2.6-2.7 The Rise of the Cyberman/The Age of Steel
Rose had retreated to her childhood room shortly after reassuring herself that her mother was, in fact, alive. The Doctor had stayed in the living room with Jackie, and she could hear the comforting murmur of their voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She assumed that the Doctor was explaining what had happened with Mickey.
Mickey.
He'd been her best mate for so many years, and her boyfriend after that, and even with the way that she'd treated him after meeting the Doctor, he'd still been there for her whenever she'd needed him. He'd helped save her mum from the Slitheen, even after she'd accused him of murdering Rose; he'd helped her tear open the TARDIS to get back to Satellite Five to rescue the Doctor from the Daleks; and he'd been her friend even after she'd kept him hanging on even though she was in love with the Doctor and he knew it. And now he was gone, and she'd never see him again.
And then there was her dad. Her dad who wasn't her dad; the Pete Tyler who had never had a daughter, and who now had no one. The Pete Tyler who had rejected her, even when there was no one else left.
Rose curled more tightly into herself, her knees pulled up under her chin as she sat against her headboard. Her nails dug into her jeans as she struggled to hold the broken pieces of her heart together.
"Rose?" came Jackie's concerned voice from outside the bedroom door, "Can I come in, love?"
"Yeah, 'course," Rose managed to reply after clearing her throat. She could feel unshed tears threatening to choke her, and clenched her hands around her knees even tighter as Jackie entered the room and sat next to her on the bed.
"Oh, Rose," she said, running a comforting hand down Rose's arm. "C'mere, sweetheart." She wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug, whispering comforting nonsense into her hair. Rose curled into her mum's embrace, and soon her suppressed tears had begun to fall in earnest. Sobs wracked her body as she clung to her mother, allowing all the pain of the day to come pouring out. Jackie held her and rocked her, stroking her hair, until she had eventually cried herself out.
With a loud sniffle, Rose sat up, giving a halfhearted, self deprecating laugh and wiping tears from her splotchy red face. "God, I'm sorry! I'm acting like I'm four years old, blubbering all over you."
Jackie gave her daughter a disapproving look. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm your mum, I'm always here if you need a good cry. Besides, from what himself told me, you had quite the day."
"Yeah," Rose admitted. "Wasn't one of our better adventures." She picked at the embroidery on her bedspread, feeling lost and exhausted and unsure of what else to say.
"The Doctor thought you might still ay here for a bit, but " Jackie ventured, "take a little rest from running about for awhile. What d'ya think, want to spend a few days at home?"
Rose sat straight up and looked at her in horror. "He's leaving me behind?!" She made to scramble off the bed, but Jackie put out an arm to stop her.
"Rose, no, calm down! Nothing like that! He'll be staying, too. Says that ship of his needs to recover after the rough journey. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
Rose settled back with a shaky breath. "M'sorry, it's just… been a hard week. I can't… I just… I need him right now." She buried her face in her mother's shoulder and admitted quietly, "I can't lose anyone else."
Jackie kissed her daughter's head. "I know, sweetheart. I know."
To Rose's surprise, not only did the Doctor stay, but he stayed in the flat with them rather than in the TARDIS. In fact, he stayed with Rose each night as she fell asleep. To Rose's absolute shock, Jackie didn't say a word about the arrangement, continuing to flip through a gossip rag on the sofa when the Doctor trailed after Rose to her room the first night, not even glancing up as she called "goodnight!" after them.
The Doctor didn't try to initiate anything sexual with her again; rather he would just stay with her, keeping her company so that her anxieties wouldn't run away with her. For the first few nights, he simply held her, reassuring her with his solid presence. As she began to relax, however, he would chatter at her about the places he'd like to take her; the things he couldn't wait for her to see. She'd drift off, smiling, as he waxed poetic about this vista or that local delicacy that she absolutely had to see or try.
They stayed in London for nine days. The Doctor assured Rose that the TARDIS really did need some recovery time after her venture into a parallel universe, so Rose didn't feel quite so terrible exposing him to a bit of domestic life while she did her own recovering. Honestly, this Doctor had been less averse to domesticity right out of the gate, and he didn't seem to mind relaxing in one place for awhile at all.
Rose spent a lot of time with her mum, shopping, cooking, and watching telly. The Doctor alternated between leaving them to it while he disappeared into the TARDIS to work on repairs and joining them at unexpected moments. He became rather invested in EastEnders, and showed quite an interest in helping with the cooking, but was quickly banished from the kitchen after "upgrading" the toaster so that it spit blackened slices of bread across the room like projectile weapons.
When Jackie was at the salon working, Rose and the Doctor explored London. Rose had lived in the city her whole life, but had never spent much time truly exploring it. The Doctor dragged her to museums and historical sites, enthusiastically lecturing her on how certain artifacts in the British Museum had actually been left behind by alien species and about the time he'd split a bottle of Hypervodka with Andy Warhol and convinced him to paint a soup can as a joke.
At first, Rose had been apprehensive about spending time at home. By the end of their stay, however, Rose was feeling much more herself. She hadn't realized how much their series of emotionally tumultuous adventures had taken a toll on her. Spending some down time with her mum and the Doctor had been exactly the respite she needed. Traveling with the Doctor was a dream, but it had also left her feeling disconnected and insecure. Reconnecting with Jackie had reminded her of who she'd been before the Doctor came into her life, and spending time with the Doctor when life and death weren't on the line reminded her that their friendship was based on more than just danger and adrenaline.
By the time the TARDIS was fully recovered (or at least, by the time the Doctor admitted that she was — Rose suspected that he may have drawn things out a couple extra days until he was sure that Rose was feeling better), Rose was positively anxious to get back out into the universe. With a tight hug to her mum and a promise that they'd visit more often, the Doctor and Rose finally departed the Estate, boarding the TARDIS hand in hand.
As the Doctor launched them into the vortex with a flourish and the TARDIS took off with a comfortingly familiar wheeze, the Doctor grinned at Rose toothily, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.
"So, Miss Tyler," he smirked, leaning across the console, "How do you feel about Elvis?"
