to the suburbs. The TARDIS took us too the suburbs?" Rose was a mixture of shocked and perturbed.
"Looks like it."
"No, wait. Out of the entire universe this futuristic time and space machine decided to take us to the boring old suburbs?" As Rose ranted and the Doctor just looked around confused, a middle aged woman came out of one of the nearby houses.
"Hello, how can I help you?" she asked as she walked over to the pair.
"Um…what?" The Doctor just stared at her with one eyebrow raised. He seemed to be in a state of confusion, either that or all his free brain power was being taken up with trying to reason out why the TARDIS took them there.
"Oh you two must be the couple that bought the house down the street. Edward and Nancy Rutherford. I was told you would be arriving next week, but no matter. I'm Edna, the Welcome Wagon representative for this street." She held out her hand and the Doctor took it, partially coming to his senses.
"Um yes…we are…but you can call me the Doctor." He started staring blankly into the sky again.
"What…are you a doctor of some sort?" Poor Edna was obviously confused by the erratic behavior of this new couple. Thankfully Rose came to her senses and saw what was happening just in time to save the Doctor from his lack of social graces. She smoothly stepped in.
"Yes he was the only doctor at a small rural clinic and got so used to everyone just calling him doctor that it seemed to stick." She took the woman's hand. "I'm Rose. It's very nice to meet you."
"But I thought your name was Nancy?"
"Oh yes, well the town was small enough to have just one doctor but apparently could still have two nurses named Nancy so I started going by my middle name of Rose. Just seemed to—"
"stick." The other woman finished Rose's sentence with a confused but honest smile. "Well its time to get you two settled in then! Newlyweds?" Rose looked at Edna, panic stricken for a moment and unsure of how to respond. Thankfully the Doctor stepped in for her.
"Yes. Just last month, splendid honeymoon." He then gave Edna his biggest smile which she returned with ease.
"Well," Edna began, "I'm sorry to say that this street seems to have a bit of a curse when it comes to newly weds." She had the Doctor's full focus now.
"Curse?" he asked expectantly.
"Oh yes, every young couple that moves in here ends up divorced and moved out within six months. It's a sad sort of thing. The more in love they are the faster they seem to leave. My husband Darrel teases me for thinking so, but I'm just sure that somehow this street is cursed to end love." Edna saw the shocked faces of Rose and the Doctor and quickly backpedaled. "Oh, but I'm sure it's not real. I just know you two will be alright."
Edna smiled and led them further down the street to the house with a "sold" sign in the yard. As the walked the Doctor turned and whispered to Rose, "Now we know why the TARDIS brought us here. Up for a bit more adventure?" Rose smiled and him and replied, "I always am."
By this point in time they had reached the house and Edna had let them know that if they needed anything to come and knock on her door. As she smiled and walked away Rose turned to the Doctor.
"So, now what. We've got no keys and no stuff to move in. I'm sure we look just like a new married couple." The excitement of pretending to be married to the Doctor was lost on Rose right now as all she felt was agitation. He just smiled and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. With a pop it opened the front door.
"No need for keys when you've got me around. And as for stuff…well I guess we will just have to move the TARDIS into this house and hope that no one expects to be asked over for dinner." He smiled at her cockily and she just rolled her eyes. "Now, how are we going to solve this mystery?"
"I don't suppose going out onto the street and shouting 'We're in love come find us' is an option?"
"No but we could start snooping around backyards, see what we can find."
"Right, you do that; I'll take the 'domestic approach' and go meet the neighbors." Rose was being sarcastic and jovial but inside she was pissed. The Doctor seemed to know that and gave her a wide berth as she left their new "home". Rose muttered under her breath about shoddy TARDIS equipment and how it had given them work when she had been promised a vacation. The truth was that Rose was actually delighted to be working with the Doctor, nothing made her happier. She was just hoping that some vacation time together might bring about some explanation as to his strange behavior right after she didn't fall through the breach.
Sighing again Rose started down the street knocking on doors. None of them got a reply. Finally she came to a pink house and when she knocked a short, young, Asian woman answered the door. Before Rose could go into her pre-prepared speech about being new to the neighborhood and just wanting to say hello, the woman began to speak.
"You're new." The woman eyed her up and down. "Hm, must be the newlywed couple. Only newlyweds are so in love." Rose stood there confused as the woman continued to look at her for another moment. "I've got to go I'm cooking." And with that the woman shut the door. Rose found four other people home but they were all courteous. Only the woman in the pink house had behaved strangely, so she told the Doctor about it.
He told her that he had picked up strange readings from the backyard of the pink house.
"I think its time we gave our new neighbors a visit." He smiled and started to walk to the door. Minutes later the two of them stood on the porch of the pink house, smiling and knocking. The same woman answered the door.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Oh just to say hello and invite you over for some tea." The Doctor replied quickly. Rose glanced at him, thinking about the house they were supposed to be living in and how it only had the TARDIS inside it.
"I didn't see a moving van, you're already moved in?" The woman was smart.
"Oh we've got a few things, but the van and all our stuff is coming tomorrow. So maybe its best if you don't come over for tea, on second thought." The Doctor had planed this all. The woman smiled and opened the door wider.
"Why don't you two stay for tea here. We've got plenty of room." With a one sided grin and a wink to Rose, the Doctor stepped into the house and started looking around.
"It's really just me here," the woman explained, "and my adopted sister and her husband, and his two brothers. On second thought it's actually quite crowded here." The Doctor smiled and laughed, eyes still taking in the interior of the house. "Here we are, everyone is just sitting down for tea. This is my family" The woman opened the door to the kitchen to reveal a woman and three men sitting at a round table. One of them, dressed in a fine suit, was pouring the tea while the rest talked. As Rose looked from face to face she suddenly stopped.
"What the hell?" a deep American voice sounded. Rose's eyes widened and mouth fell open as Captain Jack Harkness stood up from the table and stared at them. The Doctor stepped forward and uttered one word.
"What?!"
A/N: Buahahah this is what happens when I start watching all the Torchwood episodes…I decided to bring in those characters. Its still going to revolve around the Doctor and Rose, but will have the Torchwood team as minor characters. And, of course, I will Jack/Ianto because who in their right mind doesn't love those two.
