May 2020
Jackie Tyler was furious. The words 'Impossible, just simply impossible' ran through her head. The door slammed enough to shake her daughter's three story house, not even carrying after hearing glass shatter. Heels clicked on the wood floor as Jackie stormed her way to the back garden. Laughter stopped as the boys all stared at their grandmother storming into the yard. She glared at them then narrowed on her subject of furry sitting at the garden table in front of a pile of paperwork.
"Rose Marion Tyler what is the meaning of this!"
Rose looked up at her mother over the edge of her brown frames. She knew it would come up soon enough. Things never stayed a secret in her life for long. She turned away from her mother and to the white haired Helios sitting next to her. His red eyes relaxed and he gave his 'I got this' look to her before standing up and distracting the children.
Jackie slapped Helios cross the back of his head before sitting down across from her daughter.
"What the 'ell happened Rose?" she whispered.
Rose sighed and pushed back her thick cherry brown hair, wishing she had a tie for it. Glasses were thrown on the paperwork and she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"He was expelled for beating the kids up."
"Oh Rose," Jackie breathed out.
She ran her hand through her hair and stopped to look over at Ian and JJ playing with Helios in the grass. Michael sat on the swing set yelling at his siblings.
"He broke two of the kids arms, all four of their noses and cracked ribs on them all besides the minor bruises and cuts. I had to pay the families so they wouldn't sue."
Jackie drew in a long deep breath and closed her eyes. She had gotten the call from Pete just an hour before that Jack had gotten in trouble at school and that Rose had to borrow a large sum without explanation. Being the push-over father he was he gave in but in that instant Jackie knew something horrible had happened to her oldest grandson and family after the last emergency phone call…
"Why?"
Rose shook her head. "Why else mum? He was being teased where he was. Even in that bloody school for gifted children he was still too smart for them. They apparently ganged up on him quite often. Jack never complained, no but Mickey had recently informed me Jack had been hiding all the cuts and bruises from these kids. He's held back for so long but one can poke the wolf for so long before it bites. And he doesn't know his own strength. He isn't human anymore."
"So where is he?"
"In his room. He refuses to speak with anyone. Not even Helios can get him too talk."
Rage came over Jackie, first with the children who hurt her only eleven year old grandson, their parents for not understanding the boy, then her daughter for reacting so dismissively and lastly for her grandson for not coming to anyone for help. She clenched her first and turned away from her daughter to look at her other grandsons playing.
Mickey had run from the swings to join in playing with his brothers and the tall white-haired, red eyed fire alien who her daughter trusted so much. Mic was a smaller build than his brothers even at ten to their eight and seven, fairer and always more quiet and clingy than the others. Ian and JJ were both handfuls on their own, full of energy and mischief. All four of the boys had varying brown hair with brown eyes; all took their colouring from their father. The only one who looked like a Tyler had been her one and only granddaughter, little Cassandra. Course they never would know how she turned out after disappearing through the Void a year ago. No way back, no way to get her. Rose had eventually attempted to explain to Jackie how the transport device was the very last of its kind and how she had rigged it to seal the Void behind itself. Hoped the device had done its job, it would have taken her directly to the TARDIS' signature. Hoped.
Rose shifted back in her chair and spun the pen.
"So what are you going to do with him?" Jackie asked.
"I'm going to enlist him at Torchwood under my jurisdiction and put him to work. He's smarter than half the people I have working for me and there he will be able to put his full potential to use."
"Rose he needs schooling."
"Mum he doesn't. He knows more than professors at the uni's. I know what is going through his head Mum and it's frustrating to go slow. I just feel is anger and pain and frustration at his inability to fully control himself, I know it's in his mind," she paused and chuckled dryly. "Now I understand why he was never able to sit still for long."
"Rose," she began.
"Mum it's what I've decided for my son. This is a lot for him to deal with without the added pressure of worrying about the other kids beating on him. It's not fair for him and…" she paused and trailed off.
Jackie noticed her daughter's gaze shift to the ring still on her finger, refitted of course for her new body.
"Mum he wouldn't have wanted Jack fighting. He wouldn't have wanted any of the children in that situation. And I can't figure out how teach them the passive way he always took. Even he said it had come to him with time. And me? In this regeneration and in my last I've been more likely to pop someone then talk my way out of it."
Jackie didn't disagree. She knew how her son-in-law had felt about violence, how unmoveable he had been against the thought of it. Not that she blamed him after what she had heard…
"Course Rose," she said.
"So Jack will be starting work next week. He's taking his levels and working on his university degree online at his own pace as well as helping some of the workers with formulas and things."
"Alright."
"You're being very compliant with this considering how you broke my front door."
Jackie blushed and tugged half her mouth down in a lop-sided frown.
"I'll pay for that."
Rose threw back her head and laughed.
"Mum?"
The Tyler women both turned around and spotted the lanky pre-teen and the object of their discussion. Jack stood with his hands in his loose denim trousers and his steel blue eyes staring down at his bare feet. His brown hair was shaved shorter than Jackie had last seen it and the large purple bruise on his cheek was new.
Rose held her hand out and beckoned for him to step forward. Her mind gently brushed his and he didn't snap back like he had earlier. Instead his mind reached for her and grasped it for comfort.
Jackie stood up and drew in her grandson in a tight embrace. It took a moment before she felt his skinny alien arms wrap around her.
"Hi Grandmum," he whispered and tightened his hold.
"You little alien gave me a scare."
"Sorry."
Jackie pulled back and stared into the blue eyes that looked at her. They were darker than normal. They reminded her of another damn skinny alien who looked back with those damn eyes. She tightened her grip on his arms and then slowly ran a hand over his bruise. He flinched but otherwise remained silent.
"Well Jack," Rose stood and wrapped her arms around herself. "What were you planning on doing?"
He sighed and ran a nervous hand over his scalp. "Well I already wrote my apologies to the kids and the families that the school required."
"Good," Rose nodded.
"Mum?"
Rose nodded again.
"I'm not going to school again am I?"
"Nope."
"Is it bad that I'm relieved?"
Jackie laughed and tucked him under her arm.
"You wouldn't be a Tyler if you didn't get into trouble at school young mister. I remember a call I got for your mother after she tugged a girl by her pigtails after a disagreement."
"Really?" Jack perked up.
Rose tightened her lips into a smile. "This is about Jack not me, Mum."
"Oh Rose let the bloody kid off."
"Mistress Rose? Mistress Jackie?"
The trio looked over to Helios who walked over with Ian and JJ held on either side under his arms. They squirmed and moved but couldn't escape their capture. Mic was close behind skipping three steps to Helios' one.
"I'm taking these three in for nourishment. Did you require anything?"
"We are fine Helios, thanks," Rose nodded and dismissed him.
"Oh, well," Jackie paused. "There might be some glass to clean up front."
Helios sighed and didn't even question the elder Tyler woman. It hadn't been the first time and he doubted it would be the last time she broke something in the house.
Rose waited till her other sons were out of ear shot before rounding on her eldest.
"You will not be returning to school no. But you will be reporting to Torchwood and working in the office helping the researchers. Any pay you would have received will go into a fund not accessed until you are twenty and you will complete all your levels online and if you so choose you can get a university degree, do it on your own time. Am I clear?"
Jack nodded. "Yes Ma'am."
"Good, now go help Helios. I'll be in in a moment."
A sigh of relief sounded in Rose's mind as Jack let the tension fade. His recent icy blue lines loosened and warmed to his usual yellow orange.
"God he is like his da isn't he?"
Rose tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, he is."