"Did you want to go out tonight, just for a celebratory drink of somethin'?" Jackie asked the Doctor and Rose, who were now sat happily at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of tea with Pete.
"That sounds nice, what do you think Doctor?"
"Mmm, sounds great" he nodded his head in agreement.
"What time did you wanna go? We don't want to keep Tony up too late." Rose asked her mum, she knew her brother would only get ratty if he got too tired.
" About 7 should be fine. He's still asleep so he should be ok."
"Ok, we'll go soon and get sorted, then we'll meet back here?"
Jackie held her thumb up and nodded her head; the Doctor never thought that Jackie would be one to put her thumb up at someone.
"So is the TARDIS completely ready then?" Pete asked the Doctor.
"Nearly, there's just a few minor adjustments to be done and then she'll be ready."
"Like what?" Rose questioned.
He turned his head to face her and gently put his arm on the back of her chair, that small gesture always made Rose feel so much more secure.
"Well we need to connect an alarm from the control room to the other rooms. 'Coz if something goes wrong and we're asleep or something she might not be able to wake us up, so better to be safe then sorry. We need to put some gear in there you know cloths and that. Oh and some maintenance checks just to make sure she's ok."
"Right then, nothing major. And can you handle all that?" Rose half joked; the other half was a bit concerned by how much had to be done, and most of which she had no idea where to start.
"Well, I may need help putting in all your cloths and make- up. But I think my 900 years of TARDIS flying might just see me through." He stated sarcastically.
Rose jabbed her elbow into his side, causing him to flinch slightly, before chuckling a little and pulling her closer to kiss her forehead.
"How long do you think that'll take?" Pete continued to quiz.
"A couple of weeks I guess, not that long. But we've got things to sort here first before we go flying off. Apparently." He mumbled the last word to himself, causing Rose to give him a dirty look. He flashed her a cheeky grin, which she tried her best to ignore.
"Ok, fair enough." Pete replied, before going into deep thought.
The Doctor and Rose looked at each other in puzzlement.
Everyone was knocked out of their silence as they heard a tiny voice calling from upstairs.
"Mummy" Tony called again, making his way down the stairs.
Jackie rushed out of the room to go and get him.
She came back into the room, holding a now refreshed young boy.
"Feel better now you've had your sleep Tony?" Rose asked, offering him a soft smile.
He nodded at her then climbed down from Jackie's arms and made his way over to Rose. He scrambled onto her knee and began to muck around with the Doctor. Jackie began to frantically tidy round, while Pete remained staring in silence.
"Come on Tony, it's time for a bath. We're going out tonight." She said eventually.
He gave her a scornful look before climbing from Rose's lap to the Doctor's. Tony looked up at his face; the Doctor was looking down at him with a disapproving eyebrow raised. It seemed that every time Tony was scared or just didn't want to do something he'd go to the Doctor, he seemed to feel safe and protected with him, and Rose couldn't blame him. Rose looked at her mother; it had been a stressful day, as joyous as it had turned out, and she looked a bit tired.
"How about if me and the Doctor give you a bath? Then mummy can sit down for five minuets." She suggested.
Tony looked from Rose to the Doctor then to his mother. He nodded before making his way to the bathroom.
"Thanks" Jackie breathed, relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with any tantrums.
The Doctor and Rose walked out of the kitchen leaving Pete being hit around the head for just sitting there and not offering to help her.
"What have you done?" the Doctor asked Rose shoving her slightly.
"What?" came her shocked response.
"You volunteered us to bath a young child, have you any idea how difficult that can be?"
She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him, she was trying to be serious, but one look at his mischievous face and it all failed.
"Hold on, you're telling me you can fight the toughest aliens in the whole of time and space but you can't bath a small child?"
"Well, that lad is a lot like your mother, so bless him he's… well he's no ordinary child." He joked.
Rose slapped him on the arm, moving aside slightly as the Doctor passed her to go up the stairs. She was somewhat surprised by this, for a guy who once swore that he didn't do domestics was now rushing up the stairs to bath her brother. Times had changed a bit.
Rose had somehow managed to get Tony undressed and in the bathtub. The Doctor stood back observing in silence, apart from the occasional outburst of laughter when Tony did something that he found funny.
"Play?" Tony asked looking up at their faces.
"How can you play in a bath?" The Doctor asked in confusion.
Rose gave him a playful smile as she pulled some rubber ducks and what looked like an action man out of a near by basket.
"Here we go, you've got 5 minutes ok?" Rose said, passing him the toys.
He simply nodded in reply before attempting to drown a rubber duck. Rose gazed at the Doctor, who was just sat still watching the small boy play.
"I bet you wanna play don't cha?" she finally asked, breaking the Doctor's watch.
"It does look interesting " he joked
"You ok?" she asked taking his hand.
She had noticed that his gaze had deepened, as if he was in deep thought and almost craving something.
"Yeah, fine. Just thinking that's all" he replied with a weak smile.
"What about?"
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know Miss Tyler" he said, tapping her nose with his index finger.
She fixed her eyes on him for a moment, it was obvious that something was on his mind, but why wouldn't he talk to her?
"Duck!" Tony shouted in anger.
The Doctor and Rose rapidly turned their heads to see what the problem was. They found him sat with his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
"What was all that about?" Rose asked him kneeling down beside the bath.
"It won't go under"
"That's because it's meant to float" the Doctor pointed out, settling down next to Rose.
Tony flashed him a dirty look, before laughing at a funny face the Doctor had pulled at him.
"Come let's wash your hair, we've got to go out soon" Rose told him, hoping to get his mind off of the duck.
"Where we going?" he unknowingly asked.
"To that pub you like, you know with the disco and cherry pop."
"Daddy's cherry pop" Tony replied, innocently smiling up at her.
She glanced over at the Doctor, who looked slightly baffled.
"Dad did a children's range as well," she explained.
He nodded in understanding, as Rose lay her brother down to wash his hair.
"Err… Rose, could… could I do that?" he stuttered, pointing to Tony's head.
Rose looked at him surprised, what on earth was going on?
"You want to wash his hair?"
The Doctor nodded in reply. Rose moved away so that he could take over. He didn't really want to admit to himself why he wanted to wash a child's hair, but he knew that he was a different man now, and he couldn't just run away from things that scared him, even though it was something that one day he wanted.
Once Tony was bathed and dressed, The Doctor and Rose went home to get sorted themselves.
"See you soon" Rose called out as she closed the door behind them.
"Happy?" the Doctor asked, clutching her hand as they walked towards the car.
The sun was still warm in the sky and the greenery around them made the day look so fresh.
"Very" she smiled back, giving his hand a loving squeeze.
They were back at Pete and Jackie's within an hour, showered and dressed ready to go out. Rose wore a pair of smart black jeans and a red blouse with a red frilly piece down the middle. The Doctor also wore black jeans with a plain white open collar shirt and a grey jacket.
"Don't you look smart" Rose complemented Tony as he came running towards them.
He shyly grinned at them.
"Jackie come on!" Pete yelled, also entering the hallway.
Within seconds Jackie was scurrying down the stairs trying to put her earrings in without tearing her earlobes.
"I'm here I'm ready. What do you think?" she asked Pete, giving him a quick twirl.
He gave her a quick glance.
"Yeah fine" he said dismissively.
"Fine! Fine!" she yelled heatedly.
Pete screwed up his face in regret.
"This is how it should have gone dad," Rose stated tapping him on the shoulder.
She turned to the Doctor and gave him a soft light-hearted smile and straightened herself up.
"How do I look Doctor?"
Without any hesitation the Doctor leaned forward and rested his hands on her hips.
"You look beautiful Rose."
He leant forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
They turned simultaneously and gave him a mocking smile.
Pete rolled his eyes before turning back to Jackie.
"Sorry sweetheart, that was insensitive of me, you look beautiful." He said, in a tone of voice that stated that he wasn't really taking this seriously.
"Thanks" Jackie replied.
The Doctor and Rose tried their best to hold back their laughter, but failed miserably.
"Shut it you two." Pete snapped causing their laughter to amplify.
They entered the pub, the sound of cheesy pop music bouncing off of the walls.
"What the hell is this?" the Doctor asked, pointing his fingers towards Rose as he attempted to dance in a humorous manner.
She laughed at him slightly shifting her eyes around the room to see if anyone was paying attention to him, much to her relief nobody was.
"It's a disco. It's just summit to keep the kids entertained really. But I promise you the music gets better later on."
"Oh stop that." Jackie ordered the Doctor, embarrassed by his 'moves'.
He immediately stopped and placed his hands in his pocket.
"Now, what do you want to drink?" she continued.
"White wine would be great thanks" Rose replied.
They both turned to look at the Doctor.
"Err… one of those Guinness thingies please."
Jackie walked away to the bar to get the drinks, leaving the Doctor and Rose to get a table. They sat down on one that had a couch type seat on one side and normal standard chairs on the side.
"So this is your local?" the Doctor asked Rose.
"Yeah, it's the only one that let's kids in so mum and dad have to come here. I mean they get evenings out on their own and that, but when they take Tony out…" she trailed off and nodded her head towards the small boy who had joined them at the table and was dancing in his seat.
They chuckled at him.
"Here we go then," Pete said, putting their drinks on the table.
They said their thanks and began to chatter amongst themselves.
"Rose? Rose Tyler?" a deep and slightly surprised voice asked from behind them.
They all looked up to find a tall blonde haired man hovering near Rose. His features were deep, they were both comforting and threatening, the Doctor felt as if this was a man he didn't want to meet, but he had no idea why.
"Oh Dr. Samuels, hi." She stood up and greeted the man with a gentle and uneasy hug.
The Doctor noticed how uncomfortable Rose looked, and he grew anxious.
"How are you doing?" the man asked.
"Great thanks, yeah, really well." Rose replied a bit shaky.
"Oh good I'm glad"
He pulled Rose slightly closer to him and lowered his voice.
"How's it all going with that Doctor man?" he asked, almost unaware that everybody could still hear him.
The Doctor looked over at Jackie and Pete, they looked away from him and down at the table. They didn't want to see his questioning and concerned face; they had been through all that once already today.
"Well actually, there's someone I'd like you to meet." She turned to the Doctor and gestured to him to come and stand by her side.
He did so, looking the man straight in the eye, he felt uncomfortable. Him and Rose shared a history that involved him, he knew that much.
"This is the Doctor" she established, placing her arm around his waist, partly to show the man that they were together but mainly for comfort for herself more than anything.
"Oh" the man said, taken aback by the revelation.
The Doctor extended his hand out to the man who took it and shook it. The shake was loose and uncomfortable. The man was clearly very shocked.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I've heard a lot about you. This young lady is very fond of you," he stated, offering a smile to ease the tension.
"Well I'm very fond of her." he replied, returning the smile.
The tension eased between them, but Rose still seemed nervous. The Doctor firmed his grip on her, in an attempt to let her know that everything was ok.
"So, how did you get him here?" the man finally asked.
The Doctor and Rose looked at each other.
"Oh, it's a long story, but to cut it short I crossed the void."
The man looked taken aback once again, but gave a victorious smile.
"Well, well done you. I'm glad to see you so happy."
He lowered himself to give her another hug and turned away to meet someone who was waveing him over.
Once he was out of sight, Rose sighed deeply.
" I need some air." She said, before walking out.
"Where Rose going?" Tony asked, concerned about his big sister.
"Just to go and get some fresh air, sweetheart." Jackie reassured him.
The Doctor followed Rose out of the building.
Outside Rose leant against the wall, her eyes closed, the Doctor noticed that her breathing had quickened.
"Rose?" he called, moving slowly towards her.
Her eyes flew open at the sound of his voice.
"You ok?" He asked.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The Doctor placed his hand soothingly on her cheek and cupped it. She leant into his touch and closed her eyes again.
"When I went through all the issues, you know us being parted and the attempted suicide and what have you…" she began.
The Doctor's face flinched somewhat at the mention of THAT word.
"He was my psychologist. He helped me through. Just seeing him then, it brought back memories, very shameful and embarrassing memories." She continued.
The Doctor removed his hand and placed it on her shoulder.
"Rose, there is nothing shameful about what you did, you were grieving and depressed. It's not your fault."
She looked deep into his eyes, she knew that he meant what he said and wasn't just trying to make her feel better.
"Then whose fault is it?"
He went to shake his head, stuttering as he stopped himself speaking, he wanted to say that no one was to blame, that it was just one of those things, but then he realised, she needed closure. She needed to blame someone in order to stop blaming herself.
There was a long pause as he looked desperately into her searching eyes.
"Mine" he finally answered, looking away from her and placing his hands in his pockets once again.
Rose's face became plastered in guilt, she hadn't meant for him to feel like it was his fault because it wasn't. And now he stood silent and still in his most defensive position just staring at the floor with a hint of anger and sorrow on his face.
"That's… n…not what I mean" she stuttered.
"I know, but it is my fault, this whole bloody thing." His voice was growing angrier.
And he was angry, with himself more than anything else.
"What do you mean this whole thing?"
"Well, what happened to you. Getting trapped here, the attempted… and then you travelled through God knows how many universes just to get back to me and you wind up back here with… me."
He shook his head in fury and confusion. He could feel himself getting emotional, he wanted to cry, and he needed to cry. Rose moved as close to him as he'd allow her to get and held the top of his arms, running her hands up and down them, trying to calm him.
"Doctor. I'm glad I'm back here, I'm with you and that's all that ever mattered." she reassured him, her voice hushed and soft.
He looked at her and he could no longer contain himself. Before another word could be uttered and without any control over his actions the Doctor broke down. Rose became scared, not of him but of his way of dealing with what he had found out. He was sobbing uncontrollably into his hands, pulling at his hair, as his rage grew deeper. Rose pulled him close to her, allowing him to cry into her shoulder and in return he held her tight and let her see his true emotions.
"Oh Doctor. I'm sorry." She whispered in his ear, her own eyes welling up.
"Why Rose? I could have lost you for good. We might have never got this life together." He continued to weep.
"But it's ok 'coz… 'Coz I didn't die and I'm all right now. So you don't have to think about that 'coz it didn't happen. And I promise you it never will." she replied, firming her grip on him and placing a small kiss on his temple.
She felt so guilty, she had no idea the Doctor had felt this way, she didn't realise how scared he was.
They remained silent for a while, the Doctor gradually calming down as Rose tried to relax him by running her fingers through his hair. The Doctor eventually pulled away and wiped his face with his hands, taking several deep breathes.
"I'm sorry Rose, I don't know what came over me." He said.
"Don't be sorry. I didn't realise how badly this had affected you." she replied.
"Yeah, well, I didn't want to worry you."
She moved closer to him again and wiped off the remaining wetness from his face, smiling gently at him.
"You can't keep your emotions bottled up Doctor. You're a human now remember."
"Oi, I'm only half human," he protested, smiling back at her.
"Are you angry at me for what I did?"
"No" the Doctor responded, shaking his head.
"I just hate the thought of you going through that. It shouldn't have happened." He declared, trying to control his tears once again.
Rose raised her arms and placed them around his neck. She placed her head against his and chuckled softly.
"But you've just got to think, had it not happened we probably wouldn't be here now. I probably wouldn't have gained that fight to find you. I know it's hard Doctor, but you've got to let this go. You've got to trust me." She pleaded with him.
The Doctor sighed and leant in to rest his head between her neck and shoulder.
"Everything ok?"
They heard a voice ask from behind. They turned to find Jackie's hesitant face looking at them. She walked over towards them and gasped.
"Have you been crying?" she asked the Doctor.
His eyes widened as he looked over at Rose and began to stutter slightly.
"You have haven't you!" Jackie exclaimed.
Rose laughed at the expression on the Doctor's face, a mixture of confusion, embarrassment and fear.
"Well, it's …err… been an emotional day." He said, defensively.
"Oh, you poor monkey." Jackie exclaimed again, a bit too loud for the Doctor's liking.
She pulled him into a hug and squeezed him.
"Monkey?" the Doctor silently mouthed to Rose.
She replied with a hand gesture that told the Doctor that it was the alcohol that was making her slightly stranger than she usually is.
"Come on, go and finish your drinks so you can get another round in." she said, pushing them towards the door, before laughing.
Rose sometimes secretly thanked her mum for interrupting at the most inappropriate of times, she seemed to sometimes lighten the mood and that was what they all needed right now, just some fun.