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Chapter 63 - The Martian

The Doctor and Rose held hands as they rejoined everyone in the sitting room. Genie and Zeus ran over to Tony. Then, the lot of them ran back down the hall. No doubt to kick the footballs at the window in the master bedroom.

The Doctor leaned his head back and yelled, "Hey! You two need to eat something for breakfast! Ten minutes with that, then get in here!"

Jack laughed. "Now, that sounds like a Daddy there."

Rose sipped her tea and laughed.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "They never stop. What's for breakfast?"

Jack picked up a plate of eggs, bacon, tomatoes and toast. "Here you are. Dear." He teased.

Rose sat down next to the Doctor and giggled. She could feel his playful annoyance as he drank his coffee and laughed under his breath. She rubbed his back as Jack put a plate of the same in front of her.

Jackie walked into the kitchen and greeted everyone with an annoyed look. "This is like a college fraternity up here."

Jake, Poltoius and now Sam and Lewis were standing in the sitting room kicking the football to one another.

Jack said, "So, football is on today for 4:00."

Jackie sat down at the bar next to Rose, and Jack handed her up a plate for breakfast. "Here you go, my dear." he said as he smiled.

The Doctor fussed at him. "Stop it!"

Jack held his hands out. "I'm just being nice! Geez!"

The Doctor thought, "Blimey, it's only 9:27. We still have a lot of time before this football game. What are you doing today?" He asked Rose.

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I haven't even given it much thought."

He turned back and started drinking his coffee. A look of disgust on his face.

Jack noticed and smiled. "Oh, here it comes! The Sunday complaint, in 3...2...1..."

The Doctor began. "Oh, I just hate Sundays. They are so boring. I never land on Sundays, or Tuesday afternoons. They are just boring. There's never anything to do. Nothing good happens then. In all of time in space, nothing ever good happened then."

Jackie looked at him. "Pearl Harbour was attacked on a Sunday morning."

He shook his head. "See! That's my point! Not a good thing! I don't want to go see that! Never been. Ugh. Sundays are boring. Ugh! This is only my fifth, no sixth Sunday I've had to live through in years. Ugh. Life on the slow path. Sundays!"

Rose was laughing quietly into her tea. "Oh, good grief. Out of everything to complain about! You are ridiculous."

"Maybe so, but I'm bored. Ugh. Sundays." he complained.

Jackie smiled at him. "You are so strange. I'm going to spend some time with the children today. I'm going to take Tony and Genie and let them swim and play. Would that be alright?"

Rose smiled, "Really? Not go to the hospital with Dad?"

Jackie shook her head. "He's just sleeping. He wants me to spend time with Tony. I agree I should. He's not even asked where Pete is. It's got me worried a bit. I'd be happy to take Genie, too. You two need to have some time to yourselves. Newlyweds, but with a child. That's got to be hard."

The Doctor looked surprised. "Wow! Thank you, Jackie! Hmm... that changes my plans a bit today then."

Jack laughed, "Oh, I bet it does!"

Rose blushed.

The Doctor looked up at him. "What are you doing?"

Jack explained, "Jake is going to take me over to Torchwood. He wants me to look over some stuff to see if can help. Get me all caught up."

Jake bounced the football off his head. "Yes, Director Sinatra. That paperwork I gave to you several weeks ago. Do you still have it all?"

The Doctor turned and looked at him, "Yeah, it's in my top, right hand drawer in my office. I have a timeline of events too, but...well...never mind that won't be helpful to you at all."

Rose looked at him, "Why won't it be?"

"You saw me make it. I wrote it all in Gallifreyan. I didn't want anyone to be able to read it but me at the time."

Jackie looked at him, "What is that?"

The Doctor went back to eating his breakfast. Rose looked at her mum. "It's the language of where he's from. It looks like circles and lines. See, here it is on our wedding bands."

Jackie looked at it. "Oh, that looks very pretty."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Pretty."

Jack was laughing under his breath at him. "The mum-in-law with the son-in-law. I love this! Tell me Jackie, ma'am. Where do you think the good Doctor is from?"

Jackie looked at Jack. "He's from outer space. I know that."

Jack smiled, "As opposed to inner space, right?"

Jackie pointed at him. "Do you need a slap, mister?"

The Doctor looked at Jack and laughed. "Oh, I think he might, Jackie. Get 'em!"

She rounded on the Doctor. "Oh, you just hush or I'll give you a smack!"

Jack was smiling, "No, really. Where do you think he's from? I'm curious."

Jackie drank her tea and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Rose told me, but I don't remember. Mars, I suppose."

"Mars!?" The Doctor exclaimed as he dropped his fork and knife. "Why would you think that?"

Jack couldn't help himself. "You let your daughter marry a Martian? Don't you know they plan to take over the entire universe?"

The Doctor pointed at him. "Idiot. You're not helping! Hell. Nothing even lives on Mars! What the hell? Mars?! Out of all places? No, Jackie. I'm not from there. Wow!"

Jack laughed, "A little green man from Mars as a son-in-law. Brilliant."

The Doctor pointed at him. "You know as well as I do that nothing leaves there! Earth is the only planet in this system with intelligent life during this time!"

Jack looked at Rose. "Well, maybe a little blue man from Mars. Didn't I hear that your people could turn blue?"

Rose looked surprised at him. "Really?"

He rubbed his face. "Romana turned blue once when she regenerated. Wait, Jack. How do you know that?"

Jack laughed. "You told me about it. You were drinking."

Rose asked him, "Blue? Really?"

He nodded. "Regeneration is a lottery. You never know what you will end up with. I've been lucky."

Jack teased him, "Blue man from Mars. Ha! Don't worry, Doc'. Rose would still love you."

He stood up and ran his hands through his hair and walked down the hall. "Rose, I'm going to go kick something for a bit."

Rose couldn't help it and started laughing. "Oh, that was brilliant! Jack, he's going to kill you."

Jack drank his coffee. "Oh, I've missed this. He's so much fun!"

Jackie laughed. "He's so dramatic about everything."

Rose continued to eat her breakfast.

Jack asked her, "Your speech is tomorrow. Are you prepared for it? I'm looking forward to hearing it."

Rose smiled, "I think I am. I really plan on just reading my paper, and taking a few questions. That's probably all they want."

Jack nodded. "Have you talked to the Doctor about some of the questions they might ask?"

Rose shook her head. "Oh, no. I don't want to talk to him about that. You know how he is. I wonder if I even want to talk to you about it."

Jackie asked, "Why?"

Rose considered but then Jack filled in for her. "I'm from the 51 century. Originally. I've traveled in time for a while, and ended up falling through the Void here yesterday."

Jackie asked, "So, you are from the same dimension we are?"

Jack nodded his head, "Yep!"

Jackie asked, "But, you sound American."

Jack leaned on the counter. "I am American. I'm from a Earth colony. I grew up on the Boeshane Peninsula. Mostly sand and beaches. I was the first one from there to sign up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. They called me the 'Face of Boe'. "

Rose sat her tea down and looked shocked.

Jackie said, "Face of Boe? That just sounds crazy."

Jack laughed. "I know, right?"

The Doctor ran back down the hall. "Yeah, what's wrong, Rose?"

Rose looked at Jack. "Tell him what you just told us."

Jack looked surprised. "About what? Being from the Boeshane Peninsula?"

Rose shook her head, "No. What they called you."

He smiled, "Oh! The Face of Boe."

Rose looked at the Doctor who immediately ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, we'll talk about that later. Anyway! Rose! I have a splendid idea! Since Jackie has the children, and we have time, I'm going to take you someplace! I have to do something to your watch and deal with some damn paperwork, but I'll do that tonight. I'm planning to go sit with Pete after the game. Would that be alright?"

Jackie shook her head. "Just go after everyone else goes to sleep. I'm planning on going while you nutters play in all of that mud."

The Doctor smiled. "That's a great idea, Jackie! I'll just do that. That way you can come back here and sleep."

Rose said. "You need to sleep, too."

He waved his hand, "Oh, don't worry about me! I'll be back before you wake up, Rose."

Rose nodded, "What are you doing to my watch?"

"Ah, something Jack made me think of yesterday. Jack. I'm sure you will be very useful at Torchwood here. Job is yours if you want."

Jack smiled, "That's all I do! Work for Torchwood! I'd be happy to join the team, Director Sinatra! Jake, I love that!"

Jake laughs, "Fits him, doesn't it?"

The Doctor shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's not going away anytime soon."

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