To the Past from the Future
by Lumendea
Chapter Ten: From a Future Point of View V
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who and gain nothing from the creation of this story
….
The TARDIS was just as she remembered it with all the good and bad that included as Jackie Tyler stumbled into it. The shock that was threatening to overwhelm her had parted just enough for her to focus on the idea of grandchildren and grab hold of that like a life preserver. Even if a small part of her rebellious mind was trying to remind her that those grandchildren were half alien, half of the Doctor and wasn't that just terrifying. Rose could get into enough trouble on her own without mixing her genes with the universe's biggest trouble maker. Well the biggest troublemaker in at least a couple of universes.
Jackie Tyler looked around the TARDIS control room carefully as both versions of her daughters stepped into the TARDIS behind her. The younger Rose ran her fingers over the rail and supports of the TARDIS carefully, still taking in deep breaths. Part of Jackie wondered if she needed to turn around and check on her daughter, but then she'd have to give up her little mission that was keeping her from turning into a burbling mess.
The older Rose was watching her younger self with a soft understanding smile, remembering the shock and relief of this meeting. She knew how difficult it had been trying to hold onto the memory of the TARDIS as her human memory began to fail. She remember cursing her lack of artistic ability and wishing that she had the skill to paint herself a picture or at least draw one. Mickey and Pete had been able to at least give her pictures from security feeds of the Doctor, but everything else had begun to fade away. It was a sad memory, but was past now.
Her younger self looked over her with watery eyes. She was pale and looked ready to fall over in shock. Offering her a smile, the older Rose nodded towards their mother. She raised a hand and began counting down with her fingers dropping one with each mouthed count. When she reached zero Jackie Tyler spun and looked at them.
"Well!? Where are my grandchildren!?" Jackie demanded in an almost hysterical voice.
Smiling at her mother, the older rose winked at her younger self who had covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Taking her mother's hand, Rose lead Jackie deeper into the TARDIS towards the kids' room. Her mother made small distressed noises, clearly at odd with being taken deeper into the strange box. She tightened her grip on the older Rose's hand and the older Rose sighed at the contact with her mother. Despite her mother's flaws, their occasional bouts and her happiness with the life she'd built in the TARDIS she had missed her mother.
The younger Rose watched them go as she tried to calm herself down. Turning back to the door Rose bit back a giggle as her father carefully entered the TARDIS and looked around it with interest. He examined the controls, walking around the console slowly before looking up at his daughter who was watching.
Giving his daughter a small smile Pete straightened up and asked, "How are you doing?"
"Honestly, I have no clue. This whole thing is so weird," Rose replied, leaning against the railing. "I'd think it was a dream but it too weird for that."
Pete nodded in understanding, walking over to take her hand gently in his own. For a moment neither of them said anything. They just focused on the contact and the bond they'd built. It hadn't been the easiest thing for him to suddenly become a father of an adult girl even at the benefit of getting Jackie back, but he'd risen to the occasion.
"You're going with them right?" Pete asked gently, studying her face.
"Yeah I mean I've got to otherwise it becomes a paradox." Seeing the look on her dad's face Rose also added, "And I want to, I want to see the Doctor or at least my Doctor, the one who hasn't had kids with me yet." Rose blushed now, feeling a very awkward topic and stumbled forward with her thoughts, "Oh God what if I have to tell him when I get back?" Pete chuckled making his daughter slap his arm gently. "It's not funny Dad." Pete smiled at her, pulling her up.
"Yes it is," Pete informed her with a smile before he offered Rose his arm, "but how about I go meet my grandkids."
…
Jackie Tyler had been torn the moment she reached the kids' playroom, a central room that connected all their bedrooms together. Each door had a small hanging decoration with their shortened 'human' names on them. There were a few odd looking toys scattered in the playroom over a table that was secured to the floor and a few things that looked like they belonged in a laboratory and not in a child's room. Looking frantically around at the five doors with names on them as kids poked their heads out of the rooms, Jackie had to struggle to keep breathing. The gravity of the situation and what it meant was settling on her. She wouldn't be around to help Rose through her pregnancies, wouldn't ever touch a baby bump and would miss so much when it came to these children. The idea made her tear up and Jacki hiccupped softly even as she tried to decide on a door. Then Sammy came into the main room first, pulling his teddy bear behind him. Jackie ahhed and dropped to her knees as he walked up to her.
"Are you my grandmother?" Sammy asked her with big soft eyes.
Jackie nodded gently, holding herself back from crushing the kid in a hug. Her hands were shaking even as she clenched them tightly, not wanting to frighten the boy by hugging him.
"Yes I am," Jack managed to say. "What's your name?"
Sammy gave her a big smile and hugged his bear in front of him, blinking his brown eyes at Jackie. For a moment she remembered Rose as a little toddler. She'd been a right disaster, stumbling into almost everything and using her big brown eyes to get her way. But she could see the Doctor in those eyes too, they were sharply intelligent and she had the feeling that the boy was taking measure of her.
"My name is Samatmaha," he informed her calmly, making Jackie blink. "It's my Gallifreyan name but most people call me Sammy, Mummy says that on Earth my name is Sam Tyler so I don't attract too much attention." He held up four fingers and added, "I'm four Earth years old, Mummy says that's how she wants to track our age even through Daddy says I'm only two and a half in Gallifreyan years. Uncle Jack says I'm ten in Phitien years but Aunt Martha says I should go with Earth years so she knows when my birthday is. I like birthdays so I use Earth years my default measurement."
Unable to contain herself anymore Jackie pulled Sammy into a hug which the little boy happily accepted. Sitting back on the floor, Jackie kept him in her lap wrapped in a loose hug as the others came over. Alex and Abby smiled at Jackie who gave them a little smile embarrassed about her first encounter with them.
Alex grinned and rocked on his feet, rather like his dad as he said, "I'm Alexandershanete or Alex, Abby and I are twins but I'm the oldest."
"By two and a half minutes." Abby remarked sharply to her brother though with a teasing smile. Her eyes were locked on her grandmother.
"Alex, Abby," The older Rose warned them carefully making Jackie smile.
"Are you two a handful for your mummy?" Jackie asked in a teasing tone, already sure of the answer and the twins eagerly nodded with matching grins.
Jackie smiled and shifted Sammy to her right knee as she rocked the boy slowly. "So Abby what's your Galli... your full name?" She asked, wanting to know everything and figuring that was the best place to get started.
"I'm Abigailexiratha or Abigail or Abby. All our names are partially based on Earth names so they can be shorted to Earth like names," her granddaughter explained patiently with a small shrug. "We visit Earth a lot, Daddy likes to keep a close eye on Torchwood and UNIT. Says humans can create disasters if they are left alone too long."
"Just like us." Alex remarked with a smile, "Wanna see the fission reactor we're building Grandmum."
"Not right now," the older Rose told her children fondly before looking down at Jackie. "We also visit Earth a lot for the sake of holidays and showing them their heritage."
She didn't say that they couldn't show them the Doctor's home planet. Even Jackie knew about that by this point and nodded her understanding. Then she turned back to the twin and started asking all the questions she could think of about their favorite things, eyes widening with every answer she received.
….
Pete and Rose shifted through the TARDIS carefully looking around for the others, "Are we lost Rose?" Pete asked and Rose shook her head.
"Not yet but the TARDIS seems to be leading us in another direction," Rose answered with a small shrug.
"That's my fault sorry." They turned to see the Doctor behind them, holding an infant in his arms. "Thought you might like to see the baby before Jackie get a hold of her," the Doctor told Pete with a small smile.
Pete smiled and stepped forward to take the infant girl the Doctor offered him. Rose blinked in surprise as she watched the Doctor place the girl in her dad's arms, it was unbelievably domestic. Catching her eye, the future Doctor smiled and stepped back to let her look down at her future daughter.
"What's her name?" Rose asked without taking her eyes off the child.
"Dianarevertalana." The Doctor answered with a proud smile on his face as Pete and Rose looked up at him. "All the kids have Gallifreyan names based on Earth ones so Dianarevertalana also goes by Diana."
"That makes more sense." Rose commented as the little brown eyed girl reached for her hair. "She has your eyes."
The future Doctor smiled fondly at the scene before him. He nodded in agreement with Rose's statement.
"Sam and James have your eyes," the Doctor told her warmly. "The twins ended up with blue eyes form my previous form. That was a bit of a shocker. Normally the different form DNAs are kept completely separate, but I suppose it is still in the recessive mix." He shook his head. "Oh well, they are all healthy little Time Lords and Ladies."
Pete smiled down at his grandchild and said, "I'm just sorry we won't be able to see them all as infants."
"Yeah sorry about that but there was no other way then to wait for the twins and James to be able to help me fly the TARDIS here." The Doctor blinked and looked around, "Speaking of James where is he? I could have sworn he followed me, seems to be a bit afraid of Grandmum."