Sorry for the delay in uploading. My work schedule doesn't really allow for a consistent uploading schedule. I have the next few chapters outlined in my head so hopefully they will be out shortly. More actual plot is planned.

I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but it's been reworked so many times already so I hope it's still enjoyable. Please leave a review if you like it.


It was well into the night when they finally arrived at the Tyler manor. The Doctor and Rose were both practically asleep when their car pulled into the driveway. The adrenaline of the past day had cleared their systems and they were both exhausted both physically and emotionally. The Doctor gazed at the house as flashbacks of the Cyberman invasion filtered through his memory. He stifled a shudder realising that this is where this universe's Jackie met her end along with so many others. He felt Rose's hand close around his.

"Welcome home." She tried to sound cheerful despite her exhaustion. She expected him to give her one of his manic grins, but the only response she got was a sigh and a nod. "You alright? Thought you were excited about coming home?"

Home.

There was that word again. He squeezed Rose's hand and nodded.

"It just… doesn't feel real yet." He admitted. "I mean, the last time we were here, we were bein' chased by Cybermen and now it's my home. My same size on the inside than it is on the outside home." He gave her a tired smile before stepping out of the car. Rose quickly followed him and hugged his arm as they walked up to the house.

"At least you don't need psychic paper to get in this time." Rose grinned at him and he laughed.

Jackie met them at the door and enveloped them both in motherly hugs as she brought them into the house.

"Is Pete here? I really need to speak with him." The Doctor asked when Jackie finally released him. She shook her head.

"Sorry, Love. He hasn't come home yet. I reckon he's workin' late." He nodded. He really wanted to confront the man, but in his half-asleep state he wasn't sure how far he'd get.

He yawned and suddenly clamped his hand over his mouth. He had never done that before. This new human body was just full of surprises. He also couldn't believe how tired he was. Before he could go days, even weeks without needing sleep, now a single day wore him out. His body surprised him again when his stomach made a strange gurgling sound. Was he hungry? Or was it just indigestion? It was hard to tell. This new body was giving him so many new sensations it was hard to figure them out. He tried to think about the last time he had a proper meal. There was the small sandwich they gave him at Torchwood that was so gross he only took a few tiny bites of it before throwing it out. Before that it was chips with Donna, before the Human version of him even existed.

"You must be starving." Jackie sighed taking another good look at the two of them. The Doctor blinked.

"Yeah, a bit… how did you know?" Jackie just chuckled at that.

"Mother's intuition." She said simply. "Now c'mon, you two. I saved some dinner just for you."

Jackie escorted them into the kitchen instead of the large dining room further emphasizing the point that he was family and not just a guest. The Doctor chuckled at that remembering how he was pretending to be part of the catering staff the last time he was in there. The room looked different this time around. Before it was almost like he was in some kind of posh restaurant, but now it looked lived in. His eyes were immediately drawn to the fridge that was completely covered in photographs. He scanned the faces in the picture: Rose, Jackie, Pete, a child he assumed was Tony, Mickey, and older lady that he assumed was Mickey's gran, Capitan Jack...

He blinked.

Jack never came to this universe. He zeroed in on that particular photo and even pulled it from the fridge to get a better look. Without his glasses he had to focus a bit harder. Upon further inspection he realised that it was a photo taken in his original universe, particularly in Cardiff. There were three people in the photo Jack, Rose and a blue eyed, big eared version of himself. He looked back at the fridge and noticed even more photos of himself, both leather clad and pinstriped, interspersed with the Tyler family photos and drawings done by the littlest Tyler. Noticing the Doctor's interest, Jackie stepped up and placed a warm hand on his shoulder.

"They were on Rose's phone." She explained. He chuckled. He should have guessed that. "She missed you terribly. Told Tony countless stories about you." The Doctor's eyes shifted to a drawing Tony made of a man standing beside a tall blue box.

"I bet he's brilliant." He said softly. Jackie grinned.

"He is that. Now, c'mon you daft old alien, you need to put some food in you. You're even skinnier than I remembered. Don't you ever eat?"


Dinner wasn't anything that elaborate, just a simple beef stew. The Doctor took a few slow mouthfuls at first, but then his appetite kicked in and he was nearly inhaling it completely oblivious to the looks Rose and Jackie were giving him. They were willing to forgive his appalling table manners just this once as it was his first proper meal since getting this body. Rose was reminded of a certain Christmas dinner when he practically ate half the turkey after Regenerating and the somewhat jealous feeling that he could eat all that and still remain that thin. After his third bowl, he started to slow down again, and he seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes open. Rose took him by the hand and guided him upstairs.

"Mum got a room ready for you." Rose explained as they walked hand-in-hand through the dark hallway. "It used to belong to Mickey, but I suppose it's yours now." She pushed open the door and they stepped inside. The Doctor realised he had some serious redecorating to do as there was football memorabilia strewn everywhere and even more photographs on a peg board above the desk. He wandered over to it and saw even more photos of him and Rose.

"Blimey. It's like you have mini-shrines to me everywhere!" He scrunched up his face. "It's a bit creepy honestly." Rose chuckled as she looked at the pegboard herself.

"Mickey cared a lot for you too, even if he never admitted it. You made him realise just how brave he could be." Rose sniffled, and the Doctor realised she was doing her best not to cry. "I'm gonna miss him…"

"Well, we can always construct a mini-shrine to him." He shot her a cheeky grin as he bumped his shoulder into hers. Rose couldn't help but smile back as she hugged his arm and he tried to maintain his smile, but his newfound Humanity was asserting itself again and his smile waivered as he let out a giant yawn. She laughed at him for a moment before she found herself letting out a sympathetic yawn. Then he yawned in sympathy to her yawn.

"Sorry." He suddenly had the presence of mind to cover his mouth while yawning. "I just never realised how contagious this is." Rose laughed.

"Just one of those really domestic human things I suppose. That's probably why you ignored it."

"I didn't ignore it."

"No?"

"Well, I could never ignore you, now could I?" He laughed lightly as he reached out to stroke her cheek gently. She smiled brightly at him as his eyes quickly alternated between her eyes and her smile as he leaned in close. His lips barely grazed hers as he heard a noise that almost stopped his heart: Jackie Tyler loudly clearing her throat. He jumped away from Rose and almost glared at Jackie.

"Oi, you ever hear of 'knocking'?" He couldn't disguise the annoyance in his voice as the Donna part of him bubbled to the surface. Jackie stared at him slack-jawed for a moment.

"Has this meta-whatever made you even more rude?" Jackie snapped. The Doctor sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in what Rose knew was a nervous gesture.

"And still not ginger…" he muttered mostly to himself. Despite everything, Rose chuckled at the reference.

"What?" Jackie scrunched her nose feeling like she missed the punchline to a joke.

"Nothing." He smiled insincerely at Jackie. Jackie rolled her eyes at him.

"Typical bloke, you are." She sighed as she turned toward the bed and placed a couple shopping bags on top. "Here, I bought you some stuff to help you settle in. But you're gonna need a lot more. Can't have you walking around in the same clothes day after day…" The Doctor sighed loudly. This was getting far too domestic for his tastes, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. But another part of him (he suspected strongly it was the Donna part) felt it a bit sweet on Jackie's part to mother him so. He smiled a bit more sincerely this time.

"Thanks." Jackie's face softened a bit as she nodded back.

"Now, we've all had a long day. Don't stay up too late." Jackie pointed between the Doctor and her daughter as she retreated out of the room. Filled with curiosity, the Doctor peered inside the bags Jackie left for him. Rose tried desperately not to smile as she already knew one of the contents as her mum rang her up earlier that day to make sure she was getting the correct thing. His face broke into a wide grin as he spotted a brown and black shoebox with the word 'Converse' emblazoned on the lid. He quickly pulled it from the bag and opened the box to find a pair of his beloved trainers sitting inside. But this time they were neither burgundy or white. They were blue. TARDIS blue. He couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh. Rose walked up and hugged him from behind.

"Knew you couldn't live without those." She laughed. He turned in her arms so he was facing her and lovingly kissed her forehead.

"Life wouldn't be worth it then." He squeezed her tighter to himself and just held her for a long moment. He heard her yawn again and he took a step back to look at her. "You should get some sleep." She looked up at him and noted the dark circles under his usually bright eyes. The yawn he was trying desperately to bite back after hearing hers overtook him.

"Looks like you need some too." She chuckled. He nodded, but didn't smile back this time. She saw something in his eyes she hadn't seen in a long time. Something that people may have missed if they didn't know him that well.

"What's wrong?" He shook his head and averted his gaze. "You're afraid of something, what is it?" He sighed heavily as he sharply looked back at her.

"What if…" He started and found he still couldn't hold her gaze. "What if I wake up, and I'm back on the TARDIS and this was all a dream?" Rose blinked unsure of how to answer him. "I can't lose you again…" He felt her hand on his cheek and he looked into her eyes once more. He leaned in and kissed her properly this time without interruption.

"That won't happen." Rose breathed against his lips when she broke away for air. He let out a contented sigh as he pulled her into a hug, brushing a kiss to her cheek along the way.

"How long are you going to stay with me?" He whispered in her ear, a question he asked before losing her in a parallel world. Her answer remained the same.

"Forever." She stayed in his arms for a long moment with her head against his chest. She listened to his heartbeat and although it wasn't the almost hypnotic double heartbeat she got so accustomed to, it was still comforting all the same. He was real and not just an image. He was solid under her touch. She could breathe in his scent with every breath and still had his taste on her lips. She savoured those feelings as long as she could. She also felt that she could fall asleep standing up and with great reluctance she pulled away.

"I really need to get some sleep." She sighed. He nodded. "See you in the morning. I love you." She pressed a quick kiss to his jaw before turning towards the door. She slowly closed the door behind her.

The Doctor sat down at the edge of his bed, the mattress giving way softly underneath him. He smiled to himself as he couldn't believe just how lucky he was. The last three words Rose said to him played over and over in his head.

She loved him.

Sure, that wasn't the first time she said it throughout the day, but every time she did it made him happier and happier. And true, he was stuck in a parallel world with no TARDIS and with so many domestics that it would make his full Time Lord self sick, but stuck with Rose really wasn't so bad.

Speaking of domestics, he turned his attention to the bags Jackie brought him, remembering her saying they were full of things he was going to need. He ruffled through them and found soap, a tube of toothpaste, a blue tooth brush, various shaving and haircare products, a package of pants, a bunch of socks, a clean pair of pajamas…

Wait.

His mind reversed course and went back a couple of items. He took it back. Being mothered by Jackie was just slightly creepy. This was something he was going to need in the long run, but the mere thought that Jackie Tyler intentionally walked into a store and purposely bought him underpants was just unnerving.

"I hate domestics…"