Pete's World Redux (1/1)
Title - Pete's World Redux (1/1)
Author - earlgreytea68
Rating - General
Characters - Pete, Mickey, OCs
Spoilers - None
Disclaimer - I don't own them and I don't make money off of them, but I don't like to dwell on that, so let's move on. (Except for the kids. They're all mine.)
Summary - What happened on Bad Wolf Bay, after?
Author's Notes - In response to this meme, azrionarequested a fic involving Pete and Mickey, after Rose and Jackie and Fortuna left with the Doctor. She trusted me to pick the right amount of time to have gone by, so I picked two amounts of time.
This should be the end of the timestamp meme. Let me know if you requested one that I accidentally missed.
Thank you tojlrpuckfor the beta. Hope you're having a great time in Scotland, kiddo!
The gorgeous icon was created byswankkatfor me, commissioned byjlrpuckfor my birthday.
They stood and watched the TARDIS de-materialized, with its rush of wind and its distinctive noise.
And then there was silence.
“Well,” said Mickey, after a second. “I suppose that’s the last time I’ll ever hear that noise.”
Pete said nothing for a moment. Then, “Do you think they’ll be happy?”
“Yeah,” Mickey decided. “You didn’t know him. Not very well, at least. He’s a good bloke. He makes Rose happy.”
“Rose, I’m willing to believe. But what about Jackie?”
Mickey looked at him. “She’ll be fine. She’s with her grandkids. And her Rose, who you know she adores. She’ll be happy.”
Pete sighed. “I’ve managed to lose my wife twice. Not every man accomplishes that.”
“Nah,” said Mickey. “You just got more time with your wife than you ever thought you would.”
Pete considered. “I suppose that’s right, in a way.”
“C’mon,” Mickey said. “I’ll buy you a drink.”
“Yeah.” They turned as one, striding away. “Punching holes between universes, Mickey? Don’t you think that was the sort of thing you should have told me about?”
“I think it’s exactly the sort of thing I shouldn’t have told you about,” Mickey noted.
********
It was exactly sixteen years later, to the day, when Mickey walked into the Torchwood lobby, one of the thousand times in his life he’d come and gone in the course of working there. He would have walked right through it, except that he caught, out of the corner of his eye, a mop of messy brown hair that triggered dim memories, and he turned and looked more closely at the man by the front desk. His back was to him, so that all Mickey could really make out was a tall, thin figure, encased in an old-fashioned overcoat, one of those especially archaic ones with a short cape detail over the shoulders, edged in velvet trim, with dramatically untidy hair atop it. The coat was different, of course, one Mickey didn’t recognize, but it had been sixteen years since he had encountered the Doctor. Maybe he had changed his coat by now.
“Well,” the security guard said, doubtfully, examining a piece of paper in a small leather wallet that Mickey recognized immediately, “I suppose everything looks in order.” He handed it back across.
The man took it. “Excellent,” he agreed. “If you could just tell Pete Tyler-“
“Doctor?” Mickey said, taking a step closer to him.
The man stilled, and then turned his head. Which was enough for Mickey to figure out that it wasn’t, exactly, the Doctor. The resemblance was striking, but not quite identical.
The man turned fully, sweeping back his dramatic coat and tucking his fingers into the pockets of the jeans he was wearing. “Hello,” he said, with a wide smile that also reminded Mickey of the Doctor, and Mickey wondered if he was remembering the man inaccurately after all this time. Maybe it really was the Doctor.
“I…You’re…” Mickey paused in confusion. “You’re not him.”
“No,” the man agreed, after a second. “I’m not. But I’m close enough, if you’re looking for him. Are you?”
“Not really. Not actively-”
“You’re Mickey!” the man exclaimed, suddenly. “That’s who you are! Of course! My mother still mentions you to my father, every once in a while, when she’s teasing him.”
“Oh.” The penny dropped for Mickey with a sudden thud, and he wondered why it hadn’t happened sooner. Possibly because the idea of Rose and the Doctor’s son had always been so abstract to him. “You’re…You’ve got a weird name I’m never going to remember.”
“Brem,” he said, his smile never faltering. “I’m Brem.”
“How did you get here?” Mickey asked, anxiously, as it suddenly occurred to him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Brem answered. “Absolutely nothing. Everything’s fine, just…visiting.”
“Oh, no.” Mickey shook his head. “You lot never just ‘visit.’”
Brem actually laughed. “It’s…personal,” he said, finally. “For Pete Tyler. So I’m just going to…” He gestured toward the elevator.
“Wait,” Mickey said, stopping him. “How’s your mum?”
“She’s…” Brem turned back to him, and smiled enormously. “She’s brilliant. She is. Brilliant.”
“And happy?”
“Yes.” He hesitated, then said, “And how are you?”
“I’m great. I’m…married. Two kids. Normal names.”
“A bit dull,” said Brem, with a wrinkle of his nose that reminded Mickey strongly of his father, and Mickey thought of the amazing twists and turns his life had taken, and how he would never have met his wife, never have had his two little girls, if his impulsive teenaged girlfriend hadn’t suddenly taken up with an alien.
“Yeah, well, we can’t all be…” Mickey trailed off, because he didn’t even know the word he was looking for. “Listen, tell your mum I said hi, and tell your dad I said thank you.”
“I will,” Brem said. The elevator behind him dinged, opening, and Brem, with a little wave, stepped onto it, then turned back to Mickey. “You know,” he confided, “you really should give your security guards a bit of psychic training. It was absurdly easy to get in here.”
The elevator door slid closed, and Brem pushed the button for the proper floor, taking a deep breath. His hearts were racing, and the encounter with Mickey had been a bit unsettling. One never expected to run into the ghosts of one’s parents’ pasts.
The elevator opened on the proper floor, and Brem stepped out, walking confidently in what turned out to be entirely the wrong direction, so he backtracked and hoped Athena and Fortuna were still doing okay. He found Pete Tyler’s secretary and flashed his psychic paper confidently, and the secretary informed Pete Tyler that an emissary was here from the President to hand over some confidential papers, and Brem was ushered into Pete Tyler’s office.
Pete Tyler, an older man, with graying reddish hair, looked at him without any recognition whatsoever as he walked in, and said, “What’ve you got for me?”
“I…” Brem paused. He’d kind of expected Pete Tyler to know who he was immediately, but he saw now how that had been a ridiculous expectation. If the stories were correct, Pete had met his father only a handful of times, and Brem had no clue how many years ago that had been. “I’m Brem Tyler,” he said, slowly.
Pete looked up from his desk, sharply. “Tyler? That’s a coincidence,” he said.
“Yeah,” agreed Brem, still feeling his way. “Or I’m…kind of…in a way…your grandson.”
Pete looked at him steadily, and then he said, “What did you say your name was again?”
“Brem.”
“Brem. That’s right. And you have a sister named Fortuna.”
“And one named Athena.”
“Right.” Pete stood from his desk, walked around it, and regarded him curiously. “How old are you?” he asked, finally.
“I’m…much older than I look,” Brem answered finally. “How long has it been? Since my grandmother left this universe?”
“Sixteen years. To the day, believe it or not.”
“I do believe it. TARDISes have funny senses of humor that way. How are things?”
“Good. Good. I re-married, and I…How are your parents? Still together?”
Brem nodded.
“And how’s your grandmother?”
Brem took a deep breath. “It’s been…more than sixteen years in my universe. Many more. And she…”
Pete looked at him for a moment. “She’s dead,” he said, finally, flatly.
“Yeah,” Brem confirmed. “But she lived a very long life. Very long. There are a few advantages to having an alien for a son-in-law. And she was happy. Welllll, I think she was happy. Maybe I’m being presumptuous. The thing is, she…” Brem paused, suddenly scared he might start crying. Pete watched him. “Sorry,” he said, once he regained his composure. “It hasn’t been that long for us, since she…” Brem took a deep breath. “Before she died, she gave me this.” He reached into his coat, pulled out an envelope with “Pete” written across it. “She said that she trusted me to know what do with it. And I’m pretty sure this is what she meant.”
Pete took the envelope, looked at it for a second, then looked back at Brem. “But your father said you lot couldn’t come back.”
“I know. Which is why she gave it to me and not him, I think. It’s a bit easier to get across, now that there are more Time Lords around. Athena and Fortuna are holding the breach open for me. Fortuna says hi, by the way. She can remember you a bit, and she wants to thank you for being very nice to her during a time in her life she was a bit of a misery. She would have come herself, but, well, I wasn’t very keen to hold another breach open, so I’m the one who got sent across.”
Pete looked from him, back to the envelope, then to him again. “Tell Fortuna she was no trouble at all. And tell your mother I…I never had children, here. In a way, you’re it for me. Tell her I’m glad she’s happy.”
“I will.”
“You resemble her, somehow…” Pete mused.
Brem could not conceal his surprise. “That’s not something I hear very often.”
“It’s there, though.” Pete smiled at him. “I can see the Tyler in you.”
“I’m going to tell my father that straightaway,” grinned Brem.
Pete held out his hand, and Brem shook it. “Thanks for this. Really,” he said. “And have a safe trip home.”
“I will,” said Brem, and he turned and headed back to his TARDIS.
His hearts were still racing a bit, but his task was almost done.
He wondered how much hell there would be to pay when his parents found out.
Author - earlgreytea68
Rating - General
Characters - Pete, Mickey, OCs
Spoilers - None
Disclaimer - I don't own them and I don't make money off of them, but I don't like to dwell on that, so let's move on. (Except for the kids. They're all mine.)
Summary - What happened on Bad Wolf Bay, after?
Author's Notes - In response to this meme, azrionarequested a fic involving Pete and Mickey, after Rose and Jackie and Fortuna left with the Doctor. She trusted me to pick the right amount of time to have gone by, so I picked two amounts of time.
This should be the end of the timestamp meme. Let me know if you requested one that I accidentally missed.
Thank you tojlrpuckfor the beta. Hope you're having a great time in Scotland, kiddo!
The gorgeous icon was created byswankkatfor me, commissioned byjlrpuckfor my birthday.
They stood and watched the TARDIS de-materialized, with its rush of wind and its distinctive noise.
And then there was silence.
“Well,” said Mickey, after a second. “I suppose that’s the last time I’ll ever hear that noise.”
Pete said nothing for a moment. Then, “Do you think they’ll be happy?”
“Yeah,” Mickey decided. “You didn’t know him. Not very well, at least. He’s a good bloke. He makes Rose happy.”
“Rose, I’m willing to believe. But what about Jackie?”
Mickey looked at him. “She’ll be fine. She’s with her grandkids. And her Rose, who you know she adores. She’ll be happy.”
Pete sighed. “I’ve managed to lose my wife twice. Not every man accomplishes that.”
“Nah,” said Mickey. “You just got more time with your wife than you ever thought you would.”
Pete considered. “I suppose that’s right, in a way.”
“C’mon,” Mickey said. “I’ll buy you a drink.”
“Yeah.” They turned as one, striding away. “Punching holes between universes, Mickey? Don’t you think that was the sort of thing you should have told me about?”
“I think it’s exactly the sort of thing I shouldn’t have told you about,” Mickey noted.
********
It was exactly sixteen years later, to the day, when Mickey walked into the Torchwood lobby, one of the thousand times in his life he’d come and gone in the course of working there. He would have walked right through it, except that he caught, out of the corner of his eye, a mop of messy brown hair that triggered dim memories, and he turned and looked more closely at the man by the front desk. His back was to him, so that all Mickey could really make out was a tall, thin figure, encased in an old-fashioned overcoat, one of those especially archaic ones with a short cape detail over the shoulders, edged in velvet trim, with dramatically untidy hair atop it. The coat was different, of course, one Mickey didn’t recognize, but it had been sixteen years since he had encountered the Doctor. Maybe he had changed his coat by now.
“Well,” the security guard said, doubtfully, examining a piece of paper in a small leather wallet that Mickey recognized immediately, “I suppose everything looks in order.” He handed it back across.
The man took it. “Excellent,” he agreed. “If you could just tell Pete Tyler-“
“Doctor?” Mickey said, taking a step closer to him.
The man stilled, and then turned his head. Which was enough for Mickey to figure out that it wasn’t, exactly, the Doctor. The resemblance was striking, but not quite identical.
The man turned fully, sweeping back his dramatic coat and tucking his fingers into the pockets of the jeans he was wearing. “Hello,” he said, with a wide smile that also reminded Mickey of the Doctor, and Mickey wondered if he was remembering the man inaccurately after all this time. Maybe it really was the Doctor.
“I…You’re…” Mickey paused in confusion. “You’re not him.”
“No,” the man agreed, after a second. “I’m not. But I’m close enough, if you’re looking for him. Are you?”
“Not really. Not actively-”
“You’re Mickey!” the man exclaimed, suddenly. “That’s who you are! Of course! My mother still mentions you to my father, every once in a while, when she’s teasing him.”
“Oh.” The penny dropped for Mickey with a sudden thud, and he wondered why it hadn’t happened sooner. Possibly because the idea of Rose and the Doctor’s son had always been so abstract to him. “You’re…You’ve got a weird name I’m never going to remember.”
“Brem,” he said, his smile never faltering. “I’m Brem.”
“How did you get here?” Mickey asked, anxiously, as it suddenly occurred to him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Brem answered. “Absolutely nothing. Everything’s fine, just…visiting.”
“Oh, no.” Mickey shook his head. “You lot never just ‘visit.’”
Brem actually laughed. “It’s…personal,” he said, finally. “For Pete Tyler. So I’m just going to…” He gestured toward the elevator.
“Wait,” Mickey said, stopping him. “How’s your mum?”
“She’s…” Brem turned back to him, and smiled enormously. “She’s brilliant. She is. Brilliant.”
“And happy?”
“Yes.” He hesitated, then said, “And how are you?”
“I’m great. I’m…married. Two kids. Normal names.”
“A bit dull,” said Brem, with a wrinkle of his nose that reminded Mickey strongly of his father, and Mickey thought of the amazing twists and turns his life had taken, and how he would never have met his wife, never have had his two little girls, if his impulsive teenaged girlfriend hadn’t suddenly taken up with an alien.
“Yeah, well, we can’t all be…” Mickey trailed off, because he didn’t even know the word he was looking for. “Listen, tell your mum I said hi, and tell your dad I said thank you.”
“I will,” Brem said. The elevator behind him dinged, opening, and Brem, with a little wave, stepped onto it, then turned back to Mickey. “You know,” he confided, “you really should give your security guards a bit of psychic training. It was absurdly easy to get in here.”
The elevator door slid closed, and Brem pushed the button for the proper floor, taking a deep breath. His hearts were racing, and the encounter with Mickey had been a bit unsettling. One never expected to run into the ghosts of one’s parents’ pasts.
The elevator opened on the proper floor, and Brem stepped out, walking confidently in what turned out to be entirely the wrong direction, so he backtracked and hoped Athena and Fortuna were still doing okay. He found Pete Tyler’s secretary and flashed his psychic paper confidently, and the secretary informed Pete Tyler that an emissary was here from the President to hand over some confidential papers, and Brem was ushered into Pete Tyler’s office.
Pete Tyler, an older man, with graying reddish hair, looked at him without any recognition whatsoever as he walked in, and said, “What’ve you got for me?”
“I…” Brem paused. He’d kind of expected Pete Tyler to know who he was immediately, but he saw now how that had been a ridiculous expectation. If the stories were correct, Pete had met his father only a handful of times, and Brem had no clue how many years ago that had been. “I’m Brem Tyler,” he said, slowly.
Pete looked up from his desk, sharply. “Tyler? That’s a coincidence,” he said.
“Yeah,” agreed Brem, still feeling his way. “Or I’m…kind of…in a way…your grandson.”
Pete looked at him steadily, and then he said, “What did you say your name was again?”
“Brem.”
“Brem. That’s right. And you have a sister named Fortuna.”
“And one named Athena.”
“Right.” Pete stood from his desk, walked around it, and regarded him curiously. “How old are you?” he asked, finally.
“I’m…much older than I look,” Brem answered finally. “How long has it been? Since my grandmother left this universe?”
“Sixteen years. To the day, believe it or not.”
“I do believe it. TARDISes have funny senses of humor that way. How are things?”
“Good. Good. I re-married, and I…How are your parents? Still together?”
Brem nodded.
“And how’s your grandmother?”
Brem took a deep breath. “It’s been…more than sixteen years in my universe. Many more. And she…”
Pete looked at him for a moment. “She’s dead,” he said, finally, flatly.
“Yeah,” Brem confirmed. “But she lived a very long life. Very long. There are a few advantages to having an alien for a son-in-law. And she was happy. Welllll, I think she was happy. Maybe I’m being presumptuous. The thing is, she…” Brem paused, suddenly scared he might start crying. Pete watched him. “Sorry,” he said, once he regained his composure. “It hasn’t been that long for us, since she…” Brem took a deep breath. “Before she died, she gave me this.” He reached into his coat, pulled out an envelope with “Pete” written across it. “She said that she trusted me to know what do with it. And I’m pretty sure this is what she meant.”
Pete took the envelope, looked at it for a second, then looked back at Brem. “But your father said you lot couldn’t come back.”
“I know. Which is why she gave it to me and not him, I think. It’s a bit easier to get across, now that there are more Time Lords around. Athena and Fortuna are holding the breach open for me. Fortuna says hi, by the way. She can remember you a bit, and she wants to thank you for being very nice to her during a time in her life she was a bit of a misery. She would have come herself, but, well, I wasn’t very keen to hold another breach open, so I’m the one who got sent across.”
Pete looked from him, back to the envelope, then to him again. “Tell Fortuna she was no trouble at all. And tell your mother I…I never had children, here. In a way, you’re it for me. Tell her I’m glad she’s happy.”
“I will.”
“You resemble her, somehow…” Pete mused.
Brem could not conceal his surprise. “That’s not something I hear very often.”
“It’s there, though.” Pete smiled at him. “I can see the Tyler in you.”
“I’m going to tell my father that straightaway,” grinned Brem.
Pete held out his hand, and Brem shook it. “Thanks for this. Really,” he said. “And have a safe trip home.”
“I will,” said Brem, and he turned and headed back to his TARDIS.
His hearts were still racing a bit, but his task was almost done.
He wondered how much hell there would be to pay when his parents found out.