Chapter Text
"Rose! What the hell has that daft alien done with you?"
"Well, open it, Doctor," Rose sighed tiredly. "You act like she's sendin' you to certain doom."
The Doctor was fairly sure he'd be regenerating fairly soon once Jackie heard the news. And if she didn't kill him, well....he could already feel the sting of the slap. Jackie pounded on the door again. "Scarier than a Dalek, she is, he muttered." Rose rolled her eyes.
"Open it or I'll get that damn truck again," Jackie vowed.
The Doctor took a deep breath and turned the knob. He did it partly out of respect for Rose's wishes to see her mum, and also because he didn't think he could get back to the console quickly enough to get them the hell out of London.
But mostly out of love and respect for his new bond mate, his wife, he opened the door. "Well, it's about time, Doctor, you know you've been sitting in the courtyard since half ten! I was scared to death, considerin' that time Rose came back without you and was hell bent on going back and rescuing you ...... Oh, my God, is this thing bigger in here?"
"Mornin', Jackie," the Doctor said with a tight smile. "Welcome aboard the TARDIS, and yes, it is bigger in here. Well spotted." He was proud because he kept most of the sarcasm out of his voice.
Not all of it, however, judging from the glare he received from Jackie. "Don't talk to me like I'm some idiot. This is all alien to me. What the hell kind of name is TARDIS, anyway?" Jackie spat.
Rose spoke up for the first time, having gathered some strength. "He doesn't think you're an idiot, Mum, right, Doctor?"
The Doctor nodded. He added, "It stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. It's what makes it possible for this enormous ship to fit inside what appears to be a tiny box. She can be anything she wants, She can scan the area and come up with the best disguise to blend in with the scenery.."
Rose interrupted with a cheeky smile, "And then she stays in the form of a 1963 telephone police box."
The Doctor shot a sneer her way that quickly morphed into a full grin.
Jackie didn't miss how his smile changed. It was warm, and brilliant, and dare she think....loving? Her heart sped up. Her daughter was smiling right back, the same way. At that moment she didn't care that she was standing in some alien space craft, she didn't care what the name stood for or why it did what it did.
All that mattered to Jackie was her daughter and the way that...alien...was looking at her. It was as if Rose hung the moon.
Rose's demeanor quickly changed, however, and she slapped a hand over her mouth and dashed down a corridor.
"Oh, blimey," the Doctor groaned as he observed Rose's retreat.
"What the hell is wrong with my daughter?" Jackie demanded. "If you took her on some godforsaken planet and she's ended up with some alien death virus, I will flippin' kill you!"
"That'd take a while," the Doctor mumbled, following Rose.
"What did you say to me?" Jackie shrieked.
"Come with me," he covered, quite awkwardly. Jackie jogged up to him and together they entered the corridor. The Doctor noticed that a loo had been conveniently moved so that Rose wouldn't have far to go. "Thanks, Old Girl," he whispered.
"Old girl....did you just call me...."
On another day the Doctor, he would have been amused by Jackie's assumption. Not today. "Rose, love," the Doctor called. They heard the sink run.
"M'fine," Rose poked her head out of the bathroom and addressed the Doctor.
"You need to rest for a while. D'you think some crackers would help? Seemed to do the trick when you woke up earlier," he suggested as she came out of the loo looking a shade paler. She absently stroked her belly and nodded. The Doctor gave Rose an encouraging smile.
This time it felt as though Jackie's heart would stop. The pieces of the puzzle came together with alarming speed. Her daughter's abdomen was perfectly flat as always, but it wouldn't be for long. She knew, absolutely could predict, what the pair of them were about to reveal.
"Rose," Jackie gasped.
"Come to the galley with us, Mum. We need to talk." Taking the Doctpr's hand, Rose lead the way. Jackie paused for a second, trying to process it all. "Mum?" Rose prompted. Jackie followed wordlessly, rage overtaking shock.
The galley was small, but warm and inviting and sunny, despite the lack of a window to the outside. Jackie barely registered this as she faced them both. The Doctor was holding her daughter's hand. "So? How far gone?" Jackie asked, her voice strained.
Rose pressed her lips together, eyes wide. She finally murmured, "About eight weeks."
Jackie nodded. "Is it his?" she asked, voice flat.
"O'course it is!" the Doctor barked, looking affronted.
Jackie stepped forward, toe to toe with the Doctor and in a flash, her palm had connected with his cheek.
Of course, all three knew that she would react exactly as she did. Rose just wasn't fast enough to stop her. "Mum, don't ever do that again!" She ordered, her voice strong despite her exhaustion.
"He's not human," Jackie cried out.
"He's also still in the room," the Doctor muttered, rubbing his cheek.
Jackie ignored him. "He looks it and he talks like it but he's not and how can you ever begin to convince me that this is safe for you?"
"I have checked her out throughly..." the Doctor began.
"I'll bet you have," Jackie hissed.
"Let him finish a sentence, Mum!" Rose ordered.
"Jackie, she is safe. There's some differences, of course. The pregnancy..." Jackie huffed a breath in reaction to the word being spoken aloud. ".....will be about eleven months. But other than than that, it should proceed as normal."
"Normal," Jackie sneered. "S'nothin' normal about any of this. You're insane. Rose, did he force you to...."
It was Rose's turn to be outraged. She flashed fierce eyes at Jackie, and the Doctor thought it was best to just stand back and let Rose take care of this. "No. Absolutely not. I love him. He loves me, we want this child, end of story."
"Well, forgive me if I don't believe you. I lived through the whole Jimmy Stone fiasco with you, remember. Only thing different is this one has a flashy space ship and the other had a flashy guitar. You don't know what love is," Jackie argued.
"Don't you ever compare the Doctor to Jimmy," Rose hissed. "The Doctor loves me and I love him, and that's it. And it's because of that wanker Jimmy that I know what love isn't. Love is the way the Doctor treats me." Jackie stared at Rose, her mouth set in a grim line, unwilling to accept her daughter's words. "He cares about me and respects me, and Jimmy Stone knew nothing of that."
The Doctor couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he pulled the saltine crackers out of the cabinet. He could feel Jackie's eyes practically burning into the back of his jacket, however. He didn't spare her a glance as Rose accepted the crackers gratefully.
"Get 'er some ginger beer to drink. It always helped me when I was expectin' her," Jackie blurted.
The Doctor shook his head. "No ginger. S' intoxicatin' to Time Lords. Don't want to risk it with the baby, not knowin' what percent Gallefreyan she is."
"What the hell is a Gallefreyan?" Jackie demanded.
"You're lookin' at one. And chances are, with my superior biology, the baby will be more Gallefreyan than human."
"What the hell? Superior biology? Is it gonna have tentacles or some such thing?"
"Do I?" the Doctor barked back.
"You could have a disguise on, for all I know about you! God only knows what you really look like. Does Rose? Jackie hissed as Rose glared at her mother.
"Blimey, Mum, knock it off," Rose warned.
"Actually, you look Time Lord. So, no tentacles or blue skin, Jackie," the Doctor growled. There was an awkward silence while Rose downed some crackers to settle her nausea.
Finally Jackie spoke, slightly calmer. "She? You know already?"
The Doctor gave her a tight smile. "Just a hunch. S'all."
"Mum...." Rose murmured, her hand out. Jackie sat in the chair opposite of Rose. Rose clasped her hand. "I know this is hard for you. This whole thing with me travelin' and now we're expectin'......"
"Not just 'travelin' and you know it. You talk like you've been on an extended road trip to the States or some such," Jackie spat. "Not like you're flyin' around in space and in constant danger."
"I am perfectly capable of keepin' Rose safe, Jackie. Obviously we're curtailin' our travels. I will never put Rose or our child at risk," the Doctor vowed. "I love them both."
"I loved her first," Jackie spat back.
"That's not the point, Mum. We're on the same side here. No need to turn it into a pissin' contest over who loves me more," Rose sighed. She pulled a cracker out of the packaging and nibbled it.
"Oi, language, Rose Marion!" Jackie turned her glare back to the Doctor. She pointed at him, eyes narrowed. "I knew you were shaggin' her. That whole year you were gone....you lied to that copper, didn't you? Flat out lied to him because as long as you were gettin' what you wanted...."
The Doctor cut off Jackie's tirade. "No, Jackie, believe it or not. At that point I hadn't even gotten up the courage to admit to myself that I'd fallen hard for your daughter."
"It took almost losing each other," Rose agreed, smiling at the Doctor. "He finally got his head out of his arse after you helped me get back to him, Mum."
The Doctor rolled his eyes, chuckling at Rose. He'd heard that one before. Many times.
Rose squeezed her mother's hand. "I'm scared, but not because of the circumstances. I'm pregnant and I just need my Mum to talk to. You don't have to be happy about it. But I do hope you'll be there for us."
Rose's words cut through the haze of rage and suddenly Jackie burst into tears. "I always thought to myself, if you ever came to me, pregnant and scared I'd support you, no matter what. I just wanted a better life for you, s' all."
"I already have that, Mum. I couldn't be happier." Rose smiled up at the Doctor, who returned her smile.
Jackie gazed at her daughter, and seeing the truth there rocked her. "And you, Doctor?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"I love her. She's saved me in a million ways. She's brilliant, and brave.. I don't deserve how much she loves me." The Doctor locked eyes with Rose, and Jackie could see it. He loved her daughter.
"You do, and I'm gonna prove it to you if it takes forever," Rose argued. The Doctor shook his head, and Jackie could see that Rose hadn't quite convinced him yet.
"Suppose you're just that stubborn, then," the Doctor quietly commented.
"I think you already know the answer to that, Doctor. I take after Mum in that respect."
"Oi, Rose," Jackie protested with a watery chuckle.
Rose took the Doctor's hand and squeezed her mum's. She sat there, holding them both, a bridge between her mother and the man she loved. "Point is, you two are my family. I know everything will be fine with the pair of you backing me up."
Jackie sighed, "I will always be there for you, Rose. I also know what it's like to be with somebody who's got his head in the clouds. Your dad and I...we had a lot of difficulties. He loved you with all his heart and wouldn't have changed havin' you for a second. But he resented me at times, when the crazy schemes and adventures failed and he had to deal with his responsibilities. Can't imagine you'll want to slow down your lifestyle, Doctor. How long before you resent Rose?" She stared the Doctor down.
He didn't flinch under her scrutiny. "Me, resent Rose Tyler? Won't happen," the Doctor said with finality.
"Pete said the same thing," Jackie argued. "Reality was, we fought constantly. I miss him, I do. But we had a rough time."
"I know, Mum, I was there," Rose murmured.
"You were six months, how could you know?" Jackie gasped. "I tried to keep that from you."
"Mum, I've told you this. Time machine, remember?"
Jackie's lip trembled. "You held your dad's hand. In 1987. I still can't wrap my head around that. I believe you, Rose, but I just can't......" She trailed off, bursting into fresh tears. Rose grabbed her hand.
"And because he helped me to be there for Dad, you helped us get back to each other. And after that.....well, now we have the baby." Rose looked up at the Doctor, who smiled down at her.
"Don't think I've ever properly thanked you for that, Jackie," he murmured.
Jackie was frankly shocked, and speechless.
"This is a rare occurrence, Mum. I'd say 'you're welcome.' Might be a while before he says it again." Rose gave him a mischievous wink.
"Oi, Rose. That's gonna be married life? You takin' the mick?" the Doctor cracked.
Rose laughed and Jackie shook her head. Bloody hell. They were in love. Rose had found the one. She had to go out of the solar system to do it, but she'd done it. There was nothing left for Jackie to do but accept it.
"Get used to it, Doctor," Jackie quipped in a shaking voice.
The Doctor gave a sigh of relief. He appeared to have escaped certain doom, and Jackie seemed to be slightly more amenable. He'd love Rose and their child no matter what, but for Rose's sake, he was glad to have Jackie's tentative approval.
Then Jackie's eyes widened in shock, after having processed their conversation.
"Did you just say you were married?"