A Quiet Night
Jackie thought it odd that the Doctor was so quiet and withdrawn. Through the car ride, and the ride on the zeppelin, he'd mostly stared out the window. Had it been anyone else, she would have thought he was suffering from some sort of shock. But this was the Doctor, and he melded into new situations seamlessly.
Rose finally had to excuse herself, and Jackie took the opportunity to talk to him.
"Doctor, you alright?" She kept her voice low and even. He blinked rapidly before slowly turning his head towards her. He considered lying to her, to tell her that he was always alright. But the concern in her eyes prompted him to answer her truthfully.
"I feel like I'm dreaming, and when I wake up, none of you will be here."
"Oh, sweetheart." Before he could react, she enveloped him in a hug. It wasn't the bone crushing hugs he'd gotten used to when they visited. If he had to describe it, he would call it motherly. That didn't fit with how he envisioned Jackie Tyler, though, and he almost fought her off. Another part of him, though, melted into this hug. He was finally home, with his family, because that's what they were. And a part of him felt so, so sorry for his Time Lord counter-part, who was undoubtedly alone by now.
He felt Rose's hand in his, and sat up. He looked around the zeppelin and took in the faces. Each face mirrored his own. Happiness that they were all alive, and together. And he felt for the first time in centuries, that he was home.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
"So, Rose, are you and the Doctor coming to the mansion tonight?" Rose points to the Doctor, who is looking out the windows again. They were finally over England and were soon to be in London.
"It's up to him, really." He scrunched his face, thinking about it for a moment.
"I kind of assumed we would be. I didn't know that Rose had her own place."
"But do you want to was the question."
"I...no? Can I say no?" Rose and Jackie exchange a look while Pete just shook his head. Finally, the silent conversation between the women stopped, and Jackie left the room. The Doctor glanced between Rose and Pete.
"We're going to go to my place tonight, Dad." Pete stared after his wife before nodding once.
"Ah. Let me go talk to her."
~DW~~DW~~DW~
After Pete left, Rose and the Doctor were alone again. By their silent agreement the night before, both kept the conversation light. The conversation eventually turned towards their dinner plans for the night.
"Obviously some sort of take-out. I'm not sure how long we were gone, but I made sure to clean all of the food out of the flat before leaving." Rose chewed on her lip, a nervous gesture that she'd never quite grown out of.
"Weell-" He made sure to draw out the word, making Rose smile. He smiled back, pleased with himself before he finished his sentence. "-why don't we do an old favorite?"
"Chips?"
"Chips. But I'm sorry to inform you, my lady, that I have no worldly possessions." Rose snorted at his antics.
"So what you're saying is, I have to pay again?"
"Yep!" The Doctor popped the 'p' in his pronunciation, another habit that made Rose smile. Another habit that made her believe that this was the same man after all.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
They departed the zeppelin quickly, each hardly able to wait to get home. Jackie seemed to be in a much better mood. She hugged and kissed both the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor made a face of mild disgust, which made everyone laugh. Secretly, he was please, but he probably would never let Jackie know.
Rose rented a car from the airport to drive them home. The Doctor offered to drive, but Rose declined. She knew exactly where they were going and what stops to make. The Doctor pouted for a moment, but a quick kiss from Rose made him smile again.
They decided to eat outside the chippy so the chips would still be hot. The Doctor's impatience led him to burn his fingers. Their conversation winded down many different roads but eventually came to the decision of his wardrobe.
"What's wrong with my suit?"
"Nothing is wrong with your suit. But you need a bit of variety. You won't be gallivanting across time and space any more. People will judge you based on your clothing."
"I don't really care what people think." He grumbled and pouted. He loved his suit!
"I care what they think. Look, I'm not saying no suits. I'm just asking that you pick a variety of different clothes. You never know...you might actually like it."
The Doctor scrunched his nose. He didn't think he would ever like anything other than his suit. But then he looked down. He was wearing jeans and a jumper, very reminiscent of his last self. That brought up a question in his mind. Did Rose want him to change? He had thought she liked this version of himself. Did she want the past version more?
The more he thought, the more depressed and agitated he became. His mind wandered from his clothes, to his career. Now that he was stuck on the slow path, he would need a job of some sort. Not just for his own sanity, either. He knew from experience how catastrophic it could be for him to be stationary. Trouble had a tendency to find him.
Before he could ponder his new life further, they had arrived at Rose's flat.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
When they arrived at her apartment building, the doorman greeted Rose before handing her back her key.
"Jackie called ahead. She said you didn't decide to leave after all. Your things are where you left them." Rose nodded before starting to walk off. The doorman stopped her by clearing his throat.
"Will the gentleman be a frequent guest?" Rose pursed her lips together, before smiling.
"Yeah, he'll be staying with me as well."
"Spectacular. I'll make sure that the manager gets you another key made."
The ride up the elevator was made in silence. Rose was growing more and more concerned as the night progressed. The Doctor seemed to be withdrawing into himself. Depression in the first him was a fairly common occurrence. She wasn't used to seeing it with her pinstriped Doctor. Then again, could he still be called her pinstriped Doctor? The entire situation left her confused and it was probably much worse for him. She decided then and there that she would make the rest of his life worth living.
Inside the door, she stopped him. She reached up, caressing his face. He leaned into her touch, nuzzling her hand.
"We'll be fine, Doctor. You'll see." She took him on a short tour of the flat. The flat was small, but cozy. It was a two bedroom, two bath apartment in a very posh part of the neighborhood. She went to her bedroom and started unpacking the few things she took with her. He hovered in the doorway, unsure of what to do with himself.
"I don't bite, you know." She threw him a cheeky, tongue-touched grin. He responded with a grin of his own.
"I don't...I'm not sure what to do with myself. This is your home."
"This is where I lived, but it was never a home. Home was wherever you were. Maybe now that you're here, we can make it a home together." He smiled at her warmly and strode across the room. The Doctor engulfed her in his arms and buried his face in her hair. His Rose always knew what to say.
"C'mon now, Doctor. Let's get ready for bed. I'm still knackered and we have a big day tomorrow."
"What do we have to do tomorrow?"
"Shopping! Then dinner with my folks."
"Oh, shopping sounds like it might be a bit fun. Can we skip the part with your mum, though?"
"No, already promised her we'd be there. Now c'mon, time for bed."
"I'm not really tired."
"That's fine, really. But, could you stay here with me, at least until I fall asleep?"
"I..yeah, I can do that." They both stripped down and changed. The Doctor was a bit self conscious, but Rose seemed to not be bothered.
Once she was in the bed, she patted the spot beside her. He settled in the bed. He seemed not to know what to do with himself, so Rose made the decision for him. She scooted her back towards the middle of the bed and draped his arm around her waist. It took him a moment before his arms were wrapped tightly around her and their bodies molded together.
"Thank you, for staying with me."
"I'll stay with you always."
They fall asleep, for the first time in their shared flat, small smiles on their faces.