Title: Domestic Battleground

Rating: T – not suitable for younger children, because I have a dirty mind.

Summary: The Doctor promised Jackie he'd take Rose back for special occasions. But a whole week with her family? Will he survive, and more importantly, will Rose?

Notes: Day Two. Shopping and arguments.


Day Two
Trying desperately not to wake up, Rose pressed closer against the warmth. It wasn't morning yet, she sleepily reasoned to herself. And it was nice here…thum-thump-thum-thump…

She opened her eyes quickly. She hadn't…she couldn't have…

She had. Somehow in the night, she and the Doctor had ended up curled around each other. His arm was flung around her waist, her head was on his chest, his face buried in her hair. Her feet were tangled up with his, and they were holding hands.

Now how, she wondered silently, had that happened? And more importantly, how the hell was she going to get out of this bed without waking him up?

Wasn't going to happen, she realised a moment after trying to extricate her legs. He muttered something – she thought it was Gallifreyan – and lifted his head away from hers.

"Morning," she murmured nervously. "Uh, sleep well?"

He looked at her blearily for a moment. "I don't dream very often," he said finally. "Last night your grandpa was rampaging through my subconscious wielding a pitch fork."

Rose grinned and pulled away from him. "He's not that bad," she said. "You promised you'd be good."

"I am being good," he protested. "I'm the one with my virtue being compromised with your cuddling."

Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, yeah? Says the old alien with practically a girl on every planet we visit?"

"I'm not old," he sulked. "And I don't have a girl on every planet, neither." She looked at him, a look she'd perfected over the past months. It was a perfect mix of smug knowledge and supreme patience. He squirmed, and she grinned in triumph and rolled out of the bed.

"I'm going to have a shower," she said, stretching and yawning.

"Don't be too long," the Doctor advised. She glanced at him questioningly, and smiled again at the sight of him lounging in the bed. It was a thoroughly domestic scene. "I don't even want to think about facing that zoo without you," he continued.

"Alright, scaredy-cat," she agreed mildly. "Just remember to make nice to Auntie Bridget; she does a great chocolate brownie."

He sat up. "Really?"

"Chocolate slut," she teased, and closed the bathroom door behind her. She took several deep breaths. How the hell had she ended up curled around him like that? She'd never done it with Jimmy Stones or Mickey – she wasn't a cuddly person. She just wasn't.

But the Doctor was different, she admitted reluctantly to herself as she stripped and stepped under the shower. The Doctor was very different.

She showered quickly, trying to avoid paying much attention to the vibrant orange tiles in the bathroom, and wrapped a towel around herself before realising that she hadn't brought clothes in with her.

"Oh shit," she muttered. "Bloody stupid idiot, Rose. Well done."

"Rose? You alright?"

Rose swore again under her breath. "I forgot to bring clothes through," she admitted. "You…look out the window and close your eyes."

"You what?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "You heard me, you idiot. Do it." After a moment she opened the door and peered around. The Doctor was standing at the window, and Rose kept an eye on him while she grabbed her bag.

"So, what's the plan for today?" he asked conversationally, not turning.

"Ask me after I'm dressed," Rose muttered, slamming the bathroom door. It was probably, she realised, going to be one of those days.

Breakfast was the mixture of chaos and lunacy that made Bridget's family so well remembered. Josh spent most of it with his mobile in his hand, texting his girlfriend. Anna's almost-cold had developed into a fully-blown cold – Rose had no idea how, since it was the middle of July – and Tommy spent the whole meal watching the Doctor load his corn flakes with sugar. Izzy was the only mildly sane one, and that was only because she was half asleep until she'd had a cup of tea.

Once she'd woken up a bit, she asked Rose what she was planning to do today.

"No idea," Rose shrugged. "Depends on if Bella needs me to do anything, or the aunts." The Doctor mumbled something through his corn flakes, and she shot him a glare before looking over at Bridget. "You need me to do anything, Auntie?"

Bridget looked up from buttering a slice of toast. "Oh, you're a dear," she said affectionately. "I don't think there's – actually, hang on." She eyed Anna speculatively. "You and Mandy have to get matching jewellery," she commented. "And Rose needs some to match Izzy, you could help her."

"I could go," Izzy offered.

"No," Bridget ruled. "You've got work."

"It's only house sitting," Tommy said, finally tearing his attention from the Doctor. "S'not a real job."

"It's real money," Izzy snapped. "So you shut up." She accepted her fate, however.

"You…want me to take Anna and Mandy shopping?" Rose said doubtfully. "Together?" Anna and Mandy had a long-running enmity that was famous throughout the family.

"Yes," Bridget nodded. "It'd be an awful help."

Rose managed a smile. "Sure. The Doctor and I can pick up Mandy, then take them into town."

The Doctor looked up suddenly. "The Doctor will not," he said with conviction. "The Doctor has other plans."

Bridget regarded him for a moment. "The alternative," she began, "is taking Tommy shoe shopping. They've got to go out regardless, and if you and Rose take the girls off my hands, I can bake chocolate brownies."

The Doctor wavered. Rose wasn't sure whether it was the brownies that did it, or the threat of looking after Tommy. "I'll go with Rose," he said finally. "D'you put nuts in?"

Bridget winked at Rose. "Walnuts," she nodded. "Izzy, call Julie, tell her Rose'll be round to take Mandy. Should Michelle go too?"

"No," Izzy said quickly, seeing the look on Rose's face. "Michelle has jewellery – besides, she's out with her friends today, don't you remember Auntie Julie saying?"

"Oh yes," Bridget nodded. "Tommy, finish your toast. And Doctor, stop playing with your cereal."

The Doctor blinked several times, and then obeyed. Rose stared.


Rose scowled. They'd only been out half an hour, and Anna and Mandy had already had three arguments. The first had been about which bus to catch, the second about which of them would sit next to the window when on the bus, and the third was currently raging.

"I won't be seen dead in Claire's," Anna said obstinately.

"Well, I won't go into Accessorize," Mandy snapped. "So stuff it."

"Mandy," Rose said warningly. "Anna. You two stop it, or you won't get lunch." She glanced at the Doctor, who was sulking, and sighed. "Look, girls, let's just get this over with, yeah?"

"I won't go in there," Mandy protested, glaring at Rose. "And you can't make me!"

"Oi!" The Doctor turned on his heel to look at the pre-teens. "You do what Rose says, alright? You go into whatever shop she picks."

Anna sneezed, and Rose grimaced. "Into Claire's," she said. "S'closer." She let the girls walk ahead and touched the Doctor's arm. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I know this isn't what you'd like to be doing."

"S'okay," he said, eyes on her cousins. "This is important to you." They stopped outside the shop. "I'll just…go and get an ice cream or something," he said quickly. "I'll…be outside."

Rose smothered a laugh and entered the shop. Perhaps she was just imagining it, but had it all got a lot pinker in here?

Mandy was closely inspecting a row of necklaces. Anna was trying not to look interested in the sale racks. Rose fished the list out of her pocket.

"Hair bands," she murmured, squeezing past two stick-thin teens to reach the rows of hair ties, clips, scrunchies and bands. Bridget had specified the colour – and Rose was hardly likely to forget those dresses. But despite the range of colours, Rose didn't think she could see…

"Rose, can I have this?" Anna appeared beside Rose, holding out a plastic ring.

"Maybe," Rose said distractedly. "Help me find these hair ties?" She looked at the list again. "Matching earrings. You stay here and look, Mandy and I will look at earrings."

It took half an hour for Rose to get the girls to compromise on hair ties, earrings and necklaces. She then told them to pick out something special each while she tried to find accessories for herself. Finally they paid, and it was with relief that Rose ushered them out of the shop and looked around for the Doctor.

"You done?" he demanded, popping up behind her. "Good, I'm bored."

A bored Time Lord was a dangerous thing, and Rose glanced at her watch. "What d'you want to do?" she asked. "Mandy, stay close."

The Doctor gave a crooked smile. "Nothing we can do with Tweedledum and Tweedledee," he said. "I hope you know I'm only doing this for you." He grabbed the back of Anna's T-shirt and pulled her out of the way of a cyclist. "Be careful," he admonished her.

"Sorry," Anna mumbled, sneezing. "Rose, I'm hungry."

"You only had breakfast two hours ago!" Rose exclaimed. "We'll have lunch in an hour or so, alright? Let's just…" She looked around for some idea of how to keep the girls busy. She spotted her salvation down the road. "Look over there," she nodded. "On the park."

Mandy and Anna exclaimed identical looks of glee. "Funfair!"

"Can we go?"

"Will you come on the rides with us?"

"Can I go on the dodgems with the Doctor?"

The Doctor complained as they walked down the road, the noise from the funfair increasing as they got closer. "I ask you, what happened to the days when a fair only opened in the evenings? And did I sign up for any of this family business? No. In fact, I specifically recall saying that I don't do domestic, and that I wouldn't let you domesticate me. Why d'you think I wouldn't hang around for tea with your mum last year?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "I know. I know. I do appreciate it." She raised her voice slightly. "Mandy! Anna!" The two paused at the park entrance. "Here's five quid," Rose began, holding up two notes. "You go on rides together or not at all. Me and the Doctor'll be…at this bench here. You check in after every two rides. Got it?" The girls nodded, and Rose handed over the cash. "Be careful," she ordered.

Anna and Mandy disappeared into the crowd, already arguing over with ride to go on first. Rose turned to the Doctor and frowned at his expression of awe.

"What?" she questioned.

"You were fantastic," he marvelled. "You're a regular mum, you are." He took her hand and they made their way over to the bench. "Look, I don't like this stuff, and we both know it."

"But?"

"But…you asked me to come."

They looked at each other. A whole conversation seemed to pass between them. He squeezed her hand and let it go, not taking her eyes from hers. She gave a hint of a smile, then looked out at the crowds.

"I used to love funfairs," she admitted. "Dad used to take me. Every time there was one near us. He took me to Blackpool once, and other places like that." She gave a wistful smile. "He was going to take me to Disneyland for my tenth birthday."

"So what changed?" the Doctor asked quietly.

"He died." Rose shoved her hands into her jacket pocket. "Cancer. Wasn't like we didn't know it was coming. But I…" She shook her head. "It was hard. I was only nine."

He touched her shoulder gently to show his support. She tilted her head, touched the back of his hand with her cheek.

"After that, I didn't really like funfairs much," she went on. "It all just seemed pointless, without him. Y'know?"

"Yeah," he said sombrely. "I know."

Anna and Mandy broke out of the crowds and approached them.

"Can we go on the dodgems?" Mandy asked. "All of us together?" Rose looked questioningly at the Doctor.

"Why not," he shrugged. "C'mon, kids."


They had lunch at MacDonald's, despite the Doctor's protests that it was a corporate chain that wanted to take over the earth. Anna and Mandy were both very well behaved after the dodgems, when Rose and the Doctor had chased them around and bumped into them extremely hard.

The trouble started when they returned to Julie's flat to drop off Mandy. Later Rose was unable to say exactly what sparked it off, but she thought it might have something to do with the argument that was raging when they arrived.

Uncle Jeff had apparently made some sort of comment about the bizarre events of the year before, when Downing Street had been blown up. Tim, a UFO nut, had responded that the events had been real and the tabloids had been stupid to call it a hoax. By the time Rose and the Doctor had come in, the discussion had devolved into an argument that the Doctor just had to join in.

"Why do you even care if it was real or not?" he wanted to know. "S'not like it affects any of you."

"But it does!" Tim exclaimed. "It changes everything – if aliens are real, if there's life on other planets, it affects everyone. People might stop fighting each other, start exploring what's out there!"

"No, people would start fighting even more to be the first out there," the Doctor corrected. "Like in the space race. You'd all be squabbling about who gets to make first contact, who gets the rights to trade, who gets the rights to all sorts of different minerals and things. It'd be a disaster."

"Doctor," Rose said quietly. "Is this really a good idea?"

"It doesn't matter," Jeff put in, "because aliens aren't real. It's all fake. You saw the papers last year, that so-called alien that crash-landed was just a pig."

"Not exactly," Jackie muttered as she passed the argument. She rolled her eyes at Rose, who gave a grin.

"Yes, exactly," Jeff protested.

"No, not exactly," Tim said. "You read what that doctor said – the one that did the autopsy. There's no technology on earth that could create…whatever it was. And what about those shop dummies? If that wasn't alien, I don't know what is."

"Your underpants?" Rose suggested. "Look, let's drop it, alright?" She didn't like the look in the Doctor's eyes.

"No," Tim said sharply. "There's real proof that aliens exist, Rose, and you shouldn't just brush it off. I mean, you've been to some of the places where aliens have been sighted – you went to Roswell last year, you've been to Egypt and Scotland."

"Yeah, but –"

"It's real, I tell you," her cousin said obstinately.

"And what would you do if you were confronted by an alien?" the Doctor demanded. "Do the Vulcan salute?" He shook his head. "Humans aren't ready."

Rose folded her arms, taking offence. "Oh, really?"

"Yes," he said. "Really."

"No human on earth at this point in time is ready to come face to face with aliens – little grey ones or big green ones, or ones without bodies, or robotic ones, or living plants, or anything like that?" Rose raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't know you watched sci-fi," Jeff muttered snidely.

"No," the Doctor shook his head again. "That's not what I said."

"Sounded like it to me," Tim commented. "And who are you to judge? Just because you're shagging my cousin doesn't make you some sort of superior being."

"Oh, bloody hell," the Doctor cried, exasperated. "For the last time, I am not sleeping with Rose. I have never slept with Rose. I am not at this current time planning on sleeping with Rose. Is that quite clear to everyone?"

Silence reigned in the flat.

Rose swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. "Right," she muttered. "Now that you've embarrassed me in front of practically my whole family, let's get back to the point. Which is that you don't think that anyone – me, for example – could handle meeting aliens."

"Look, I didn't mean –" the Doctor tried. "It's not – " He threw his hands up in frustration. "You can be such a flaky little human!"

"And you can be an arrogant, condescending prick!" Rose retorted. "Answer the bloody question!"

"No," he snapped. "I don't think you could handle meeting everything that's out there. I think you'd be scared out of your pathetic human wits!"

"Then why the hell am I even bothering?"

Her words cut deeply into them both, and they stared at each other for a moment before Rose bolted, slamming the front door behind her.


Rose sat on a swing in a park somewhere near to Bridget's house. She'd been here for hours. After the argument, she'd left Julie's flat and gone back to Bridget's house – but Izzy was in there, and Rose really didn't feel like talking.

Their angry words echoed in her mind.

Humans aren't ready.

I am not at this current time planning on sleeping with Rose.

You don't think that anyone – me, for example – could handle meeting aliens.

You can be such a flaky little human!

And you can be an arrogant, condescending prick!

I think you'd be scared out of your pathetic human wits!

Then why the hell am I even bothering?

She choked back a sob. She hadn't meant it – hadn't meant any of it. She didn't know if he had meant what he had said, but knowing him as she did, he had meant every single word.

She started swinging again. It didn't matter. Two years, relative time, that was pretty good going to be travelling around the universe. She'd had a good run, compared to some of the other companions he'd told her about.

That had been a conversation and a half. He'd been uncomfortable talking about it, she remembered, afraid that she'd take offence. She hadn't – she understood loneliness. And she was different – she knew it, he knew it, and she knew that he knew it. Why else would he be putting up with her family?

If he was even still here. She fingered the TARDIS key that hung around her neck. After that argument, she wouldn't really blame him if he'd decided to leave without her. She could always get a job. Do her A-levels. Be normal.

Only she didn't want to be normal – she couldn't be normal, not now, not after everything she'd seen. The end of the world, the end of other worlds, exploding stars and nebulas that spun the TARDIS out to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. She'd seen aliens of all shapes and sizes.

She'd seen the Daleks.

The memory made her shudder. She wouldn't be forgetting that adventure, no matter how old she lived to be.

She stopped swinging her legs, and the swing came to a gradual stop. She didn't really know why she'd been so angry. The whole conversation had been doomed from the moment the Doctor joined in. From the moment Jeff and Tim had started, actually. Uncle Jeff could be a prejudiced old bastard when he wanted to be, and Tim – well, Tim was nothing if not Grandpa Mark's eldest grandson.

Bloody hell. She started swinging again. Why did these sort of things always have to happen to her?

She glanced at her watch and swore. It was nearly nine o'clock. That meant she'd been out here…six hours?

Maybe travelling with a Time Lord changed your sense of time, Rose mused, turning her phone on. It hadn't seemed that long.

Thirteen missed calls. Mum, mum, mum…six calls from Jackie's mobile, two from Julie's house phone. One from Bridget's house, one from her mobile.

And three from the TARDIS.

With trepidation, she tried to call him.

No answer. That meant that he was either ignoring her or not in the TARDIS. Given the fact that he'd tried to call her, she was banking on it being the second one. So where might he be?

She slowly made her way back to Bridget's house. There would be questions, she knew, but not from the Doctor, if he was there. He understood her in a way none of her family or friends ever had – or ever could, now. He was the only one who knew what it was like to see the end of your world, to watch a girl die in front of you, to survive World War One, to stare your greatest enemy in the face and spit on them.

"Please be there," she muttered fervently as she walked up to the front door and rang the bell. "Please, please…"

Izzy answered, and flung her arms about her cousin. "We were so worried!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"Out," Rose muttered, detangling herself from the younger girl and entering the house. Bridget stood in the kitchen doorway, eyebrow raised. "I'm sorry," Rose offered.

"Jackie was worried," Bridget said. "I'll give her a ring." She disappeared into the kitchen for a moment then returned with a tray. There was a plate of brownies and two glasses of milk. "Upstairs, Rose," she advised. "He's been kicking himself all afternoon, the idiot."

On impulse, Rose leaned over the tray to kiss her aunt. "Thanks, Auntie," she whispered. She took the tray and started up the stairs.

He was asleep when she reached the bedroom – one arm covering his face, the other flung out across the bed. He looked as though he'd just fallen over.

Rose put the tray on the table and went to touch his shoulder. Waking the Doctor was never a good idea, but for brownies and milk…

He opened his eyes the moment her fingers brushed his jacket. "Rose!"

She gave a half smile. "Hi."

"Where've you been?" he demanded, sitting up and flinging his arms around her. "I was worried – your phone was off – couldn't find you bloody anywhere!"

"I'm alright," Rose muttered, embarrassed. "S'not like anything's going to happen here, is it? S'only London." She pulled away. "I…brought up brownies."

"Look – Rose – I'm sorry about what I said."

Rose stared. It was the most blunt apology he had ever given her. He very rarely said sorry at all, let alone in so many words. She really had worried him, she realised.

"S'okay," she said slowly. "We both said things we didn't mean." She shrugged one shoulder. "You're not arrogant and condescending…most of the time. And it is worth it."

He smiled tentatively. "And you're not the same as everyone else. You can deal with it all better than loads of people." He paused. "Though I stand by what I said about everyone else."

She nodded. "Alright," she agreed. "That's fair enough." She grabbed a brownie and one of the glasses of milk. "So what did you do all afternoon?"

The Doctor fidgeted and reached for a brownie. "Well. I, uh…"

Rose blinked. "You looked for me all afternoon? For…seven hours?"

"Not quite," he defended himself. "Your crazy aunt Bridget dragged me back here about an hour ago." He shrugged. "Must've fallen asleep."

"Yeah," she agreed, trying not to smile. "You've got chocolate round your mouth, Doctor." He wiped his mouth, still watching her. "I was worried you'd leave," she admitted in a rush.

He shook his head. "No."

"But I – "

"No, Rose." His voice was gentle. "I'm not going to leave you until you tell me to. You're stuck with me."

A smile curled her mouth upwards, and she finished off her milk. "Oh. Alright then." She sat on the bed, curling her feet under her. "That's good."

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "That's good."


Yeah, so I somehow managed to write much faster than I thought I would be able to...Day Three will hopefully be up within a couple of days, at the rate I'm going. No promises, though.

Please review?