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"Someone to Watch Over Me"
Rose and the Doctor were three months into their new house, out of the tiny rental, and they loved it. It looked like a small cottage, almost stereotypically English, with a big stone fireplace and books and crannies everywhere. It was old, and lovely and it felt bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside.
Jackie was convinced that it was haunted. She had become fixated on their house. She was convinced there was something supernatural going on. The fact that it was Halloween made her more obsessed. "Do you feel that, though? It's a cold spot. A sure sign of a haunting, you know!"
The Doctor, who had been tinkering with the furnace for two days now, huffed.
"What? You think I'm wrong?" Jackie challenged.
"Yes," he said flatly, and he wished Rose would just hurry up and get home from the bookstore already. "Fancy some tea?"
"You're too skeptical." Jackie crossed her arms.
The Doctor loved his mother-in-law, he really did. And they'd gotten remarkably well since he'd married Rose in March. She'd only been a tiny bit overbearing and annoying. Rose told him he should be so glad Jackie had a full time job now and Aunt Sylvia to talk to or she'd be his constant companion when he was home.
"I am not too skeptical. Every noise you hear can be easily explained away! Cold spot? Malfunctioning furnace. Noise in the night? We have a very noisy refrigerator. One of the noisiest, according to the product reviews. Sounds like it's making ice cubes, doesn't have an ice cube maker. The upstairs is ever so slightly off kilter and it makes the closet doors swing open. Everything easily, rationally explainable. It's the charm of the house. It's not haunted, it's charming. I don't know why you're immune to its charms."
Jackie's arms were still crossed. "The moaning sound?"
"Still the fridge. It also sounds like a chainsaw at times. And a leaf blower."
She shook her head. "You can't convince me. Maybe you don't have a ghost....but maybe it's a con.. con
...whatever for paranormal activity."
"A conduit?"
"Yeah."
"For paranormal activity."
She looked pleased that he was finally getting the picture.
"You've been watching too many Ghost Hunters reruns. Tea?" He looked at the clock. Noon on Saturday. He hoped Rose would get off early before the Halloween party, so he didn't have to be alone with his mother in law in ghostbuster mode all day long.
Rose was spending much more time at the bookstore, Noble Pursuits, since his cousin Donna had announced, shortly after the wedding, that she and Lee were expecting. They were all shocked with the results of the ultrasound: two hearts. Two babies, due in late December. Amy and Rose were co- managing it until Donna could come back. She was on modified bed rest, going barmy from inactivity.
"Donna was talking about you the other day," the Doctor announced, hoping to inspire a Jackie visit. "Maybe you can pop in on her."
"Going over at three today to give her a trim before the Halloween party," Jackie said brightly.
The Doctor glanced at the kitchen clock. Two hours, fifty-five minutes.
"Sylvia thinks I might be right, y'know," Jackie announced.
Great. It was bad enough with Jackie, and Sylvia joining her Scooby Gang would make it even worse. He sighed. Two hours, fifty minutes until Donna's hair appointment. He resigned himself to an afternoon of paranormal theories and ghost stories until, like an angel of mercy, his wife burst in through the back door.
"Hi love," she said, smiling . "Mum, how are you?" She kissed the Doctor and gave her mum a squeeze.
"I'd be better if your husband would take me seriously," Jackie groused.
"She's upset because I won't call Ghostbusters," the Doctor said drily.
Rose snickered as Jackie let out a huffy breath. Rose was more willing to listen to Jackie but lately she'd even had her limits. It seemed as though Jackie was expecting the cast of "The Haunting" to march through their front door at any minute. She was hoping the ghost obsession would wane by All Saints Day.
"Mum, if we're haunted, it's by very friendly ghosts. It's nothing to worry about. Oh, by the way, Donna's obstetrician gave her the all clear to come tonight. She has to sit, but Lee can bring her," Rose announced.
"I've heard. I'm getting ready at her house," Jackie commented.
"That's great!" the Doctor grinned. "She misses being at the store. That's the one thing about the whole pregnancy that's been the hardest for her. She's used to being busy there."
"She'll do what she has to do to keep those babies safe," Jackie said firmly. "I know that's what I've always done, kept my girl safe from harm."
The Doctor had the sudden feeling he was being scolded and he wasn't quite sure why. "Of course you have."
"There's just an odd feeling about this house. And the garden too. Like...that ridiculous statue back by the wisteria. It's just creepy!"
Jackie turned her back to the Doctor to put her tea cup in the sink and he mouthed silently, "One track mind!"
Jackie nearly caught him when she turned back around and Rose had to bite her lip and look down to keep from laughing. "Did you hear about that mobile app? The one that tells you if someone's died in your house?" she asked.
The Doctor made a disgusted sound, rolling his eyes. "Are you serious? Sounds like a great way to waste space on your phone."
"Well, if I could afford it, I'd get it," Jackie asserted.
Rose poured her own tea. "Mum, I've heard of that, and it's just to tell you if some crime happened at your house. Not if it's haunted. I really don't get why you're so obsessed! We're not going to be attacked by ghosts in the night. This isn't some horror movie."
"It has a strange feel! Maybe it's not ghosts. But to me it has a weird energy." Jackie would not be deterred. The Doctor looked as if he was ready to explode.
"Really, Mum. Change of subject." Rose really wanted to quell the heated debate that she could see about to start. "How is your costume coming along? Still going to be "I Dream of Jeannie? Is Howard going to be Major Nelson still?"
"Can he fit the satsuma in the space suit pocket?" the Doctor mumbled. Rose surreptitiously kicked his foot. "Ow!"
"It's coming along fine, and Howard can't come, he threw out his back. And speaking of Halloween costumes, yours is hilarious, given how you won't listen to me about anything strange or paranormal. Mulder and Scully. Did Rose get the ginger wig for you?"
Rose did laugh out loud at that, imagining them as a gender swapped Mulder and Scully. "No, too bad, that would have been funny. But I'm wearing the ginger wig. Too late to switch now."
"And Rose," Jackie began, clearly steering the topic back to the original subject, "the reason I told you about the one app is because I found another one, a free one. Ghost Detector."
"Let me guess. You have that," Rose sighed. The Doctor groaned, not inwardly, but quite out loud.
Jackie chose to ignore him. "Shows paranormal activity on the radar....and," she smiled, excited to reveal the piece de resistance, "if the spirit world has something to tell you, you'll get a word from the afterlife!"
She pulled her phone out before anyone could protest. "See the radar?" She said once when opened the app on her phone. "The green dots show ghosts far away in the house, but till turn yellow, then red as we get closer. C'mon!" She darted out of the room, Rose close behind. Rose was snickering. The Doctor reluctantly followed, annoyed that Rose seemed to be playing along.
"Ooh! Yellow," announced Jackie.
The Doctor mumbled, "Brilliant."
They paused for a minute. "Well," Jackie said in a near whisper, "you don't always get a word, but you get the indication of a presence. See, this is where that cold spot is."
"This is where I need to check the duct work," he said. Rose chuckled and gave him a little whack on the shoulder.
He shrugged a silent "what?" at Rose.
Jackie was on the move again. "Oh, my!" She was at the foot of the stairs. "Red!" She looked around, glancing up at the ceiling as if something was floating overhead. Then the phone speaker emitted an emotionless, synthesized voice and they all jumped.
"Here," it said.
"Oh!" Jackie breathed.
"Yeah, we're here," the Doctor whispered back. "And?"
"It could have happened here, you plum! Whatever is haunting your house!"
"Mum, really?" Rose said..
The voice said, "Home."
"It was its' home!" Jackie gasped.
"It's random words!" The Doctor protested. Before he said anything else the voice spoke again.
"Father."
Jackie looked at Rose, wide eyed. The Doctor rolled his eyes, but suddenly felt compelled to stay. Jackie tentatively stepped onto the bottom step, holding tight to the round finial on the rail with one hand and gripping her phone with the other. Rose stepped up with her.
"There's two of those dots now, " Rose breathed.
Their eyes were riveted to the phone screen as the voice spoke again. "Pride."
"What? Now that's random. Ridiculous," the Doctor scoffed but still, he couldn't leave. Mass paranoia, he thought.
"The ghost is proud of the house. He likes how you're taking care of it?" Jackie supposed.
Before anyone could answer the voice spoke again. "Son."
"Ridiculous," the Doctor whispered, shaking his head. He started to walk away.
"Plane," the voice said, stopping the Doctor in his tracks.
"What? Like astral plane?" Jackie wondered. "Airplane?"
"I'm done," was all the Doctor could manage. He stalked back to the kitchen, grabbed his jacket from the peg by the back door, and headed outside. Rose could scold him for his rudeness later. He could take that better than Jackie prattling on.
*****
Rose followed him halfway down the hall, then turned back to her mother, who was looking mildly offended. "Mum, just....turn it off, " she said.
"That was rude," Jackie said, nodding toward the kitchen.
"Mum, he was done. He said. And...you remember me telling you how his parents died, right? Airplane?"
Jackie's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, my. I forgot." Then her expression changed to that of someone who just was proven right after a long debate. "See, it knew."
"Mum, turn it off, please? I'm finished too. I don't care if the house is haunted or not haunted or is just plain weird. I love our weird house. Okay? Please drop it!"
"Okay, fine, but I was right," Jackie asserted. "Maybe it's not haunted. But I'll bet his family was sending him a sign that he made a good choice. What could be bad about that?"
Rose didn't have the energy to argue.
*****
The air was crisp and cold and there were still some colorful leaves on the trees in their large back garden. The Doctor loved their garden. Sarah Jane had one at her home and he'd always enjoyed it. He'd never expected to have one of his own.
He spared a look at the angel statue by the wisteria and snorted a bit of laughter. It wasn't creepy at all. He didn't know what Jackie was going on about.
Once out in the large garage that also served as the Doctor's workshop, he had to wonder why Jackie was getting under his skin. Other than the fact that her constant assertion that the house was haunted, they usually got on fairly well. She was easier to take than Sylvia on most days, after all.
It was those stupid random words. Programmed into a ridiculous money waster of an app, guaranteed to either frighten you or comfort you with false words. It was ridiculous. And people were gullible enough to believe it. He was glad, and felt a small measure of superiority that he was not one of those people. It was totally open to interpretation, and he chose to interpret it as a money wasting scam. So there.
He sighed. Of course, he realized that it really wasn't just Jackie who'd gotten under his skin.
*****
Rose peeked into the workshop, and found her husband tinkering with something on his ancient blue convertible he called his TARDIS. "Tea?" she called, carrying in two steaming mugs.
"Could do," he answered. She crossed the dusty floor and offered him his blue mug. "Sorry about the abrupt exit."
"I understand. Mum does too, really. She's leaving soon to go to Donna's. She's okay with your abrupt exit."
"Just couldn't take it any more."
"Nor could I. She's watching some EastEnders on the DVR. So no more ghost stories."
He took another long sip. After about he said, "I like a good ghost story, you know. Fires up the imagination. Gives you a good shiver and a laugh. I was trying to find some humor in all that and I just got tired of trying."
"Trust me, I know. Love, I grew up with her. She always was asking my dad for some sign that he was there, that he was listening, that he approved. I suppose it's serious for her because it gives her a way to hold on to Dad. Something would happen, Mum would always tell me it was my dad, lookin' out for me. I was six months when he died, and I suppose she was keeping him alive for me, too."
The Doctor put his mug down. He put his arms around her waist and reeled her in close. Her arms slipped around his neck as she put her head on his shoulder. "She's right to do that, if that's what she believes. Sorry to be so rude to her about it."
"Have you ever thought...about your parents like that? I mean, it's different for me. I never knew my dad, and you had thirteen years with your parents. Do you ever ask them for help or signs or anything?"
The Doctor was silent for a minute. "Well.....no, I guess I haven't. I've often wondered, would they have liked this or that. I've especially wished they could have met you. That's the main thing I wish. They would have loved you so much." She smiled her brilliant smile, the one that made him feel like he had two hearts pounding away. He kissed her softly.
When the kiss ebbed away they stood forehead to forehead. Rose murmured, "I wish that, too."
"But as far as signs...no, I guess I don't believe in those. That would be like believing my parents sent the rain that caused me to offer you my umbrella. I did it because you needed help and because I think I was already halfway in love without even knowing you."
She kissed him again. "You are free to believe whatever you want. Signs from above give my mum comfort. They don't do the same for you. That's okay. Once in a while I'll think of my dad, if something goes well, or a bad situation improves and I'll give him a little 'thanks for watching out for me'. More out of habit, and more out of being Jackie Tyler's daughter than anything."
"And you know I'd never judge you for it. I would love to believe. You know I've never been particularly religious. I've a hard time believing in guidance from beyond. When my parents died I found it hard to believe in anything. I was so angry. Why would I want to put my faith in something when my parents were taken away like that? So I immersed myself in my studies. If I could quantify it, then it was true. Cold hard logic. It worked for me, back then."
"You're making it sound as if you might be changing your mind," Rose pointed out.
"Things have happened to me in the past months that defy logic. I fell in love with you at first sight. I settled down, and I'm the happiest I've ever been. It's all down to you, I suppose. If I believe in anything, I believe in you."
Tears stung Rose's eyes at his admission. "Maybe it was just time to make a change," she said.
"Maybe I didn't realize it until I met you. You were the sign I needed, I reckon."
"It was just destiny, plain and simple," she said with a huge smile. She still had tears at the corners of her eyes, though, and the Doctor gently brushed them away.
"I think I might be...possibly....a little more willing to be open minded. I am certainly not going to dissuade you from being comforted by thoughts of your dad. But the house is absolutely not haunted. Eccentric perhaps, but not haunted. So your mum can talk ghosts and signs all she wants to with me. But if she stages a full on exorcism on our house, I'm going to have to object!"
Rose burst out laughing. "She does have a message for you....no exorcism necessary. She just thinks your dad was giving you a sign that he's proud of you and loves our house. So there. Don't argue with Mum. You'll never win."
"I believe I knew that already." They both chuckled. He kissed her again. "I like that idea....see, I'm not being a git and immediately discounting it."
"I'm proud of you, dear," she said with a cheeky grin. "Now would you like to come in and smooth things over with Mum and maybe the pair of you could watch some EastEnders together? "
The Doctor groaned. "It's Halloween.
Maybe there's a Ghost Hunters marathon on some channel....."