Some hours had passed since Jackie had left the Doctor on the promenade. Having awoken from her nap, she had tried to reach Pete on her mobile again to check on Tony. After reassurance from Pete that all was well, she had decided to find Rose to have a cup of tea. Jackie hadn't eaten since that morning and thought perhaps they could all have a spot of lunch as well. She searched for Rose in her quarters but found no one. Next she tried the main deck, but no luck there either. Giving up, Jackie doubled back towards the galley resolved to eat alone if need be. Just then she heard muffled voices coming from the library to her right.
"Well, there they are!" she thought to herself grumpily. Under normal circumstances Jackie would have let them be, but hungry and tired of being on that blasted zeppelin; she wasn't the most rational person at the moment.
"You done hiding, sweet-?" she began, walking into the library.
Sometimes Jackie had rotten timing. This was one such occasion.
The Doctor and Rose, arms wrapped around one another, were standing in a corner of the room, heads bowed and… crying?
Awareness of what she was interrupting fell over Jackie like an ice cold bucket of water and she clapped a hand over her mouth, hastily retreating back towards the door. It was too late though, she realized, as the couple jumped apart. The Doctor turned around and pretended to be quite absorbed in the books on a nearby shelf.
Rose glared at her mum, eyes red and face splotchy.
"Sorry, love! I- I was just going to ask if you two had had lunch already… I'll just go then, be in the galley if you need me."
"Yeah, alright…" replied Rose, already turning back to the Doctor.
As Jackie's footsteps retreated, they stood in silence, each waiting for the other to speak first. But then the Doctor turned around and approached Rose again, suddenly feeling brave after such an open and honest display of affection on her part before they had been interrupted.
Cupping her face in his hands like he had done the previous night at the inn, he smiled and rested his forehead against hers once more.
"In know we've both changed, Rose, me more so than you… but you're still my Rose. You're still brilliant…"
He kissed her softly on the forehead.
"… and beautiful…"
He placed another kiss on her nose this time.
"… and I'm still me."
This time the Doctor hesitated. He scanned her face for any signs of resistance. Finding none, he closed his eyes and brushed his lips ever so lightly on hers, smiling against them as he felt her face tip slightly upwards to better reach his.
In contrast to the one they had shared on the beach, this kiss was very different. It was hesitant and a tad awkward; both parties still a bit unsure of each other. Laced with equal parts hope and fear, it was short but tender, no more and no less than what either could offer at that particular moment in time.
Rose broke away first though she did not pull away completely, arms still resting lightly on his chest. Looking up into a slightly dazed pair of eyes, she grinned softly and asked, "You're still you?"
The Doctor's hands let go of her face and dropped down to her waist again. He nodded and unknowingly echoed once more the words his other self had said to her back on the TARDIS, after he had siphoned off the rest of his regenerative energy.
"I'm still me."
Rose's heart gave a little flutter, as she felt some of her fear slowly being replaced with anticipation and excitement. She knew this would be a slow process, but right now she felt reassured that they were on the right path. This Doctor, bless him, was being more open than she had ever imagined he could be and seemed to understand her need to take things slowly. Those two things went a long way towards making her feel more at ease around him.
Tongue poking out between her teeth, she smiled a bit wider and replied, "Good." Standing on her toes, she gave him a quick peck on the lips and then grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the door.
"Come on you, I'm starving! Maybe we can get mum to fry something up for us!"
Out of habit the Doctor groaned but allowed himself to be towed by Rose, a goofy grin plastered across his face. He would have to be brave more often, he decided.
Back in the galley, Jackie was busy making herself and the other two some lunch, just in case they happened to show up… though she doubted they would by the looks of it when she had walked in on them earlier. Pete always kept the zeppelin fully stocked and had even offered to staff it with a cook, but she had refused. Jackie was used to cooking and anyhow, it was a good distraction for her on longer trips.
She had just begun to dredge the fish in flour when Rose walked in with the Doctor in tow… by the hand. Jackie raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the Doctor who just beamed back at her like a nutter. Shaking her head and not really wanting to know what had changed his mood so drastically, she turned to Rose who was surveying the ingredients in front of her.
"Oh mum, are you making fish and chips?!"
"Yeah, I am and now that you two are here how about some help?"
And so the three worked in amicable silence for a while, their grumbling stomachs making up for lack of conversation as they worked feverishly to get the meal done. Jackie watched in amusement as her daughter and this new Doctor stole shy glances at one another.
She smiled to herself as she thought back to the initial awkwardness between her and Pete when they had suddenly found themselves thrown together in this universe. It had been so overwhelming at first and their situation hadn't been anywhere near as complicated as Rose and the Doctor's. As she observed their interactions while cooking and then throughout their lunch together, Jackie could tell that things seemed to be heading in the right direction for these two and hoped it would continue to get easier for them. Knowing her daughter's stubborn streak (much like her own) she knew that Rose hadn't shed the last of her tears today by any means. However, she had no doubt that they were a perfect match, more so now than ever before and that had to count for something.