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The last thing Jackie Tyler expected to find at her front door in the middle of the night was her daughter holding a barely conscious Time Lord.
"Help me!" Rose cried, nearly falling back under the weight of the Doctor.
Jackie rushed forward and shouldered one of the Doctor's arms so that they carried his weight between the two of them.
"What's wrong with him?" Jackie asked as they dragged the Doctor into the sitting room.
They laid him down on the sofa and Rose kneeled in front of him. Jackie watched as she stroked his hair lovingly and said quietly, "It's okay, Doctor. I'm here. You're gonna be fine."
"What's goin' on?" Jackie demanded, throwing her arms in the air.
Rose looked up at her mother, tears forming in the edges of her eyes as she said, "There's something very, very wrong with him, mum."
Rose placed a hand on the Doctor's limp one and burst into tears.
"Oh come here," Jackie said, bending down to scoop Rose into a hug. She stroked her daughter's hair and said, "Tell me everything."
An few minutes later Jackie was busying herself making tea in the kitchen. She and Rose had put the Doctor in the spare room. Rose had tucked him in, staying with him while Jackie had gone to make the tea.
Rose looked down at the Doctor. He was out cold, and had been for a few hours now. She stroked his cheek and then took his hand in hers, running her thumb over the back of it.
The Doctor seemed to stir slightly and Rose whispered, "Doctor?"
He shivered and then went still again, his breathing steady. Rose sighed and lay her head down beside their intertwined hands. She wished she could just rid the Doctor of the wolf cell. She couldn't stand seeing him like this, so helpless, lying there like he had done right after he regenerated.
There was a sound from beside Rose and she looked up to see Jackie holding out a steaming mug of tea.
"Thanks," Rose said, taking the cuppa.
She sipped at it slowly, her eyes fixed on the Doctor's still form. Her fingers absentmindedly played with the material of his sleeve.
"So what's wrong with him then?" Jackie asked.
Rose set her tea in her lap and said, "It's a long story."
"I'm listening," Jackie replied.
Rose took a deep breath and said, "We went to Scotland, back in the eighteen hundreds, and well, there was this, thing. Sorta a werewolf, and it was being controlled by these monks who wanted to turn Queen Victoria into the wolf thing."
"You met Queen Victoria?" Jackie interrupted, staring wide eyed at Rose.
"You wouldn't believe half the stuff we've done," Rose said, looking affectionately down at the Doctor. Then she continued, "But anyway. The Doctor stopped the wolf from getting the Queen, and I thought that was the end of it. But he was bitten. He got infected and now..." She went silent as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
"But what's that mean?" Jackie asked, looking warily at the Doctor, "What's infected mean?"
"It means that the wolf cell passed into him," Rose answered, eyes still on the Doctor.
"Wolf cell?" Jackie said, "What the hell does that mean?" She looked with fear at the Doctor. "Is he gonna turn into some sort of alien thing with teeth and mucus?"
"There was this boy who was infected," Rose replied, " and he turned into a sort of werewolf."
"So he's gonna become a werewolf?" Jackie said, her eyes wide as she looked at the Doctor.
Rose stroked the Doctor's cheek as she said, "I don't know. He's been exposed to moonlight, but he hasn't changed or anything, not entirely anyway."
"Not entirely?" Jackie said, her voice shrill, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Mum." Rose put a hand on Jackie's arm to calm her as she explained, "There have been a couple of times when he's been a bit.. wolfish. But nothing major or anything. That's not to say that he won't transform if he gets into the moonlight for long enough."
"Should I stock up on garlic or something?" Jackie offered.
Rose laughed a little. "That's vampires, mum. Werewolves are different."
"Oh," Jackie said softly.
Rose fluffed the Doctor's pillow. "The best thing we can do for right now is to let him rest. Hopefully he'll know what to do when he wakes up."
Rose let her fingers trail down the Doctor's cheek. She cupped his face in her hand and then leaned down to kiss his forehead.
"Come on, mum," she said as she stepped out of the room. Jackie followed reluctantly and they both went to the sitting room.
Rose sat down on the sofa. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees as Jackie sat in the chair opposite her. It was then that Rose noticed the Christmas tree.
"Mum," Rose said, pointing to the tree, "You didn't tell me if was Christmas."
"You didn't ask," Jackie replied taking a sip of her tea.
"So is it Christmas Day then? Wait, what year is this?"
"It's the twenty-third. And it's two thousand and seven." Jackie rolled her eyes. "Really. Time machine and all and you don't even know what year it is!"
Rose cracked a small smile and said, "Lots of stuff to do when you've got all of time and space to see."
"And what kind of stuff have you been doing lately, young lady?" Jackie asked, eying Rose.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose said, detecting the accusing tone in Jackie's voice.
"Just curious, that's all," Jackie replied shrugging her shoulders, "I like to know what my daughter gets up to with her handsome spaceman."
Rose blushed and mumbled, "I should go and get some stuff outa the TARDIS."
She set her mug down and quickly walked to the door. Jackie called out after her.
"Are you and him planning on staying through Christmas?"
Rose turned to look at her mother. "I don't know. It all depends on how the Doctor's feeling."
"Well you're welcome to stay," Jackie said, sipping at her tea, "Mickey's coming over for dinner on Christmas Eve. You haven't seen him in a while. Be nice to give him a little surprise."
"That sounds great," Rose said, flashing Jackie a smile before ducking out the door.
She shut the door and sighed. Looks like they would be staying for Christmas again. She ran a hand through her hair and then laughed at herself. Was that a habit she'd picked up from this new Doctor?
She headed out of the building and down the street to where the Doctor had parked the TARDIS. She unlocked the blue box and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.
The TARDIS clunked as she stepped toward the controls and Rose said, "Nice to see you too." Then she laughed again.
Now I'm talking to the TARDIS, Rose thought as she went to retrieve her overnight bag. She swore that the Doctor was rubbing off on her. Not that she minded. She just hoped she wouldn't start talking to herself or start calling everything "Brilliant."
She sighed as she thought about the Doctor and the problem that he, they were currently facing. How were they supposed to get out of this one? They needed that diamond and the telescope. But what if the Doctor had another attack and couldn't get them to where they need to go? What if he was too weak? What would she do then?
Rose shook her head. She'd find a way to help him. She'd swallowed the heart of time in order to save the Doctor. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for him. They'd get though this, just like they always had.
Rose opened the door to Jackie's flat to find Jackie engrossed in her late night soaps.
"I'm gonna take a few things back to my old room," Rose announced as she started down the hallway.
"It's still your room, sweetheart," Jackie told her, "I don't use it."
"Right," Rose replied. She gave Jackie a smile and then disappeared down the hallway.
Rose deposited her bag on her bed and was about to unpack it when she heard a muffled moan from the guest room next door.
She opened the door quickly to revel the Doctor, lying on his stomach, his face engulfed by a pillow.
"Doctor!" Rose said, running over to him.
"Rose?" He looked up at her with unfocused eyes.
"I'm here," Rose said, sitting down on the bed next to his legs.
He rubbed his temples and groaned, "What happened?"
"You passed out again."
"For how long?"
"Couple hours. You landed the TARDIS after you came back from your sort of semi transformation and-"
The Doctor cut her off. "I had another attack?"
Rose nodded.
"Did I hurt you?" the Doctor asked quickly, taking her hand in his.
"Not really," Rose told him, "You sorta, well, you were a bit busy doing other things, and I stopped you from going too far." Her brow furrowed. "Don't you remember any of it?"
The Doctor shook his head. "I remember asking you for help and landing the TARDIS near your mum's flat. But that's it."
"Oh," Rose said, slightly disappointed that the Doctor had no recollection of the slightly, okay, totally erotic teasing he'd given her while he'd had her pinned against the door of the TARIDS.
"Doctor," Rose said softly, "This cell, how do you think it's affecting you? Cos you haven't gone full wolf yet or anything."
"I think it's just toying with me right now," the Doctor replied, "I haven't been exposed to a full moon yet. Those are the wavelengths that would set it off."
Rose nodded and then asked, "But could it trigger other things? Like, I don't know, feral instincts or stuff like that?"
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
Rose bit her lip. "Last time, you had opened the doors of the TARDIS, and you were standing in this pool of moonlight, and I tried to get you to come back to me and you," she coughed, "you sorta had other ideas. Not bad ideas, it was just that, well I've never seen you act like that, and, not that I didn't enjoy it, but I was just wondering-"
The Doctor cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. "What did I do, Rose?" he asked, his eyes locked with hers.
"You were sort... rough," Rose replied, not sure how to tell him about what he had done to her last night.
"How rough?" the Doctor asked, tenderly stroking the back of Rose's thumb.
Rose pulled down her top a little to show him the bite marks on her collar bone. His eyes widened and he said, "I'm so sorry, Rose." He pulled her into a hug. He whispered against her hair, "Oh god. I'm sorry."
Rose melted into his embrace as he said, "It must be this wolf cell. It brings out animalistic instincts and wants."
Rose looked up at him. "So what does that mean?"
"The cell most likely amplifies wants and desires that are already there."
"So you're saying that you wanted to have me shoved up against the TARDIS door frame wearing nothing while you licked every inch of me?" Rose asked.
"I did what?" the Doctor asked, his voice squeaking slightly.
"Let's just say you were putting on quite a show," Rose replied.
The Doctor leaned his head against her shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't think. This wolf cell, it's doing such strange things to me, and you're so good to me." His voice faltered as he said, "I don't deserve you."
Rose pulled back to look at him. She wiped the moisture from his cheeks as she said, "I love you, Doctor. That's why I'm here now, and why I'm never leaving."
He gave her a small smile and then leaned forward to kiss her tenderly. "I love you, Rose Tyler," he said softly.
She smiled and then quickly checked to make sure that Jackie wasn't around before kissing the Doctor for a very long time. She stopped as he began to moan loudly.
"My mum's right outside," she whispered into his neck.
"Oh," he breathed. Then he placed a kiss under Rose's jaw and said, "Why don't we shut the door then."
Rose giggled and said, "You really want to take that chance?"
"It'll be an adventure," he said, his lips against her neck making her shiver.
"Then you better make sure you have your sonic out and ready," Rose said cheekily.
"Was than an innuendo?" the Doctor asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Maybe," Rose replied. Then she kissed him quickly and then headed out of the room with a, "Be right back."
She tiptoed into the sitting room. Jackie was deep in sleep, snoring slightly, her soaps still playing on the flickering telly screen. Rose grinned and then ran back to the guest room.
"Mum's asleep," Rose said as she came back into the room.
"And knowing her, she'll sleep through whatever we get up to in this room," the Doctor said with a wink.
"Shall we test that theory?" Roe said, starting to remove her jacket.
"Oh yes," the Doctor replied.