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Chapter 4 - Tea with a Tyler
They lay there for a while just enjoying being together. The Doctor held Rose in his arms as she laid across his bare chest. He ran his fingers down her bare back with a feather-light touch.
"I can't remember ever feeling this safe in my life." she whispered to him.
He laid there a while longer with her, then he noticed she had drifted off to sleep. He remembered what Pete wanted him to talk to her about. He would have to do that tonight.
He slipped out of bed and redressed. He leaned over and put his hand on Rose's head. He used telepathy to sent her restful thoughts and love. She smiled and slept on.
He closed the bedroom door quietly behind him as he walked barefoot, practically dancing down the hallway. Just in time to hear the knock at the door. He opened the door to revel Rose's mum, Jackie Tyler, loaded down with grocery bags.
"Well, hello there Jackie! How are you today? Oh, let me help you with those!" he exclaimed. Maybe a bit too enthusiastically because she gave him a funny look.
Jackie handed him most of the bags she was carrying. His hand suddenly reminded him of punching a wall in the shower last night. "Awe!" he exclaimed. When Jackie turned around see what had made him say that, he said, "Pinched my finger in the handles. Nevermind me."
"You certainly are chipper this morning." Jackie came into the kitchen and started some water going in the kettle.
"I figure you two aren't ever at 'ome. Probably didn't have a crumb of food in the 'ouse!" Jackie fussed as she started unloading the bags he had sat on the counter.
He wasn't surprised at all to see her, but he was surprised to see she had brought some food. He wasn't used to having a mother thinking about those little things that make life run a bit smoother. Even if it was Jackie Tyler.
"How is Rose?" she asked him.
"She's just wonderful." he said dreamily, "She's sleeping."
"Ah, makes sense." Jackie told him as they unpacked the shopping on the cabinets. "I'm sure she's on some good pain medication. Oh, what the 'ell is this?"
She looked down and spotted the broken tea glass that the Doctor had tossed across the room. "Fighting already?" she accused him.
"No! Really!" he said with his voice higher. "Rose came in and scared me. I accidently threw it across the room."
He rushed over to pick it up and put it in the trash.
Jackie gave him a hard look. He wondered if she was about to smack him. "She must have gotten you good, then."
They both returned to unpacking the shopping.
A huge smile came across his face when he saw them. "Bananas!" He smiled like a loon as he held them up to show Jackie.
Jackie said, "Yeah, I remember Rose saying that was your favorite, but I didn't know what else you liked. So, I just got Rose's favorites and some other things. What sort of things do you like, Doctor? You eat normal things don't cha?"
Typical Jackie Tyler. But, he would expect nothing less from her. "Well, I've not really made any determinations yet as to favorites with this mouth. I haven't gotten used to it honestly. Although I have noticed I like coffee more than I ever have."
Jackie noticed that he only using one hand to pull things out of the bags. "You alright?" she asked him.
The Doctor looked up at her, "Yeah. Why?"
"You're only using that one hand. Let me see that other one."
"Oh, phhh. It's fine, Jackie. Don't worry about me." The Doctor said.
But, it was no use with that look she shot him. He handed over his sore hand.
"It's bleeding black and blue. What the 'ell have you done to yourself?" Jackie demanded.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" he tried again to deflect her attention off of him.
"She put her hand on her hip. You going to tell me, or do you need a slap? Now, you didn't do something stupid, did you?" Jackie demanded.
He put both hands on the counter and looked down at the floor. "I punched the wall in the shower that night at the hospital. I was angry and wasn't thinking. It's really alright. It's just bruised up. I'd know if it was broken. I've already shown it to Rose."
"I ought to slap you. You could have broken it you plum, and you might have. Get it looked at! And be more careful from now on!" Jackie insisted.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. Well, having someone look after him meant fussing over him, too.
Domestics.
"Yes, ma'am." he said quietly.
And as he continued pulling things out of the bags, he pulled out two DVDs. Jackie saw them and said, "Tony sent over some movies he said would make Rose feel better. We just told him that she was sick." she explained.
The Doctor looked at them. "The Lion King and Meet the Robinsons! She loves these two! Thank him from her."
"So, she's alright? I was worried she might overdo it since she's at home now."
"I'm careful to ensure she does just enough." replied the Doctor.
He was smiling thinking about their very recent shag.
"She's going to be alright, Jackie. She's really amazing."
Jackie looked at him.
"God, you have it bad. I'm going to get a cavity standing here talking to you with you talking such sweet things."
The Doctor laughed at her. "Tea?"
"Of course, thank you! I'd love to 'ave tea with the man who saved my daughter's life." she said.
"Oh, like that was the first time." he tried to brush it off. He was rewarded by his remark with a hard slap across the shoulder.
"You better be kidding mister!" she demanded.
He turned around and smiled at her. "Of course I am!" he lied through his teeth.
"Who are all of those men outside? Looks like the president must be visiting 'ere or something."
The Doctor considered and said, "Pete left some security here this morning."
"That's probably for the best." she agreed.
The Doctor couldn't believe it. Him, having tea, with Jackie Tyler. Rose would be proud, or worried that he had came down with fever.
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Rose woke up to the most wonderful smell. She started to wonder what it could be when the Doctor came into the bedroom with a tray.
"You're sleeping your life away, Rose! You need to eat something to keep your strength up!" he cheerfully told her as he sat the tray on the nightstand.
He sat down on the side of the bed.
"How are you feeling?" he asked her through a smile as he brushed her hair out of her face.
An overly cheerful Doctor had just woke her from an amazing dream. But, he had brought her some food.
Food?
"What is that?" she asked suspiciously, pointing at the tray.
The Doctor looked surprised. "Chicken soup."
"You cooked? You know 'ow to cook?" she couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. "All those years we were together, I never remember you cooking anything."
He gave her a look like she had just dribbled on her shirt. "Rose, I'm over 900 years old. Of course, I know how to cook! Besides, it's hard to prepare a meal when you are running for your life and saving the universe."
He stood up and sat the tray down in Rose's lap gently.
"Your Mum said your favorite sandwich was a grilled cheese. I hope you like this one."
Maybe she was still dreaming. "You talked to Mum? When?"
She was still not able to keep the shock of what he was saying out of her voice. He walked over to the other side of the bed and laid down at the foot to face her, propping his head on his hand.
"Two hours and seventeen minutes ago. She came over. We had tea." he smiled and made that happy noise in his throat.
Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. She started to laugh. "I must be still sleeping. Or I've been pushed into the Twilight Zone. You cooking? Having tea with Mum?"
She took a bite of the sandwich.
"Oh god. This is gorgeous!" she moaned with a mouthful.
He smiled like a loon. "Not bad, huh? Not bad at all."
He lay on the bed and chatted with Rose about things while she ate. After she had finished, he picked up the tray and sat it next to her on the bed. He returned to the spot on the bed.
"You're wearing my t-shirt." he realized quietly.
"I hope you don't mind. I got cold, and it was over here in the floor for some reason." she told him. He just smiled that 1,000 watt smile at her.
"It smells like you." she told him, smiling with her tongue in her teeth.
She kept watching him smile like a loon and making that happy sound in his throat.
"Shut up." she told him quietly as she smiled back.
He looked down at the blanket, running his hand across it. She noticed that he had bandaged it up. "How do you feel. About living here. In this house?"
What was he getting at?
"It's alright, I suppose. It's not home, but it's closer to it now that you are here." she told him. He smiled and looked at her.
"Pete came by this morning." he said, suddenly rather serious.
She looked at him curiously. "What did Dad want?"
The Doctor couldn't look directly at her. His eyes looked up and all over the bedroom as he spoke.
"He left some security guards here. They've been outside all day. "
He took a deep breath and decided it would probably be best to just get it all out.
"He feels that this entire thing will only continue unless we take steps to ensure your safety. The security outside for starters. He also wants me to talk to you...about moving into a more secure location. Like a flat in town that has security, doormen, that sort of thing."
Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What in the hell?" she started quietly, then shouted. "This is my house! They've never came here before! That's just crazy to think they would!"
"Rose, it would be crazy to think they wouldn't. Think about it. We were on a playground. No one could have known we would have been there. We didn't even know. They would have had followed us. Waiting for a time they could strike!" He replied as calmly as he could.
Rose considered a moment. "I hate to admit it, but you are probably right. How do you feel about moving to secure flat?" she asked him.
He took her hand. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are."
He smiled at his own admission.
Rose smiled back at him.
"I love you, Rose Tyler. As I see it, we're in this together."
She blushed and smiled at him. "When was he talking about us moving?" she inquired quietly.
The Doctor rolled back and put his head on his hand again. "The sooner the better." He told her, matter of factly. "He also wanted me and you to go on an extended holiday. Just get away from everything here. Give you some time to recover, at least as much as anyone will know. Anywhere you want to go. The movers can handle everything while we are away."
She considered for a moment. Moving to a flat. Traveling again with her Doctor.
"God, I miss the TARDIS." she admitted.
"Not any worse than I do, I assure you. If I had my TARDIS, we would have already been gone from this mess. We'd go someplace safe. Away from these tabloids and public figure life. Back to just us. The old team. Shiver and Shake!" he exclaimed loudly as he tossed his injured hand into the air.
This caused her to laugh. She raised up and lay her hand on the side of his face. He leaned into her touch.
"Traveling without the TARDIS. Where would we even go?"
He looked her in the eyes. "I have no idea. But as long as we're together, I'm sure it will be...fantastic."
And with that, she gave him a proper snog.
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