Chapter Forty: Home Again

The time rotor stopped moving after one last, hard chug. The Doctor watched his friends look at each other across the console, all with varying degrees of uncertainty. Martha and Donna both nudged Jenny, and she looked up at him.

"Is that it, Dad? Is the Earth home?"

The Doctor rocked back on his heels and nodded. "In between Venus and Mars, right where she belongs," he confirmed.

The room erupted in cheers, and he took the opportunity to grab Rose's hand and pull her a few feet down the corridor. As soon as they were alone, she jumped into his arms and hugged him tight.

"We did it, Doctor!"

The Doctor set her down and shook his head. "You did it, Rose." He pushed a strand of hair back over her ear. "Blimey, love, you were…" Rose bit her lip, and he brushed his knuckles over her cheekbone. "You are incredible," he said hoarsely. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here—you saved the universe today."

Rose's eyes glowed with pride, and she leaned into his caress. "Thank you for trusting me to do what I needed to do," she told him.

The Doctor sighed and leaned forward. Her arms slid around his waist and she pushed herself up on her tiptoes to meet his kiss. They'd be missed soon, but they both needed this moment to reconnect.

I love you, he told her as their lips met. Rose hummed against his mouth and slid a hand over his shoulder to play with his hair. The Doctor shuddered at her touch, and he felt her lips curve up in a smile. I love you so much, Rose.

Rose swiped her tongue over his bottom lip, and the Doctor willingly opened his mouth. I love you too, Doctor, she replied as she stroked her tongue against his.

The Doctor clutched at her back, feeling the cool texture of her leather jacket against his fingers. He'd just started to pull her closer when he heard a voice behind him.

"You know, some of us are waiting to go home while you're back here snogging each other's faces off."

"Mum." Rose groaned and hid her face in the Doctor's chest for a moment.

Jackie snorted, and the Doctor could imagine her rolling her eyes. "Well you'll learn soon enough, Rose Tyler, that it's not pleasant to see someone shoving their tongue down your daughter's throat."

Rose made an incoherent noise of frustration, and the Doctor turned around to look at Jackie. "I think you'll find it was your daughter's tongue down my throat," he said breezily. He met Jackie's narrowed gaze with an insouciant smile, satisfied that he'd distracted her from embarrassing Rose for the moment.

Of course, Jackie wasn't the only one who heard his parting quip, he realised when he stepped back into the console room and caught the hidden smiles and Jack's approving grin. The tips of his ears warmed, and he jogged to the console to redirect their attention.

"And now that we have Earth back where it belongs, it's time to get all of you back where you belong." He quickly set the coordinates for the same park where he and Rose had said goodbye to Sarah Jane five years ago.

"First stop, Bannerman Road. Last call for anyone getting out in London."

Sarah Jane's eyes lit up and she was quick to pull the door open and go outside. Rose took the Doctor's hand and they step out into the sunlight, enjoying the church bells pealing in celebration.

After turning in a circle to take in the fact that yes, she was home, and yes, the Earth really was back where it belonged, in its orbit around the sun, Sarah Jane stopped and looked at them both.

"This goodbye is quite a bit different from the first time you dropped me off," she said finally. "That time, you left me behind to fly off alone. But now…" She gestured towards the TARDIS. "You've got the biggest family on Earth."

The Doctor rubbed at the back of his neck. The notion of an extended family was honestly going to take a bit of getting used to, even though in theory, he liked the idea.

Rose glanced up at the Doctor. The long-awaited reunion with her mum loomed ahead, and the emotions were almost too much to handle. How much more overwhelming would a sudden family be to someone who had lost everyone?

She squeezed the Doctor's hand, then moved forward to hug Sarah Jane. "And you're part of our family, Sarah Jane," she insisted as she stepped back. "You and Luke, who we still need to meet."

Sarah Jane's eyes widened, and she started backing up down the pavement. "Oh! Got to go. He's only fourteen. It's a long story. And thank you!" She waved to them, then spun around and ran towards home.

The Doctor and Rose watched her go, then turned to get back into the TARDIS. But before they could reach for the door, it opened from the inside and Donna stepped out.

"We're in Ealing, yeah?" she said, looking around. "If I take the Tube, I'm only half an hour from home. And Mum and Gramps…" She shrugged and held up her phone. "They're asking me to visit."

Speaking of family… "Course they are," Rose agreed. "Text me when you're ready and we'll pick you up."

Donna scrunched her face. "Yeah, I don't think it'll take long," she said drily. "We'll have tea, and she'll fuss and moan about the government and all the imbeciles in charge." She paused and tilted her head. "It'll be different, knowing what she's talking about this time though," she added.

The Doctor laughed. "No more missing the big picture."

"That's right," Donna agreed. "I'm not the old Donna anymore." She shook her head, whipping her hair back and forth. "Anyway, I can only handle listening to her for so long before I need to get out of there. I'll definitely text you, Rose."

Rose pressed her lips together to hold back a snort. Having met Sylvia, she could easily imagine wanting a quick escape. "Have you got enough for the fare?" she asked.

Donna reached into the pocket of her soft brown leather jacket and pulled out a plastic card. "I'd just topped up my Oyster card when I ran into the two of you again." She waved them towards the TARDIS. "I'll be fine!"

The Doctor reached for the door and held it open for Rose. Then he waved at Donna. "We'll see you tonight," he promised, before going inside himself and closing the door behind him.

Martha was standing along the railing with Jack, and the Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Not ready to go home yet?"

She shook her head. "Jack needs some help cleaning up the Hub, and I can contact my superiors from Cardiff." She smiled wryly. "The New York office was destroyed anyway, so right now UNIT doesn't even have a place for me."

The Doctor nodded, then looked at Jack. An idea had been brewing ever since he'd seen Pete and Jackie in the Crucible with Jack.

"Before we drop you off, we have a favour to ask of you," he said, nodding at Pete and Jackie, who were sitting together on the jump seat. Rose caught onto his thought, and her excited agreement fizzed over the bond.

"What is it, Doc?" Jack glanced at Pete and Jackie and raised his eyebrows.

The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets. "Would you be able to help my family resettle in this universe?"

A grin stretched across Jack's face, and he nodded immediately. "We're getting pretty good at this business of setting up a life on Earth for people who don't belong here. Consider it done."

The Doctor laughed when Rose's excitement finally spilled over. She'd barely been able to hold still while he laid out their request to Jack, and as soon as he agreed, she darted forward and grabbed his hand.

"Mum, Pete, this is Jack Harkness," she said as she pulled him over to her parents. "He's going to help you get your life set up back in this universe."

Pete stood and held out his hand. "Thank you. We appreciate it."

The Doctor bounced lightly on his toes. "Well, if that's all settled, why don't we go to Cardiff and you can get right on it?"

"All settled?" Jackie snorted. "I was pregnant, do you remember?"

He blinked, then nodded. "Right, that's right." He pursed his lips. Pete and Jackie clearly hadn't brought their child with them when they'd come over, which meant… "I guess we need to make a trip to Pete's World and back before the walls between the universes seal again."

Jack clapped him on the shoulder. "I think Martha and I will get off before you go through the Void." He looked at Pete and Jackie. "I'll get a crash pad set up for you as soon as I get back to the Hub. Have the Doctor drop you back off in Cardiff and give me a call."

"Cardiff," Jackie muttered. "I know we can't live in London, but why couldn't it have been Birmingham, or even Manchester?"

The Doctor chose not to answer. Jackie understanding she couldn't live in London after being declared dead was a victory he wouldn't question.

Rose was still standing with Pete and Jackie, so the Doctor nodded from Jenny to the console. She lit up and took the controls Rose usually worked, deftly adjusting the dials and levers until the ship was ready to fly. The Doctor set the coordinates and pulled the dematerialisation lever.

"Last stop before the parallel universe," he called out as the TARDIS took off. "Get out here if you work for Torchwood or UNIT."

To his surprise, Mickey slung his gun over his chest. "Well, I didn't work for this Torchwood, but I think it's close enough to count."

"Are you sure, Mickey?" the Doctor asked seriously. Rose was shaking her head on the other side of the room, not wanting him to say anything that might change Mickey's mind, but as much as they'd both love to have him back in their universe, this was too permanent a decision to be made rashly.

Mickey nodded, though. "I had a good time in that parallel world, but my gran passed away. Nice and peaceful. She spent her last years living in a mansion. There's nothing there for me now," he explained. "Especially not with Pete and Jackie coming back."

"All right." The TARDIS landed, and the Doctor pointed to the door. This time, Rose stayed inside with her mum and step-dad while the Doctor escorted their passengers off the ship.

It had been sunny and warm in London, but Cardiff was grey and cool. They'd landed on the Plass, in the faint shadow cast by the tower in the weak sunlight. A strong wind caught the TARDIS door, and the Doctor pulled it firmly closed behind them.

He gestured at Jack's Vortex Manipulator. "Still in working order, then?" he asked.

Jack nodded. "Not that I've used it much, but yeah. Seems to be."

"Good. Excellent." He looked at Martha. "Get rid of that Osterhagen thing, eh Martha? Save the world one more time."

She nodded, a smile on her face. "Consider it done."

The Doctor turned to Mickey. "And… Mickey the not-so-idiot." He held out a hand, and they shook. "Thank you."

"Any time, Boss." Mickey saluted, then turned and looked at Martha. "So. Looks like I need a new job. Think Torchwood or UNIT would be interested in hiring someone with my experience?"

Jack smirked at the Doctor over Mickey's shoulder, and he nodded subtly. Even though Mickey had mentioned Torchwood and UNIT both, he hadn't looked away from Martha as he spoke.

The three of them started across the Plass, Martha already animatedly answering Mickey's question. The Doctor blinked as a new timeline opened up, one with the possibility of love and romance between two people who could understand each other when very few others in the world could.

He shook his head as he stepped back into the TARDIS. Martha and Mickey—he never would have guessed.

oOoOoOoOo

When the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS with Jack, Martha, and Mickey, Rose stayed where she was, looking at her mother. She raised her hand in a tiny wave, feeling like a little girl for the first time in years.

"Hi, Mum."

Jackie shook her head. "Oh, come here," she said, reaching for Rose.

Rose closed her eyes when her mum's arms squeezed tight around her waist. "I missed you," she whispered. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, sweetheart. Soon as we're in our new home, you come over for tea and we'll have a proper catch-up." Jackie pulled back and wiped a few tears from her eyes. "I want to hear all about your wedding, for one thing."

The TARDIS door opened, and Rose looked over her shoulder at the Doctor. He raised an eyebrow and she winked in reply, then looked back at her mum.

"Well, it was one of those weird alien rituals," she drawled.

"Anyway!" the Doctor said loudly, interrupting any response Jackie might have given. He nudged Rose telepathically, but she just smiled innocently at him. "Time for one more stop. Darlig Ulv Stranden—otherwise known as Bad Wolf Bay."

"Oh, no you don't," Jackie interrupted. "You're not taking us to Norway again." She looked at Rose. "Can't you get the TARDIS to land at the mansion for us?"

To the Doctor's surprise, excitement was rolling off both Rose and the TARDIS. "Not a problem, Mum." She slotted herself into the space between the Doctor and the console. "I knew you'd be asking that… well, earlier, and I saved the coordinates for the mansion in the computer."

The Doctor watched her pull them up and throw the lever, then he reached for her hand. Bad Wolf? he guessed, and she nodded.

The TARDIS started moving, the time rotor grinding rather than chugging as she worked to get them through the Void.

"All right everyone, you'll want to hold on," he warned them. "Travel through the Void gets a bit bumpy."

"Even when Mum is driving?" Jenny teased.

"Oh, it's about time the two of you explained how you've got an adult daughter," Jackie said.

Rose took a deep breath. The Doctor had jumped in earlier when her mum's teasing had gotten to be too much. She could handle this conversation for him.

"Well, Jenny wasn't exactly born in the traditional sense."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Oh, alien weddings are one thing, but this is too much!"

Pete's hand tightened on her shoulder. "Let them explain, Jacks," he said firmly.

She settled back into the jump seat, but not before she looked at the Doctor and mouthed, "Pervy alien."

"Oi!" The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, his bottom lip jutting out. "I am not a pervy alien!" His gaze flicked over to Rose. Though I do love knowing I can distract you just as easily as you distract me.

Rose blinked and pulled her attention away from the Doctor's mouth. "No, Mum," she said, rolling her eyes fondly at her mother. "I mean, Jenny only has one parent. Technically, she's just the Doctor's daughter, not mine."

It took the entire trip through the Void—a good ten minutes—to explain progenation to Jackie. But finally, just as the trip smoothed out, indicating they were in the Vortex in Pete's World, it seemed to click.

She shook her head and looked at Jenny. "You're only six months old then?"

Jenny bit her lip and looked at Rose, then nodded slowly. "I suppose?"

Jackie chuckled. "Well, at least Tony is actually older than his niece, though I suppose you'll have a fun time explaining how that's possible."

oOoOoOoOo

Two hours later, the Doctor shook his head as he carried a heavy box of shoes into the TARDIS. Two doors had appeared in the corridor just off the console room when they'd landed at the mansion. One led to a guest room where Jenny was watching over Tony, who had just gone down for a nape when they'd arrived.

The other… The Doctor shouldered it open and stepped into the small storage cupboard where he and Rose had tucked away everything they'd taken from the flat. I should've known your mum would want to bring everything with her, he told Rose.

She's leaving behind all the people. I don't blame her for wanting the memories.

He set the box down with the others Jackie had packed since they'd gotten to Pete's World. Yes, I'm sure she has loads of memories of these boots, he retorted drily as he backed out of the room, feeling Rose's soft laugh in response.

The air around him seemed to shift, and he pressed his hand to the wall to keep his balance. A moment later, the door to the guest room opened, and Jenny stuck her head out.

"Dad…"

"I know, sweetheart," he said absently, his mind already working on the calculations to take them home.

Through the open TARDIS doors, he could hear Rose explaining to Pete and Jackie that they needed to go. Jackie was still protesting when she walked into the ship a moment later, followed by Pete who carried a bulging suitcase.

Pete caught his gaze over the console and set the luggage down to close the doors.

"Thank you, Pete," the Doctor said. "Now that the Reality Bomb never happened, the walls are starting to close again. It's dimensional retroclosure." Rose rolled her eyes at him, and he tugged on his ear. "Never mind. The important part is that if we don't get home soon, we won't be able to."

"Then take us home, Doctor," Pete said quietly.

The irony of those words being spoken by the one person whose home was not in the Prime Universe hung in the air, unspoken. The Doctor watched the last protest die on Jackie's lips, and instead, she wrapped an arm around Pete's waist.

"Tony's still asleep?" she asked as the Doctor and Rose finalised the last of the flight plan.

"Jenny's keeping an eye on him," Rose promised. She slid a lever into place, then looked around the room. "Ready, everyone?" The walls were closing faster than she'd anticipated, and they needed to go now.

Sensing the same thing, the Doctor grabbed the dematerialisation lever and threw it, hard. The time rotor made a loud, grinding noise, like gears getting caught.

Rose took a deep breath and pressed her hands to the console. Take us home, old girl, she begged. She focused on memories of all the places the TARDIS had taken them in the last six years. New Earth, Makuyu, Barcelona, Razda, the Ood Sphere, Messaline… And Earth, over and over again. Past, present, future. You always take us where we need to go. We need to go home.

Finally, she felt the engine come fully to life. When she opened her eyes, the time rotor was moving freely, if a bit slower than usual.

To her surprise, everyone was looking at her with mouths agape, even the Doctor.

"What was that?" Jackie asked, her voice going up on the last word. "I thought you were done glowing."

Rose looked down at her hands and realised the huon particles were visible under the surface of her skin. She shoved them into her jacket pockets. "I just had to help the TARDIS get us home."

"Thank you, Rose," Pete said. "We both appreciate how much work you've done to make this move possible for us." That reminder calmed her mum's natural tendency to question and debate over everything she didn't understand.

As soon as they reached the other side of the Void, Rose's phone chimed four times in succession. She pulled it out of her pocket, then started laughing.

"Donna's ready for us to come get her," she told the Doctor. "Or, in her exact words: 'Save me.'"

The Doctor laughed as he set the coordinates. "All right then. First stop Cardiff, and then… Chiswick."