Chapter Text
The Doctor had promised Rose a big surprise when she returned home from Torchwood.
Rose was definitely surprised as she passed a fire truck leaving the property, which was cloaked in darkness.
She dashed from her car to where Jackie and the Doctor were staring at the burned remains of Jackie’s side yard garden.
“What….”
Jackie growled, “Himself hung fairy lights from everything and then decided they weren't impressive enough. Early Christmas celebration he says. So he aimed that buzzy glow thing….”
The Doctor hissed, “The sonic screwdriver, at least use the correct terminology!”
Jackie gestured expansively around the darkened yard. “And boom!”
The Doctor looked sheepishly at Rose and admitted, “There were complications.”
*****
The Great Christmas Topiary Burning as the Doctor called it, (not to Jackie’s face, of course, since that would have made things even more awkward than they already they were) had resulted in a week of dark looks and silence from Jackie. The silence was almost a relief.
Rose and Pete weren’t spared, however. They were subjected to countless rants from Jackie, and Rose put up with her being quite rude to the man she loved. Jackie’s attitude was straining their relationship terribly.
Pete had forgiven the Doctor rather quickly mainly due to being fascinated by the sonic. He understood that the Doctor was sorry for the wrecked garden, and since it hadn’t hurt anyone, he was more willing to let it go and call the landscapers.
Jackie, on the other hand, couldn’t forgive the Doctor. “We can’t ‘ave anything nice around here with him! The toaster is ruined, and don’t get me started on the dishwasher. I don’t care if he’s bored and needs to tinker...Now our yard is ruined. Either have Torchwood confiscate that damn glow stick….”
“That’s not happening,” Pete had informed her.
“Or keep him away from me before I slap the hell out of him,” Jackie had countered. It had been quite a while since Rose had seen her mother that properly furious, and she didn’t doubt that Jackie would follow through.
Rose and Pete decided that it was best to keep the two of them apart until Jackie cooled off. Unfortunately she didn’t seem to be ready to let anything go any time soon. Christmas was destined to be awkward at best, with a good chance of miserable at worst.
Rose could see how much it hurt the Doctor to be rejected by Jackie, even though he pretended it didn’t bother him. Jackie mostly ignored him, which saved him arguing with her. It hurt, though, even if the Doctor wouldn’t admit it.
****
He stayed in their little cottage on the Tyler estate while Rose went to the mansion for pizza and games night, and the sadness in his eyes broke her heart. Rose had left the family festivities early. “M’ not leavin’ him alone, Mum. You should’ve seen how gutted he looked. The pair of you need to work this out. He’s willin’ to apologize, and you’re bein’ a stubborn mule. Christmas is comin’ soon and I won’t leave him alone for Christmas mornin’ because you’re bein’ a cow!”
Jackie’s jaw had dropped at Rose’s insult. “You just mind your tongue, Rose Marion. You may be the bloody defender of Earth, but I’m still your mum!” Rose looked away, chastened. Jackie continued her rant. “He could’ve burned the house down! Thank God it was just the yard! He’s a menace and I have every right to be angry!”
“The house is safe and the yard can be fixed,” Pete had reminded her.
“He’s. A. Bleedin’. Menace,” Jackie had repeated.
“M’sorry I called you a cow. But, Mum, he’s heartbroken. You’re his family too. But fine. I get it. Just know that I’ll be with him,” Rose sighed. She snagged her coat off the back of the sofa and walked away. Pete moved to intercept her and Rose shook her head sadly.
“Hope to see the pair of you soon,” Pete murmured, giving Jackie a pointed look.
Jackie turned away and stalked into the kitchen, leave Pete alone to figure out what to do. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Help me figure this out, the text from Rose said.
*****
“What do you think of travelin’ to Barcelona for Christmas?” Rose asked the Doctor as they snuggled in bed. He hadn’t asked what Jackie had said when Rose returned, dejected. He merely took her hand and kissed her and they spent the rest of the evening in each other’s embrace.
Knowing that the planet Barcelona was beyond their capabilities at the moment, the Doctor sighed. “Haven’t seen this world’s Barcelona yet. Are you sure you want to get away from here? What about your family?”
She smiled and cupped his cheek gently, loving the feel of his bristly whiskers under her palm. He was scruffy more often than not now, and she loved it. “You’re my family, Doctor. I’ll be happy wherever you are.”
He kissed her forehead. “Thanks, Love, but what about Tony? You’ll miss him.”
“We can open presents together any time,” she assured him.
“I’m taking you away from your family again, just like I always do.” He began to roll away from her and she stopped him, wrapping him more tightly in her embrace.
“Not gonna let you pull away from me out of guilt, because you think you’re keeping me from them. So you can just stop that right now,” Rose told him. Her tone broached no argument and the Doctor was once again left in awe of the strong will of the Tyler women. “You are part of this family. Mum will come around, eventually. I’m not saying we won’t celebrate Christmas with them at some point, when Mum starts being reasonable again.”
“She has a point. I am a menace. I’ve destroyed several of her appliances and set her yard on fire. Don’t forget about that time I nearly lost Tony at the shop. M’ sure your Mum didn’t expect taking me on full time would be quite as adventurous.”
“I think she had an idea,” Rose reassured him. “Mum is just upset right now. She’ll get over it, with time. She forgave you for the year I missed.”
“Did she?”
“Doctor, when you were in your regeneration coma, and I was fallin’ apart, she stayed by your side, all night. She told Elton she wouldn’t let anyone hurt us. And when I was hopping, she didn’t argue. She knew I intended to get back to you, and she did what she had to do to help me. You’re her family too, whether you like it or not.”
“I like it. You know I do.”
“She’ll come around. She’ll be a pain in the ass until she comes around, but she’ll get there.” She kissed the Doctor soundly and rested her forehead against his. “You’re not a menace. That sonic, that’s the menace. It just doesn’t work the same way it did in the prime universe.”
“I’ve thought of that. I don’t have the tech to adjust it.”
Rose grinned . “Well, Dad probably does.” When the Doctor started to protest she added, “He’ll help you with anything you want, I know it. The frustrated inventor in him is dying to see how that sonic tech works.”
“But….Torchwood.”
“Dad has changed it and it’s not the same place that separated us. I wouldn’t work there if it was, and you know it. You don’t have to work there….but Dad would love having you. And he’d let you scrounge around.” She kissed his nose. “Be right back. Just think about it.” She left the bed then, and he watched her go, too appreciative of so much of her skin on display to think of much at all.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand, startling him. He picked it up to see a text from Pete.
If you have some time tomorrow I’d like to meet with you. 10:30 at Vitex?
The Doctor sighed. The meeting was too early for an awkward lunch with Pete and Jackie. He rubbed the back of his neck. The pull to scrounge through the tech was strong. Eventually he’d need more than a tank to grow the TARDIS.
He typed back, I’ll be there.
*****
At half ten on the dot, the Doctor was waiting outside Pete’s office door, making small talk with his secretary, who reminded him of his former companion Tegan Jovanka so much that it ached a bit. Still, it was an enjoyable conversation, certainly more enjoyable than the one with Pete promised to be.
Her phone buzzed and she indicated, after a brief conversation, that the Doctor could enter Pete’s office.
Pete wasn’t at his desk. He had a small table and chairs set up in a corner with some tea and biscuits on it. “Hello, Doctor. Have a biscuit?”
“I’d love one,” The Doctor agreed.
“Thanks for being able to stop by today. I know it was late notice, but I’m in a bit of a bind.. But I had something I needed to ask you.”
“Well, I’m intrigued,” the Doctor answered. He was more than just intrigued but he want to see what Pete had on his mind. He was still undecided on accepting a Torchwood job offer. He didn’t want create Vitex flavors. He was rehearsing possible answers to that question in his head. But, of course ,maybe Pete wanted restitution for the yard. The Doctor had already offered, despite not actually having a job in this universe. Time was he could withdraw a stack of cash from his UNIT salary, but that didn’t exist here. In which case, Rose would have to pay, with money she earned, working for the man who sat across the table from him.
“......Doctor? You here with me?”
“Sorry, mind wandered a bit. I reckon you didn’t just call me here for tea and biscuits, and I was trying to think of why….”
“Well, I’m getting to that,” Pete said with a smirk. “I hate Vitex publicity. All the dinners and opening we get asked to...the red carpets….all the paparazzi interfering. And the people at those things…so phony.”
“I can agree with you on that,” The Doctor said. “They always seem to be skulking about when I’m out with Rose. They’re a little too curious if you ask me.”
Pete nodded. “I suppose it’s all part of it….I didn’t ask for the attention but if it keeps people drinking the Vitex…..” He shrugged. “Well, at any rate, every year year, on the first weekend of December, there’s a tree lighting ceremony at the Royal Hope Hospital children’s wing.”
“Ah, Royal Hope. Rescued the one back in the prime universe from Judoon on the moon.”
Pete looked at him incredulously, then went on. “Whole courtyard’s got fairy lights everywhere and some organization usually announces a gift and gets the honor of turning on the lights. This year Vitex is payin’ for a large playroom for the children, and donating money to pay for hotel rooms for parents of sick children.”
“That’s lovely.”
“It was a cause particularly dear to my heart when my other Jackie was alive. I would go in and read stories to the children. Reckoned it’d be the only time I’d ever experience that, with her not wanting kids. I’ll get to the point. Rose has always refused to go. At first she and I didn’t get along at all. She hated me, until we finally worked through some of it. Then she was busy with the cannon or gone.”
“I don’t think you need me to convince her to go this year, Pete.”
Pete shook his head, “We want both of you there, and she’s more stubborn about Vitex publicity than I am. I want her, and you, there. A united family supporting the families of the sick kids.”
The Doctor laughed. “I can think of someone who doesn’t care if I make an appearance.”
“We’re a family, and I’m insisting on a unified front. Jackie will just have to be fine with it. We’re coming down to the last minute and I need to tell the hospital charity board they’ll have the Tyler family as tree lighters.”
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. This whole meeting felt a bit dodgy, but he recognized the situation for the opportunity that it was. “We could be there….on one condition. My sonic doesn’t work right in this universe. If I could possibly see some of your alien tech…..”
“If I get to check out the sonic screwdriver, you have a deal.” Pete extended his hand to shake on it.
The Doctor shook his hand.
******
Two hours after scrounging through alien tech, the Doctor was ensconced in his workshop working on his sonic. Rose poked her head in. “Home early! All quiet on the Torchwood front,” she said. “How was your day?”
“Odd,” the Doctor answered, peering down his nose at a stubborn bit of wiring.
“How so?”
“Your dad and I met today. He let me go through some tech, and I think I might just have the sonic sorted out. Wellll….not exactly sorted, but closer to working properly than it was when we got here. And I have some things to grow the TARDIS.”
Rose came up behind the Doctor and began to massage his neck. He put the sonic down and leaned against her. “That’s brilliant! I knew if you asked he’d help!”
“He called me in. Very curious, that. Thought I was getting either an overdue bollocking on the yard disaster or a job offer. Ended up being asked to talk you into coming to a tree lighting ceremony.”
She moved her hand into his hair, massaging his scalp and he moaned a little in pleasure. “I don’t like those publicity things, you know.”
“So he tells me. He doesn’t either. But he’d like a united front. Or so he said.”
“I never said I wouldn’t go,” She scraped her nails lightly against his scalp. He was quickly losing his concentration.
“Then why’d he ask? Not that I’m...oh, that’s lovely….complaining. I did score some tech for the TARDIS and the sonic……”
Rose didn’t answer verbally, instead she kissed his neck. She worked her way around until she was in front of him, capturing his lips in hers. Eventually, he pushed the chair back from the bench and Rose settled on his lap.
After a bit he found Rose too distracting to think about much of anything beyond the feel of her hands in his hair and her lips on his skin.