#023 - Lovers
And here it is, my complete and utter shameful entry for the lovers prompt. *buries head* Any and all errors in this story are mine, as I don't have a beta.
Title - Meeting Howard
Author - Malicehaughton
Rating - umm...PG 13 probably for the first paragraph. Not that it is anything truly explicit...but it makes me wonder if I am putting this under the right rating...
Disclaimer - Don't own any of the characters, they belong to the BBC.
Claim - Jackie Tyler
Spoilers - ...Christmas Invasion. That's it, this story is alone in its own little universe after that, lol.
Summary - Rose and the Doctor meet Howard, Jackie's boyfriend. They then proceed to show Howard the TARDIS. *buries head* Yep, silly idea.
Meeting Howard
Howard was over for one of his visits, a hand busy at her breasts, his mouth clamped over her own, and other parts working in even better ways between her legs when the familiar sound of the TARDIS was heard. In all places, right in her lounge room.
“Oh no! Howard, stop, Rose is, ah! Rose is home.”
Being the gentleman that he was, Howard quickly did as she asked and they both covered themselves with the bed sheets just as Rose barged through the bedroom door to say hello. It was blindingly clear that something had just been interrupted.
Well, it was still early in the morning. Rose possibly couldn’t have known what her mother would have been up to. A small squeak erupted from Rose’s mouth before the girl turned around and quickly shut the door behind her. “Oh god, I’m sorry mum, didn’t mean to barge in on you like this.”
She waited agonising seconds before she heard a bang and the sound of the TARDIS dematerialising filled the flat, before sounding again a few more seconds later down on its usual corner spot outside. Jackie sighed loudly and got up, dressing as quickly as possible, knowing that the Doctor wouldn’t wait for Howard to leave before stomping his way up here with her daughter.
She was right too, in a few minutes time, she was dressed, cleaned up as best she was going to get and Howard was in the shower. Well, at least Rose didn’t object to her normal hug when she got home, and the Doctor had been gracious enough to repark his machine outside to give her a bit more time.
She hugged him too, hoping that he knew what he had interrupted. By his grimace and apology, she knew he did. He could probably smell it. She disappeared into the kitchen to put on the kettle.
Howard was soon out of the shower, dressed in a pair of pyjama’s that looked much similar to the ones the Doctor had worn that Christmas he had spent unconscious on her bed. They looked good on Howard, and she smiled at him brightly, taking him by the hand and dragging him over to the couch where Rose and the Doctor were sitting, nursing a cup of tea each.
“Howard, this is my daughter Rose. And her travelling companion, the Doctor.”
She was hoping that this introduction would go alright really. While she still missed Pete, she had had a slew of lovers since his death. But none she had ever kept as long as Howard. She didn’t really want this one to end, so she hoped Rose liked him.
With the same build and height as the Doctor, he was different in every other way. His hair was salt and pepper, his face was lined by too much smiling in his 45+ years, and he was always generous and kind. Unlike the other men she had dated, Howard was older than her.
Rose smiled at him, then at her. “Hello Howard. I heard about you when I was down for Christmas. Sorry I didn’t get to meet you then but this one was sick,” Rose had given the Doctor’s knee a gentle push with her own.
The Doctor grimaced. “Not my fault...nice to meet you by the way! That satsuma in your dressing gown pocket saved the world from an alien invasion by Sycorax. Or, well, at least helped defeat their leader...it was Jackie’s tea that saved the world.”
Jackie blushed and glared at the alien in the room. “Don’t go on about that stuff right now alright.”
The Doctor looked at her and smiled, and this smile was different to his usual one. It was more...sincere. “If Howard’s going to be sticking around and he has done for...how long has it been since last we were here?”
“Three months.”
“Ah, well if he is going to be sticking around for another 4 months then maybe it would be better for him to know.”
Rose smiled broadly. “Four months! You’ve been together now for four months! That’s wonderful!”
She was surprised when Rose jumped up and hugged each of them in turn, excited beyond what Jackie was used to seeing now. She looked at the Doctor, sitting calmly on the couch, smiling at the goings on. Yes, this hyper behaviour really must be his fault. The old Doctor had never acted like that, but this new one she had found in the few days they had stayed over while he recuperated from his regeneration, definitely was a bit on the hyper side.
“Er...know what exactly?” Howard asked, looking from each of them to Jackie for an explanation as to what was going on. And of course he knew about the Sycorax and the alien invasion. He did live in London after all. Had a lovely job being a delivery boy of fruit. Fruit was important.
Jackie sighed exasperatedly. “This crazy life that us Tyler girls have been going through for the past...year or so. How long’s it been Doctor? You would know better than I.”
“Around two years. Since one year I sort of...skipped accidentally. Well, for you anyway. For us it has been...oh a lot less than that I think. Nine months give or take a few days.”
Howard was trying to do the math, but time was an odd thing nowadays. Even Jackie Tyler, stuck at home without a job and living off the dole, was getting slightly used to feeling slightly more out of it than a normal person would.
“Sorry for the entrance this morning by the way. The TARDIS needs a bit of a rest I think. Took me nearest to the flat she could, which happens to be in it.”
Jackie closed her eyes. “You explain that Doctor. I don’t think I have exactly the right words, and this version of you is very chatty.”
The Doctor took Rose’s hand, stood up in a rush of energy and grinned in the normal manic way she was used to seeing. “Now, come on Jackie. I think a demonstration would be much better don’t you?! Come on! I’ll give you a proper tour. Howard, you’ll like this.”
Jackie turned to her lover and frowned. “Don’t mind him. He’s a bit hyper. You get used to it after a while. Or well, you will get used to it after a while. I’m still trying to get there. His last self was much calmer.”
He frowned at her and shook his head slightly. “How can two years only be nine months to them...and what exactly is a TARDIS.”
Closing her eyes and grabbing for his hand she took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. This would either make or break this relationship. It took the right kind of person to be able to live with this kind of thing. She had to mainly for Rose’s sake, but she had gotten used to it. And Rose called her all the time thankfully.
Maybe she could get the Doctor to give her the number for the TARDIS phone. Sometimes Rose forgot to switch on her mobile. She spent the entire time worrying sick when she tried to call with news of her own, and found she couldn’t get hold of her, and she knew the TARDIS had a phone. The Doctor used it to call Rose when he was in there and Rose was up here visiting.
The trip to the ship was unnerving for her, and the confusion on Howard’s face was getting unbelievably hard to deal with. She hugged his side, hoping that this wouldn’t make him run in the opposite direction.
And then they were there, the Doctor unlocked it with his key and opened the door a bit to let them in. He poked his head out again and smiled. “Don’t forget to close the door behind you, we don’t want just anyone wondering in here.”
Rose followed him in shortly after. The door stood a little ajar, and she took a deep breath, dragging Howard to the entrance. “This is really weird. But...go on inside. I’m right behind you sweetheart.”
Howard’s first response the Doctor said later was almost universal. He had looked inside, went back out, trotted around the outside, seeing the blue police box and peeked back in to see the huge inside. “How do you get all this in here then?” he had asked.
“It’s dimensionally transcendental. Bigger on the inside. Much bigger on the inside. Hard to explain to someone really. It’s a separate dimension to the outside.”
Howard looked around the control room and grinned. He looked like a kid in a candy store. “What is it?”
The Doctor grinned back. “She’s a TARDIS. Stands for time and relative dimension in space. A ship that can move through space and time to any destination that has been or ever will be.”
“Time travel! You can travel through time?!”
And then Jackie closed her eyes and let her face fall into her waiting hands. She should have known really. Howard was always going on about finding something better in the world, always rambling on about space and stars and other planets. A sci-fi geek. It was probably what made her like him in the first place.
And just like that, the relationship was grounded in reality. The Doctor was showing Howard around his ship, opening a door opposite the exit and giving them both a tour of how big it was exactly. Even she hadn’t seen anything other than the console room before. And there was a completely stocked kitchen, a swimming pool that looked bigger than an Olympic sized one, and dozens of different rooms for all different purposes.
Rose had taken them to see her room. It looked almost the same as the one in the flat but bigger.
It was at that moment that she realised that this ship was more her home than the flat was anymore.
“Does it need refuelling? How does it refuel?” Howard asked as they made themselves back to the console room.
“Nah refuelled not long ago. There’s a special kind of energy that only certain places in the universe have. Thankfully one of those places is in Cardiff. It’s called a rift, which is like a...a rip through time.”
Howard nodded, hanging on to every word, though clearly understanding none of it.
“She’s just a bit tired. Needs a rest I think. Jackie, mind if we stay over for a few days, let her have a break from travelling, catch her breath a bit?”
Jackie beamed at him. The best thing about the Doctor was that he let Rose come home to see her every now and again. She had the feeling that he didn’t do that very often to people he travelled with.
“Of course Doctor. You know I don’t mind as long as Rose is here. You staying in here, or camping on the couch?”
He thought about it for a while, before shrugging. “I’ll tell you depending on what I feel tonight.”
She knew what he meant. The two of them were completely and utterly prone to fighting each other, though this version was definitely much more open and better to her than his last self had been. Still, if they fought, he would sleep in here. Rose would sleep in the flat with her though, so they could properly catch up.
Both Howard and the Doctor stayed for dinner that night. They both talked almost constantly about stars and planets. Jackie could see the excitement for the conversation pouring off both the men.
Though she never said it out loud, she was very glad of one thing.
It was clear by her smiles in his direction that Rose liked Howard just as much as the Doctor did.
Title - Meeting Howard
Author - Malicehaughton
Rating - umm...PG 13 probably for the first paragraph. Not that it is anything truly explicit...but it makes me wonder if I am putting this under the right rating...
Disclaimer - Don't own any of the characters, they belong to the BBC.
Claim - Jackie Tyler
Spoilers - ...Christmas Invasion. That's it, this story is alone in its own little universe after that, lol.
Summary - Rose and the Doctor meet Howard, Jackie's boyfriend. They then proceed to show Howard the TARDIS. *buries head* Yep, silly idea.
Meeting Howard
Howard was over for one of his visits, a hand busy at her breasts, his mouth clamped over her own, and other parts working in even better ways between her legs when the familiar sound of the TARDIS was heard. In all places, right in her lounge room.
“Oh no! Howard, stop, Rose is, ah! Rose is home.”
Being the gentleman that he was, Howard quickly did as she asked and they both covered themselves with the bed sheets just as Rose barged through the bedroom door to say hello. It was blindingly clear that something had just been interrupted.
Well, it was still early in the morning. Rose possibly couldn’t have known what her mother would have been up to. A small squeak erupted from Rose’s mouth before the girl turned around and quickly shut the door behind her. “Oh god, I’m sorry mum, didn’t mean to barge in on you like this.”
She waited agonising seconds before she heard a bang and the sound of the TARDIS dematerialising filled the flat, before sounding again a few more seconds later down on its usual corner spot outside. Jackie sighed loudly and got up, dressing as quickly as possible, knowing that the Doctor wouldn’t wait for Howard to leave before stomping his way up here with her daughter.
She was right too, in a few minutes time, she was dressed, cleaned up as best she was going to get and Howard was in the shower. Well, at least Rose didn’t object to her normal hug when she got home, and the Doctor had been gracious enough to repark his machine outside to give her a bit more time.
She hugged him too, hoping that he knew what he had interrupted. By his grimace and apology, she knew he did. He could probably smell it. She disappeared into the kitchen to put on the kettle.
Howard was soon out of the shower, dressed in a pair of pyjama’s that looked much similar to the ones the Doctor had worn that Christmas he had spent unconscious on her bed. They looked good on Howard, and she smiled at him brightly, taking him by the hand and dragging him over to the couch where Rose and the Doctor were sitting, nursing a cup of tea each.
“Howard, this is my daughter Rose. And her travelling companion, the Doctor.”
She was hoping that this introduction would go alright really. While she still missed Pete, she had had a slew of lovers since his death. But none she had ever kept as long as Howard. She didn’t really want this one to end, so she hoped Rose liked him.
With the same build and height as the Doctor, he was different in every other way. His hair was salt and pepper, his face was lined by too much smiling in his 45+ years, and he was always generous and kind. Unlike the other men she had dated, Howard was older than her.
Rose smiled at him, then at her. “Hello Howard. I heard about you when I was down for Christmas. Sorry I didn’t get to meet you then but this one was sick,” Rose had given the Doctor’s knee a gentle push with her own.
The Doctor grimaced. “Not my fault...nice to meet you by the way! That satsuma in your dressing gown pocket saved the world from an alien invasion by Sycorax. Or, well, at least helped defeat their leader...it was Jackie’s tea that saved the world.”
Jackie blushed and glared at the alien in the room. “Don’t go on about that stuff right now alright.”
The Doctor looked at her and smiled, and this smile was different to his usual one. It was more...sincere. “If Howard’s going to be sticking around and he has done for...how long has it been since last we were here?”
“Three months.”
“Ah, well if he is going to be sticking around for another 4 months then maybe it would be better for him to know.”
Rose smiled broadly. “Four months! You’ve been together now for four months! That’s wonderful!”
She was surprised when Rose jumped up and hugged each of them in turn, excited beyond what Jackie was used to seeing now. She looked at the Doctor, sitting calmly on the couch, smiling at the goings on. Yes, this hyper behaviour really must be his fault. The old Doctor had never acted like that, but this new one she had found in the few days they had stayed over while he recuperated from his regeneration, definitely was a bit on the hyper side.
“Er...know what exactly?” Howard asked, looking from each of them to Jackie for an explanation as to what was going on. And of course he knew about the Sycorax and the alien invasion. He did live in London after all. Had a lovely job being a delivery boy of fruit. Fruit was important.
Jackie sighed exasperatedly. “This crazy life that us Tyler girls have been going through for the past...year or so. How long’s it been Doctor? You would know better than I.”
“Around two years. Since one year I sort of...skipped accidentally. Well, for you anyway. For us it has been...oh a lot less than that I think. Nine months give or take a few days.”
Howard was trying to do the math, but time was an odd thing nowadays. Even Jackie Tyler, stuck at home without a job and living off the dole, was getting slightly used to feeling slightly more out of it than a normal person would.
“Sorry for the entrance this morning by the way. The TARDIS needs a bit of a rest I think. Took me nearest to the flat she could, which happens to be in it.”
Jackie closed her eyes. “You explain that Doctor. I don’t think I have exactly the right words, and this version of you is very chatty.”
The Doctor took Rose’s hand, stood up in a rush of energy and grinned in the normal manic way she was used to seeing. “Now, come on Jackie. I think a demonstration would be much better don’t you?! Come on! I’ll give you a proper tour. Howard, you’ll like this.”
Jackie turned to her lover and frowned. “Don’t mind him. He’s a bit hyper. You get used to it after a while. Or well, you will get used to it after a while. I’m still trying to get there. His last self was much calmer.”
He frowned at her and shook his head slightly. “How can two years only be nine months to them...and what exactly is a TARDIS.”
Closing her eyes and grabbing for his hand she took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. This would either make or break this relationship. It took the right kind of person to be able to live with this kind of thing. She had to mainly for Rose’s sake, but she had gotten used to it. And Rose called her all the time thankfully.
Maybe she could get the Doctor to give her the number for the TARDIS phone. Sometimes Rose forgot to switch on her mobile. She spent the entire time worrying sick when she tried to call with news of her own, and found she couldn’t get hold of her, and she knew the TARDIS had a phone. The Doctor used it to call Rose when he was in there and Rose was up here visiting.
The trip to the ship was unnerving for her, and the confusion on Howard’s face was getting unbelievably hard to deal with. She hugged his side, hoping that this wouldn’t make him run in the opposite direction.
And then they were there, the Doctor unlocked it with his key and opened the door a bit to let them in. He poked his head out again and smiled. “Don’t forget to close the door behind you, we don’t want just anyone wondering in here.”
Rose followed him in shortly after. The door stood a little ajar, and she took a deep breath, dragging Howard to the entrance. “This is really weird. But...go on inside. I’m right behind you sweetheart.”
Howard’s first response the Doctor said later was almost universal. He had looked inside, went back out, trotted around the outside, seeing the blue police box and peeked back in to see the huge inside. “How do you get all this in here then?” he had asked.
“It’s dimensionally transcendental. Bigger on the inside. Much bigger on the inside. Hard to explain to someone really. It’s a separate dimension to the outside.”
Howard looked around the control room and grinned. He looked like a kid in a candy store. “What is it?”
The Doctor grinned back. “She’s a TARDIS. Stands for time and relative dimension in space. A ship that can move through space and time to any destination that has been or ever will be.”
“Time travel! You can travel through time?!”
And then Jackie closed her eyes and let her face fall into her waiting hands. She should have known really. Howard was always going on about finding something better in the world, always rambling on about space and stars and other planets. A sci-fi geek. It was probably what made her like him in the first place.
And just like that, the relationship was grounded in reality. The Doctor was showing Howard around his ship, opening a door opposite the exit and giving them both a tour of how big it was exactly. Even she hadn’t seen anything other than the console room before. And there was a completely stocked kitchen, a swimming pool that looked bigger than an Olympic sized one, and dozens of different rooms for all different purposes.
Rose had taken them to see her room. It looked almost the same as the one in the flat but bigger.
It was at that moment that she realised that this ship was more her home than the flat was anymore.
“Does it need refuelling? How does it refuel?” Howard asked as they made themselves back to the console room.
“Nah refuelled not long ago. There’s a special kind of energy that only certain places in the universe have. Thankfully one of those places is in Cardiff. It’s called a rift, which is like a...a rip through time.”
Howard nodded, hanging on to every word, though clearly understanding none of it.
“She’s just a bit tired. Needs a rest I think. Jackie, mind if we stay over for a few days, let her have a break from travelling, catch her breath a bit?”
Jackie beamed at him. The best thing about the Doctor was that he let Rose come home to see her every now and again. She had the feeling that he didn’t do that very often to people he travelled with.
“Of course Doctor. You know I don’t mind as long as Rose is here. You staying in here, or camping on the couch?”
He thought about it for a while, before shrugging. “I’ll tell you depending on what I feel tonight.”
She knew what he meant. The two of them were completely and utterly prone to fighting each other, though this version was definitely much more open and better to her than his last self had been. Still, if they fought, he would sleep in here. Rose would sleep in the flat with her though, so they could properly catch up.
Both Howard and the Doctor stayed for dinner that night. They both talked almost constantly about stars and planets. Jackie could see the excitement for the conversation pouring off both the men.
Though she never said it out loud, she was very glad of one thing.
It was clear by her smiles in his direction that Rose liked Howard just as much as the Doctor did.