Returning Home

They stood nervously at the front door of the Tyler mansion. They had been gone for two months, and hadn't had any contact with the family. Standing here, they both felt guilty about that. If nothing, they should have called and talked to Tony. They would be surprised if Jackie didn't slap the both of them. They each took a deep breath and knocked on the front door.

They could hear movement on the other side of the door, as well as Jackie shrieking. Her words were indistinguishable but they imagined it was something along the lines of "Just a minute!" Finally, the door opened. Jackie stood, mouth agape, as her daughter and son-in-law finally were at her doorstep again. Fire flashed in her eyes and she opened her mouth, probably to yell, but closed her mouth shut. Without a word, she enveloped them both into a hug.

"I don't know where you two ran off to, but I'm glad you're back." Both Rose and Joshua squeezed Jackie a little tighter.

"You know us, Mum. We always will come back. But with everything that has happened, we just needed to run." Jackie stepped back to take a good look at her daughter and son-in-law. She smiled softly at the two of them, but couldn't completely hide her sadness.

"I know that, Rose. It's what you do best. And I really shouldn't be surprised. I've figured the two of you would have run off long before now. I'm glad you came back, though. Enough of all this. Come inside. I'm sure your dad wants to see you and I know Tony would." She ushered them into the mansion and shut the door behind them.

They found Tony playing in the Living Room. Each fought off a pang of guilt for leaving the little tyke behind. It seemed he had grown so much in the couple of months they had been away. As soon as he saw Rose and Joshua, he shrieked and ran towards them. He almost knocked over Joshua with his momentum. Joshua lifted him in the air and held him close, while Rose hugged them both. The siblings stood there, arms around one another, until Tony started wriggling to try and break free. After they sat him safely back on the ground, they looked up and saw Pete. He had a relieved look on his face. He nodded his head towards his study and the two followed. Neither were sure whether they were getting reprimanded for running off, but really, they didn't care. They had made their decisions.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

Pete sat behind his desk and regarded his two runaways. Even after hearing the stories, he never imagined the two would just run off like that. He hadn't worried, much, so long as Rose was using her bank account. The two leaving had left him in a bit of a bind at Torchwood. They had left a huge gaping hole that he had struggled to fill. He was relieved they had finally returned, but also frustrated that they had taken off without so much as a word to him or Jackie. He took a deep breath before he started talking.

"I'm glad the two of you are back. Whether Jackie will admit it or not, she was beside herself with worry. Once she knew your account was being used, she calmed quite a bit and even went about life as normal. Tony didn't understand why you would leave him, no matter how much Jackie tried talking him down. He was upset a good two weeks solid. He barely ate or slept.

As for me, you put me in a bind at Torchwood. No one could understand why you would up and leave. And I couldn't really tell anyone anything, because I didn't know either. All your projects you were working on, no one else could pick up.

I get the need to run. Both of you have spent years traveling and not really being tied to anyone. All I ask is next time, at least give me a ring to let me know you're alright. A short explanation would be nice, but something so I'm not sitting here, wondering if you're dead or not!" Pete hadn't started out loud, but by the time he had finished, he was upset. Rose and Joshua exchanged a glance, but it was Joshua who spoke.

"We ran, Pete, because this defending the Earth has become too taxing. Instead of enjoying one another after finding each other again, we were forced back into the slavery of defending the Earth. With Rose's close call, we had to get away. You're right, we probably should have called. Jackie and Tony and yourself, as family, deserved that. But we aren't going to apologize for running away from Torchwood. I told you, when I first took the job there, that it might be temporary for me. I think the time has come for me to leave. I have one life now, Pete. I want to live it the way I want to. I'm quitting Torchwood. I think I know what I want to do and I have Rose's support in this."

Pete wasn't shocked. He knew when Joshua said yes those months ago that he would one day leave Torchwood. His heart hadn't been in it then and it certainly wasn't now. He nodded at Joshua, then turned his attention to Rose.

"I'm not leaving Torchwood, at least not yet. I am going to retire from actual field work. I'll continue to be Ambassador and help in R&D but I don't need to put my life in danger any more. I don't know how long this regenerative energy will stay with me and I don't want to run the risk that one day I might not wake up."

"Seems fair enough. Just, do me a favor. No more disappearing. You can disappear from the rest of the world, but not from us. Alright?" Pete received nods from both of them with promises they would be in contact soon.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

It took a month for Joshua to find work teaching. Pete helped as much as he could, calling in his contacts. Rose even helped. She introduced Joshua to her physics professor, and they hit it off beautifully. Joshua didn't get a job at the same University, but it was in London, so he and Rose didn't have to think about moving.

They attended Sunday dinners at the Tyler Mansion and Joshua never once complained. Before they all knew it, it was August and their wedding was less than a month away.