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After the pairs reunion they didn’t leave each other side for hours. Terrified that if they parted ways, even for a moment the universe was separate them… Permanently
“Doctor?” Rose called softy
“Yes Rose”
“Would it be okay if we went and saw mum? We haven’t visited her in a bit and for the last few days I was under the impression that I- I might never see her again” she responded with, anxiously toying with a loose thread on her shirt as she waited for the doctors approval.
The Doctor pulled rose in for an almost suffocating hug, his poor blonde companion, trying to put on a brave face for him even after such traumatic and emotionally draining events that she endured while on the base.
“Of course Rose why not, shall we pop into see the famous Jackie Tyler now?”
Rose simply nodded and went to get herself ready. Too wound up in her head to respond as she normally would.
The two met by the console after they landed, hand-in-hand walked into Jackies flat. The front door was flung open by an eager Jackie Tyler. Both Rose and the doctor received a bone crushing hug accompanied by her singing praise of them coming to see her and how she missed the both of them.
The three settled onto the couch, Jackie pressing to know where they’ve been and pestering the doctor about keeping her daughter safe, until Jackie remembered something she had to ask her daughter. “ Rose, I was thinking, since you’re on the Tar- Tad T- whatever ship all the time now, did you want to go through your things here and donate some of your clothes?, Bev was telling me how many kids don’t have proper clothes for this coming winter”
Rose nodded, “sure Mum, doctor you wanna join and give me a hand?”
The doctor jumped at the chance to escape the wrath of Jackie Tyler and grabbed Roses hand she leads the way.
*40 gruelling minutes of organising later*
Rose moves to sorting through the back portion of her wardrobe now and dumps a pile of old clothes and miscellaneous items onto the bed to organise. The thump of it being thrown onto the bed gets the attention of the doctor as he peers over onto the bed. “Ugh, since when did I have so much stuff, I’m going mad Doctor !!” She announces as she dramatically flops onto the bed besides the pile of clothes and knickknacks. “don’t be like that Rose”
He says as he Springs up and marches towards the pile “you’ve come this far why don’t I give you a hand with this .. p i l e…” as the doctor picks up a shirt, underneath it he spots something circular and gold that looks all too familiar he slowly picks it up, eyes wide and hands shaking slightly. “ what is it doctor, you’re right?” Rose asks in concern
He turns over the watch to find a language that he’d never thought he’d see in Roses bedroom. “ where did you get this” Voice full of panic and urgency.
“I- I don’t know, it’s just an old watch doctor, I don’t think it even works”
“Come on Rose this is important- does this watch belong to you?”
Jackie overhears the doctors panicked tone from the lounge room and decides to intervene.
“ Rose you’ve been doing this for almost an hour, how about you pop over and bring us some take out for dinner love”
It wasn’t a request, Rose knew that, so after some push pull she goes out. Leaving Jackie and the Doctor alone.
“ leave the watch alone doctor” says Jackie
“I beg your pardon” obviously caught off guard by her remark
“ I always hoped that this day would never come, you can’t take her away! you can’t take my little girl she’s all I have!” now jackie was shaking, eyes full of tears
“You know what that is?” He asked
“ Rose never said what planet you’re from but I’ve been hoping it wasn’t oh how do you pronounce it again Gallo, Gallifry along those lines yea”
Now the doctor was almost sent over the edge, how could JACKIE TYLER out of all people know this and why was begging him not to take Rose away from her.
“ Jackie I can help I just need you to calm down and explain please this is for Roses sake”
After Jackie pulled herself together she explained.
“ A lady who looked quite distressed ran up to me while holding a baby about 20 years ago.. she started rambling on about war up on that planet said she needed someone to protect and raise the child on earth to protect her, I don’t know why but when I was handed Rose it just felt like she was my own, I didn’t question it, I still don’t question it”
“The perception filter, doesn’t make you question it, brilliant really but still” he interjects
“What about the watch, how could this watch that has a very specific purpose be in your home?” He says while his eye screaming with desperation for an answer.
Jackie offers a response “she just handed it to me with Rose and said- she said not to open it until the time was right… When it was safe”
The reality of the situation set into the doctor whose eyes were glassy, he pulls her in for a hug, their positions made the hug slightly awkward but they didn’t care. The pair were simply consoling each other and preparing one another for what happens next.
“Rose’ll be back soon, what do you think Doctor… Do I have to give up my little girl again? You’ve already taken her away from me once… ‘nd it almost killed me, I just don’t want to say goodbye”
The doctor jumps up onto his feet almost manically with a new sense of hope “ no Jackie don’t you see my people created this chameleon arch to hide the true identity of us, she was turned from a young age… Very young so she still could be your Rose when she opens the watch… You don’t have to say goodbye you’re still the woman who raised her Jackie”
Before Jackie could further spiral at the decision that had to be made, they heard key jangling in the front door, the doctor and Jackie make their way back into the lounge room. Rose enters “sorry I took so long wouldn’t believe the,, are you alright- mum are you crying?” She drops the takeaway onto the floor and rushes to her mother side. Jackie tries her best to pull herself together “I’m fine sweet heart, just ha-happy to see you again love”
The doctor awkwardly clears his throat to get their attention.
“ Rose that watch, it’s Gallifreyan” he takes a deep breathe before looking at jackie for approval to continue, she nods
“Rose you’re Gallifreyan”
Roses eyes widen as she almost folded over in laughter “very funny Doctor quit trying to scare mum she paid for the dinner after all, the very least you could do is be nice”
Perplexed by this response the doctor reiterates his point “Joke? I am not joking Rose Tyler you’re a Time Lady sent to Earth to flee the Time War and Jackie took you in- you’re like me”.
“But I’nt got two bloody hearts, no superior biology here just a quote ‘stupid ape’”
“ yes at the moment, but open the watch and the DNA will be re-re-written back to a lovely time lady” he said with a hopeful grin
‘ maybe forever is obtainable after all’ he thought
Rose looks over to her mum confused, Jackie nods in agreement
“But., what.. I just don’t understand, mum you knew this? You kept this from me?”
“Now don’t go blaming me Missy, I raised you as my own, you were my own, all I had” Jackie shot back
“If i may” the Doctor interrupted. “ this isn’t Jackie’s fault, the watch ensured that it wouldn’t be opened prematurely by creating a sort of perception filter around it making it unnoticeable to protect your safety”
Rose takes a shakey breathe “so… what do I do now?”
A moment of silence passes before the doctor is off rambling again. “Welllll all you have to do is open the watch and poof time lord Rose welll time lady Rose actually, you know this reminds me of the time I-“
“Doctor” Rose says and he catches the hint.
The Doctor reaches to pick up the watch and walks over to Rose.
He grabs her right hand and places the watch in it.
“The choice is yours Rose, I can have you forget this entire conversation and you can live your life fully human, just say the word”
Of course he didn’t want that, a selfish part of him screamed at him to jump at the chance for him to have Rose to himself, but he at least owed Rose the chance to make her own decision.
“No, if what’s inside that watch is really me, then… then I’ll open it” she confesses
“If i may, How about we go to the Tardis to open it there, shes more equipped to handle that” says the doctor.
“Wait” Jackie cries
“I just, I tried my best luv, I wasn’t the best mum but I did what I could with what I had please remember dear that I love you”
Rose pulls Her mum in for one last hug
“Aww mum I love you too, you’ll always be me mum”
Jackie decided not to tag along to the Tardis, she wanted to give Rose her space and pull herself together, unsure whether or not it was appropriate to mourn the loss of her daughter as she knew it.
So the doctor and rose walk along- roses left hand is in the doctors right, while her own right hand clutched the watch.
The build up and anticipation made her head scream thoughts like
‘What if it kills you,’ ‘what if the watch is empty?’ ‘What if he hates you?’
All these thoughts she tried to shake but they were getting louder and louder
“Breathe Rose” the Doctor chimes, sensing her distress. “You’ll be alright I’ll here for you” he squeezed her hand, affirming his claim.
The two arrived at the Tardis and slowly walked in. “Well guess this is the big moment now huh”
“I guess so” he grinned
“If these are my last human moments may as well do this if i may?” She pulled him down for a cheeky quick kiss. In which The Doctor did not protest in the slightest.
“Well Rose Tyler, making quite the grand exit for yourself there, whenever you’re ready” he pulled her in for a hug and said softy in her ear “you’re safe”
She took three steps back and braced herself as she heard the watch whisper “it is time”
The watch flew open, revealing a golden light that danced around her, becoming bright her and brighter until it swallowed her.
Though the moment lasted less then a minute it felt like a lifetime. The Doctor was filled with anxiety, wanting nothing more then to take away all the stress and pain she was going through currently.
Suddenly the light stopped, and all that stood before him was his Rose, still all pink and yellow.
She raced over to him, as she was welcomed in his arms. She pulled back to look him in the eyes.
“Hello” she said in a breathy voice
“Hello” he smiled back
The doctor pulled her back into the hug. For the first time in years he felt content,
Soothed by the new rhythm of her heartbeats. A beat he’d never thought he’d be so lucky to hear again.
Whatever the universe threw at them, the pair could work through it.. together.
And they were granted their forever.