Sorry for delay; I should probably just accept at this point that I'm not going to update on a daily bases. So...err...yeah. Onwards!
It was several days later before the old alley behind the Powell Estate was graced with the echoing 'vworp' of the TARDIS engines as she materialised in the small, dirty space, causing leaves and small animals to scatter. It had been only two days since the TARDIS had last been there, but it had been quite a bit longer for the man in the box.
After his last visit with Rose, the Doctor didn't know if he could make himself. Every time he even begun to consider it, her face would swirl into view in his mind, a look of anger and fear upon her face.
Despite still not knowing exactly what he had done to cause the anger, it was the fear that was concerning him more. He had never wanted to see her look at that like him. Even as he pointed a gun at her, she held a brave face and stood by the Dalek, not a trace of fear marring her features. To see fear from her from just a simple argument...it was unusual to say the least. Of course they argued before- plenty of times aboard the TARDIS, or even off on some alien planet. Sometimes, they would escalate to well beyond their fight the other day, but it still wouldn't take long for then to make up. They could never stay apart that long; he had needed her and he had always suspected that she needed him, even before she told him she loved him. The Doctor had never felt this far from Rose.
He shook himself from those thoughts. He really was being a bit irrational. Once he got Rose to tell him what was wrong and he helped her fix it, he was sure everything would go back to normal. With this thought in mind, he left the dingy alley behind and made his way up the stairs of the Powell Estate.
Soon after he knocked on the door, it was flung open.
"Hello-oh! Mr. Smith!" Jackie looked at him, shocked, "Please, come in," he followed her in without a word, just a small nod. They made there way to the kitchen, the Doctor noticing Rose was nowhere in sight.
Though not unreasonable, the fact that Rose wasn't there to greet him had just seemed...strange. He had only visited eight times for her lessons yet he had quickly grown used to her being the one opening the door, greeting him with her tongue-in-teeth grin, ready to share some news related to her school work.
"So, I'm assuming Rose still isn't...happy with me?" the Doctor asked, gratefully taking the cup of tea from Jackie. She rolled her eyes as she set about to make another cuppa.
"Of course she isn't! Bloody brooding teenagers...and I still haven't even gotten her to tell me what's wrong!" At the, his eyebrows rose slightly.
"She hasn't even told you?" he asked, slightly concerned.
"No, of course not! When your her age, a girl never runs to her mum, unless you have to. Actually, I thought she would have told you. Did she not?" A touch of concern now entered her voice.
"No...I tried to get her to, but I believe I might be the root of the problem."
"Really? But she seems so fond of you..." Jackie trailed off, a slightly vacant look overcoming her eyes. "I'm starting to get concerned, though. She's barely eaten a thing since this all came up!"
Suddenly, an idea hit the Doctor. He knew how he would get Rose to talk. With a 'be right back' thrown over his shoulders, he quickly ran out from the flat and down the street. Yes, he knew exactly how he was going to fix this.
Ten minutes later, Jackie opened her door once again to the Time Lord, who had a rather large paper bag gripped in his hand and his bow tie askew. She quickly realised from the smell what exactly was contained in the bag, and nearly hit herself for not thinking of it sooner.
"You are brilliant, you are! I could kiss you!" the Doctor quickly scurried past her, avoiding any contact with her lips. If there was anything he hated more than a Jackie Tyler slap, it was a Jackie Tyler kiss. Shuddering slightly at the memory, he silently slipped down the hallway before preparing himself to knock on Rose's door.
"Leave me alone, mum!" Rose's voiced called out sharply from within the room.
"Sorry, but I've never actually been a mother. Don't really have any intentions on being one, either," he replied, leaning closer towards the door. Silence was the only response that he got, but it was enough to convince him he wasn't going to get any farther if he didn't just walk in.
Pushing open the door, he peered in. He first noted that Rose's room was in complete disarray, but then he noticed Rose herself. She sat on the bed, her legs tucked up to her chest as she faced away from him. Her hair was a complete mess, done up in a hasty bun and he had a feeling she hadn't changed her clothes in the past couple days.
"Rose? I've bought you some chips," he said softly, carefully stepping over the debris littering the floor as he made his way towards her bed.
"Don't want any," she mumbled, pulling herself farther away from him.
"Now, I know that's a lie," the Doctor said with a slight sigh, sitting on the opposite side of the bed as her. "Your mum told me you haven't been eating much. Now, I know there's nothing better at getting Rose Tyler to eat than a big 'ol bag of chips, eh?" she glanced back at him confusingly.
"How did you know that?" she asked, a slightly accusing tone in her voice.
"Trust me, I'm very intuitive," the Doctor replied with a wink. Rose snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Right, I'm sure there's no one more intuitive than you, John," she said with a smile.
"What that a smile?" he asked, giving her his own smile in return.
"No," she mumbled, looking away quickly.
"You smiled and you can't deny that!" as she began to turn away from him, his own grin slipped a bit. After a few moments in silence, he offered the bag to her.
"Chip?"
Because chips solve everyone's problems.
So, sorta shorter than I intended but it felt like a good stopping point. I'm really just sorts wanting to get this out, since it's been awhile since I've post a chapter. Well, anyway, R&R!
Til next time,
Silver
