What'd I Miss?
Rose changed her clothes quickly, opting for a pair of jeans, a band shirt, and her combat boots and leather jacket. After that, she sent them from the time vortex to a block away from her childhood home. The Doctor met her at the door with Ross on his heels, and she took in a deep breath before exiting the TARDIS.
"This is going to be awful," she muttered as she began to walk. She could feel the Doctor's strong agreement and ignored it, taking the stairs two at a time. She considered knocking on the door instead of using her key, but after taking a second to imagine trying to explain the situation in the hall, she put her key in the door and opened it, looking around. The door to Jackie's room was closed and the light was on, and she shooed the Doctor and Ross into the living room. A short knock on Jackie's door and she followed them to the living room, sitting on the couch in front of the Doctor, preparing to be yelled at.
"Hello? Rose, is that you?" Jackie called as she opened the door. Rose turned on the light in the living room, and Jackie made her way over, stopping at the sight of them. "Who the hell are you? Get out of my flat before I phone the police!"
"Mum, it's me," Rose assured her, putting her hands up. "I promise, it's me. Remember? I told you I'd changed, I'm… alien now."
"You're not my Rose," Jackie snapped, reaching for the phone. "Rose is off with the Doctor!"
"I am," she nodded quickly, putting her hand on the phone. "He's right next to me. We got into some trouble and we changed, mum."
"Changed? The hell does that mean, changed?" the woman yelled.
"We were going to die," Rose told her nervously. "Would it help if I proved it?"
"You can't prove it because you're not my daughter!"
Rose glanced at the Doctor before looking back to her mother. "I was gone for a month and when we came back, I told you that I went with the Doctor because it feels like I'm doing something with this second chance. Remember? They don't happen often and I chose to go with the Doctor to make the most of mine. I promised I'd come home and I have. I just look a little different now."
Jackie paused, looking her over again. "Your eyes are all… bright."
"Yeah, you remember that?" Rose asked her, relieved at the recognition in her mother's eyes. "They changed the last time I saw you."
"Rose," Jackie breathed out, rushing over to give her a hug. Rose hugged her back tightly, relieved. "But who the hell is with you?"
"That really is the Doctor," she promised, pointing to the man sitting next to her before nodding at Ross, who sat across from them. "That's our friend, Ross."
"Lovely to meet you," Ross smiled kindly. Jackie narrowed her eyes at him before turning her glare to the Doctor. Before Rose could stop her, Jackie raised her arm and slapped the Doctor hard. Rose let out a pained gasp, her hand going to her own cheek.
"Ow!" she blinked at the Doctor. "That hurts!"
"I've told you!" the Doctor said, offended that Rose hadn't believed him. He turned to Jackie, holding his cheek gently. "What was that for?"
"You're supposed to keep her safe! She said you two died!"
"If I can step in," Ross interrupted, much to Rose's relief. "I'm a Time Lord like the Doctor and Rose. I spent a great deal of time learning the sciences of our world. The risk they took, they took because they knew they'd walk away from it. I promise that she's the same person as before, she just looks different."
Jackie narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't ask you… who are you? You seem familiar…"
Rose blinked in surprise. She remembered thinking the same thing when she'd first met him, but her mother? "You think you know him?"
"Yeah, he reminds me of…" Jackie turned to frown at Rose, though she was certainly unsettled. "Never mind. Tell me what happened."
"I'm not sure that's a good ide-," the Doctor stopped in the middle of his sentence at the glare he received from the woman.
"Mum, do you remember when you helped me get the TARDIS open?" Rose asked gently. Jackie nodded, and she sucked in a deep breath. "I looked into the TARDIS and bonded with it. We went back to save the Doctor. He saved me, actually. He took the power out of me, and if he hadn't, I'd have really, fully died. We both regenerated, though. That's what it's called when our bodies change."
"But you're… okay? I mean you're really not different, right?"
"I mean, we're a little different," she admitted. "Just in little, small ways, but we are. We still have all our memories and everything, though."
"I don't like it, Rose," her mum muttered. Rose stood and wrapped the woman in her arms, feeling a great deal of guilt for putting her through this.
"It'll be okay, mum. I promise."
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