Author's Note: We're back on Earth for just a chapter-long pit stop :) This chapter is a little longer over on Teaspoon, with nothing missing until the end and no loss of plot.
Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own any characters that you've ever seen anywhere else!
Chapter Three
The TARDIS arrived back on Earth in the Doctor and Rose's backyard.
"We've been gone for exactly twenty-four hours in this timeline," said the Doctor proudly as he studied readings on the console. "Ha! And Jackie thinks I can't fly properly."
"She does have a pretty good reason to think that, you know," said Rose with a smile as she got Lily out of her seat.
"Oi, it was one mistake, as far as she knows, and it was years ago," he protested as he moved toward them, "a decade, even!"
Rose laughed, transferring Lily to the Doctor's outstretched hands.
"Hello, Miss Lily!" he said to his daughter enthusiastically. "And how did you like our first trip?"
Lily cooed and smiled.
"That's what I thought, too!" he said, pulling her close and smiling at Rose as they made their way out of the TARDIS doors.
"Finally!" came Jackie's voice, the unexpected interruption bringing the family to a complete stop. "Been waiting for hours, I have, and you finally decide to show up."
"Mum," said Rose, more than a little confused, "we showed up when we meant to. What were you waiting here for?"
"I wanted to make sure you got back alright, didn't I?" replied Jackie, hands on hips. "You said you'd be back today, so I've been here all morning, waiting! Organized the kitchen properly, too, since I had the time. You can thank me for that later."
She stalked toward the little family who still stood just outside of the blue police box, angrily kissed both of Rose's cheeks and both of the Doctor's, then took Lily from her stunned son-in-law and stalked back inside their house, leaving Rose and the Doctor staring after her, mouths open slightly.
Rose started giggling and took the step or two over to her husband, putting her arms around his waist as she muffled her laughter into his chest. After a moment, his arms went around her, too, and she felt his smile as he rested his face on her hair. He used their connection to convey his love for her and his slight exasperation with her mother, causing Rose to laugh harder.
When she got control of herself, she pulled back far enough to see his face, which he had contorted into an exaggerated expression of suffering. She reached out a hand to touch his cheek.
"I'll talk to her," she told him before leaning in for a kiss, which he returned with enough enthusiasm to momentarily distract her from the situation.
"Any time now," came Jackie's voice from inside, causing Rose and the Doctor to jump apart instinctively, "you can come inside."
"Dunno how she still does that," said Rose, blushing slightly and frustrated that her mother could still make her feel like a teenager.
"The Tyler women are talented," said the Doctor as they started toward the house, earning him a mock glare from his wife.
Before the couple made it all the way inside, Jackie yelled, "Rose! Doctor! Come quick!"
They ran, stopping in the living room where Jackie sat on the floor. Next to her sat Lily, who smiled a toothless grin at having watched her parents run into the room.
"She's sitting! By herself!" said Jackie, gesturing at the child.
Breathing a sigh of relief that nothing was wrong, Rose moved to join her mother and daughter on the floor.
"She was close yesterday," said Rose, smiling at the happy baby.
"Part Gallifreyan, Jackie," said the Doctor. "She'll grow at the same rate as a normal human, but she should gain control of her body sooner, what with the superior biology and all. And she'll be much smarter than her peers, but you knew that already."
"And you trust Jack to keep up with her while you go galavanting about?" said Jackie, sounding incredulous again.
"Jackie," said the Doctor with a sigh, "Jack may be a bit preoccupied with s...ah...erm," the Doctor paused, seemingly unable to complete that particular word while talking to his mother-in-law. "None of his interests affect his ability to keep Lily safe while she's asleep in the TARDIS. He knows better than to bring someone aboard without permission, and he's very responsible when he chooses to be, as long as you keep him away from anyone who might be willing to participate in...erm...right." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.
"Mum," said Rose, looking from Lily over to Jackie, "I know you mean well, I really do, but you have to let go a little. If we need to find someone else to watch Puff for us and stop telling you when we leave, we will. I really don't want you to be worried about every decision we make, alright?"
Jackie's face fell.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said. "I just want to be sure my family's safe is all."
Barely containing her sigh, Rose responded, "I know, Mum. We appreciate it, really, but we're not going to stop travelling, and it's gonna be hard on you if you're worried all the time."
Before Jackie could respond, there was a jaunty knock at the door.
"S'probably Jack," said Jackie. "I called him when you weren't home. He told me not to worry, said it was only morning and you'd be back eventually." She sniffed slightly and turned to give her granddaughter attention again as the Doctor left the room to open the front door.
"Hey there, Doc," came the American accent through the hallway as the Doctor and Jack joined the others in the living room. "Hiya, Rosie," said Jack with a wink as he came into view. "Jackie," he added at Rose's panicked look, "you look as radiant as ever."
"Jack," said the Doctor with a bit of warning in his tone, though it seemed it was more out of habit than any serious concern. "Stop it."
"Don't worry, Doctor," said Jack, setting down his grey duffle bag. "I won't cross any lines in front of the little lady."
The little lady in question seemed to realize she was being spoken about, and she made a happy noise before attempting to reach for Jack, losing her balance in the process, falling backwards onto the soft carpet. He scooped her up before she could decide whether to cry.
"Come see Uncle Jack," he said as he lifted her. "Don't worry, Jackie," he added as he noted the woman's glare. "Lily and I will get along just fine, won't we?" he said, the last directed more at the baby than at Jackie. "Besides, her parents would take turns killing me repeatedly if anything ever happened, wouldn't they?"
"You may not want to use murder as a conversation starter with a baby, Jack," said Rose, more amused than disapproving, having already established what was and wasn't acceptable behavior around Lily.
"Pete says you've gotten your branch of Torchwood running admirably," said the Doctor, trying to shift the conversation slightly.
"I've got a great team," said Jack. "Our area of authorization is actually pretty quiet, and everything is running so smoothly that I'm not really needed on a daily basis anymore. Pete knows how to reach me if something comes up."
"Mum, Jack, are you hungry?" asked Rose, standing.
"No thanks, Rosie," replied Jack.
"I'm fine, ate while I was waiting, but I do need to show you around the kitchen," said Jackie, standing a bit more slowly than Rose had.
"Jack," said the Doctor, "The TARDIS finished with your room today, but she wants to know if you have any requirements for furnishings. Want to come help me tell her?"
"Sure thing, Doc," he said, and he followed the Doctor out the back door, still carrying Lily.
Rose moved into the kitchen and washed her hands as the watched the men and baby enter the TARDIS, taking a breath before turning back to her mother.
"Thanks for helping with the kitchen, Mum," she said as a peace offering. "Don't know when I'd have gotten to it."
"Don't mention it," said Jackie, and she proceeded to show Rose where everything was now located.
O~O~O~O~O~O
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and Jackie eventually announced that she needed to get back home to Pete and Tony. After supper was had and the baby in bed, the remaining adults gathered in the living room, Jack on the recliner near the fireplace, and Rose and the Doctor cuddled on the sofa across from it.
"So, where are we headed first, Doc?" asked Jack, taking a swig of his beer.
"Well," said the Doctor, stroking Rose's hair, "I thought we would spend the day on Theropp. I checked all of the available data banks, and everything appears consistent with what I remember. It's a sort of intergalactic amusement park, so I thought there might be things we can all enjoy. They do have plenty of rides that are safe for children because they get a lot of visits from races that are a bit smaller in stature."
"Oh, right, I've heard of that planet," said Jack, sounding excited. "They've got a whole section just for the adult versions of amusement. Vortex manipulator burnt out before I got a chance to see it, and since you refuse to fix it so it'll go off-planet, this might be my only chance to visit."
"Looks like you picked a good spot for everyone, Doctor," said Rose contentedly.
She closed her eyes, relaxed, as she listened to the two men continue to talk. Over the year or so since the Doctor and Rose had met this world's Jack, the trio had gotten quite close. Rose wondered how much the shared dreams had influenced that, and she was quite grateful that the Doctor had been able to get past his aversion to the fixed point that was Jack. Though she and the Doctor and Jack hadn't traveled together long, her memories from that time were among her happiest, and she very much looked forward to resuming travels with the two of them, despite the fact that it would be quite different this time. For one thing, there would be a baby along, and for another, well, she and the Doctor were now doing the sort of things that made babies in the first place.
They'd taken measures against the baby part happening again until they were ready, though, implanting a hormonal contraceptive that would be effective until it was removed.
With that thought, Rose's mind shifted away from group travels and firmly toward the man whose chest her head was resting on. She moved her hand slowly, subtly (she hoped) to the collar of his shirt, achieving the skin-on-skin contact she needed to include images in her telepathic communication with the Doctor.
The Doctor and Jack were discussing spaceship engines, and Rose waited a moment before sending anything.
"Yeah, Capison 38 engines are rubbish," the Doctor was saying. "That being said, though, if you ever want to…" he trailed off with a squeak as Rose sent him a detailed image of herself in bed, no clothes or covers, stretching languidly.
"What were you saying, Doctor?" asked Jack, sounding highly amused, and Rose tried not to blush as she realized he might have already gotten a good idea of what happened to interrupt the Doctor's thought process.
"Erm, right," said the Doctor, sounding flustered, and Rose marveled at the fact she could still affect him so easily. "I was saying Rose seems tired, and we should probably go to bed, big day tomorrow and all."
"Uh huh," agreed Jack knowingly. "Sure, that's what you were saying. That's okay. I know when I'm not wanted anymore." He winked at Rose, who'd opened her eyes to make sure her friend wasn't genuinely upset.
She sat up straight and stretched, enjoying the feel of the Doctor's eyes burning into her as she mimicked her pose from the image she'd sent him.
"Good night, Jack," she said, giving him a little wave as she stood up and made her way toward their bedroom, the Doctor eagerly following behind her. She stopped just before leaving the room, and the Doctor reached to take her hand, standing just a bit further into the room than Rose was.
"Oh, Jack," she said. "You can sleep either in the guest room like you usually do or in your new room in the TARDIS. It's up to…"
It was Rose's turn to be interrupted as she suddenly received the same image she'd sent earlier, only with the addition of the Doctor engaging in one of his favorite activities. Out of the corner of her eye, since she had been looking at Jack while speaking, she saw the Doctor lick his lips.
"Um, right. Good night, Jack," she said before leading the Doctor more quickly toward their bedroom.
"Good night, you two," said Jack with a chuckle. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
When the Doctor and Rose got into their bedroom and shut the door behind them, Rose was very glad for the one-way soundproofing the Doctor had implemented when they redecorated their room.
Reviews! I seriously love every single review I get :) Sometimes I quite literally do a happy dance after reading them. Oh, and I have a bouncy desk chair, so if I'm sitting at it and get a review, I bounce high enough to bump my desk. Whoops.
britgirlatheart: I am happy to supply your cavity-inducing fluff! The next stop should be a blast :)
genxblah: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! And you're welcome for the car seat description ;) Yes, that planet was used to visitors. Most of the planets that the Doctor will consider safe to bring Lily are going to be used to visitors; otherwise, he wouldn't be certain the natives would react well to tourists.