AN: Sorry it's taken me so long on this update, guys! I've been busy and these classes until 9 o' clock have been tiring me out. I figured I should post a couple chapters today since we'll be moving next week, and no guarantee when the internet will be back up D: Without further ado, the Jackie chapter I promised!

Chapter 10- Pride That Keeps You From Telling Him How You Feel

The Doctor was interrupted from his reading by a loud knock on the library door. He looked up to see John standing in the doorframe, looking very pale and haggard. He tried to look into John's mind to see what had him so disorientated, but the metacrisis had put up some strong mental blocks, probably to discourage the Doctor from doing just that.

"Are you alright?" he asked John.

He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Listen, can you do something for me?"

A sinking feeling came over the Doctor. "What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

"I want you to come out to lunch with me, no Rose, just you and me. I feel like it's time we had a heart to heart."

"You mean heart to hearts," he tried to joke, but his laughter came out flat. "I don't know…"

"Please," the metacrisis said. "I promise I won't try to punch you or anything like that. Just the small cafe up the street, eh?"

The Doctor reluctantly agreed. John couldn't really do much worse to him, after making Rose cut all contact to him.

"Thanks." He looked genuine when he said that, so the Doctor offered a smile to him.

"What time?" he asked.

"About an hour, it's called The Lone Wolf," John said and walked out of the library without another word.

…..

The Doctor walked into the small cafe John had mentioned earlier and looked around for the metacrisis. He spotted him at a booth in the corner staring serenely out of the window. Almost as if he had sensed the other's presence, he looked up and waved the Doctor over.

Now or never, he told himself. He at least owed John this much, after all the trouble he had caused to his life. If only they would have never gotten into the Dalek fleet, and if only Donna would have gotten out, he would have never had to thrust his metacrisis into this alternative universe with a woman that still loved the Doctor more than the copy. It wasn't really his fault, he tried to argue in his head. How could he not expect even a small piece of him to fall in love with the beautiful Rose Tyler? What had he been thinking?

I was thinking I would give Rose a gift, he said bitterly. Look how well that turned out.

The Doctor had reached the booth and he sat across from John, studying the man's features. He looked exactly like his Tenth form, as to be expected, but there were some things he did that were exactly Donna. Like the way he fiddled with the napkin holder when he didn't want to talk, the avoiding of the eyes so the Doctor couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

"You are like her in so many ways," he said.

John looked up, surprise in his face. "Are you talking about Donna?"

He nodded. "You may look exactly like my previous regeneration, but sometimes you do something that is so uniquely human, I know that has to come from her."

"Are you sure you just haven't noticed that Rose has changed you into something more human? I have your memories. I've seen the things you've done."

The Doctor pondered what John had said. "Perhaps. I never really thought about it."

A young woman with a waitress apron tied around her waist and a pad of paper in her hand came over. "Are we ready to order?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded, and John said, "Yeah."

The waitress pulled a pen out of one of the pockets in her apron and had it poised to start jotting down their order.

"What's good?" the Doctor asked.

"I usually get the burger and chips, with a Coke," the waitress replied, smacking her gum really loudly.

"Sounds good," the Doctor smiled, and the waitress blushed.

"And for you, sir?" She turned towards John.

"I'll have the same."

She nodded and scribbled, and then walked away from the booth.

"Do you and Rose come here a lot?" he asked the metacrisis.

"You can tell by the name, eh?" John grinned.

"As soon as you told me," he laughed.

The waitress returned with the sodas, and the Doctor got up abruptly. "I'm going to go ask about bendy straws! They make the Coke so fizzy and bubbly!" He sprinted off like a small child on Christmas.

…

Jackie Tyler was sitting in the booth. The Jackie Tyler, Rose's mother. The one that slapped the Doctor across the face the first time he came back with Rose. He rubbed his cheek from the memory and frowned. Time to go. He was about to turn around when Jackie noticed him.

"Oi, Doctor! Come 'ere then!" she called out.

He groaned and walked into the booth. Sliding as far down as he could go, without hitting the floor and placing his straw in the Coke.

"Sit up, Doctor. No reason for ya to be on the floor."

He reluctantly sat up and Jackie proceeded to slap him across the face, hard. He rubbed his stinging cheek, water in his eyes and said, "I see you still got it, Jackie."

John laughed loudly, and the Doctor glared at the traitor.

Jackie looked at him and said, "Now then. We're going to get some answers, Doctor."

…..

The waitress had returned with the food, and their plates were now empty.

"So, how did you know who I was?" the Doctor asked Jackie. "I've regenerated since you saw me!"

"Rose has told me all about this new Doctor and his floppy hair-" the Doctor clutched his new hair protectively- "and how he looks the same, but different. Besides, I'd know you anywhere even with a new face, because you always do things a little odd, and don't blend in with normal people. Even John 'ere, Rose had to teach 'im some human things."

The Doctor turned on John next. "Why would you bring Jackie here? You know how we feel about her!"

Jackie glared at John and he just shrugged. "I promise it's for a good reason, Doctor."

"I'm just here to talk to ya about my little girl, Doctor," Jackie said. "And to tell ya this: Straighten your mind out before ya come around 'er again. She's very confused, and you're not makin' this any better for 'er."

John excused himself to pay for the tab and the Doctor visibly relaxed a bit and stretched across the booth seat.

Jackie leaned closer to the Doctor and spoke quietly, "Truth is, Doctor, Rose still loves ya."

His hearts swelled at that.

"But if you're gonna take 'er again, you gotta make a decision, because my Rose isn't gonna be strung along like that anymore, and I'll make sure of that. You're a good man, Doctor. I know that. I've seen it in the way you look at Rose, oh, and don't start to say what way you look at Rose, 'cause I can see that mouth of yours about to cover up those big 'earts. Just promise you'll be more sensitive to John. I don't know if you noticed, but 'e's been a big wreck over this whole thing. Even if you are competin' for the same woman, remember that he's still like ya in a lot of ways. He's might possessive, and so that carries over in his actions towards other men sometimes. You two are like bulls fightin' over Rose. Neither of you wants to let go. But one of you has to. John and Rose useta have problems when you first left. Rose kept screamin' at him that 'e wasn't the Doctor and she didn't want him near 'er. You shoulda seen his face, heartbreakin' the poor thing. He was so patient, though. He never gave up until she trusted 'im. He's very scared of losing what he's worked so hard for. But he loves her, and he wants her to be happy. Even, I think, if that meant losing her to you. Just go easy on him, alright?"

The Doctor nodded, and John came back over to the booth. "Ready to go then?"

He nodded and they waved goodbye to Jackie and left the diner. They were silent for most of the walk until John spoke.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," the Doctor agreed.

"What exactly are your feeling for Rose? I want to know."

The Doctor thought. Oh, he loved her. But it was more than that, really. And how did he out that into words? It would be a disgrace to her. Finally he said, "I just really like her. She's special."

John looked at him carefully for a moment before just nodding and continuing to walk down the street.

AN: Well, things are going to be heating up pretty soon. Lots of sobbing and yes! moments coming up I think. DOCTOR, WHY CAN'T YOU TELL PEOPLE YOUR FEELINGS FOR ROSE? And also, I don't really know if the Doctor can read people's thoughts like if he's gotten close, or they are part of him. I've read it in a few fanfics and decided to put it here. So, please don't hate me!