Rainy Day Woman ch. 4
Title: Rainy Day Woman Ch. 4
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Reunion
Spoilers: All Who stuff
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Characters: Ten/Rose, Jackie, Pete, Tyler offspring, Mickey, Jake
Summary: The Doctor makes his way back to a wiser Rose, but things are not as cut and dry as he'd hoped. They have one weekend to decide where they stand, what they want, and where that leaves them.
Under the cut.
Rose sat on her bed, picking at the sheets. She had yet to change out of her dress or pull down her hair. The most she'd done was take off her shoes (which had been a pair of running boots), and her gloves.
She'd been watching the Doctor, who was sitting next to her, working on a complicated piece of small machinery with the sonic screwdriver. He'd changed out of his tux an hour before, and they hadn't spoken to each other since Nigel had dragged Rose off to dance.
Finally Rose decided she'd had enough, and opened her mouth to say something.
The Doctor beat her to it. "I feel like Odysseus."
She gave him a confused look.
"You've got a suitor," he said with a wry, sad smile.
Rose sighed. "No, because I don't have any interest in him."
"How long have you known him?"
"Since I got here," she said quietly. "Eleanor invited all of us to dinner one night and he and his 'Nana' were there. All of the sudden those two old biddies are picking out wedding colors and centerpieces. He always comes onto me, I'm used to it. And then out of the blue he starts trying to convince me that marrying him would be a good move. It's been going on for a solid year. Never fails. Every time I come home, there he is, oozing what he thinks might be charm and he’s always got his wallet on his sleeve."
The Doctor nodded and shut off the screwdriver and finally looked up at her. "Do you want to get married?"
"Not to Nigel," Rose said quickly.
"At all," he said seriously.
She didn't reply.
He sighed.
Rose got to her feet and stood in front of him. "You already know what I want."
"No, I don't," the Doctor said evenly. "I have no idea what you want. I'm not even certain what I want. You already knew that of course. But no, I really don't know what you want."
She stared at him.
"Am I just your escape, Rose Tyler?"
"No."
"Why do I doubt that?"
"Because...I didn't tell you about Nigel and I should have. I'm sorry. I didn't think he'd come round this time. I didn't think he figured into the equation. He doesn't for me."
"Does marriage?"
She sighed, and sat down on the bed again, her knees under her. "Listen to me." She took his hand. "I wanna be with your forever. Whether we make it official doesn't matter to me. I want you."
He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off.
"All of you," she said. "The good bits, the bad bits...the bits that make absolutely no sense. I want it all."
"We could."
Rose blinked. "Could what?"
"Make it official," the Doctor said quietly.
She stared at him in surprise.
He sighed heavily and flopped down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I hated seeing you dance with someone who represents everything that's ridiculous and moronic about humanity."
Rose giggled and laid down next to him. "You coulda cut in, y'know."
"I didn't know if you wanted me to," the Doctor admitted. "I didn't know who he was or..."
"As far as I'm concerned, there's only one name on my dance card," Rose told him.
He leaned in and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, she pulled him back in, kissing him again. He slid closer to her and reached behind her to unzip her dress, but stopped when someone knocked on the door.
The Doctor sighed and rolled onto his back, looking at the ceiling.
"Rose?" Mickey's voice called. "Eleanor and Nigel're downstairs. They wanna talk to you."
Rose stared at the Doctor, who was still looking at the ceiling. "Give us a few minutes, Mick. We'll be down soon."
"Right," Mickey replied.
They heard his footsteps trail away, and the Doctor started to sit up, but Rose pulled him back down to lie with her again. She took his hand and guided it around her waist, back to the zip of her dress.
He turned to her, his nose brushing hers gently. “They’re waiting for you.”
She plucked at the top button of his shirt. “They’ll wait a little longer.”
*****
"Rose said they'd be down in a couple o' minutes," Mickey told them.
"They?" Nigel asked, obviously unhappy. "She's up there with that...man?"
"He's been staying here the last couple of days," Jackie said conversationally. "John's an old family friend of ours. He and Rose are inseparable when they're together. Mutt n' Jeff they are."
Pete smirked. "Shiver and Shake."
"He's Shake," Mickey grinned.
"I don't care if he's the king of Spain," Eleanor snapped. "I want to see the both of them right now."
"They're coming," Jake reassured her.
"I just bet they are," Mickey muttered.
"What did you say?" Nigel snapped.
Mickey smirked. "Nothin."
"Sorry," Rose's voice cracked from the stairs as she rushed down to them. Her hair was disheveled, and she was wearing a pair of shorts and what looked to be a man's undershirt. "I had a hell of a time getting out of that dress. The zipper was stuck," she lied. "You wanted a word?"
"Where is that young man of yours?" Eleanor asked.
"Here," the Doctor said, hopping down the stairs, looking the picture of innocence in his brown pinstriped suit. "Can I help you?"
"Right," Jackie said, taking Jake and Mickey by their arms. "You two come help me with the kettle in the kitchen."
"Since when do you need help with the kettle?" Mickey asked.
"Since you don't have to be out here listenin' to what isn't your business. Now come on. Kitchen."
Rose watched them go, giving them a fond smile, before turning back to Eleanor. "Alright, Gran?"
"Nigel has something he'd like to ask you," Eleanor said, gesturing toward Nigel.
The Doctor rolled his eyes at the same time Pete did.
"Is there a problem, Doctor Smith?" Nigel asked, obviously irritated.
"Seems to me," the Doctor said quickly, "that if you've been asking Rose to marry you for an entire year, and she's continuously said no at every turn, with no sign of changing her mind, that maybe it's time to throw in the towel." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Smart matches and stunning children aside, if she doesn't want to marry you she's not going to marry you."
"What would you know about it?" Nigel snapped.
"Well, I know that if she marries you for the soul purpose of getting you and two wrinkly old harpies off her back-"
"I beg your pardon!" Nigel's Nana cried.
"No offense," the Doctor said. "You're not that wrinkly. Anyways, where was I? Oh! Right. If she marries you when she really doesn't want to then she'll either end up divorcing you in about a month or hanging herself by the neck. And honestly, I did not travel all this way to leave her to a fate like that."
Everyone in the room but Rose looked at each other in utter bewilderment.
"I know that suicide is painless, but I'd rather Rose Tyler stayed alive, thanks," the Doctor went on. "Let's see, what else do I know?" He pulled a hand from his pocket to scratch at his already messy hair. "I know...that...any children Rose might have with me would be much prettier than the ones she might have with you. I've got better hair." He paused, and then turned to Rose. "What else do I know?"
She smiled and whispered something into his ear.
"Oh! Yes! Right!" He lifted Rose's left hand and pointed to her ring finger, which was wearing a very modest ring. "I know that Rose Tyler is already engaged."
Eleanor's eyes nearly fell out of her head. "What?!"
Rose smiled widely, wiggling her fingers. "It was such a surprise!"
"It was a spur of the moment thing," the Doctor said with a grin. "I'll get her a nicer ring," he told Pete. "I've got your blessing?"
Pete cracked a grin. "Welcome to the family, John."
Eleanor fumed. "How can you let your daughter marry that...that..."
"Successful doctor?" Pete asked, bemused. "He's a good bloke, Mum. I'm dead chuffed."
Nigel's fists shook. "I've been asking you for a whole year."
"And I kept saying no for a reason," Rose replied, taking the Doctor's hand in hers. She smiled. "I've got to go talk to mum about wedding plans."
She hurried off, and the Doctor grinned fondly at her back, watching as she disappeared into the kitchen. He turned to Nigel, Eleanor and Nigel’s Nana. “Right! I should probably go make sure she isn’t planning on breaking the bank.” He smiled wider. “It was lovely meeting you all.”
He heard Nigel spluttering behind him as he walked into the kitchen.
Only to be met by Jackie’s hand, slapping him across the face.
“Mum!” Rose hissed.
“How dare you propose without asking me first!” she snapped quietly, trying not to draw attention to them.
The Doctor held his cheek, looking aghast. “Every single time!”
Rose rolled her eyes. “We’re not really getting married, Mum,” she said. She pulled the ring off her finger. “This isn’t an engagement ring, it’s a bio damper.” She walked over to the Doctor and pulled his hand away from his face, inspecting the red area of his cheek.
“She started a trend, you know. I got slapped by another companion’s Mum…and Donna. Donna was downright abusive. Why do I put up with this? I’m the bloody Lord of Time. I shouldn’t have to take this sort of -“
Rose kissed him quickly to shut him up. “Stop blathering.”
“Sorry,” he muttered.
Jackie sneered. “Well, why aren’t you marrying her?” she asked angrily. “She not good enough for you?”
Mickey chuckled and handed Rose a cup of tea. “Here she goes again.”
“Make up your mind,” the Doctor snapped. “Do you, or do you not want me to marry Rose?”
Rose sighed and took a sip of tea before passing it to the Doctor. “Mum, it doesn’t really matter. It’d only be legal on whatever planet we decide to get married on.”
“You could have a wedding on every planet you go,” Jake shrugged jokingly. “The wedding tour of the universe.”
The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Do you have any idea how much money that would cost? I don’t think my nerves could take all that.”
“I don’t think mine could take the Doctor after eating that much cake,” Rose muttered.
“Oi!”
“Fine,” Jackie snapped. “Don’t get married. Break your mother’s heart.”
“You’re not even going to be around to see us get married if we do,” the Doctor pointed.
The room went silent.
Rose sighed heavily. “So much for tact and letting them down gently.”
“Oh, don’t act like I’m some delicate thing,” Jackie snapped. “I knew you was leavin’ with him the minute he showed up.”
Mickey shrugged. “We all did.”
Pete walked into the kitchen and sighed. “Right. Nigel and his Nana have gone home and my mum’s gone to bed.” He turned to the Doctor and Rose. “Are you really getting married?”
The Doctor quirked an eyebrow and Rose sighed, shaking her head.
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Reunion
Spoilers: All Who stuff
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Characters: Ten/Rose, Jackie, Pete, Tyler offspring, Mickey, Jake
Summary: The Doctor makes his way back to a wiser Rose, but things are not as cut and dry as he'd hoped. They have one weekend to decide where they stand, what they want, and where that leaves them.
Under the cut.
Rose sat on her bed, picking at the sheets. She had yet to change out of her dress or pull down her hair. The most she'd done was take off her shoes (which had been a pair of running boots), and her gloves.
She'd been watching the Doctor, who was sitting next to her, working on a complicated piece of small machinery with the sonic screwdriver. He'd changed out of his tux an hour before, and they hadn't spoken to each other since Nigel had dragged Rose off to dance.
Finally Rose decided she'd had enough, and opened her mouth to say something.
The Doctor beat her to it. "I feel like Odysseus."
She gave him a confused look.
"You've got a suitor," he said with a wry, sad smile.
Rose sighed. "No, because I don't have any interest in him."
"How long have you known him?"
"Since I got here," she said quietly. "Eleanor invited all of us to dinner one night and he and his 'Nana' were there. All of the sudden those two old biddies are picking out wedding colors and centerpieces. He always comes onto me, I'm used to it. And then out of the blue he starts trying to convince me that marrying him would be a good move. It's been going on for a solid year. Never fails. Every time I come home, there he is, oozing what he thinks might be charm and he’s always got his wallet on his sleeve."
The Doctor nodded and shut off the screwdriver and finally looked up at her. "Do you want to get married?"
"Not to Nigel," Rose said quickly.
"At all," he said seriously.
She didn't reply.
He sighed.
Rose got to her feet and stood in front of him. "You already know what I want."
"No, I don't," the Doctor said evenly. "I have no idea what you want. I'm not even certain what I want. You already knew that of course. But no, I really don't know what you want."
She stared at him.
"Am I just your escape, Rose Tyler?"
"No."
"Why do I doubt that?"
"Because...I didn't tell you about Nigel and I should have. I'm sorry. I didn't think he'd come round this time. I didn't think he figured into the equation. He doesn't for me."
"Does marriage?"
She sighed, and sat down on the bed again, her knees under her. "Listen to me." She took his hand. "I wanna be with your forever. Whether we make it official doesn't matter to me. I want you."
He opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off.
"All of you," she said. "The good bits, the bad bits...the bits that make absolutely no sense. I want it all."
"We could."
Rose blinked. "Could what?"
"Make it official," the Doctor said quietly.
She stared at him in surprise.
He sighed heavily and flopped down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I hated seeing you dance with someone who represents everything that's ridiculous and moronic about humanity."
Rose giggled and laid down next to him. "You coulda cut in, y'know."
"I didn't know if you wanted me to," the Doctor admitted. "I didn't know who he was or..."
"As far as I'm concerned, there's only one name on my dance card," Rose told him.
He leaned in and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, she pulled him back in, kissing him again. He slid closer to her and reached behind her to unzip her dress, but stopped when someone knocked on the door.
The Doctor sighed and rolled onto his back, looking at the ceiling.
"Rose?" Mickey's voice called. "Eleanor and Nigel're downstairs. They wanna talk to you."
Rose stared at the Doctor, who was still looking at the ceiling. "Give us a few minutes, Mick. We'll be down soon."
"Right," Mickey replied.
They heard his footsteps trail away, and the Doctor started to sit up, but Rose pulled him back down to lie with her again. She took his hand and guided it around her waist, back to the zip of her dress.
He turned to her, his nose brushing hers gently. “They’re waiting for you.”
She plucked at the top button of his shirt. “They’ll wait a little longer.”
*****
"Rose said they'd be down in a couple o' minutes," Mickey told them.
"They?" Nigel asked, obviously unhappy. "She's up there with that...man?"
"He's been staying here the last couple of days," Jackie said conversationally. "John's an old family friend of ours. He and Rose are inseparable when they're together. Mutt n' Jeff they are."
Pete smirked. "Shiver and Shake."
"He's Shake," Mickey grinned.
"I don't care if he's the king of Spain," Eleanor snapped. "I want to see the both of them right now."
"They're coming," Jake reassured her.
"I just bet they are," Mickey muttered.
"What did you say?" Nigel snapped.
Mickey smirked. "Nothin."
"Sorry," Rose's voice cracked from the stairs as she rushed down to them. Her hair was disheveled, and she was wearing a pair of shorts and what looked to be a man's undershirt. "I had a hell of a time getting out of that dress. The zipper was stuck," she lied. "You wanted a word?"
"Where is that young man of yours?" Eleanor asked.
"Here," the Doctor said, hopping down the stairs, looking the picture of innocence in his brown pinstriped suit. "Can I help you?"
"Right," Jackie said, taking Jake and Mickey by their arms. "You two come help me with the kettle in the kitchen."
"Since when do you need help with the kettle?" Mickey asked.
"Since you don't have to be out here listenin' to what isn't your business. Now come on. Kitchen."
Rose watched them go, giving them a fond smile, before turning back to Eleanor. "Alright, Gran?"
"Nigel has something he'd like to ask you," Eleanor said, gesturing toward Nigel.
The Doctor rolled his eyes at the same time Pete did.
"Is there a problem, Doctor Smith?" Nigel asked, obviously irritated.
"Seems to me," the Doctor said quickly, "that if you've been asking Rose to marry you for an entire year, and she's continuously said no at every turn, with no sign of changing her mind, that maybe it's time to throw in the towel." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Smart matches and stunning children aside, if she doesn't want to marry you she's not going to marry you."
"What would you know about it?" Nigel snapped.
"Well, I know that if she marries you for the soul purpose of getting you and two wrinkly old harpies off her back-"
"I beg your pardon!" Nigel's Nana cried.
"No offense," the Doctor said. "You're not that wrinkly. Anyways, where was I? Oh! Right. If she marries you when she really doesn't want to then she'll either end up divorcing you in about a month or hanging herself by the neck. And honestly, I did not travel all this way to leave her to a fate like that."
Everyone in the room but Rose looked at each other in utter bewilderment.
"I know that suicide is painless, but I'd rather Rose Tyler stayed alive, thanks," the Doctor went on. "Let's see, what else do I know?" He pulled a hand from his pocket to scratch at his already messy hair. "I know...that...any children Rose might have with me would be much prettier than the ones she might have with you. I've got better hair." He paused, and then turned to Rose. "What else do I know?"
She smiled and whispered something into his ear.
"Oh! Yes! Right!" He lifted Rose's left hand and pointed to her ring finger, which was wearing a very modest ring. "I know that Rose Tyler is already engaged."
Eleanor's eyes nearly fell out of her head. "What?!"
Rose smiled widely, wiggling her fingers. "It was such a surprise!"
"It was a spur of the moment thing," the Doctor said with a grin. "I'll get her a nicer ring," he told Pete. "I've got your blessing?"
Pete cracked a grin. "Welcome to the family, John."
Eleanor fumed. "How can you let your daughter marry that...that..."
"Successful doctor?" Pete asked, bemused. "He's a good bloke, Mum. I'm dead chuffed."
Nigel's fists shook. "I've been asking you for a whole year."
"And I kept saying no for a reason," Rose replied, taking the Doctor's hand in hers. She smiled. "I've got to go talk to mum about wedding plans."
She hurried off, and the Doctor grinned fondly at her back, watching as she disappeared into the kitchen. He turned to Nigel, Eleanor and Nigel’s Nana. “Right! I should probably go make sure she isn’t planning on breaking the bank.” He smiled wider. “It was lovely meeting you all.”
He heard Nigel spluttering behind him as he walked into the kitchen.
Only to be met by Jackie’s hand, slapping him across the face.
“Mum!” Rose hissed.
“How dare you propose without asking me first!” she snapped quietly, trying not to draw attention to them.
The Doctor held his cheek, looking aghast. “Every single time!”
Rose rolled her eyes. “We’re not really getting married, Mum,” she said. She pulled the ring off her finger. “This isn’t an engagement ring, it’s a bio damper.” She walked over to the Doctor and pulled his hand away from his face, inspecting the red area of his cheek.
“She started a trend, you know. I got slapped by another companion’s Mum…and Donna. Donna was downright abusive. Why do I put up with this? I’m the bloody Lord of Time. I shouldn’t have to take this sort of -“
Rose kissed him quickly to shut him up. “Stop blathering.”
“Sorry,” he muttered.
Jackie sneered. “Well, why aren’t you marrying her?” she asked angrily. “She not good enough for you?”
Mickey chuckled and handed Rose a cup of tea. “Here she goes again.”
“Make up your mind,” the Doctor snapped. “Do you, or do you not want me to marry Rose?”
Rose sighed and took a sip of tea before passing it to the Doctor. “Mum, it doesn’t really matter. It’d only be legal on whatever planet we decide to get married on.”
“You could have a wedding on every planet you go,” Jake shrugged jokingly. “The wedding tour of the universe.”
The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Do you have any idea how much money that would cost? I don’t think my nerves could take all that.”
“I don’t think mine could take the Doctor after eating that much cake,” Rose muttered.
“Oi!”
“Fine,” Jackie snapped. “Don’t get married. Break your mother’s heart.”
“You’re not even going to be around to see us get married if we do,” the Doctor pointed.
The room went silent.
Rose sighed heavily. “So much for tact and letting them down gently.”
“Oh, don’t act like I’m some delicate thing,” Jackie snapped. “I knew you was leavin’ with him the minute he showed up.”
Mickey shrugged. “We all did.”
Pete walked into the kitchen and sighed. “Right. Nigel and his Nana have gone home and my mum’s gone to bed.” He turned to the Doctor and Rose. “Are you really getting married?”
The Doctor quirked an eyebrow and Rose sighed, shaking her head.