FIC: Going Home
Title: Going Home
Author: Rynne
Rating: G
Characters: Ten, Rose, Jackie
Summary: At the end of Age of Steel, the Doctor takes Rose home.
Notes: Inspired by the RotC/AoS recaps and comments at dwrewatch, though I only lurk there.
He already has the coordinates set when Rose comes in, sobbing, only taking one last glance back at Mickey before closing the door behind her. His hearts twist at the sight of her crying -- but he understands, and doesn't begrudge her tears.
He knows how difficult it is when someone you care about leaves you behind, even if it's for the chance of a lifetime.
She sniffs, wipes at her eyes, trying to get hers sobs under control, obviously wanting to put a brave face on things, but he only takes a brief second to send them off into the Vortex before going to her and taking her right into his arms. She immediately hugs him back, her face buried in his neck, and he thinks absently that she's going to get snot and tears all over his collar. He doesn't really care, though; messy clothes are a small price to pay for giving her the comfort she so clearly needs, and he's never really liked tuxedoes anyway.
He just holds her, rubbing her back gently as her tears eventually slow, her cries dying down. He doesn't give her platitudes, doesn't try to tell her that it'll be all right, that the pain will go away with time. Those things are never much comfort in the wake of a loss. Instead, he lets her hold onto him, and if that's not enough, he has a surprise for her, once they're back in their own universe.
Now her tears have stopped, but she holds onto him still, and he's happy to let her, to hold her in return. He doesn't know Mickey as well as Rose does, doesn't care as deeply, but there was friendship there, and even pride and respect. Mickey's grown so, so much since the Nestene Consciousness. He's not the tin dog, and now he knows it. He found a life in that universe that he couldn't have in their own, and the Doctor wishes him well in it. Most of the regret the Doctor feels comes from how much it tears at Rose to lose him, only a small bit the usual pain of letting a companion go.
But how close did the Doctor come to losing Rose? Losing her not even to the Cybermen, but instead to what might have been. Family is important to Rose. He knew that when he took her back to see her father's death, and he's aware of it every time he brings her to visit her mum, something he's never done for any of his other companions. From the moment they saw the poster of the alternate Peter Tyler, some part of him has been terrified that Rose would choose to stay there with him, a fear that increased when they found out she had no counterpart. He kept saying they had to leave, they couldn't stay, not because she really couldn't stay -- Mickey did, after all, and he's not going to make the universe implode -- but because she...she just couldn't. She doesn't belong there.
She belongs here, with him. Right here, right like this. Their arms are around each other, holding on tight, and that's just...how it's supposed to be.
Rose sniffs a bit, then pulls back slightly, enough to look him in the eye. "You think he's gonna be okay?" she asks.
His arms tighten a bit. "He'll be fine," he replies. "He's got Jake to help him out, and there's his gran." He raises a hand, strokes her hair. "He's got a place to fit in, meaningful work to be doing, work he wants to do. He'll be fine."
She grimaces a bit. "I asked him, what if I need him?" She frees a hand, raises it to wipe away tear tracks, and he loosens his grip a bit, but doesn't let her go yet. "Just 'what if', you know? Not even 'I need you', but what if. It's like at Christmas, when he told me he loved me and I just said bye, an' even before that, in Cardiff with Margaret. I kept takin' him for granted and stringin' him along, an' -- Doctor, did I drive him away?" Her voice is pure misery, and her eyes are begging for reassurance.
"I don't think so," he says, and he's actually being honest. "I think you just found a place to fit, and he wanted that too. He just never fit on the TARDIS the way he does in that universe."
She closes her eyes, leans against him again. "I do fit here," she says, her voice muffled against his shirt, and his hearts pound just a bit faster at that simple statement.
"Yeah," he replies, tenderly. "You do."
He squeezes her extra tightly for a moment, then he lets her go and steps back. They're about to enter their own universe again, and it won't be long until they reach their destination.
"We're almost home," he says. "It might be a bit bumpy for a minute, so you might want to hold onto something."
She gives him a small smile and grabs onto the railing, and he braces himself at the console, ready to do everything he can to help ease the TARDIS back into their proper timestream and close the crack in reality behind them.
There is some turbulence, but thankfully it doesn't last long; the TARDIS has been through enough the past day. Then they're finally back in their own Vortex, and he can hear the TARDIS's relieved singing in his mind. They should probably stop at the Rift in Cardiff soon, just to make sure she has as much energy as she needs.
"'M gonna go splash some water on my face, get out of this outfit," she says, letting go of the railing and gesturing at the waitress uniform she's still wearing before heading off towards her room. "I'll be right back."
He watches her go, then decides he needs to get changed as well. But he's gotten to be an expert at quickly getting in and out of his suits, so he's back in the console room well before Rose is. They're just about to land when she walks back in, clothed in one of her usual hoodies and jeans, her face clear of tears and her makeup reapplied.
When they set down, and with only a slight bump this time, Rose frowns, clearly recognizing they've landed. "You already took us someplace?" she asks. "I thought we'd just stay in the Vortex a few days."
"Thought you might like to see this," he replies.
Her frown is still there. "Doctor, I'm not sure I'm ready for another of our bouts of 'run for your life'," she says, and he just smiles at her, not even bothering to protest that they don't always end up running for their lives.
"Go on, take a look," he encourages her, and she gives him a dubious look as she cracks open the door. When she turns back to face him, her eyes are wide, starting to shimmer with the beginning of tears again, and she mouths 'Thank you' at him before pulling open the door and running out into her mother's arms, saying nothing when Jackie asks her questions. He follows her out and leans against his ship, just watching.
They'll stay at Jackie's for a few days, and he won't even complain about it. Well, much. He'll give Rose time to start to heal, let her get her wind back before they're off again. But for all the temptations of family that the alternate universe offered, he's pretty sure Rose won't want to stay here with her mother beyond several days. She said it herself -- she fit in the TARDIS, with him. This is where her mother lives and she's happy to visit, but he thinks that maybe, just maybe, she considers the TARDIS her home.
"What's wrong?" Jackie asks. "Where'd you go?"
Rose is still clinging to her mum, so it's the Doctor who answers, "Far away. That was...far away."
"Where's Mickey?"
"He's gone home," the Doctor says, because that's the truth. He's gone home, and he's not the only one.
Author: Rynne
Rating: G
Characters: Ten, Rose, Jackie
Summary: At the end of Age of Steel, the Doctor takes Rose home.
Notes: Inspired by the RotC/AoS recaps and comments at dwrewatch, though I only lurk there.
He already has the coordinates set when Rose comes in, sobbing, only taking one last glance back at Mickey before closing the door behind her. His hearts twist at the sight of her crying -- but he understands, and doesn't begrudge her tears.
He knows how difficult it is when someone you care about leaves you behind, even if it's for the chance of a lifetime.
She sniffs, wipes at her eyes, trying to get hers sobs under control, obviously wanting to put a brave face on things, but he only takes a brief second to send them off into the Vortex before going to her and taking her right into his arms. She immediately hugs him back, her face buried in his neck, and he thinks absently that she's going to get snot and tears all over his collar. He doesn't really care, though; messy clothes are a small price to pay for giving her the comfort she so clearly needs, and he's never really liked tuxedoes anyway.
He just holds her, rubbing her back gently as her tears eventually slow, her cries dying down. He doesn't give her platitudes, doesn't try to tell her that it'll be all right, that the pain will go away with time. Those things are never much comfort in the wake of a loss. Instead, he lets her hold onto him, and if that's not enough, he has a surprise for her, once they're back in their own universe.
Now her tears have stopped, but she holds onto him still, and he's happy to let her, to hold her in return. He doesn't know Mickey as well as Rose does, doesn't care as deeply, but there was friendship there, and even pride and respect. Mickey's grown so, so much since the Nestene Consciousness. He's not the tin dog, and now he knows it. He found a life in that universe that he couldn't have in their own, and the Doctor wishes him well in it. Most of the regret the Doctor feels comes from how much it tears at Rose to lose him, only a small bit the usual pain of letting a companion go.
But how close did the Doctor come to losing Rose? Losing her not even to the Cybermen, but instead to what might have been. Family is important to Rose. He knew that when he took her back to see her father's death, and he's aware of it every time he brings her to visit her mum, something he's never done for any of his other companions. From the moment they saw the poster of the alternate Peter Tyler, some part of him has been terrified that Rose would choose to stay there with him, a fear that increased when they found out she had no counterpart. He kept saying they had to leave, they couldn't stay, not because she really couldn't stay -- Mickey did, after all, and he's not going to make the universe implode -- but because she...she just couldn't. She doesn't belong there.
She belongs here, with him. Right here, right like this. Their arms are around each other, holding on tight, and that's just...how it's supposed to be.
Rose sniffs a bit, then pulls back slightly, enough to look him in the eye. "You think he's gonna be okay?" she asks.
His arms tighten a bit. "He'll be fine," he replies. "He's got Jake to help him out, and there's his gran." He raises a hand, strokes her hair. "He's got a place to fit in, meaningful work to be doing, work he wants to do. He'll be fine."
She grimaces a bit. "I asked him, what if I need him?" She frees a hand, raises it to wipe away tear tracks, and he loosens his grip a bit, but doesn't let her go yet. "Just 'what if', you know? Not even 'I need you', but what if. It's like at Christmas, when he told me he loved me and I just said bye, an' even before that, in Cardiff with Margaret. I kept takin' him for granted and stringin' him along, an' -- Doctor, did I drive him away?" Her voice is pure misery, and her eyes are begging for reassurance.
"I don't think so," he says, and he's actually being honest. "I think you just found a place to fit, and he wanted that too. He just never fit on the TARDIS the way he does in that universe."
She closes her eyes, leans against him again. "I do fit here," she says, her voice muffled against his shirt, and his hearts pound just a bit faster at that simple statement.
"Yeah," he replies, tenderly. "You do."
He squeezes her extra tightly for a moment, then he lets her go and steps back. They're about to enter their own universe again, and it won't be long until they reach their destination.
"We're almost home," he says. "It might be a bit bumpy for a minute, so you might want to hold onto something."
She gives him a small smile and grabs onto the railing, and he braces himself at the console, ready to do everything he can to help ease the TARDIS back into their proper timestream and close the crack in reality behind them.
There is some turbulence, but thankfully it doesn't last long; the TARDIS has been through enough the past day. Then they're finally back in their own Vortex, and he can hear the TARDIS's relieved singing in his mind. They should probably stop at the Rift in Cardiff soon, just to make sure she has as much energy as she needs.
"'M gonna go splash some water on my face, get out of this outfit," she says, letting go of the railing and gesturing at the waitress uniform she's still wearing before heading off towards her room. "I'll be right back."
He watches her go, then decides he needs to get changed as well. But he's gotten to be an expert at quickly getting in and out of his suits, so he's back in the console room well before Rose is. They're just about to land when she walks back in, clothed in one of her usual hoodies and jeans, her face clear of tears and her makeup reapplied.
When they set down, and with only a slight bump this time, Rose frowns, clearly recognizing they've landed. "You already took us someplace?" she asks. "I thought we'd just stay in the Vortex a few days."
"Thought you might like to see this," he replies.
Her frown is still there. "Doctor, I'm not sure I'm ready for another of our bouts of 'run for your life'," she says, and he just smiles at her, not even bothering to protest that they don't always end up running for their lives.
"Go on, take a look," he encourages her, and she gives him a dubious look as she cracks open the door. When she turns back to face him, her eyes are wide, starting to shimmer with the beginning of tears again, and she mouths 'Thank you' at him before pulling open the door and running out into her mother's arms, saying nothing when Jackie asks her questions. He follows her out and leans against his ship, just watching.
They'll stay at Jackie's for a few days, and he won't even complain about it. Well, much. He'll give Rose time to start to heal, let her get her wind back before they're off again. But for all the temptations of family that the alternate universe offered, he's pretty sure Rose won't want to stay here with her mother beyond several days. She said it herself -- she fit in the TARDIS, with him. This is where her mother lives and she's happy to visit, but he thinks that maybe, just maybe, she considers the TARDIS her home.
"What's wrong?" Jackie asks. "Where'd you go?"
Rose is still clinging to her mum, so it's the Doctor who answers, "Far away. That was...far away."
"Where's Mickey?"
"He's gone home," the Doctor says, because that's the truth. He's gone home, and he's not the only one.