Chapter three: Goodbyes
Jackie Tyler was in the kitchen, washing up the plates from last night's dinner. Pete was sitting at the table, coffee in one hand, newspaper in the other.
"Jack's you really don't have to wash up," he assured her for probably the millionth time, "I thought by now you would've grasped the concept of cleaners"
Jackie sighed, "I don't know them people, I don't want them thinking we're dirty." Pete rolled his eyes in mock-annoyance. It had taken quite a few years, but he had gotten used to this Jackie Tyler and all of her little quirks and he sort of loved her more for it. He smiled thinking of that day when they got remarried. She had lost her Pete and he had lost her Jackie, but they had then found an even more perfect match. They had found each other.
Suddenly his chain of thought was interrupted by a very familiar noise. Jackie and Pete both rushed to their feet and into the garden. They were startled by a very familiar blue box sitting in there garden. Jackie grabbed Pete's hand.
"Pete tell me this is real, tell me you see the TARDIS too, for Rose's sake."
"I see it."
"I don't know why the bloody hell did she decides to go to Norway, on the day that this idiot decides to finally show up! I'm going to give him a piece of my mind; I didn't do a year's worth of suicide watch on her after he left for nothing!"
Jackie angrily stomped to the TARDIS, a slap ready on her hand, with Pete following behind her. Then the doors open and out stepped an unfamiliar face. He was holding hands with Rose and two more strangers were standing behind them.
"Oh he hasn't," shouted Jackie "gone and changed your face again, do you do it annually or something doctor?" the doctor laughed and then was greatly surprised as she hugged him. He did always have a bit of a hidden soft spot for Jackie Tyler, so he sort of hugged her back.
She pulled away and said "that's for coming back." The Doctor smiled for a second there he was worried she was going to… SLAP! Jackie had taken one step away after the hug and slapped him harder than he suspected she had ever slapped before, and that was saying something. "And that's for bloody leaving in the first place you prat. Three years it's been you know? And you just had to land coincidentally in Norway too. Bloody Norway Rose, don't think we bought that whole work thing! You were looking for him, like you always do! Haven't you had your heart broken enough?"
Rose sighed, "mum I love The Doctor," she remembered a conversation a while ago with Sarah Jane Smith,
Do I stay with him?
Yes. Because some things are worth getting your heart broken for. (RIP Elizabeth Sladen, aka Sarah Jane Smith)
"I love The Doctor, and I'm not angry at him for taking so long to come back. He didn't do it on purpose, and I trust him to keep me safe. Mum he makes me happy, isn't that enough?"
Jackie sighed and thought of Pete, her wonderful parallel world Pete Tyler. She had given up everything for him, all her old friends and family back in her old universe. Heck, all her stuff was still there. People thought she was dead. She could understand Rose sacrificing it all for The Doctor.
"okay Rose," she nodded "go with him, follow your heart and chase your dreams. Have the adventure it took me almost forty years to begin" she glanced at Pete and smiled, tears in the corner of her eyes.
Rose turned to face the two of them, "I love you guys okay? Both of you. And Pete, parallel or not your still my father and I will always love you like I would of loved him. Okay?" Pete and Jackie nodded.
"doctor you better keep my daughter safe," warned Jackie "because now, your all she has. Just you and that bloody blue box. So if you ever leave her, or hurt her or let her down just know that I will personally rip the walls of both universes down to slap you into your next regeneration! And then some!"
"yes boss" smiled The Doctor, with a quick salute as him and the Ponds retreated to the TARDIS. With one final hug, Rose turned to walk into the TARDIS. She gave one final look back at her parents and waved goodbye, before shutting the doors behind her. She let a single tear fall down her cheek. "I'm never ever going to see them again am I doctor?" she asked
"hey now" said The Doctor as he wiped the tear from under her eye. "never say never ever. Now how about we go and pay a visit to old Rickey the idiot?"
Rose smiled and nodded, she rubbed her eyes. She could save the tears for later, right now he needed to be strong, for mickey.
Mickey was up in the head office at torchwood, going over some plans for a hovercraft they were developing, it was sketchy but since re-sitting all of the GSCE and A levels he had miserably failed in the other universe, he had a vague knowledge of quantum physics. He had nothing on Rose, who through years of constantly being around The Doctor had flown through her re-sits, and had even gotten a degree.
He had had to work much harder, being a mechanic, he had only ever known how to fix cars. And then there was the odd hacking-into-government-databases incidents bus that had only been in recent years, since The Doctor had shown up and changed everything.
He sat and thought about The Doctor and Rose now, he had lost Rose, romantically, to The Doctor a long time ago, but her friendship was enough for him. He did still love her, and he loved being in the parallel with her, but she was the only one keeping him there after his gran had died, peacefully this time. Pete and Jackie were happy together, living in a mansion; whereas even though Pete had started him up, he worked to pay the bills.
He sighed as he thought of Rose, she'd never quite been the same since The Doctor had left her on this version of earth. She didn't have that, Rose essence about her. She wasn't happy. She often confided in him, that this world felt wrong beneath her feet, and how the air felt different. He shrugged it off, not feeling a difference, but even though the years had passed and she had sort of moved on, she still always said that this earth had felt 'wrong'
His thoughts were interrupted by a waaay too familiar whooshing noise behind him. He sighed, knowing that the day had finally come when The Doctor had come back for Rose, and he was glad for her sake it was sooner rather than later. He turned around in his chair, a little bit startled to see Rose holding hands in front of the TARDIS with a stranger. But then he realised.
"Doctor you're finally back then? Took you a while, not too sure about the new look" he tweaked the doctors bowtie.
"hey," The Doctor protested "bowties are cool" sorry but this line was coming sooner or later. I picked sooner. XD
Mickey just laughed, "and I suppose this is your goodbye?" he asked Rose, and she nodded sadly.
"well no need for that, I'm coming with you."
"what?" protested The Doctor, this had suddenly become very very awkward. He didn't want mickey on the TARDIS with them! Sure he liked mickey but he loved Rose. And that was The Doctor's job.
"oh, not like that," mickey assured practically reading the doctors mind "I really don't want to come across you two shagging on the console, or having some freaky four-way with the ginger and the nose over there" he nodded to Amy and Rory, who were hanging back a bit. Rory grimaced and Amy began to wet herself laughing. I like this Mickey she thought to herself.
"well what do you mean then?" Rose asked, watching the doctors flushed face turn back to normal.
"I just want to head back to my home universe, if you're gone then there's nothing keeping me here Rose. They've got a torchwood across the pond, I'm sure captain cheesecake will have me. I can't stay here, I'm wrong, I'm out of place. I need to go home"
Rose smiled understandingly, "I totally get it mickey, this world it just felt wrong to me, but at least I know now that I will never have to say goodbye to you. We always said we'd grow old together, my best friend by my side for the rest of our lives." Mickey smiled and him and Rose rushed into the TARDIS with the ponds. The Doctor smiled as he saw the note mickey had scrawled on the desk, when Rose was talking. Sorry Pete, gotta head back home. I'll miss you Jacks, have a brilliant life. I will always keep Rose safe.
He started to smile at the thought of Rose being able to grow old with mickey, when he would stay this way forever. But then he frowned, as he remembered the odd readings he had gotten from Rose when he scanned her after she collapsed at Dålig Ulv Stranden, and how he feared she may never grow old at all.
Yes bit of a cliff hanger I know, but we will find out what's wrong with Rose eventually, so be patient. In the meantime I'm thinking of a series six adventure episode to do… any suggestions? Oh also shout-out to TheValiantStorm, her story Forever is pretty good and she did a nice little one-shot from The God Complex, so if you like 11xRose she's your girl. Reviews make me light up like a non-killer Christmas tree, so please write them