I've been excited for this one. :) How does everyone react to Rose's actions? Comment and tell me how I've done!
Here's "Father's Day!"
***
On a sunny day in a registrar's office, the registrar prompted, "I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Angela Suzette Prentice."
"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne Suzette Anita," Pete Tyler tried to say.
Anna giggled quietly, the Doctor shushing her just as quietly. "Oh, just carry on," a younger Jackie smiled. "It's good enough for Lady Di."
"I thought he'd be taller," Rose said thoughtfully to herself.
The Doctor looked at her worriedly out of the corner of his eye as the registrar continued. "To be my lawful wedded wife, to love and behold till death do us part."
***
"Mum said it was a hit and run driver," Rose said when they were back in the TARDIS. "Nobody found out who it was. Dad was dead when the ambulance got there. Mum's only wish was that there'd been someone there for him. I want to be that someone, so he doesn't die alone."
The Doctor chewed on his lip thoughtfully before sighing. That was his only wish with the Regent, too. Anna hadn't deserved to see that. "November the 7th?" he double checked the date.
"1987," Rose nodded.
He nodded and pulled down a lever, the time rotor starting up.
***
Rose walked out of the TARDIS, surprised when she saw the sky. "It's so weird," she remarked as Anna walked out next, the Doctor behind her. "The day my father died. I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy. It's just an ordinary day."
"The past is another country," the Doctor shrugged. "1987's just the Isle of Wight."
"Rose?" Anna looked up at her. "Are you sure about this?"
Rose took a deep breath. "Yeah."
***
"This is it," Rose gestured to the street sign as they came up to the sidewalk. "Jordan Road. He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said, 'that stupid vase.'" She watched as a green van came around the corner. "He got out of his car and crossed the road." She swallowed hard as the man she recognized from photos got out of the car, vase in hand. "Oh, God, this is it."
Anna squeezed her legs comfortingly as the Doctor took her hand. Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand in thanks, her other hand wrapping around Anna's shoulders. A beige car screeched around the corner and barreled forward, right into Pete. Rose winced, closing her eyes, hearing the vase shatter on the road. "Go to him, quick," the Doctor whispered.
Rose just swallowed, unable to move.
***
A while later, they sat by the corner, hearing sirens wailing. "It's too late now," Rose mumbled. "By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead."
"It's sad to die on your own," Anna said to herself, but the Doctor shook his head. Anna was only going to -
Rose looked up. "Can I try again?"
The Doctor reluctantly nodded. Anna was only going to convince Rose she had to do this again.
***
The trio looked around the corner to look at their earlier selves. "Right, that's the first us," the Doctor said. "It's a very bad idea, two sets of us being here at the same time. Just be careful they don't see us. Wait till she runs off and they follow, then go to your dad."
Rose watched as her earlier self panicked at the sight of Pete pulled up. "I can't do this," she whispered.
"You don't have to do anything if you don't want to, but this is the last time we can be here," the Doctor warned. Rose bit her lip, warring with herself, before running forward as Pete got out of the van. "Rose, no!" the Doctor shouted, realizing what she was doing too late.
"Rose!" Anna cried, knowing enough as well that this was a bad idea.
Rose ignored both of them, pulling Pete to the side before the beige car could hit him. The vase dropped, but rolled away without even a crack. "I did it," she realized, watching the car leave. "I saved your life!"
"Blimey, did you see the speed of it?" Pete turned to look, unaware of the two Time Lords watching in stunned surprise. "Did you get his number?"
"I really did it!" Rose cheered. "Oh, my God, look at you! You're alive! That car was going to kill you!"
"Give me credit, I did see it coming," Pete frowned at her. "I wasn't going to walk under it, was I?"
Rose held out her hand. "Rose."
"That's a coincidence," Pete shook her hand. "That's my daughter's name."
"That's a great name," Rose giggled. "Good choice. Well done."
"Right, I'd better shift," Pete picked up the vase. "I've got a wedding to go to."
"Is that Sarah Clarke's wedding?"
"Yeah, are you going?"
"Yeah," she nodded, wanting to see her mum.
"Your friends need a lift?" Pete looked back at the Doctor and Anna.
Rose's smile faded slightly when she saw the stony expression on the Doctor's face. "This is bad, isn't it?" Anna whispered quietly as they walked across the street.
"Very," the Doctor answered darkly.
***
"Right, there we are," Pete opened the door and went inside. "Sorry about the mess. If you want a cup of tea, the kitchen's just down there, milk's in the fridge. Well, it would be, wouldn't it? Where else would you put the milk? Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt, make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things. I should write that down."
"Is he mad?" Anna whispered to her father.
The Doctor just raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, never mind that," Pete brushed his hands off. "Excuse me for a minute. Got to go and change."
Anna plopped down on the couch as Rose took in the flat. "All the stuff Mum kept," she whispered. "His stuff. She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink. Here it is, on display, where it should be. Third prize at the bowling, first two got to go to Didcot. Health drinks. Tonics, Mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He was so clever. Solar power. Mum said he was going to do this. Now he can." She paused. "OK, go ahead," she sighed, turning around. "What is it?"
"When we met, I said travel with me in space," the Doctor got right to the point. "You said no, then I said time machine."
"It wasn't some big plan," Rose shrugged. "I just saw it happening and I thought, I can stop it."
Anna saw the Doctor's eyes darken, and she quickly stood up. "I'll just," she pointed to the door and ran out, knowing there was about to be a shouting match.
The Doctor didn't stop her, as he knew she wouldn't like what he was about to say. "I did it again," he shook his head, pacing the floor as Anna shut the door, staying outside. "I picked another stupid ape. I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you."
Rose scowled. "So it's OK when you go to other times, and you save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad?"
"I know what I'm doing, you don't," the Doctor retorted. "Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point."
"But he's alive!"
"Our entire planet died, our whole family," he snapped. "Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them, or at least Anna's mother?"
Rose had no retort to that. She closed her eyes, realizing what she had done. She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. The Doctor watched, surprised she wasn't arguing more. "OK," she nodded, taking another deep breath. "It was stupid. But it's not like I've changed history, not much. I mean, he's never going to be a world leader. He's not going to start World War Three or anything."
Seeing that she was going to listen now, the Doctor said, a bit more calmly, "There's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man. That's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive."
"Would you rather see him dead?" Rose frowned.
"Would you rather see the Regent dead if we went to try and save her?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow.
"OK," Rose admitted the point, sitting down, suddenly exhausted. "It's just . . . " She put her head in her hands. "How does it change that much?" she whispered.
"I suppose we would've benefitted if I'd told you this beforehand," the Doctor answered, sitting down across from her. "There are points in time that aren't too significant, so they can be changed. Then there are some so important that they can't be changed, called fixed points in time. For example . . . " The Doctor thought about it, trying to find one. "The Reformation," he decided. "Who knows what would've happened to the church if Martin Luther hadn't been nearly hit by a lightning bolt. If he hadn't been there, the church wouldn't be what it is now. If we'd gone back then to keep him away, that would have taken a completely different path."
"OK," Rose nodded, understanding. "I get the concept . . . what could this change?"
The Doctor closed his eyes. "If Pete's inventions work, endless possibilities, Rose. You could have a different life, a different family, a different home, a different job . . . " He opened his eyes, looking at her stunned face. "I bet you wouldn't even meet us."
Rose clapped a hand over her mouth, stunned. "Oh, my God," she choked out.
The Doctor switched couches to sit by her side, putting his hand on her shoulder. "That's the consequence of messing with time," he told her gently. "We can't go back and change anything again, so who knows what is going to happen now."
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I know," he said simply. He did; he really did. He'd thought over and over about what would happen if he went back to save the Regent. It was tempting to, but he knew more about time than Rose did. He really couldn't blame her for wanting to save someone she loved, especially if she'd never met him. "You can spend a bit more time with him," he added, standing up. "We'll head back to the TARDIS."
"I really am sorry," Rose insisted as he went to the door.
"I know," he repeated before leaving.
Anna looked up from where she sat on the stairs as he walked out. "What happened?" she asked. "I didn't hear shouting."
"She knows what she did wrong," the Doctor shrugged. "Think about it. If you could save your mum, would you?"
"'Course," Anna said instantly as he helped her to her feet. "You're not going to leave her here, are you?"
The Doctor blinked. "Why would I do that?"
"You were so mad at her."
"No," the Doctor shook his head. "No, no, no, no, she's not getting away from us that easily."
"Good," Anna beamed, skipping by his side as they walked back to the TARDIS. "I don't want her to go. I really like her."
"Those lessons paying off?" he joked.
"She likes me," Anna said. "She really likes me."
"You had your friends back home, though," the Doctor frowned.
"Well, yeah, but I was the daughter of a high-ranking politician on Gallifrey," Anna shrugged. "You always had to be nice to the children of the highest, or else who knew what their parents would do. Rose isn't like that. She was ready to die on Platform One to keep me safe, she defended me in Cardiff, and she stood up to Mickey for us . . . well, me, she slapped you," she thought. "And then she got me to safety, putting her in danger of being killed by the Dalek in Utah. She knows who Mum is, but she hasn't acted differently at all."
The Doctor looked at his daughter, impressed. "You really do like her, don't you?"
"Mmmhmm," Anna nodded enthusiastically.
"Glad I didn't drive her off, then," the Doctor said gratefully. "I don't think anyone can match her in anything."
"Banana splits!" Anna cheered, making him laugh.
***
Rose finished depositing peanuts into their bowl, once again thinking about how grateful she was that the Doctor didn't chew her out and dump her. She knew now how dangerous it was to meddle with time, and thinking of everything about her life that could change . . . she didn't want to think about that. Especially not about the possibility of never meeting the Doctor and Anna. Sure, traveling in time had been a good pitch, but the selling point had been meeting the tiny Time Lady. Never before had Rose met a child so selfless, so kind, so innocent, and so clueless. Her approach to everything made Rose want to be better as well. To think that if this timeline stayed, she'd never meet them . . .
She felt sick. She really did.
"Excuse me, do you mind?" Pete's voice asked, and she jumped. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard him reenter. "What're you tidying up for?"
"Sorry," Rose hurriedly backed away from the table. "Force of habit."
Pete considered her, then looked around. "They left?"
"Yeah," Rose sniffed, nodding. She hoped it wasn't forever. The Doctor had said he'd give them time alone, but who knew what would happen.
"Listen, don't worry about him. Couples have rows all the time."
Rose flushed. "We're not a couple!" she insisted. "Why does everyone think we're a couple? I just watch his daughter, that's all."
"Well, if I was going out with you - "
"Stop right there," Rose held up a hand.
"I was just saying - "
"I know what you're saying, and we're not going there. At no point are we going anywhere near there. You aren't even aware that there exists. I don't even want to think about there, and believe me, neither do you. There for you is like . . . like the Bermuda Triangle." And now she was sounding insane. She sighed, hanging her head. The Time Lords did that to you, apparently.
"Blimey, you know how to flatter a bloke," Pete chuckled.
"Right. Are we off?" Rose held out her arm.
Pete eyed her. "So, that wouldn't be a mixed signal at all?"
"Absolutely not," she said firmly.
"I'll take you back to the loony bin where you belong," Pete said as they left. "Except I'm sure I've met you somewhere before."
***
"How long should we give them?" the Doctor asked Anna as they approached the TARDIS.
"An hour?" Anna suggested, idly looking through a flower bed nearby as the Doctor opened the door. "Maybe more?"
The Doctor blanched, looking inside at the TARDIS . . . although it wasn't the TARDIS anymore. It was just a normal police box. "Rose!" he turned tail and ran, Anna taking a moment to do a double take and close the doors before scurrying after him.
***
"I met this bloke at the horse's, and he's cutting me in on copyright," Pete told Rose as they drove to the wedding.
"But I thought you were a proper businessman and that," Rose frowned.
"I wish! Oh, I do a bit of this, a bit of that. I scrape by."
"Right," Rose frowned again. "So I must've heard wrong. So, really, you're a bit of a Del Boy?"
"Oh, shoot me down in flames," Pete rolled his eyes. "You're not related to my wife by any chance, are you?"
Rose blinked, then blanched. "Oh, my God, she's going to be at the wedding!"
"What, Jackie?" Pete asked. "Do you know her?"
Rose hesitated. " . . . sort of?"
"What's she told you about me, then?"
Rose chewed her lip. "She said she'd picked the most fantastic man in the world."
Pete scoffed. "Must be a different Jackie, then. She'd never say that." The radio switched suddenly, turning into rap music, and Rose did a double take, staring at the radio. Pete just rolled his eyes. "This stuff goes right over my head."
"That's not out yet," Rose recognized the song.
"It's a good job and all - "
"I'm just going to check my messages," she pulled out her phone to see if the Doctor had called from the TARDIS.
"How do you mean, messages?" Pete looked over at her. "Is that a phone?"
Rose paused, realizing what she was doing. "Yeah," she mumbled, putting her phone to her ear.
"Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you."
Rose blinked and hung up, eyes widening, realizing just what the Doctor meant when he advised against messing with time. She looked up just in time to see the beige car suddenly appear in front of them. "Dad!" she shrieked, going for the wheel.
Pete swerved before she got her hands on it, narrowly missing a tree and the car. "It's that car," he looked over his shoulder to see where it was going. "Same one as before!" He parked and got out, Rose scrambling out as well. "It was right in front of us! Where's he gone?" He suddenly turned. "You called me Dad. What'd you say that for?"
Rose blinked, but she was saved from answering when a blonde woman stormed up angrily. "Oh, wonderful. Here he is, the accident waiting to happen. You'd be late for your own funeral, and it nearly was!"
"No damage done," Pete frowned.
"And who's this?" the woman turned to Rose, whose jaw dropped when she realized who this was. "What're you looking out with your mouth open?"
Rose clicked her mouth shut. "Your hair," she finally managed to say.
"What?" Jackie raised a hand to check.
"I've never seen it like - I mean, it's lovely," Rose said quickly. "Your hair's lovely." She saw what else Jackie was holding - more like who, and her eyes widened more. "And that baby you're holding. That would be your baby."
"Another one of yours, is she?" Jackie asked Pete dryly.
"She saved my life!" Pete defended.
"Oh, that's a new one," she snorted. "What was it last time?"
"I didn't even know her! She was a cloakroom attendant! I was helping her look for my ticket. There were three duffel coats all the same. Somehow, the rack collapsed. We were under all this stuff - "
"Were you playing around?" Rose frowned.
"What's it got to do with you what he gets up to?" Jackie scowled at her.
Rose was taken aback. "What does he get up to?"
"You'd know."
"Oh, 'cos I'm that stupid," Pete snorted as Rose's jaw dropped. "I play around and I bring her to meet the missus. You silly cow!"
"But you are that stupid!"
"Can we keep this stuff back home just for now?"
"What, with the rest of the rubbish? You bring home cut-price detergents, tonic water, Betamax tapes, and none of it works. I'm drowning in your rubbish. What did he tell you?" she asked Rose. "Did he say he's this big business man? 'Cos he's not. He's a failure. Born failure, that one. Rose needs a proper father, not one who's flanneling about like some big kid."
"Jackie, I'm making a living!" Pete glared. "It keeps us fed, don't it?"
"Stop it!" Rose shouted, fed up, unable to believe what she was seeing. "You're not like this! You love each other!"
"Oh, Pete, you never used to like them mental," Jackie snorted. "Or I don't know, maybe you did."
"Jackie, wait!" Pete shouted as she turned to the church. "Just listen!"
"If you're not careful, there'll be a wedding and a divorce on the same day," Jackie retorted, heading up.
Pete groaned, turning to Rose. "Wait here. Give us a couple of minutes with the missus. Tell you what, straighten the car up. Stick it round the corner or something. Don't cause anymore trouble."
Rose blinked as he took the vase from her and gave her the keys before running after Jackie. She sighed, heading for the car, when a little black-skinned boy in a suit ran up, screaming. "Monsters!" he called. "Going to eat us!"
"What sort of monsters, sweetheart?" one of the women humored him. "Is it aliens?"
The boy just ran right into the church. Rose paused, wondering if she had just seen who she thought she did, when she heard another child's scream. "Rose!"
"Rose, get in the church!" the Doctor's voice followed Anna's.
Rose turned to see them running at full speed towards her, Anna somehow managing to keep up with her father despite being much shorter. Rose then looked up in the sky to see a large creature with bat-like wings and red eyes hovering above them. She screamed when it swooped towards her, but the Doctor ran to her just in time, yanking her down to avoid being the thing's dinner. "Get in the church!" the Doctor shouted as two more creatures appeared.
"Oh, my God!" the woman that talked to Mickey stared. "What are they? What are they?"
"Inside!" the Doctor made a swatting motion. "Mara!"
"Inside!" she took up the call, tugging people inside.
"Sarah!" the groom, Stuart, called.
"Stay in there!" the Doctor ordered.
Rose scrambled to her feet and ran inside, seeing her parents in the back pew. She ran right to Anna, wrapping her arms around the girl as the Doctor herded everyone else inside. A few people were missing, but not too many. The Doctor slammed the doors shut, checking the windows. "They can't get in," he told them. "Old windows and doors. OK, the older something is, the stronger it is. What else? Go and check the other doors!" he ordered everyone else. "Move!"
"What's happening?" Jackie asked, looking around as Anna and Rose instantly went to check. "What are they? What are they?"
"There's been an accident in time," the Doctor answered. "A wound in time. They're like bacteria, taking advantage."
"What do you mean, time? What're you jabbering on about, time?"
The Doctor huffed. "Oh, I might've known you'd argue. Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining."
"How do you know my name?" she narrowed her eyes.
The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head, hearing Anna giggling in his head. "I haven't got time for this."
"I've never met you in my life!"
"No, and you never will unless I sot this out," the Doctor snapped. "Now, if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go and check the doors."
Jackie swallowed hard. "Yes, sir," she mumbled, walking off.
The Doctor blinked when she didn't argue. "I should have done that ages ago," he said thoughtfully.
"My dad was out there," Stuart looked at the front doors.
"You can mourn him later," the Doctor told him. "Right now, we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive."
"My dad had - "
"There's nothing I can do for him."
"No, but he had this phone thing," Stuart held up the phone. "I can't get it to work. I keep getting this voice."
"Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you."
"That's the very first phone call," the Doctor looked at the phone. "Alexander Graham Bell. I don't think the telephone's going to be much use."
"But someone must have called the police."
"Police can't help you now. No one can. Nothing in this universe can harm those things. Time's been damaged, and they've come to sterilize the wound by consuming everything inside."
Rose, who had been walking up, blanched when he said those words. "Is this because?" she whispered, tears in her eyes. "This is my fault, isn't it?"
The Doctor didn't have the heart to tell her anything, so he just walked on. It was all the answer she needed. She closed her eyes and went to the altar quickly, Anna quickly running after her as the Doctor went to check the vestry. Pete was in there, looking out one of the windows. "There's smoke coming up from the city, but no sirens," he said as the Doctor checked for any place the creatures could get in. "I don't think it's just us. I think these things are all over the place. Maybe the whole world." The Doctor was about to shut his window when the beige car appeared around the corner, swerving, then disappeared. Pete blinked. "Was that a car?"
"It's not important," the Doctor shut the window. "Don't worry about it."
***
Rose was taking a few deep breaths, Anna holding her hand encouragingly, when Pete walked up to them. "This mate of yours," he began, "what did he mean, this is your fault?"
"Don't know," Rose mumbled. "Just everything."
"Not everything's your fault," Anna frowned. "He's done loads of stuff that's his fault."
She giggled, tears in her eyes. "Well, recently, it's been all me, sweetie."
Pete considered her, then said quietly, "I gave you my car keys. You don't give your keys to a complete stranger. It's . . . it's like I trusted you. Moment I met you, I just did. Wound in time . . . you called me Dad. I can see it. My eyes, Jackie's attitude. You sound like her when you shout. You are," he nodded, his voice cracking. "You are. You're my Rose. You're my Rose grown up."
"Dad," Rose sobbed, hugging him tightly, Pete reciprocating as Anna watched, her head tilted. "My Dad. My Daddy."
Anna's attention was caught by a banging sound from a side door. "Daddy!" she called, racing over to the door.
The Doctor was there in an instant, yanking a curtain to the side and taking out his sonic screwdriver. While they were there, Stuart walked up. "Excuse me, Mr. - "
"Doctor," he answered. "This is Anna."
"Hello!" she beamed up at the man.
"Hello," Stuart replied. "You seem to know what's going on."
"I give that impression, yeah," the Doctor nodded.
"I just wanted to ask - "
"Can you save us?" Sarah asked quietly as she joined them.
The Doctor straightened and turned to them, finishing with his work, leaning down to pick up Anna while he was at it. "Who are you two, then?" he asked.
"Stuart Hoskins," Stuart answered.
"Sarah Clarke," Sarah answered.
"And one extra," the Doctor noticed. "Boy or girl?"
"I don't know," Sarah shook her head. "I don't want to know, really."
"How did al this get started?"
"Outside the Beatbox Club, two in the morning," Stuart smiled.
"Street corner," Sarah continued. "I'd lost my purse, didn't have money for a taxi."
"I took her home."
"Then what?" the Doctor asked. "Asked her for a date?"
"Wrote his number on the back of my hand," Sarah blushed.
"Never got rid of her since, my dad said," Stuart squeezed her hand.
"I don't know what this is all about, and I know we're not important - "
"Who said you're not important?" the Doctor asked, surprised. "I've traveled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine, but you two . . . street corner, two in the morning, getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that. Yes, I'll try to save you."
Anna smiled proudly at her father as Stuart and Sarah got relieved looks on their faces. Rose, who was watching, smiled softly, watching the Doctor do his thing. She loved him for trying to keep people's spirits up, and Anna only encouraged him more -
She blinked, caught off guard. Did she just think she loved him?!
***
"I'm a dad," Pete was mumbling to himself as she went to check on him in the vestry. "I'm already a dad, but Rose grows up, and she's you. That's wonderful. I mean, I suppose I thought that you'd be a bit useless, what with my useless genes and all, but . . . well, I mean, how did you get here?"
Rose sat down across from him. "Do you really want to know?"
"Yeah."
"A time machine."
Pete stared at her. "Time machine," he repeated blankly.
"Cross my heart," she did just that.
"What, do you all have time machines where you come from?"
"No. Just the Doctor."
"Did you know these things were coming?"
"No."
"God, I don't know," Pete held his head. "My head's spinning. What's the future like?"
She hesitated. "It's not so different."
"What am I like?" he started rattling off questions, nearly overwhelming her. "Have I gone grey? Have I gone bald? Don't tell me I've gone bald. So, if this mate of yours isn't your boyfriend - and I have to say, I'm glad, because being you dad and all, I think he's a bit old for you, but you're watching over his daughter, so I suppose he's not too bad - have you got a bloke?"
That one Rose . . . sort of knew how to answer. "No." Or, maybe she didn't know. "I did have."
"Mickey!" Jackie's voice shouted.
Rose blinked, walking to the door of the vestry as the little black boy ran up to her and hugged her legs. "Do you know him?" Pete asked as she giggled and patted his shoulder.
"I just didn't recognize him in a suit," Rose giggled. "You have to let go of me, sweetheart," she patted his shoulder. "I'm always saying that," she realized.
"He just grabs hold of what's passing and holds on for dear life," Jackie walked up. "God help his poor girlfriend if he ever gets one."
The Doctor, who was just heading down the center aisle, snorted loudly as Anna giggled. Rose just stuck her tongue out at them. "Me and Rose were just talking," Pete began.
"Oh, yeah?" Jackie narrowed her eyes. "Talking? While the world comes to an end, what do you do? Cling to the youngest blonde. Come on, Mick."
Rose watched Jackie lead Mickey away, then said, "You can't tell her."
"Why?" Pete looked at her.
"I mean, I really don't want you to tell her."
"What, do you don't want people to know?"
"Where I come from, Jackie doesn't know how to work the timer on the video recorder."
"I showed her that last week," Pete frowned, then nodded when Rose gave him a look. "Point taken."
***
"Now, Rose, you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you?" the Doctor talked to baby Rose from where she had been put near the back, Rose walking over and watching in amusement, Anna examining every nook and cranny of the church. "Are you?" He smirked at the adult Rose as she walked up. "Jackie gave her to me to look after. How times change."
"I'd better be careful," Rose sat across from him. "I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken."
"No, don't touch the baby," the Doctor held up his hand to stop her. "You're both the same person. That's a paradox, and we don't want a paradox happening, not with these things outside. Anything new, any disturbance in time makes them stronger. The paradox might let them in."
"Can't do anything right, can I?" Rose wrapped her arms around herself.
The Doctor looked at her. "You can look after my daughter when no one else spares her a glance," he told her. "That's high on the list of 'right' for me."
She gave a watery smile. "Still . . . all this."
"That's a damper," he admitted. "Between you and me, I haven't got a plan. No idea. No way out. And I've got no idea how to break that to Mara."
"You'll think of something," Rose squeezed his hand.
"The entire Earth's has been sterilized," he told her. "This, and other place like it, are all that's left of the human race. We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures. They'll get through in the end. The walls aren't that old. And there's nothing I can do to stop them. There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening. My people would have stopped this. But they're all gone, and now my daughter and I are going the same way."
Rose swallowed, tears in her eyes. "If I'd realized - "
"Just tell me you're sorry," the Doctor told her gently.
"I am," she nodded furiously. She'd said it before, but she meant it even more now. "I'm sorry."
The Doctor hugged her tightly, and she hugged him back, before he pulled back, blinking. "Have you got something hot?" Rose frowned, then hissed, pulling her necklace over her head. Her TARDIS key was glowing, and it was hot. "It's the TARDIS key!" the Doctor grinned, taking off his jacket to take the chain. "It's telling me it's connected to the TARDIS!" He ran to the pulpit, getting everyone's attention as Rose went to stand with Anna. "The inside of my ship was thrown out of the wound, but we can use this to bring it back," he announced. "And once I've got my ship back, then I can mend everything. Now, I just need a bit of power. Has anybody got a battery?"
Stuart held up his phone. "This one big enough?"
"Fantastic," the Doctor dashed over.
"Good old dad," Stuart took the phone apart. "There you go."
"Just need to do a bit of charging up, and then we can bring everyone back," the Doctor grinned victoriously, using his sonic screwdriver on the battery.
"You, er, you never said why you came here in the first place," Pete talked with Rose quietly. "If I had a time machine, I wouldn't have thought 1987 was anything special. Not round here, anyway."
"We just ended up here," Rose shrugged.
"Lucky for me, eh? If you hadn't been there to save me - "
"That was just a coincidence," Rose cut him off. "That was just really good luck. It's amazing."
"So, in the future, are me and her indoors still together?"
Now came the lying. "Yeah."
"Are you still living with me?"
"Yep."
"Am I a good dad?"
Rose had no idea how good or how bad this lie was going to be, but she had to say something. "You . . . you told me a bedtime story every night when I was small. You were always there. You never missed one. And, er . . . you took us for picnics in the country every Saturday. You never let us down. You were there for us all the time. Someone I could really rely on."
Pete frowned. "That's not me."
Rose winced. OK, so it ended up being a bad lie. Before Pete could pry more, she heard the sound of wheezing, and the TARDIS slowly faded in around the TARDIS key. "Right, no one touches that key," the Doctor ordered. "Have you got that? Don't touch it. Anyone touches that key, it'll be . . . well, zap. Just leave it be, and everything will be fine. We'll get out of here, all of us. Stuart, Sarah, you're going to get married, just like I said."
Rose watched the TARDIS fade in and out, then went up to the Doctor. "When time gets sorted out," she began.
"Everybody here forgets what happened," the Doctor answered, his hands on Anna's shoulders. "And don't worry. The thing that you changed will stay changed."
"You mean I'll still be alive, though I'm meant to be dead," Pete said, and the three time travelers looked at him, surprised. "That's why I haven't done anything with my life, why I didn't mean anything."
"It doesn't work like that!" Anna blinked up at him with innocent eyes. Did he really believe that?
"Rubbish," Pete shook his head. "I'm so useless I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all of this happened."
"This is all my fault," Rose shook her head.
"No, love, I'm your dad," Pete took her shoulders and made her look him in the eye. "It's my job for it to be my fault."
"Her dad?" Jackie's voice shrieked, and the Doctor winced, immediately backing off with Rose to let them figure it out. Somehow, he knew there wasn't anything he could do here. "How are you her dad? How old were you, twelve? Oh, that's disgusting!"
"Jacks, listen, this is Rose," Pete told her.
"Rose?" Jackie gawked. "How sick is that? You give my daughter a secondhand name? How many are there? Do you call them all Rose?"
"Oh, for God's sake!" Pete shouted. "Look, it's the same Rose!"
Or maybe he should've stayed involved. The Doctor blanched, running forward to stop Pete. "Rose, no!"
Rose, too, tried to resist, but Pete put her baby self into her arms. She hurriedly handed herself to the Doctor, but it was too late. A split second moment of contact was enough, and one of the creatures appeared inside the church. Anna screamed, scared to death, and the Doctor grabbed her, pulling her behind him as Jackie and Pete sprinted down the center aisle. "Everyone behind me!" the Doctor ordered. "I'm the oldest thing in here!"
"No!" Anna screamed, staring at him with wide eyes, while Rose looked between the two. "No!"
"Listen to me," the Doctor crouched in front of her, speaking in Gallifreyan, Rose's eyes widening at the language he spoke. "Rose will keep you safe. Don't doubt that, all right? I trust her. This was her fault, but she knows and accepts that. You need to look out for her, too."
Anna just sobbed and gave him a huge bear hug, the Doctor nearly crushing her with how hard he hugged her. He looked up at Rose, a challenge in his eyes. "Remember your promise," he said as he let Anna go.
Rose gasped, realizing then just what he was about to do. "Doctor - !"
He released Anna, who ran right to Rose, crying. Rose immediately dropped to her knees, hugging the girl close to her as the creature pounced on the Doctor, the Time Lord not even trying to dodge. The creature then flew over the TARDIS, its talons brushing it, and vanished with it. The key fell to the floor, and Rose ran to check on it, Anna trying hard not to sob loudly and failing miserably. "It's cold," Rose held up the key. "Oh, my God, he's dead," she shook her head, tears of her own falling. "This is all my fault. Both of you, all of you, the whole world . . . "
"This is it," Bev looked around. "There's nothing we can do. It's the end."
***
Rose was sitting in the back, hunched over, arms around her legs, when Anna rejoined her. "Are you all right?" the girl asked timidly.
Rose laughed hollowly. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're an orphan now."
Anna shrugged. "I've still got you."
"I just got your dad killed, and you still want to be with me?" Rose stared at her.
"Why wouldn't I?" Anna asked in genuine confusion, plopping down next to her without further ado. "Daddy told me you'll keep me safe, and I should do that for you, too."
Rose closed her eyes. "Fat lot of good I've done so far."
Anna snuggled close to her, Rose putting her arm around her, as Pete walked up. "The Doctor really cared about you," he told Rose. "He didn't want you to go through it again, not if there was another way. Now there isn't."
"What are you talking about?" Rose frowned.
"The car that should have killed me, my love. It's here. The Doctor worked it out way back, but he, er, he tried to protect me. Still, he's not in charge anymore. I am."
"But - !" Rose couldn't say anything else; she just sobbed. She wanted her father back, so badly, but Anna had just lost hers . . .
"Who am I, love?" Pete asked quietly, cuffing her chin.
"My daddy," Rose whimpered, standing up to give him a hug, Anna watching them.
"Jackie, look at her," Pete insisted as the woman walked up hesitantly. "She's ours."
Jackie looked at her, really looked at her, and softened. "Oh, of course," she whispered, hugging Rose as well.
"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie," Pete said bluntly. "You're going to get rid of me at last."
"Don't say that!" Jackie said ferociously.
"For once in your life, trust me," Pete cupped her cheek. "It's got to be done. You've got to survive, because you've got to bring up our daughter." He turned to Rose. "I never read you those bedtime stories. I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you."
"You would have been," Anna, surprisingly, was the one to say it.
"It's because of me your dad's dead," Pete crouched in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. "Let me make this right."
"It's not fair," Rose whispered. Why did someone always have to die in the end?
"I've had all these extra hours," Pete looked at her. "No one else in the world has ever had that. And on top of that, I got to see you, and you're beautiful. How lucky am I, eh?"
"Very," Anna answered simply.
Pete chuckled. "Oh, what I'd give to see how the Doctor got Rose to look after you. That would've been something." Rose blinked, then Pete turned to her. "So, come on. Do as your dad says. You going to be there for me, love?" Rose nodded instantly, and Pete hugged her tightly. "Thanks for saving me," he told her, kissing her head, then kissed Jackie and patted Anna on the head before grabbing his vase and running out of the church.
Rose went after him, Anna right by her side. Rose watched as Pete ran into the road, the beige car driving right for him. Unable to watch, Rose looked away, and Anna tugged her hand. Numbly, Rose crouched down, letting Anna hug her. They heard the thump, heard the vase break, and Rose broke down, sobbing, Anna whispering quietly to her. She didn't understand a word of it, but Rose didn't need to. It was comforting; that was all she needed.
She somehow knew the Doctor was there before he walked out of the church. He took one look at the girls on the ground, then walked over and crouched down, hugging both of them. Anna immediately clung to him like a lifeline, Rose looking up at him with tears nearly entirely blurring her view of him, opening her mouth to begin to apologize once again, but he shook his head. "Go to him," he looked out at Pete. "Quick."
This time, Rose ran to get to Pete. The Doctor picked Anna up, then ran to the beige car as the driver stopped. Rose looked down into her father's eyes, seeing him look up at her, then the light went out. Rose dropped her head, sobbing, then felt one hand on her shoulder, two smaller ones taking her arm. Blindly, she wrapped an arm around Anna and took the Doctor's hand with the other one. The Doctor helped her to her feet and wrapped her arm around her shoulders, leading her off, Anna never letting go of Rose's hand once. "Peter Alan Tyler, my dad," Rose whispered, her voice cracking. "The most wonderful man in the world. Died the 7th of November, 1987."
The Doctor squeezed her and held open the door, quietly watching the two girls go inside. They were in for a rough night.
***
I teared up at the end. :'( Never mind "Doomsday," I'm gonna be in tears at "Parting of the Ways." Who saw these changes coming?
Interlude is coming up soon. :)