Jackie Tyler was restless. She sat in her living room, feet up, tea in hand, eyes glaring. She wanted to do something about her daughter, running off with that strange man. What if she got herself knocked up again? What if he brutally raped and murdered her? What if...what if...
A sigh.
Tea usually made her feel better. Not today. Not with her daughter out among the cosmos and ... what was that thing of the alien's? Time. Something with time.
'I hate men.' She thought. 'No matter the planet, they steal your daughter.' She took a sip of tea then immedintly sputtered because it was cold. How long had she been sitting here? 'Much longer then ten seconds. What mess did that wretched man get my baby into?'
Knock on the door. Ignoring it, Jackie wandered back to her kitchen. More tea. Tea will make it all better.
'Liar.' It came deep from her sub-coouncious. 'You know that's not true.'
"Mum!" Rose's voice! Jackie let her tea cup fall, its crash sounding through out the house as the only sound. From behind the front door : "Mum? Mum!"
"I'm here, sweetheart." Jackie called. She couldn't move though. It was like a bad dream and at the end some light, but your just too stupid or frightened to move.
Squeaking. Rose was opening the door slowly. Should of got that fixed, it wasn't right coming home to a squeaky door...
'Are you mad? What's a door got to do with family?'
"Mum?" Rose peered into the kitchen. With a big grin she came forward, arms out-stretched for a hug, and eyes bright as if...
'Nothing went wrong.' The image of a raped and now dead Rose left Jackie's mind, and the nightmare spell was broken. Her own lips, the last few weeks being carved out of frowns, now matched her daughters.
Somewhere in her mind Jackie told herself, 'See? Tea made it all better.'
"You-"
"I know." Rose looked down, ashamed. "Ten seconds. Well, the Doctor...he meant ten seconds, but ended up ten days."
Jackie nodded, too happy her daughter was back to point out its been at least two weeks. Perhaps more, Jackie didn't look at the calender anymore.
"Tea?" She gestured brightly to the tea-pot.
"Can we sit down?" Rose bit her lip.
"Why? What's wrong? Oh no, what has he done?" Jackie's sweet nature turned into her protective mode. She glanced at the living room. "Is he in there? Do you want me to pop him one, cause I will. My frying pan's right there."
Rose laughed softly. "No, no, Mum. Um. It is about him, but he hasn't done anything...And he's outside with Jack-"
"Jack?" Rose echoed. "Who's Jack?" Her eyes narrowed. "Is he another alien?"
"No, he's human-"
"Oh!" Jackie beamed. Rose fidgeted with her fingers while she sat down. Jackie sighed. "Alright, alright. What is it about him?" She joined her daughter around the table. "Are you in love with him, sweetheart? I'll-" Oh this was hard. She almost bit her tongue, hating herself for saying this but knowing her daughter's happiness was more important then her hate for alien theives. "-I'll understand if you want-"
"Ew!" Rose squealed as she realized what her mother was saying. "No, Mum!"
Releif crashed down on Jackie. "Oh, well, that's - that's good - I mean, whatever you want."
"He...remember when I was seventeen?"
"Rose, I remember when you where a baby." Jackie answered, a little confused and a little amused.
"I mean, that...when I..." From the look on Rose's face she was talking about the abortion.
"Why are you bringing this up?" Jackie gave Rose a look. "We decided it was the past - he did that to you!"
The creature! Oh, she was going to get him! Skin him alive and make him eat his own flesh-
"No, Mum. Brant did...that." Rose shifted uncomfortably. "But...remember how...in the middle...I screamed..."
Jackie closed her eyes. She remembered it too well. It had caused her nightmares every night since, and she regreted forcing her daughter to do so each mili-second of life. The way her baby's eyes were full of fear, pain, not understanding...No one knew how much Jackie hated herself for causing that.
"Yes." Jackie re-opened her eyes. "I recall-"
"Well, he was there." Rose blurted then whinced.
"How?"
"Alright..." Rose explained about time, about how this alien had servived a war of some kind...what? Was Jackie supose to feel sorry for him? It sounded like his race diserved it. Not sharing technoligy. Probably stole the whole thing like they did with people's daughters.
Then Rose blew the bomb. She told Jackie about how in his timeline his father had rescued him from dieing at the hands of a primitive doctor on some backwater planet. How his mother was just seventeen, and how he had been looking for her his whole adult life. How ... no, no ... he was - couldn't be.
Jackie stood up. She realized the broken cup and cold tea still held claim to the floor, and in an atempt to buy time, started cleaning it up.
"Mum?" Rose asked.
Jackie finished. She turned to her child, crossing her arms. She knew what Rose said was impossible. That left one very disturbing option that Rose would never accept.
"Darling...Rose, sweetheart..." Jackie took a deep breath. "I don't know what he told you -"
"Its true!" Rose insisted. Tears started to show.
"But love, he's at least forty-" Jackie held up four fingers.
"Nine hundred." Rose corrected.
"He is, is he?" Jackie put her hands on her hips. "Rubbish! No one can live that long!"
"I am his mother."
Jackie frowned. She went over to Rose, sitting back down and taking her daughter's hand. "Love, its not possible."
"I heard him, Mum. That's why I screamed. He was screaming. He couldn't understand why I was killing him if I loved him and he was crying and in pain -" Rose started to cry.
Jackie's heart twisted with guilt. Obviously Rose had made that up, somehow it helped her deal with it, though Jackie couldn't see how. It would of made it worse, thinking you heard your kid die. But it wasn't possible.
"I believe you think you heard it." Jackie said carefully. This made Rose cry harder. Jackie was so confused. How to handle this? Hug her?
"What did you do to her!" The alien...the Doctor's voice bellowed. He pushed Jackie aside and took Rose into a hug. "Shh." He murmured. "S'okay."
Jackie sat there, mouth open, eyes wide. He had shoved her.
'He did it so he could get to Rose.' The thought poked her mind. 'And...' Jackie looked at him, really looked at him, seeing her own father in his looks. Her stomach tightened. And the way he held Rose, it was like ... he loved her. And...and...'Damn.' She closed her eyes. 'My grandson is an...alien. Half-alien. That's older then how long our family has been in London.'
She giggled. The giggle turned into a full blown laugh. She was awear the Doctor (Did her daughter really name him that in the other timeline?) and Rose were looking at her. She knew she seemed insane.
Rose smiled through her tears. She whispered, "It's alright. I think Mum just accepted it." She sniffled.
"That's nice. She go into madwomen status often?" The Doctor's remark made Jackie laugh harder.
"Oh! Oh, this is wrong!" She hic-uped. "I-you-we-" Snort, snort, snort.
Rose started to giggle. The Doctor looked back and forth from his two female relitives, apprehension and amusment clearly on his face.
Jackie calmed down. She whiped tears off her face. "Well...anyone want tea? Hot tea, I mean. Not this crap." She got off her duff and started to make a fresh pot of tea.
"Just like that?" The Doctor wondered.
"Yes, just like that. And you!" She rounded on the Doctor, and Rose started to chuckle. She knew what her mother was going do. The Doctor didn't though, looking like he might make a brake for it.
"Yeap?" He answered.
"I expect BOTH of you to come back reglarly, and I expect BOTH of you home for Christmas, and birthdays. Understood Mr. Can't Drive The Time Machine?"
"Tardis!" The Doctor objected to Rose's pleasure.
"What you call me?" Jackie asked, horrified.
"No, no, Mum. The Tardis is our Time Machine." Rose broke in. "Time And Relitive Dimention In Space. Tardis."
"You remember that all on your own?" The Doctor gave Rose a surprised look which earned him a pinch on the arm. "Ow!" He pouted.
"Oh, okay." Jackie nodded, though she didn't understand it. As long as her - oh, this was hard, he looked so much older then Rose - grandson wasn't calling her anything mouthy.
"Wait." The Doctor swallowed. "I don't think I'm gonna be comin' round for-"
"You'll be coming to Christmas and birthdays or I'll lock you in Rose's old room!" Jackie threatened.
"Alright, alright." He sounded like he was trying to be huffy but he still looked happy about the araingment.
One hour later Jackie was saying goodbye to her family, this time not worrying as much. She didn't want them to go, of course, the universe was big and who knew what creatures they'd find? This time she wasn't worried they would never show up nor did she care how long it was between visits, so long as they came around for Holidays.
" 'Bye, sweetheart." She kissed Rose on the cheek. "And next time bring that Jack up, I'd like to meet him." She saw Rose roll her eyes but decided not to press it. She turned to the Doctor, who was looking rather lost.
He jerked in surprise when she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Bye, you. And keep that mother of yours safe, you might be ancient, but she's still a kid. Don't let her go wandering."
"Mum!" Rose gasped.
"What?" Jackie asked, bewildered. The Doctor laughed.
"No worries, Jackie." He smiled. "C'mon Rose, before Jack finds himself someone."
Jackie Tyler was restless. She sat in her living room, feet up, tea in hand, eyes bright. She wanted to do something about her family, running off on their adventures. What if they get stranded somewhere? Should she have gone with them? What if...what if...