Twists in Time

Chapter Eighteen: When, Where, and How: Mum's

By Lumendea

AN: Sorry for the delay. Stupid summer cold gave me such a bad sinus infection I couldn't look at screens for several days.

…

Rose held her breath as she opened the doors of the TARDIS. Her mum's house was quiet and everything looked in good order. The lawn was cut and her mum had added some more flowers to the gardens around the grass. There were even a couple of raised beds with vegetables on the patio. It looked nice. She wondered how often Mickey came over to check. That thought triggered a flash of guilt.

"This is your house?" Martha asked. She was peeking around Rose as the Doctor pulled on his coat.

"My mum's," Rose answered. Stepping out, she breathed in the London air. "I don't live here. Never really did, to be honest."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh I bought the house just before uni," Rose answered with a shrug. "I only stayed here during parts of the summer."

"You bought the house?" Martha asked. Rose could hear the surprise in Martha's voice and reminded herself that it wasn't normal. Martha stepped out behind her, glancing around the yard curiously.

"Yeah. Came into some money so I wanted her someplace more comfortable since I was already planning to leave Earth and travel with this one." She nodded towards the Doctor.

He wrapped his arm around Rose and leaned closer to her. "How do you want to do this?"

"Well…" Rose trailed off as noise in the house drew her attention. "I think we probably should have talked about that before coming here."

The Doctor dropped his arm from around Rose and shifted back. Jack, traitor that he was, laughed. She heard her mum's voice and Rose's chest warmed. Stepping forward, she smiled and headed for the back door just as it flew open.

Jackie stopped and frowned as they gathered on the grass of the garden. Her eyes took Martha in quickly and then shifted to the Doctor. Rose's mouth went dry and she tried to remember what she'd been planning to say.

"Hi Mum," Rose managed. She stepped forward and opened her arms. Her mother's expression softened and she lunged at Rose, grasping her in a tight and warm hug. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you, sweetheart." Her mother's grip tightened. "I was hoping you'd be by sooner than this."

"Sorry. Had to sort out some things."

"It's not like I was worried after all," Jackie continued. "Big planet appearing in the sky and all that."

"Mum."

"So where's the Doctor," Jackie asked. She released Rose and looked at the Doctor again. "Or is that himself there?"

"What?" the Doctor asked. His brow furrowed and he stared at Jackie. "What? How did you know?"

"Mum, how did you know?" Rose asked. Had Jackie figured out who Rose had been dating through university? Did you remember the Doctor from when Rose had been knighted? Rose's stomach twisted and sank at the idea. She never, never wanted her mum to know how messy and complicated her timeline with the Doctor was. Not ever. She'd take it completely wrong. Or maybe not, but things had been weird for a while and that was the fault of both her and the Doctor so it wasn't fair that just he take heat for it.

"Sarah Jane warned me about this, thank you very much." Jackie crossed her arms and peered sternly at Rose. "Not that it's the sort of thing that my child should have told me. No, I had to be told that your bloody alien can change his face by the neighbour!"

"Mum." Rose touched her mother's arms, hoping to hold off a full-on rant. "I'm sorry. It's just… it's a difficult subject to talk about." The Doctor slowly walked forward and wrapped an arm around Rose's waist. "He got hurt. Really bad."

Jackie's expression softened a touch and she studied the Doctor. He, thankfully, didn't fidget under the gaze. Rose waited hopefully. This Doctor had said that he and her mum got on better in this body and they'd gotten to a more peaceful neutral place in his last body. But this moment felt like one that could make or break that.

"Well… suppose I'm glad you're alright. Rose would have been distraught." Jackie hesitated. "What happened? Was it when that planet showed up?"

"Yes," the Doctor answered. He nodded slowly. "It wasn't good, Jackie. I got hit-"

"Took a hit meant for me," Rose corrected. Her throat closed up and the memory of the Doctor between her and Rassilon flashed across her mind. She shivered.

"I'm right here," the Doctor assured her. He pressed a kiss to her temple and pulled her a little closer. "And better me than you."

Jackie's lingering rage faded immediately and her face fell. She lunged forward, grabbing both of them in a hug and mumbling into Rose's shoulder. Rose relaxed at the welcoming embrace and relaxed. To her surprise and pleasure, the Doctor wasn't even arguing with Jackie's show of affection. That was new.

Then again, his future self had told her once that he and Jackie got along better. After the passive-aggressive 'we have no choice' acceptance of his last life, she hadn't been sure it was possible. It was a make-moment then. Good. She relaxed a little.

"Anyway," the Doctor suddenly said. "I've settled into my new body so we thought it was time for a visit."

"You could have come right away," Jackie grumbled at him. "Could have recovered her and Rose would have had me to help."

"We were fine, Mum," Rose assured her. That wasn't really true. There had been the Ravenous, but she was grateful that they hadn't brought those here. "I actually tried to bring the TARDIS here, but due to the mess with that planet in the sky, things went a little wrong."

"What was that planet anyway?" Jackie demanded. "it wasn't around long, but it was absolutely mad!"

"Nothing to worry about anymore, Jackie," The Doctor said quickly. Rose noted him sidestepping the question and didn't comment on it. She wouldn't want to discuss Gallifrey and his history with his home planet with her mum either. "But you should meet Martha properly. She's a medical student from a few years in the past and gave us a hand."

"You remember when that hospital went to the moon, Mum?" Rose asked.

"I knew you had to have something to do with that," her mum huffed.

"Only recently," Rose assured her mother. "I was still a uni when it happened." There was no reason to tell her mum that she'd been off-world when it happened. "Only a couple of days ago to us. Time travel and all."

Her mum looked like she wanted to say something, but turned her attention fully to Martha and gave her a small smile. "It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand and Martha shook it quickly. "My name is Jackie Tyler. I'm Rose's mum as you probably gathered." She glared over at Rose though it was far from her mum's death glare. "Not sure why you decided to tag along with this bunch. I promise you that the pretty boy over there isn't worth the trouble." Jackie nodded at Jack who gasped dramatically.

"My Lady Jacqueline, I am wounded. Deeply. Beyond measure."

Martha laughed softly. "Uh no, nothing like that. Just… wanted to… they offered me a trip and after going to the moon, anything felt possible."

Her mum made a thoughtful hum and then nodded towards the house. "Well, come inside then. I'll put some tea on and you can tell me about what you've been up to. Oh, Rose, it's one of Luke's holidays so he's home if you want to see him." They started walking across the lawn.

"Oh brilliant!" Rose couldn't help but smile. She tried to check in with Luke from time to time, but it had been at least a couple of months for him at this point. Catching Martha's curious look, Rose explained. "Luke's the son of our neighbour across the way. His mum, Sarah Jane Smith, used to travel with the Doctor so he knows all about the TARDIS and aliens. He's my godson. His younger sister is my goddaughter."

"Skye's doing very well with the piano," Jackie added helpfully. "Sarah Jane's thrilled. Luke's got the maths and sciences, and Skye excels at the arts."

"What about Rani and Clyde?" Rose asked. "Have they been around?"

"I've seen them this week. Mind you, they're more focused on spending time with Luke. With them all in uni now, they don't have much time together."

Rose nodded slowly, adjusting her mental picture of Rani and Clyde. Luke had finished school early, but those two were now nearly grown. Poor Clyde had never managed to grow taller than Rani. Not that it seemed to bother him thankfully. It was a reminder that time kept marching forward on Earth even if she wasn't there.

Still, she smiled and let her mum pull her towards the house. This was going so much better than she feared. Rose really owed Sarah Jane for taking the hit in explaining regeneration. Then again… it was something that Luke and Skye knew about from Sarah Jane's stories so it was easy to see how it might have come up. She glanced back to find Martha studying the Doctor intently as they followed Rose and her mum inside. Then her mum commented that the microwave wasn't working so food would take her a little longer than normal and Rose inwardly groaned, already seeing what was going to happen next.

…..

The Doctor really didn't like the way that Jackie was watching him. It was off-putting. Yes, they'd managed to warm up to each other after the Game Station when Jackie expressed her gratitude for him trying to send Rose away even if that proved to be a failure. She'd picked up on their relationship and hadn't caused trouble. The Doctor had regarded that as a minor miracle. He knew that he was beyond grateful for Rose's love, he wasn't what he would have picked for her either. Jackie likely still felt the same way.

Now that woman knew about regeneration and was staring at him with an odd expression. He kept his focus on the microwave, marvelling at the strangeness of his new situation. Rose was calling some friends from the living room; they were giving the TARDIS a rest, and he was fixing Jackie Tyler's microwave. This would have really enraged Rassilon and that idea made him chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Jackie demanded.

"Oh, just thinking about how the Time Lords would react to me fixing your microwave."

"Didn't they have them back home?"

"No, some similar things maybe, but not exactly the same," the Doctor answered honestly. He didn't address Jackie referring to Gallifrey as home. Trying to explain that he hadn't seen the planet as home in a long time was too complicated.

"Rose says that it's gone." There was a hint of grief in Jackie's voice that surprised the Doctor. "I'm sorry about that. I bet it's more complicated than what she said."

"It is, was, always will be." The Doctor sighed and didn't look at Jackie. "But yeah, it's gone."

"Because you protected her instead."

Ah, that's where Jackie was going. "It was more than that," he admitted. The Doctor clicked the last of the pieces he had taken out back into place and allowed himself a sigh. "I wanted to keep her safe, obviously, but the Time Lords were going to kill everything and I mean everything. It wouldn't have restored Gallifrey in the end, just destroyed everything."

"Still…" Jackie shook her head and the Doctor finally turned to look at the woman. He leaned against the counter after he finished putting the microwave back together. "Thanks for protecting her. Even if you can change," she said gesturing at him. "You still died for her."

"Would again if it came to it."

The words were honest and Jackie gave him a searching look. There was a shine of what might be tears in her eyes. She nodded and crossed the room to check the microwave. After casting a doubtful look his way, Jackie picked up a mug and put it inside. Everything worked perfectly and the Doctor smirked at her hum of surprise.

"Well, try not to let it come to it," Jackie murmured gently. Then she straightened up. "I can't exactly explain to Gita why Rose broke up with the old you and has a new boyfriend too many times without it getting weird."

The Doctor was oddly touched. He felt his lips quirk into a slight smile and he nodded in agreement. If Jackie set about making herself and him a cuppa, well they didn't mention it. He'd never considered regeneration as being helpful for him getting along better with Jackie, but it seemed that miracles did happen on occasion. This him… well, he wasn't exactly fond of domestics exactly, but they didn't make him want to run so much. It wasn't so bad. He considered that thought and watched Jackie for a moment.

Jackie was human. Very very human. And Rose's mum who had raised her and loved her. Their lifespans didn't come close to matching. He ran some math in his head and considered the growing thought very carefully. If they made a point of visiting Jackie each week for tea from her point of view, that still gave Jackie time to have her own life and hopefully not get too… clingy, but it would build in time for Rose to see her mum. And if they did that every couple of months, it would let Rose stay active in Jackie's life for a long time. He'd have to talk it over with Rose, but it's a decent idea. Even if it was domestic.

"So, you two seem to be doing alright," Jackie said. "Even with the…" She gestured to him.

"Yeah." The Doctor's throat tightened. "Rose knew it was possible so when I got hurt… she was wonderful. Kind. Patient."

"Course she was." Jackie sounded a little sad and proud at once.

"It knocked me out for a bit," the Doctor confessed. "She and Jack did an emergency landing and kept me safe. She was brilliant. Then we took a couple of days to let me settle in as it were and then came to see you." It felt strangely important that Jackie know they hadn't waited months or a year to break the news to her. Especially with him considering setting up a schedule. "There's a bit of a personality scramble. New quirks, new talents, and the like even if all the memories stay the same."

"Bloody mental." Jackie shook her head and took a long drink of her tea. "Absolutely mad the pair of you."

He thought about arguing for a moment before dismissing the idea. There was no point. Jackie would never see their life as he did. Like Rose did. A smile pulled at his lips and the Doctor did nothing to fight it. Not a bad life. He glanced towards the living room where Rose was. Better with two though.

"Honestly," Jackie sighed. "Twitterpated you are."

…

Rose was aware of Martha lingering close to her as she ended the call. Happiness that Sharon and Shareen would be over that evening for a get-together filled her chest. Mickey had already been planning a visit to her mum so he'd be there as well and had teased her about barging into his mother-son time. Rose hoped to one day find the words to thank him for caring for her mum like he did, but she was pretty sure that Mickey felt lucky to have a mother figure in his life. Slipping her phone into her pocket, Rose turned to Martha and smiled.

"What's up?" she tried to keep her voice friendly and casual.

"What did you mean earlier?" Martha asked. She lingered close to Rose, obviously trying to look calm and nonchalant. But Rose could tell that Martha was unsettled. "About new bodies…"

"The Doctor isn't human," Rose reminded Martha gently. That seemed a good place to start. "His species, or at least a subspecies of them, had the ability to rebuild their bodies after a fatal injury or illness in a burst of energy. It is called regeneration. When Nyssa knew him, he looked different. He had blond hair and blue eyes. Looked about the same age." She pulled out her phone and went to a photo of her prior Doctor and her that Jack had taken of them. "This is what he looked like before he regenerated. It wasn't long ago." Rose's heart jumped at the words. "It's a hard thing to talk about. You shouldn't have to worry about it. I plan on keeping this body alive for a long time."

She wanted this body to fail from old age. That was Rose's goal. They were going to marry after she returned from wherever she'd be in the future and eventually start having their kids, raise them, and then enjoy grandkids. She wanted this body, born at the end of the Time War, to see that. To know that the best parts of his species lived on.

"That's… a lot," Martha said softly. She shook her head. "But it does make sense of some things."

"I'm sorry, Martha. We're not trying to leave you in the dark," Rose promised her. "There's just a lot of things that have happened. A lot of history. It can be difficult to figure out what you need to know. And I don't want to overwhelm you with too much information at once."

Martha's expression was still cautious. Rose didn't blame her. She'd found out about regeneration early all things considered. In the aftermath of that, she'd been more thrown by the Doctor kissing her than the idea he could change bodies. No part of that had been a normal situation. Shaking herself a little, Rose focused on the present.

"Look, we're going to stay through the night at least for a visit. Take some time and think about what you'd like to happen next. We can take you home to stay or pack up some personal effects if you want to stay."

Martha nodded slowly before forcing a smile and moving to examine the photos on the wall. Rose glanced at the door to the kitchen. She could hear her mum talking to the Doctor about the microwave, but she wasn't sure where Jack had slipped off to. She looked back at Martha and wondered, not for the first time, what Martha would decide.

"Okay," Jack said. He walked through the front door, despite not having left that way with a big smile on his face. "I warned the rest of the Club so no one goes on the rampage about the regeneration news when Tegan starts making calls."

"Ah." Rose nodded slowly. "Yeah, probably a good move."

"I do warn you that Sarah Jane saw me outside," Jack said. He gestured behind him as he closed the door. "So… she'll probably swing by tonight."

"At this rate, it'll turn into one of Mum's parties." Rose sighed and shook her head.

"Those are always fun." Jack laughed and Rose eyed him suspiciously.

"Don't be planning on getting into trouble, Jack."

"Never, Rosie." He stepped closer and hugged her tighter. "That just happens. And you can't say anything on that."

Rose groaned. That was annoying true. A soft chuckle from Martha made Rose sigh loudly. Jack just grinned before sweeping over to Martha and putting his arm over her shoulders.

"So many stories, Martha," Jack said. "I have so many stories. You wouldn't believe it."

"I don't know," Martha replied. She was smiling again. "After the last few days, I can believe a lot."