Twists in Time

Chapter Nineteen: When, Where, and How: Tang in the Air

By Lumendea

…

Rose's house or maybe more correctly, her mother's house, was a bit of a surprise to Martha. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. But a very normal-looking red brick house in Ealing wasn't it. There was a garden full of flowers around them and a small shed that was partially hidden behind the TARDIS. She hadn't been expecting someplace so normal so Rose's explanation that she'd purchased it for her mum actually made sense.

Of course, it brought up new questions. Jackie Tyler had an accent that Martha couldn't help but note. It didn't fit Ealing. And Martha felt guilty for the observation. It felt like something her mother would worry about. But Rose's accent and her mother's didn't match. They weren't completely off, there were hints of cockney in Rose's speech, but it was like it was overlaid with something else. Martha wanted to make sense of Rose Tyler. Of the Doctor and of Jack. But every interaction they had with someone who knew them already just muddied the waters.

Jackie Tyler liked photographs was Martha's next observation. There were photos of her with Rose and a young black man on the walls. Several had Rose with a pair of young women around their age. Others were older and a touch faded with a ginger man grinning at the camera. A few had Jackie with unfamiliar faces and no sign of Rose.

She shifted forward and studied some of the photos more closely. Most were inside, but there was one of a young teenage Rose on a set of stairs with two other girls her own age. The photographer had focused on the three of them, but Martha could see enough of the surrounding buildings to recognize it as a rather run-down-looking housing complex. Not awful. But not the sort of place her mum had ever wanted them to visit. Maybe Rose had just been visiting a friend from school. That seemed reasonable. But maybe not.

Was she being judgey? Martha frowned at herself and considered the question. Maybe she was. Curiosity was one thing, but whatever Rose's story, she'd clearly done fine. Her mum was nice. A little much maybe, but it was obvious that there was a strong bond there. They were years into the future. How was her mum? Had things improved at all between her and Dad? Could they go out as a family without everyone fighting? The echoes of the stupid argument at Leo's party rang in her mind. Martha doubted it.

The painting in the entry drew Martha's attention. It was a space scene with the TARDIS in the centre behind a glowing image of Rose. Martha blinked at it and glanced at the small signature at the bottom. One of Rose's then. It wasn't as precise as what Martha had seen her paint lately so she assumed it was an older work. Rose had said that she'd met the Doctor young. It was an odd piece. Why the glow? Did it mean something? Martha had the strange impression that she should feel something when she looked at the painting. But she didn't. It was just a painting hanging on the wall of Rose's mum's house a few years into the future.

Why was this the strangest thing she'd seen so far in the TARDIS? Martha looked out the front door. If she left now, would she find a Doctor Martha Jones listed at a hospital somewhere? Was she married? Martha didn't think that she'd want kids just yet, but… This was an odd feeling.

"Hey!" Rose greeted with a smile. She glanced at the painting by the door and smiled. "Sorry, we're still getting things sorted! My mates will be here soon."

"That's fine," Martha managed before noise from outside made her look towards the front of the house.

"Rose!" A teenager with messy light brown hair barreled into Rose, nearly knocking her over with an energetic hug. "I missed you!"

"Skye?" Rose blinked in surprise and looked down at the teenager. "Guardians! You've grown at least another two inches!"

"Well, that happens, Godmother, if you never visit." The teenager, Skye, let Rose go and lightly punched her arm.

"We visited not long ago," Rose reminded her gently. "You were just busy. Your mum said you were on a class trip to Paris."

"We should plan the visits better," the teen said firmly. "So, I don't miss you."

"I think Paris was the better choice," Rose replied. She was smiling softly at the teenager, her eyes full of affection. "But, never mind that Skye, this is Martha Jones. She's travelling with us."

"Wow, big entourage then," Skye replied. She turned and smiled at Martha. "Or are you the Doctor's companion while Jack is Rose's."

"That's not how it works," Rose protested.

"It sort of is," Jack laughed. He stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Skye's shoulder, giving her a quick hug. "Good to see you, kiddo."

"You too." Skye's attention quickly returned to Martha and she held out her hand while giving Martha a beaming smile. "I'm Skye Chesterton-Smith. My grandparents and mum used to travel with the Doctor so I'm in the know."

"I see." Martha wasn't sure how else to respond to that. "It's nice to meet you." Polite was usually the best response in Martha's experience. She looked at Rose. "So… is there a plan?"

"Mum is hosting some friends tonight." Rose's eyes were bright with pleasure. "So, we can visit them all at once." Rose's expression softened. "If it gets to be too much, you're welcome to head back to the TARDIS. I know meeting a lot of people all at once can be weird."

"Hello," Martha said quickly. "Can I help with anything?"

She needed to stay busy. Never before had a house left her feeling so out of place. So much here just felt a little off. More things she just didn't understand. Rose's mum studied her a moment and nodded.

"Not doing too much yet. The kids will descend soon." Jackie nodded to the small kitchen table that was near the back door. "Have a seat. I'll get you some tea." That sounded brilliant. Martha could still hear Skye talking to Rose in a rapid and excited voice. "You look overwhelmed." Jackie brought her a cup of tea. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Just… this is a few years into my future and I keep thinking that I'm out there in the world somewhere! If I don't die travelling in the TARDIS. And I'm wondering about-"

"Wait," Jackie held up a hand. "So… you're from a few years in the past."

"Yes," Martha answered. It was weird to think about, but that was exactly the case. "I'm from 2007."

Jackie just blinked at her and then shook her head. "Honestly, that man." She took a sip of her tea and then chuckled softly. "Rose was still living on Earth then. At least I think so, though goodness knows that girl hasn't told me everything she got up to back them. Not that I want to know. Probably make me go grey." Martha felt her lips twitch into a smile. "But anyway, how are you finding it? Travelling in that blue box of theirs?"

"I like it," Martha answered honestly. "There are scary days, of course, but…" She trailed off and tried to gather her thoughts. "On the good days, we make a difference and help people. On the really good days, nothing goes wrong and I spend the day in a market thousands of years in the future on a whole other world or get to visit a library centuries ago."

"Is that safe for you?" Jackie asked with a frown. "Rose is careful when it comes to racists, grew up with Mickey and Sharon, but I think the Doctor forgets things like that."

"Sometimes," Martha agreed. She was a bit surprised that Jackie had that sorted out. "He doesn't always think about that, but Rose double-checks that I'll be safe. It's strange. The past is a lot more diverse than I ever grew up learning about." Martha held back a sigh. That was a depressing idea in some ways. "There are some places we go that I'm treated better than the others because they're suspicious of white people. I think the Doctor does that sometimes to make me feel better."

"Well, as long as you aren't left feeling unsafe," Jackie said. Martha had the very real sense that this woman was very prepared to go and fight the Doctor over it. "At least not on that sort of thing. No excuse for it."

Martha smiled wider now. She could now see a bit of Jackie in Rose. They both definitely had a certain kind of protective energy to them though Jackie's seemed to operate on a much higher and obvious level than Rose's. Probably as a result of trying to raise Rose Tyler.

"So… this regeneration thing? They didn't warn you?"

"No, Sarah Jane did though." Jackie scowled. "Gave me a few hints to try and see if Rose had told me and then outright gave up and started showing me old photos of the Doctor she travelled with."

Martha didn't know who Sarah Jane was. "She travelled with him too?"

"Yes, has a lot of old friends on Earth. Rose says that he enjoys having fresh and excited eyes to see the universe through and clever people to help him out." Jackie paused and glanced at Martha. "Got to say, having met some of them, he does have a knack for finding sharp and clever people."

Her stomach twisted a little even as Martha felt happy at the words. They sounded like a compliment, but it was odd to consider that she was just another in a long line. Rose definitely wasn't. Martha's instincts told her that much and Jack… Martha wasn't sure what was going on there either, but he was very closer to them.

"And they all live on Earth?"

"Not sure." Jackie shrugged. "I don't talk with them much about their travelling. I don't need nightmares about what Rose is getting up to." Jackie sighed and picked up her tea. "Honestly, of all the men in the bloody universe, why that one?"

Martha stayed silent in the face of that one. She might be fighting a small, tiny, flicker of a crush on the Doctor herself. It wasn't going to go anywhere and she knew that. Trying to push in on a happy relationship wasn't something Martha would ever do. Not everything in her own family, but she could understand what Rose saw in the Doctor.

"He is brilliant," she offered softly. "And attractive."

"That depends on the body," Jackie huffed. "Used to look old enough to be her father." She was scowling again. "Didn't like that much, but… well, can't deny that he loves her." Jackie smiled a little, though it was sad. "Looks at her like she's the whole bloody universe. I know I should be happy that Rose has someone who loves her like that, but I worry." Shaking her head, Jackie put down her tea. "What are you, Martha? Are you gonna tell your family about travelling? It's a nasty shock to get, I'll tell you that. When I found out about what Rose had been up to…"

"I'm not sure," Martha admitted. Her fingers twitched and she realized that she could head over to her mum's house right now and catch a glimpse of how everyone would be in a few years. "Maybe, if I keep travelling."

"I thought you liked it?"

"I do." Martha knew that. She was certain of that. "I just… I guess now that I think about it, hearing about the others, I suppose it isn't something that someone can do forever." Her stomach turned. She'd gone in the TARDIS to get away from… everything for a while. "I'm a medical student and I still want to be a doctor in my own right. I can't wait on that forever, but I also love so much about the travel." She took another deep breath. "Rose said we'll go back to my place, in my time, next so I can grab some things or stay."

"Ah." Jackie nodded slowly. "Fair enough. Best that it be an informed decision and all that." Then she put down her tea and moved to the fridge. "Well, if I'm playing hostess then I best start getting to work." Jackie gave her a look. "Still want to help?"

"Sure. I'm not the best at just sitting still."

"Then you might fit in with those fools after all," Jackie grumbled. "Rose was never any good at that and the Doctor's even worse."

Oh yeah, there was history here. A lot of it. Martha started to smile in amusement as Jackie pulled out items from the fridge while grumbling. Standing up, she took her cup to the sink and focused on helping where she could as Jackie began going to work.

…

The Doctor had a weird feeling. It was churning in his gut as he wandered out in the yard. Opening his mouth, he licked at the air. There was a tang to it. He didn't like it. Peering up into the sky, the Doctor debated what to do next. Jackie and Martha were in the kitchen. Rose had been cornered by Skye, maybe Luke too, and Jack was with her. Jack was staying closer to Rose than normal lately. The Doctor didn't mind that.

"You have a look," a familiar voice said. The Doctor grinned and spun around. Sarah Jane Smith was walking through the gate. "Sorry that Skye got loose."

"Oh, Rose loves her! No worries."

"How's the new regeneration?"

"Good." The Doctor studied her and then sighed. "You've met this face before, haven't you?"

"I have." Sarah Jane laughed and stepped forward, opening her arms. "But it's good to see you."

The Doctor let it go and accepted the hug. He'd known for years that his timeline around Rose and his former companions was complicated. It was one of those things that he knew better than to think about.

"How are the husband and kids?" he asked her as he released Sarah Jane.

"Both are good. Skye is inside, as you probably heard." She chuckled. "Luke's out with his friends, but he'll be able to join us tonight."

"I'm now worried about how many people are coming now."

"Jackie will take any excuse." Sarah Jane shrugged. "She seems determined to make the whole street friends. Gita will be interesting tonight." Sarah Jane's smile widened. "She thought you and Rose made a sweet couple. She'll be so sad. Rani still refuses to tell her the truth."

"How... how has she not figured it out?"

"Gita is… well, aliens are real, but they certainly aren't dating the neighbours' daughter or living in the attic of the neighbourhood journalist."

"Fair enough." The Doctor nodded slowly. "I suppose." He glanced around again and sniffed at the air. The Doctor was tempted to stick his tongue out and see what he could taste but was aware of Sarah Jane watching him. "Anything odd happen around here lately? Wait, no, I would have picked it up when I first left the TARDIS." He paused and shook his head. "Then again, seeing Jackie right after regeneration… maybe I was distracted. So, anything happen in the neighbourhood recently?"

"Skye and I helped a lost alien connect with a ride," Sarah Jane said. "But the ship picked them up in Wales, not here."

"Oh, good for you." The Doctor grinned before focusing on why he'd ask the question. "But that's not it."

"Doctor? Spock runs scans daily."

"Including the local air?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh yes. Knowing what is going on is very important to him. Why? What are you smelling?"

There was that familiar spark in her eye. The Doctor grinned at the sight of it. For so long, he'd been terrified to see the lives of his companions. The Time War, his sense that he was only good for destruction even as he tried desperately to help where he could, had made the feeling even worse. But he'd looked in on most of them before dying. As Rassilon's attack tore at his cells and Rose held his hand, he'd finally be brave enough to look back. And most of what he'd seen had been brilliant.

"Not sure," the Doctor said to her question. Focus on the present. Then again… was it maybe an after-effect of Rassilon's attack. It hasn't been too long ago to everyone here. A couple of weeks if he had his dates correct. "A sort of tang. Not really familiar, but not right."

"I'll ask Spock to scan. K-9 too. He's here since Luke is back from school."

"How's he doing?"

"Loves it. He's getting really close to one of his classmates. I think he has a crush though I'm not sure Luke has figured it out yet."

The Doctor smiled a little at that. Luke was a good lad. Hopefully, he'd figure it out soon. Or maybe his crush would take matters into their own hands. That was valid too. Sarah Jane pulled out her phone and pressed it a few times, probably to send a text.

"What do you want to do while they handle the scan?" Sarah Jane asked. "Anything the TARDIS can pick up?"

"Maybe." He probably should go into the TARDIS and start a scan too, just in case. "Her sensors might need recalibrating, but it's worth a try. Come on."

Sarah Jane followed. He asked what project she was working on and listened with one ear as Sarah told him about her current research into weapon smuggling up north. She paused her explanation as they stepped into the TARDIS. He glanced her way, but Sarah Jane didn't tell him what she was thinking. Had she seen the TARDIS into his personal future and was comparing? Possible, very possible with Rose's twisty timeline.

He had just turned on the scanner when a sharp whine split the air. The tang taste was almost unbearable. Sarah Jane slammed her hands over her ears. Then it was over. The Doctor rushed back to the open door of the TARDIS and looked outside. The back door of the Tyler house opened and Jackie stormed outside, glaring up at the sky as Martha, Rose, and Jack hurried after her. But the sky was empty. The Doctor turned back to the TARDIS scanner and hurried back to the screen as it flashed to life. The scanner was showing something large, a ship most likely, in the lower atmosphere, but that result flickered away a moment later. Now, the TARDIS registered nothing at all. The Doctor could still taste the metallic tang.