"Come on, is it really so hard for you?" demanded Rose.

The Doctor, looking faintly nauseated, was standing in front of the master bedroom door, carrying a tray of breakfast to present to Rose's mother. However, if things kept up the way they were going now, Rose got the feeling he wouldn't ever actually give it to her.

"Yes," said the Doctor exasperatedly. "Why can't you do this? She's your mother, not mine!" He leaned against the wall, sulking, and Rose gave him a smile she knew was dangerous. "Fine," he added shortly, letting out a long sigh. "As long as I get some sort of compensation later." Rose opened the door for him, bowing him in as sarcastically as she dared.

"Good morning," said the Doctor, trying to smile but ending up grimacing as he approached the bed. Jackie Tyler, sitting up in bed (wearing pink satin pajamas and watching television), eyed him suspiciously, and then sighed as she looked at Rose.

"This was your idea, wasn't it, sweetheart?" She accepted the proffered tray, but her eyes were still on Rose. "Well, thank you, anyway," she added, speaking to no one in particular, and dug in. The Doctor strode out of the room after nodding awkwardly, closely followed by Rose (who gave her mother an apologetic glance) and as they shut the door, Rose rounded on the Doctor.

"I suppose that was worse than dying, then?" she asked, half-amused, half-annoyed. "Really, she's not that bad. It's Mother's Day! Bury the hatchet just this one time, all right? Remember, she saved your life with that thermos of tea, on that Christmas Day!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall and refusing to reply.

"Come on." Rose smiled mischievously. "I know one way to get you to be nice to her for once. For the entire day."

"Yeah?" The Doctor regarded her skeptically. "I don't believe you. There's nothing that can make me tolerate her presence all day." His voice, while disbelieving, also held something of a suggestive challenge, and Rose determined to accept it… though perhaps not in the terms in which he was clearly thinking.

"If you're nice to her all day," grinned Rose, "and if you do everything she wants you to do, no matter what it is… I'll give you…" She trailed off, relishing his obvious suspense for a moment before continuing, "the password to Torchwood's technological storage room."

"Really?" exclaimed the Doctor after a short pause, beaming. "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place? I'll go shopping with her! I'll buy her dinner! I'll lift and carry furniture! When will you give me the password?" he added as an afterthought. "Tonight? Tomorrow? Soon, I hope?"

"Tomorrow morning," laughed Rose. "But remember, only if you're very good."

She had no doubts he would be an angel for the sake of that password; he had been begging for it for months now. And Rose knew no one could possibly be as good as the Doctor… when he wanted to be.

((Some development on the Doctor and Jackie's relationship, or rather, enmity. I imagine she tolerates his presence in her house, but no more than that.))