Quite a Ride

Feels OK to talk about now

2009-10-26T04:43:18Z

I got laid off in May and of course the first thing I did was file for unemployment. Much to my surprise, I was denied. Despite it never having been stated that passing the bar was a condition of my employment, that was the reason given for my dismissal. This, of course, meant that according to the NE Dept. of Labor, I was guilty of "gross misconduct."

At the time I thought it was just a misunderstanding. I had failed the bar nearly a year before, and was working as a paralegal, not a law clerk. When I informed my boss that I'd failed, he even told me that they'd keep me busy until I could take it again. Long story short, they claimed, basically, how could I not know and despite evidence to the contrary, including exhibits that I faxed to them, the appeals board sided with my employers and I basically got screwed out of my unemployment.

The time between the initial denial and my hearing amounted to nearly twelve weeks. We were living on Paul's unemployment and what little he is bringing in from a part time job. Needless to say it was stressful. Wonderful atmosphere to be taking the bar in.

Finding out that the appeal had been denied came as a very hard blow for me. I felt betrayed by someone that I had felt was both a friend and a mentor. It also lumped me in with people who do things like steal from their employers or harass their fellow employees. Then I found out I failed the bar by a very tiny margin. About this time i also had an idiot from Celebrity Staffing tell me that I was basically unemployable because I worked several part time jobs instead of one full time job while trying to pass the bar. Obviously, I was not stable or reliable.

I finally got to a point where I started crying when I got out of bed and continued on and off for the rest of the day. This went on for about two weeks and one day I gave Paul all my medications because I was afraid I'd take them all at one time. The next morning I called my psychiatrist.

For anyone who doesn't know, I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder in 1997. I've been stable and doing very well for the last ten years. But all of the above, coupled with the calls from creditors, and the trips to NE Health and Human Services to apply for whatever aid we could were just way to much to handle.

I was started on an additional medication in August and am doing very well on it. I'm watching a friends children after school while her husband is in Iraq, so I've got a tiny bit of income in addition to finally being able to draw unemployment since the 12 week penalty period has passed. Job hunting is a joke. Until I pass this f***ing thing, I have no job prospects. I'm going at it again in February.

So, I'm feeling better. I'm at least functioning, if not perfectly.

Writer's Block: Memo to Myself

2009-08-11T01:41:57Z

If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?

View 561 Answers

I'd tell myself to believe more in myself. I'd also tell myself not to take that shortcut behind the dorm that first year in law school. The 6 months it took the ankle to heal just wasn't worth it.

Writer's Block: I May Be Crazy

2009-08-07T21:42:31Z

What does this Rorschach blot look like to you?

View 561 Answers

The angels without the phone box.

Writer's Block: Le Quatorze Juillet

2009-07-14T23:23:56Z

Happy Bastille Day! Today the French celebrate the event that sparked the French revolution. In honor of our Francophone friends, what is your favorite French thing? Bonus points for answers en français.

View 503 Answers

Les Chevals

Yeah, I know, I should be studying...

2009-07-14T21:55:46Z

So here's a meme so you can get to know me a bit better.

Occupation: Studying for the bar, as opposed to studying at the bar.
Partner: Scarfman.
Kids: Two.
Brothers/Sisters: Younger sisters (twins), younger brother
Pets: Cats: Chiana and MeiMei; Fish, a narcoleptic clown loach called Nessy and an algae eater called Shark
List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life: The bar (12 days and counting)both Scarfman and I are unemployed consequently there really isn't room for anything else.
Where and for what did you go to school for? Creighton University, Juris Doctor
Who are some of your closest friends? Rox_Law, Scarfman .
What is on your bed right now? Two cats and a lot of pillows.
What's your favourite word or phrase? "Just shoot me now."
What were you doing at 8am this morning? Checking out my LJ and avoiding work (uh, erm, I'll just leave that the way it is)
What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Trying to nap to get rid of my headache.
Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope.
What is the last thing you said aloud? "My head hurts and I feel like crap."
What was the last thing you had to drink? Water
What are you wearing right now? Yellow shorts and my One Fish, Two Fish shirt.
Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No.
When was the last time you ran? Why bring up that bad memory?
What's the last sporting event you watched? Watching the Show jumping competition from last springs Rolex Kentucky right now.
Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Yes.
Ever go camping? Once or twice.
Do you have a tan? No, but I'd give you good odds that I've got more freckles than Tennant.
Have you ever lost anything down the toilet? Yeah.
Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot? Only when I can remember where they are on my toolbar.
Have you learned anything today? When in doubt look at the corporate by-law, and never, never, never practice law in Iowa (actually I relearn that one every day).
What are you doing tomorrow? Same as today.
What do you think of when you think of Australia? The Croc Hunter, sorry, really I am.
Ever ridden on a roller coaster? Yeah, don't ask.
Last person you talked to on the phone? Roxanne.
Any plans today? Study.
What do you wish you had right now? My license and a job.
How many kids do you want when you're older? Ummm...I had to move out to get the first set out of the house..
How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 52.
Have you ever been to Six Flags? Went to Six Flags over Great America when I was in my teens.
How did you get some of your scars? Cat attacks, surgery and the infamous "what the hell did I do there?"

Funny letter meme

2009-07-06T02:32:21Z

Gotta agree with mkejenkins, this is way too funny not to share...

Dear Roxanne,
I don't really know how to tell you this, but your nostrils are insulting . I think I realized it When you put cuffs on me in your car and I saw you sit on the elephant in the corner . I'm sure you're ashamed enough to understand that I'm allergic to your earlobes. I'm returning your love letters to me to you, but I'll keep the results of that blood-sample as a memory. You should also know that I will not tell the authorites that you stole the whale from the backyard, and your Cucumber-fetishism is weird.

Go drown yourself,

Leah

Fill-in the following and post your own crazy Mad-Libs-ish letter! :D

Dear (someone you recently talked to),
I don't really know how to tell you this, but (1). I think I realized it (2)(3) and I saw you (4)(5). I'm sure you're (6) enough to understand (7). I'm returning (8) to you, but I'll keep (9) as a memory. You should also know that I (10) and (11).
(12),
(Your name)

1) What's the color of your shirt?
Blue - I'm in love with your cat
Red - Our affair is over
White - I’m joining the Convent
Black -Our romance is over
Green- Our socks don't match
Grey - You're a leprechaun
Yellow - I'm selling myself for candy
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - Purple hedgehogs want to destroy you
Other -I dislike your eyelashes

2) Which is your birth month?
January - That night you picked your nose
February -When I quoted Forest Gump
March - When your dwarf bit me
April - When I tripped on peanut butter
May - When I finally changed my underwear
June - When you put cuffs on me
July – When I saw the purple monkey
August - When you smacked my ass
September - Last year when you peed your pants
October - When we skinny dipped in the bathtub
November - When your dog humped my leg
December - When I threw up in your sock drawer

3) Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - In your apartment
Chicken- In your car
Pasta - Outside of your office
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad – As you were eating Kraft Dinner
Lasagna - In your closet
Kebab - With Jean Chrétien
Seafood - In a clown suit
Sandwiches - At the Elton John concert
Pizza - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a street light
Other- With George Bush and Stephen Harper

4) What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Ignore
Red - Put whipped cream on
Black - Hit on
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - bite off
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the pants off of
Barefoot - Sit on
Other - Drive over

5) What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My boyfriend
White - My father
Grey – The Catholic Priest
Brown – The Montreal Canadian’s goalie
Purple - My best friend
Red – My knee caps
Blue - My salt-beef bucket
Yellow - My illegitimate child in Ghana
Orange - My Blink 182 cd
Pink – Your ‘My Little Pony’ collection
Other --The elephant in the corner

6) What do you prefer to watch on TV?
One Tree Hill - Senile
Heroes- Frostbitten
Lost - High
Simpsons- Cowardly
The news - Scarred
American Idol - Masochistic
Family Guy - Drunk
Top Model - Middle-class
Other - Ashamed

7) Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful you are
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That I get turned on only by garbage men
Angry - That your smell makes me vomit
Depressed – That we’re related
Excited - That I may pee my pants
Nervous - The middle-east is planning their revenge on you
Worried - That your Ford sucks
Apathetic - That you need a sex-change
Silly - That I'm allergic to your earlobes
Cuddly - That Santa doesn't exist
Ashamed - That there is no solution to you being a dumb kid
Other - That your driving sucks

8) What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your love letters to me
Yellow - Your toe ring
Red - The pictures from Vegas
Black - Your pet rock
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - Your car
Orange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your nose hair clippers
Grey - Our matching snoopy underwear
Purple - Your old New Kids on the Block blanket
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your Hannah Montana underwear

9) The first letter of your first name?
A/B - My virginity
C/D - The oil tank from your car
E/F - Your neighbors dog
G/H - Your photo with the mustache drawn on it
I/J - Your left ear
K/L - The results of that blood-sample
M/N - Your glass eye
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Your collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X – Your sucide note
Y/Z - Your credit cards

10) The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Love your sweet, sweet ass
C/D - Always will remember the pep talks
E/F -Never will forget that night
G/H – Will not tell the authorites that you stole the whale from the backyard.
I/J – Mocked you behind your back constantly
K/L - Hate your cooking
M/N - Want your brother instead of you
O/P - Told my psychiatrist about the bruises
Q/R - Get sick when I think of your feet
S/T - Always wanted to break your legs
U/V - Will try to forget that you broke my heart
W/X - Haven’t showered in a month
Y/Z – am better off without you

11) What do you prefer to drink?
Wine- Our friendship is ruined
Soft drink – I’m off to lead a new life as a lemon
Soda – I will haunt you when I’m reincarnated as an Eskimo
Milk - The apartment building is on fire
Water – I'm scratching my butt as you read this
Cider– I have a passionate interest for mice
Juice – You ruined my attempts at another world war.
Snapple/Vitamin water – You should get that embarrassing rash checked out
Tea – Your Cucumber-fetishism is weird
Whiskey - I love Oprah Winfrey
Beer – Thanks for the Cocaine
Other – you should stop picking your nose

12) To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand – Warm tingly sensations
Australia - Greetings to your frog Leonard
France - Love always
Spain - With tears of sadness
China – You make me sick
Germany – Please don’t hurt me
Japan - Go milk a cow
Greece - your everlasting enemy
USA - Best of luck on the sex change
Egypt – Kiss my butt
England - Go drown yourself

qtrhorserider @ 2009-06-28T20:40:00

2009-06-29T01:40:17Z

Shoulda known..

Your results:
You are R2-D2

R2-D2		58%
Yoda		58%
C-3PO		52%
Luke Skywalker		52%
Obi-Wan Kenobi		50%
Qui-Gon Jinn		50%
Han Solo		48%
Jabba the Hutt		47%
Darth Maul		47%
Princess Leia		45%

What you lack in height
and communication skills,
you make up for in industriousness,
technical know-how and being there
when others need you most.

(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)

Click here to take the Star Wars Personality Quiz

Friendship Meme

2009-06-29T01:34:46Z

I've posted this before but mkejenkins asked me to do it again....so here ya go girl!

1. Your Middle Name:
2. Age:
3. Single or Taken:
4. Favorite Movie:
5. Favorite Song or Album:
6. Favorite Band/Artist:
7. Dirty or Clean:
8. Tattoos and/or Piercings:
9. Do we know each other outside of LJ?
10. What's your philosophy on life?
11. Is the bottle half-full or half-empty?
12. Would you keep a secret from me if you thought it was in my best interest?
13. What is your favorite memory of us?
14. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
15. Tell me one odd/interesting fact about you:
16. You can have three wishes (for yourself, so forget all the 'world peace etc' malarky) - what are they?
17. Can we get together and make a cake?
18. Which country is your spiritual home?
19. What is your big weakness?
20. Do you think I'm a good person?
21. What was your best/favorite subject at school?
22. Describe your accent
23. If you could change anything about me, would you?
24. What do you wear to sleep?
25. Trousers or skirts?
26. Cigarettes or alcohol?
27. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together? (If you have no idea, just say something crazy, it'll entertain me!)
28. Will you repost this so I can fill it out for you?

What Gemstone Are You?

2009-06-21T01:35:14Z

Your Gemstone is Topaz

Comforting, considerate, and stable.
You are down to earth and grounded.

What Gemstone Are You?

The Ask Me Meme

2009-06-18T03:31:11Z

Borrowed from earlgreytea68

Online journals are little filters that we each see every one else's lives through, the parts others choose to share with us. That said, we all think we are close, but really we seldom know *a lot* about each other. So I want you to ask me something you think you should know about me. Something that should be obvious, but you have no idea about. Ask away.
Then post this in your LJ and find out what people don't know about you...

The Knitting Together of the Broken: Ten II/Rose

2009-05-29T20:54:59Z

OK, this is one of those head/desk moments. This was originally written on the prompt "knitting" from Hearts-in-Time, a Nine/Rose shippers community. That said, it sort of took parts of a piece I'm already working on and came out this way. Yes, I know it's Ten II. Yeah, I know you can't get farther apart, but I like the piece so here it is. Hearts-in-Time will get their due, kickin' ideas around as we speak, uh write, read, whatever.

This is part of my Opposite of Time verse, where Ten II has taken the name Sean. Yes I will post that story, just not today.

Title: The Knitting Together of the Broken
Author: Qtrhorserider
Pairings: Ten II/Rose, mention of Jackie, and Pete
Ratings: PG
Spoilers: If you've seen "Journey's End" you're cool
Disclaimers: Not mine, not even close, I just channel them.
Summary: It takes both the good and the bad to make a relationship strong

“Have you looked in the mirror? You look like a disgruntled, baby bird, especially with all the shrieking and hopping about."

When Pete and Jackie made a gift of the guest cottage to Sean and Rose, they were taken aback and a little hesitant to accept such a gift. Pete, however, convinced them. Jackie wanted her pregnant daughter close so she could "help" if she needed to. While this made the two of them want to run, the look on Pete's face that said "please, she'll kill me if you don't" was enough to make them take pity and accept.

The first few weeks of their new life, in their new home were idyllic ones. Rose and Sean began to discover what it was not just to be a couple, but to be sharing their life. There are little things that one finds out about the other when sharing a space that they never could have known before.

Rose's first shock was finding out that for the first half hour of his day, Sean was a grouch. Except for Paris, which was a blur, she'd always begun her day with him at breakfast, by which time he was cheerful and full of energy, while she was still craving more sleep and tea. Sean, it turned out, really needed the whole ritual of showering and shaving to wake his body up. This, she suspected, was the Donna part of him.

Her first experience of this was on the morning after they moved in. They'd slept late since they were both exhausted, but eventually the day beckoned. Rose was wrapped in her snuggly pink bathrobe making tea when she heard him bellow.

At first she though he'd hurt himself and ran up the stairs, afraid of what she might find. Instead she found him stark naked in the en suite rifling through boxes. That they were all clearly marked "Sean's Study" hadn't stopped him from hauling them into the bath.

"Rose, I can't find anything. Where did you put the toothpaste?" he demanded. "I can't find it in these boxes. Nor can I find soap, or my shaver, or anything else useful," he went on accusingly.

"Well," she started softly, trying her best to contain her amusement. "that might be because those aren't the boxes for the bath. Those are for your study."

"And I'm supposed to know this how?"

"By reading the labels you so cleverly put on the boxes?"

"Oh." He was a little deflated by that, but regained his ire quickly. "That still doesn't answer where any of the things I need are. If these aren't the right boxes, then where are they?"

"Doesn't matter, we didn't pack them, remember? We went out and bought new."

"Well where are they?" he roared in his most threatening Oncoming Storm Voice. Rose, however, found it hard to be threatened by someone who was only made to look more absurd by the fact that he was naked. Instead she started giggling.

"Laughing at me first thing is not a good way to start out," he said with a hint of warning.

"Have you looked in the mirror? You look like a disgruntled, baby bird, especially with all the shrieking and hopping about."

"No, I haven't bothered to look into a mirror because I'm looking for my stuff!"

"Well, if you had," she continued calmly, stepping over to the sink, "you'd have seen our toothbrushes, which you arranged yourself, and probably would have remembered that you put the toothpaste right here in this drawer where it would be handy. Your comb and hair gel are right here and the soap, my genius, is already in the dish in the shower, so you wouldn't have to look for it. Towels are in the closet, right there. Let me know if you need anything else," she said and kissed him on her way out the door.

"Well, no one as tired as I was last night should be expected to remember anything the next morning," he shouted after her.

"I love you," she shouted back giggling.

"Does that mean your mum won't hear about this?"

"No promises," she called back at him.

A few days later, Sean returned home after spending a very long day and a half handling a crisis at Torchwood. It being a scientific one that didn't require participation by a field agent, Rose had been told to go home and rest. "Besides," her father reminded her, "pregnancy and field work are not a good mix."

Sean walked past the chair his wife was curled up in, dropped a kiss, to her head, and headed for the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and turned to look at her. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?"

"I'd say you were knitting, but you've never seemed like the sort to knit."

"Well, what sort is that?" she asked crossly.

"I don't know. Domestic. Someone who has a lot of time to spare on artsy craftsy sorts of things. Someone's Gran."

"Well, my Gran did teach me."

He blinked. "So you've always known how to do this?"

"Since I was about nine or ten I suppose. Never really did much with it. Picked it up again when I first was stuck here, before I came up with the idea of the dimensional cannon. When I wasn't at Torchwood, I needed something to take my mind off of how lonely I was for you. Nearly everything reminded me of you, but this was something I hadn't done in years, no connection to you, really."

"Are you good at it?"

She looked at him like he'd dribbled on his shirt. "Know that afghan throw that you're so fond of? The one that you're always on about how it reminds you of a hand made something or other from the market on Deneb that we never got to?"

"Noooo."

"Yep" she popped the 'p.'" "Thought the dimensional cannon up while I was working on that one."

Over the next few weeks, while her work took shape, Sean made it a game to spy on her while she was knitting. He wasn't sure why the sight of her curled up in a chair, with needles and balls of multicolored yarn surrounding her made him happy, but it did. It became a sort of ritual. They'd come home from Torchwood, get cleaned up, have a little dinner, and Rose would sink into her chair with a happy sigh. He would then find a place to sit and watch her. Rose was amused that he went about like she hadn't noticed what he was doing.

Finally one evening, he plopped down at her feet and rested his chin on her knees. She looked down to find him quietly running the completed fabric through his fingers. It was white, speckled with an assortment of tiny, pastel dots. The fine, soft, yarn had been worked into a pattern that looked like the weave of a basket.

A slow grin spread across his face. "Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth, Crosser of Parallel Worlds. She Who Must Be Obeyed. You're knitting a baby blanket."

"Of course I am. What did you think it was?"

He only smiled in response. Then he rested his chin on her knees again and she picked up her work. They spent the rest of the evening so situated and were very content.

************

A few days after being allowed to return home following the miscarriage, Rose packed all of the needles, yarn, and the unfinished blanket into her knitting bag and put it into the room that was to be the nursery. Then she shut the door, took a deep breath and set about getting on with her life.

Sean noticed the absence of the knitting but said nothing, feeling it was best to let her deal with things in her own way. Now their evenings were spent on opposite sides of the couch, reading or watching telly without saying much to one another at all.

Their loss festered like an open wound until one day their grief and anger burst forth in a barrage of tears and accusations. Reeling from the loss of both her child and what she felt was the love of its father, Rose moved from the cottage. Sean, bereft, was left standing in the wake wondering what had just happened.

But if parallel worlds couldn't keep them apart, neither would this. It took time and patience for them to heal. At times, crossing the rift had seemed easier than crossing the distance between their offices, or the lawn between the Tyler mansion and the cottage, but they managed it. Rose came home, Sean left Torchwood, they acquired three adorable spaniels quite by accident, and life settled back into a routine.

******************************************

Rose watched Sean playing with the dog and her pups. He was good with them, patient and kind but firm when needed. He really would be a good father. It gave her an uneasy feeling that she couldn't put her finger on.

Then she realized that she was jealous of the dogs. Jealous that they held a spot that should have been occupied by their child. If the baby hadn't died, she and Sean would have been bringing him or her home right about now and starting their life as a family. In fact, today had been her due date.

She should have been laying around fat and expectant, feeling their child turning and kicking inside her. Instead, she was curled up in this chair, finishing a blanket that would never warm a baby's body. She was trying to find some closure in the act of its completion. Instead sitting there and fingering the soft pattern, while watching Sean raising puppies instead of their child, only left her feeling empty and hurt. She was jealous, and angry, and disappointed, and before she knew it she was in tears.

Sean found her like that when he came in a while later. Though she was making no sound, he couldn't miss her wet face and reddened eyes. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently, his eyes immediately going to the finished blanket. He sat on the arm of the chair gazing at her with concern.

"I want our baby back," she hiccupped. He said nothing, just stroked her hair when she laid her cheek against his leg. "It was supposed to be born today and it’s like it never existed. We don't even have a grave to visit."

"Yeah, I know," he said, continuing to touch her hair comfortingly. "I've been thinking the same thing for a few days now. We've been so wrapped up in the mess our lives became that we never got a chance to properly mourn for our Sheh' hah Shenah."

"Sorry?" She lifted her eyes to look at him.

"Sheh' hah Shenah. It's Gallifreyan for one who is lost. It's usually applied to someone who has gone into the Vortex and for some reason, not come out. To name someone Sheh' hah Shenah, is to say they've slipped through your fingers, but you'll wait for them always. Our first born was real to us, even if no one else knew her."

"Her?"

"I knew it'd be a girl, I could feel her mind."

Rose turned to stare at him. "Why didn't you tell me any of this? I didn't even know it was a girl. I was carrying her, but you knew her in a way I didn't. Now I understand why you were so angry."

Rose felt her own anger rising. "All this time I thought you couldn't possibly, know what I was feeling. I was carrying her and I thought I was the only one she was real to yet you knew her in a way that I never could. Why did you keep this to yourself? Why didn't you share some of this when she was with us?"

He sighed. "I should have. I was afraid that you'd be hurt that I could sense her in a way that you couldn't and I didn't want us to start like that. Then, when she was gone, I just didn't know how to talk about it at all.

"The thing is, we've never really talked about her or what losing her meant to us as a couple, or a family" he continued. "We need to."

She laced her fingers into his. "Yes, we do. I mean, you named her. You had a name for her in your heart and you didn't tell me until now."

"Would you have felt better if I had told you?"

She thought for a moment. "Maybe not at first, but it would have made her a shared memory. Maybe we could have mourned her together instead of the way we did. It's such a beautiful name and such a beautiful image. I think I would have found some comfort in that.

"I never really understood that you were anything but angry," she continued. "All this time I thought you were angry with me and worried at the same time. You never let me see your sorrow and I needed to. I needed to know that we were in this together, and that you saw me as your partner, and your mate, not something that needed wrapping up in cotton wool to be protected from the big, bad, world."

Sean nodded in understanding, making a silent promise to try not to keep things so much to himself anymore. It had finally occurred to him that she might just get as much comfort from comforting him as she did from being left alone. He also saw that the same could be said of him.

Hand in hand they moved to the couch and sat together in silence while they watched the sunset. There was a degree of peace to be had simply in the other's presence and knowing that they, too, shared in the sadness. "I have an idea," Sean said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Let's plant a tree in the stable garden by the pond. It can be her tree and then we'll have someplace we can visit her. She can be with her family when we're there having fun. That way, we can think of her with some joy, instead of the sadness. "

"I like that," Rose said. She was stroking his arms, smoothing down the fine, dark hair that adorned them. "We can go and pick it out together." He pulled her closer to him.

"We should have done something like this before. This is the first time we've taken the time to mourn together. I think we've needed it."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I love you."

"I love you too."

*******************

Later Sean and Rose picked out a cherry tree. In the spring, it would blossom with pale pink flowers that would fall like tinted snow. They found a suitable place along the pond, next to the bridge, so they could lean out and touch it as they crossed into the stable yard. In the years to come, it would be their touchstone, a reminder that their greatest strength was in their union, and not in suffering alone.

As soon as the stone was finished, they would place it close to the trunk, but with enough room for their tree to grow. It was to read "Sheh' hah Shenah, we will always wait, we will always have hope."

The little blanket was folded neatly and placed in a box decorated with pictures of pink ribbons and teddy bears. Along with the blanket Sean and Rose each picked a toy, Sean a rattle that he thought looked a bit like particle stream scanner, and Rose, a little bear, that she thought the baby would have cuddled with. They packed these things carefully and sealed the box, marking it with her name. Then they opened the bigger on the inside trunk and placed it in there, the first of many keepsake boxes for each of the children that would come.

qtrhorserider @ 2009-05-17T19:04:00

2009-05-18T00:04:43Z

I got laid off Friday. The thing is, I can't find it in myself to be angry or upset with them about it. Since I was working for a very small firm, we were all pretty close, so I know how hard it was for them to do it. It was a financial decision but I also have a feeling that they really wanted me to take time to study for the bar. Now I can do that while drawing unemployment. We'll be able to stay afloat, barely.

When this happened on Friday, I was devastated. These people are like family. My best friend is a lawyer there. The other two paralegals could quote lines from the same movies I do. They get my quirky in jokes and I get theirs. It's the only job where I could just be myself and still have my co-workers like me.

I worked for this guy when I was in law school and he came and recruited me. He hired me away from someone else. I know he was not happy about the decision, since he had the other partner give me the news. When I talked to him before I left, I told him he'd be the first one to get my resume as soon as I passed and he looked pleased. The other partner also implied that there might be a place for me after I'm sworn in.

I should be really upset right now, but I'm not. I almost feel a sense of freedom. I'm not going to look for a job. I'm going to take the time to study really, really hard this time and pass the sucker. Then maybe they'll let me come home.

Daddy's Little Girl 10.1/Rose AU Fic

2009-05-04T01:28:05Z

Title: Daddy's Little Girl
Author: Qtrhorserider
Pairings: Ten.1/Rose, OC
Ratings: PG 13 mild sexual content of the small child's questions type
Spoilers: If you've seen Journey's End you're ok
Disclaimers: Not mine, not even close, I just channel them.
Summary: The one adventure he'll never have
Author's notes: I'm working on a much larger fic in this universe, but this just sort of wrote itself and wanted posting.

“Once upon a time…"

DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL

"Afterglow. I like that word. It's wonderfully descriptive. Rolls all those things I want to describe into one, efficient word."

"Sean," Rose whispered into his ear.

"Yes, luv?" Sean nuzzled her ear.

"Shut up." She ran her toe up his calf and drew him tighter into her arms.

"What, me?" He leaned his forehead against hers. "I just wanted you to know how much I love you and this. Lying here with you afterwards, holding you, feeling you underneath me. You don't want to hear that?"

"No, really, shush for a minute. I think I hear something."

"What is there to hear? If anything were wrong, the dogs would alert us."

Just then two year old Seana Rose burst through what they had thought was a locked bedroom door. "Daddy," she squealed and launched herself at the bed

"That's what I thought I heard," sighed Rose.

Sean had rolled off of his wife, managing to stay coved by the sheet and duvet, though he didn't know how. Seana was now kneeling between her parents, bubbling with two year old energy. "Where you going, Daddy?"

"Just making room for you, sweetie." Sean looked at his wife who had chosen to be amused rather than embarrassed about the situation their precocious daughter had caught them in. Rose, too, had managed to wrap herself in the bedding so as to preserve her parental dignity. She was sitting with her back against the headboard, knees pulled up to her chest. Her cheek rested atop her knees and the tip of her tongue peaked out of the corner of her mouth as she regarded her daughter.

"Sweetheart, what have we told you about closed doors?"

"To knock first."

"And"

"And to wait to be invited in."

"So what happened?" Sean asked the little girl sternly.

"I knocked and you didn't hear me."

"How do you know?"

"Cause you didn't say come in, and I heared you talking and I was afraid monsters were getting you so I openeded the door to save you." She was sniffling now, lower lip shaking.

Despite the fact that her eyes were a startling blue, Sean thought she looked just like her mum. Her blond hair framed a heart shaped face, and she could definitely look at him with the fierce stare that she and her mum had inherited from her Gran. Rose of course thought the freckles, fine boned features and uncontrollable hair made her look just like her dad.

Sean sighed and shook his head affectionately. His daughter, for the most part, had him wrapped completely around her little finger. "Seana Lungbarrow, defender of parents from monsters. Tell you what, luv, why don't you go get your shoes and give mum and I a chance to get dressed. Then we can take the doggies outside for a bit."

Seana looked at him and blinked. "But where are your jimmy jammies?"

Sean rolled over, burying his face in the pillow. Rose lifted up the edge of the duvet and peaked underneath. Then she looked at her daughter in surprise. "Why, we must have been so tired that we forgot to put them on, since we don't have mummies to remind us."

"Okay," said the little girl as she hopped off the bed and ran to get her shoes. Rose made a quick dash for the door, making sure it was locked this time.

She dove under the covers laughing so hard, tears ran down her face. "I don't believe she caught us. I told you not to teach her how to undo locks,"

"Thought she might need it someday. Like to get out of somewhere so she could run for her life." He was lying on his back, rubbing one eye. He pulled Rose to him with his free arm.

"Or," Rose continued, "so she could save her old mum and dad from monsters." They both erupted into uncontrolled laughter. Sean hugged her and kissed her soundly.

"We better get dressed before we need rescuing again."

'Quite right," said Rose.

While Rose fixed their breakfast, Sean and his daughter took the dogs outside for a quick run. The little girl toddled after her dad, imitating everything he did. Her hands were thrust into the pocket of her coat, the same way his were. When he stopped walking, so did she, striking an identical pose to his. When he whistled for the three canines to return, she did the same. Once inside, she helped them wipe their paws, and gave each one an affectionate pat.

Sean helped the little girl out of her coat and tiny Wellies. "Go pick out some clothes so Mummy can help you get dressed. Jimmy jammies are OK for walking the dogs but you need to be dressed for breakfast."

Seana ran off to her room and her dad strode into the kitchen. Rose was putting the finishing touches on their meal and he watched her lovingly. He loved his life and everything in it, and he said a quiet thank you to whatever force it was in the universe that had brought him here to this moment.

He crossed the kitchen and stood behind Rose, sliding his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. Then he rested his chin on her shoulder, rubbing his cheek against hers. "Why don't I finish up in here for you, while you get her dressed?"

Rose turned her head and gave him an affectionate kiss. "'Kay, be back quick as I can."

Sean set the table and put their meal out. Soon Rose was back with their child and they made quick work of their breakfast. Seana babbled throughout the meal, asking Rose questions about when she was a little girl, how grass grew, what eggs were made of, and a myriad of other questions. It was a morning ritual begun as soon as Seana could string a sentence together, and her curiosity knew no bounds. Rose feared the day when it would occur to the tot to start asking "why."

The rest of the morning was taken up with their usual Saturday routine of catching up on housework. Seana played with her building blocks in the laundry room while Rose washed, dried and folded their clothes. Sean took care of tidying and vacuuming the house. After lunch, Rose tidied the kitchen and Sean retired to his den to finish up some schoolwork.

It wasn't long before Seana found him there. At first she was content to scribble on scraps of paper with a pencil her dad had given her, in imitation of him. She tired of it quickly but the little girl adored her dad and didn't want to leave him. Not old enough to simply sit with him, she did the thing she was best at. She started asking questions.

"Daddy, were you little?"

"Course I was. Everyone was little once."

"Did you have a Mummy and Daddy?"

"Yes, luv. Let Daddy study now."

She sighed and scribbled some more. She imitated the graceful Gallifreyan symbols that some of her father's notes were written in. They were easier for her than the human writing that her mum used, since they were circular. It was more like drawing.
But she soon tired of her "work" again, and questions began to pop out of her mouth. Sean answered, at first patiently and then with increasing, if well hidden irritation. Sensing she was losing his attention, Seana pressed forward.

"Daddy, when you were a little girl did you have boobies because Mummy didn't and she does now and you don't so did you then?"

Sean spat out the drink of coffee he'd just taken. "Rose!" he called out frantically.

Rose ran at the sound of his voice. She didn't know what was going on, but years of running for their lives together had trained her to respond without question. When she entered the room Sean was again rubbing one eye with his finger. He looked up at her and mouthed "help me."

Seana looked at her mum. "I asked Daddy about when he was a little girl."

Rose sat on the floor with her daughter. "Sweetie, mummies were little girls before they became mummies, daddies were little boys."

"So he didn't have boobies then either."

"No sweetheart, he didn't."

"What do daddies have that little boys don't then?"

"I'm not sure," Rose replied diplomatically. "But right now it's time for your nap. We'll have to figure it out later."

After Rose had tucked her inquisitive child into bed for her nap, she returned to her husband. She crossed the room to his desk and kissed him on the cheek. He looked up from his work and leaned back in his chair smiling at her. "Thanks for the help earlier," he said.

Then he sighed. "Is this normal? All these questions, where are they coming from?"

"She's a normal, overly intelligent, toddler with advanced verbal skills. All she's doing is absorbing knowledge about her world the same way other kids do but with the ability to verbalize all the questions she has, rather than simply observing. I thought you were a dad once - why is all this such a surprise?"

"Gallifreyan children don't really go through this phase. They have robotic teachers that they are with almost constantly. A lot of knowledge is simply downloaded into their brains to give them a head start. Why waste time picking up basic knowledge when there is so much more to learn? At least that's how it was looked at by Time Lords."
"Sounds awful. You don't want to do this with Seana, do you?" she asked with a bit of trepidation.

"Course not. Seana is mostly human for one thing, and we don't have a teacher."

"Still sounds awful," she said wrapping her arms around herself.

Sean rubbed the back of his neck, considering. 'Wasn't really all that bad, before the Academy I mean. My teacher looked similar to an earth badger. He was sort of an educational teddy bear, I suppose. Liked him more than I did my Academy teachers at any rate."

Rose looked at him incredulously. "You were taught by a Teddy Ruxpin?" she asked, referring to the toy, teddy bear-like tape recorders that moved their mouths to simulate speech while playing a tape.

"No, not the same thing at all. Mine could take me for walks, and answer questions and lots of other things."

"Answer questions."

"Well, yes, he was a teacher."

"Like father like daughter," she grinned at him as she left.

Seana woke from her nap several hours later. She was delighted to find that her daddy had finished studying. They walked the dogs again and Seana chattered non-stop about how the dogs had told her that they liked walking by the pond because that meant Seana could see the fish from the bridge. Sean quirked an eyebrow at her, though in the back of his part Time Lord brain, he wondered if there wasn't some telepathy at work there, since the dogs did take great delight in amusing her.

Dinner was a replay of breakfast, only this time Seana's questions were aimed at her dad.

'When you were little, did you have choos?"

"Yes I did. We all did."

"Did you have any doggies?"

"No, there weren't any where I came from."

"Oh." she said sadly. "How about kitties?"

"Nope," he said popping the "p".
"Poor Daddy," the little girl said sadly.

They finished the rest of their dinner quickly. Seana watched an educational video about pandas that was her particular favorite while her parents did the washing up. It gave them an opportunity to talk.

"Why all the questions about my childhood?" Sean asked Rose. They were loading the dishwasher, Rose rinsing and Sean placing their dinnerware into the machine.

"She just trying to figure out why there are big people and little people. She also wants to know her daddy. Mum and Dad talk to Tony about when they were kids all the time. Seana's there for some of that and it makes her curious about us."

"Erm, you don't think the questions about what daddies and little boys have came from this morning do you?" he asked nervously.

Rose laughed as she dried her hands . "No, she's been asking questions about why, if we're both girls, do I have things that she doesn't. I've been trying to explain to her that she does, but hers aren't grown up yet. She's just all around curious, is all. The entire world is new to her and she doesn't know where to start and just asks what comes to mind at the moment. Don't know where she could have gotten that from."

He pulled his wife into a hug and they stood there like that for a bit, just savoring the moment. "She's going to get more curious about where you came from, you know," Rose said. 'We should think about what we're going to tell her and when. The kids have a right to know."

"Kids?" he asked pulling back to look at her.

"Um, yeah. Took the test this morning while the two of you were walking the dogs."

He let out a little yip of glee as he grabbed her to him and spun her around. He kissed her soundly when he put her down. Seana appeared in the kitchen, curious about the ruckus.

There was nothing wrong, they reassured her. They were just happy because they found out that a new baby was going to come live with them. Seana was not particularly happy about this, but brightened when Sean promised her a bed time story.

She hurried Rose into the bath so she could have her bedtime splash in the tub. She allowed Rose to get her dressed in her jimmy jammies and hopped into bed. She pulled the covers up around her chin and instructed her mother to tell daddy that she was ready for her story. With a grin, Rose went to deliver the message.

A few moments later, Sean appeared in his daughter's room and sat next to her on the bed. He patted the blankets around her and smoothed her still damp hair from her forehead. She really was amazing, this little miracle. "Shift over," he said to her and lay next to her on top of the blankets, hands folded across his abdomen.

He looked at her, and began. "Once upon a time, there was a place where the grass was red and two suns lit up a bright, orange sky…"

Interesting meme

2009-02-22T00:33:00Z

I got this from Earlgreytea68. These are 5 things that she associates with me. I get to elaborate on them Comment on the meme and I'll send you five things about you and it's your turn to elaborate.

(1) Horses.

I'm told that "horse" was one of my first words. I've been horse crazy as far back as I remember. My granddad built me a little red barn to keep all of my toy horses in. I really wish that I still had that. I started riding in my last semester of law school. It was my present to myself. It's been way to long since I've been to the barn...

(2) Your icon with Ten on the horse.

When I was working in my friend Suzanne's law office, I had the Doctor, Rose and the horse on my desk. I got the horse, which is porcelain, from a shop I used to work in. He was in the display case and still somehow managed to get his ears chipped, which made him unsaleable. So for $5, he went home with me.

The Doctor and Rose are my anniversary present from Scarfman. One day, in one of those strange moments that hits us all, it just became obvious that the Doctor had to be on the horse. Then, the camera phone just had to come into play....Scarfman turned it into a icon for me.

(3) The Kate Kavalry (a name I made up right now)

What a cool name! You know when people start talking about mounting up and riding to the rescue, well, some things just must be done...

(4) Deadliest Catch

OK, I miss the crab guys. Kalleah wrote about them in her LJ and I was intrigued, so I watched them. I'm not sure what it is that draws me to this show. But some things...just for fun. It has also lead me down a dangerous road, It was while watching them that I stumbled onto the Most Dangerous Race, about the Iditerod. Was hooked on that one for the 6 or so episodes that it ran. Can't wait for the guys to come back, though.

(5) Doctor Who!

Saw Doctor Who for the first time in the '70's with Tom Baker. At that time the PBS station in Chicago, where I lived, was running them in the original 1/2 hour format in the late afternoon. It was rushing home from school to watch Dark Shadows. I had to be home by 5:30 to watch. Then I met my husband who is the biggest Doctor who Geek that I know and the rest is history...

Friend Meme

2009-02-08T03:04:28Z

Copied from Kaleah
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

My first name is biblical, as is my middle, but I have relatives on both sides of my family named Ruth so I have it as my middle name.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

A lot between Thanksgiving and Christmas, for reasons I can't discuss.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

Yes, it's kinda unique and old fashioned. Don't know how that happened, but I guess I was kind of iconoclastic even as a six year old.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

Deli ham.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Two.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

I'd like to think so.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?

Like I'd ever do that.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?

Yep.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

Sure. It's right at the bottom of my bucket list. See question #7.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

Good ol' Cheerios.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

That'd just take too long.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

The kind that finds its way into my bowl.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Demeanor.

15. RED OR PINK?
Depends.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

That I rarely allow myself to be vulnerable.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

My kids, their spouses and their children.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?

I want people to do what they want.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

Dark jeans, no shoes.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

Last week's Smallville on TV.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

Green metallic.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?

Oddly, the barn, and the horses that live in them.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

My best friend, Roxanne.

25. HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

LJ.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Anything with a horse in it.

27. HAIR COLOR?

Gray.

28. EYE COLOR?

Bluish gray.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

Tried.

30. FAVORITE FOODS?

Carbs.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy endings.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?.

Ink Heart

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

Black

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

Summer.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?

Depends.

37. DESCRIBE YOUR PENCIL CUP....

Black wire mesh.

38. FAVORITE ARTIST(s)?

Paul Gadzikowski (Scarfman) ;).

39. WHAT BOOK(s) ARE YOU READING NOW?

Childe Morgan by Kathryn Kurtz
Darwin's Children
Practical Mystic (about Arthur Eddington) and any bar study materials.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD

I have a wireless.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?

Nip/Tuck, John Stewart and Steven Colbert, and Fringe and Leverage.

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).

Horses hooves, the human voice as an instrument, and the sound of a bat connecting with a ball.
It's one of the most satisfying that I know.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

Beatles.

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

I once went to Canada for Chinese food.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

I can sing and I like to believe that I can write.

46 WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Louisville, KY.

47. FAVORITE PIECE OF JEWELRY?

My wedding ring.

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?

He and my ex were both in a Moebius theatre play and I was chairing the SF con that
it was going to be at.

What can I say

2008-12-10T03:21:09Z

Which creature of the night are you? Your Result: Cthulu Spawn You are really an alien thing, aren't you? I can't describe you because you are beyond. We say "left field" and you say "Krn Grth Thchrang." You are the wild card of the bunch, the unknown quantity
Sorceror
Werewolf
Demon
Incubus/Succubus
Ghost
Vampire
Which creature of the night are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Darn it I think it's spot on...

Rainbow

2008-11-29T20:27:02Z

Your rainbow is intensely shaded white, yellow, and violet.

What is says about you: You are a creative person. You appreciate quiet moments. People depend on you to make them feel secure. You're good at getting people to like you.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Those mean little girls just never grow out of it

2008-10-06T11:49:15Z

I just turned off CNN because the more I listen to Sarah Palin, the more she sounds like that annoying kid on the playground that makes up rumors and spreads them around just to be mean.

Maybe Obama should have known who this "known" terrorist was, but honestly, I'm older Obama, and I still don't know who the guy is. Quite frankly, if he was so known and guilty and dangerous, etc, why was he still running free and able to be on political committees? Why could he hold little coffees for political collegues and not have the FBI come after him. It's not like the guy was keeping a low profile.

Me thinks she doth protest too much.

qtrhorserider @ 2008-10-02T22:15:00

2008-10-03T03:17:16Z

You Are 22% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well.

In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

Isn't it interesting that all of us are the most dangerous kind of evil?

Doctor Who Fic: Don't Worry, I've Got You 4/4

2008-07-29T12:36:49Z

As promised. Thanks for reading!

Title: Don't Worry, I've Got You 4/4
Author: Qtrhorserider
Pairings: Ten.1/Rose, Jackie, Pete
Ratings: PG
Spoilers: last 3 episodes of Series 4
Disclaimers: Not mine, not even close, I just channel them.
Summary: The Doctor and Pete have a talk about Rose

“I won't say welcome to the family until it's official, and I truly think it's too soon. But I will say welcome to the menagerie."

The trip from Torchwood to the mansion had been a short one. They arrived in the wee hours of the morning, stars still twinkling in the sky. Rose took the Doctor's hand and led him towards what would become their home. He stopped though when Pete called out and asked him for help with the trunk.

Rose watched and then went back to help Jackie with Tony. Pete had brought the ever present nappy bag, but Jackie's arms were full with Tony, carefully extracted from the car seat, so as not to wake him. Rose grabbed the bag and gave her mum a sleepy smile. It felt oddly comfortable, the five of them coming home together. It felt like family.

Jackie and Pete had very few servants, Jackie feeling a bit uncomfortable with the idea that someone else was taking care of her family. Still, they were met by Connor, who took care of the grounds and his wife Kari who helped Jackie around the house and with Tony. It was after all, a big house.

Connor stepped in to take Pete's end of the trunk. "Let's just set it down here in the entry for now," Pete instructed and thanked the man for his help.

"Introductions then," said Pete rubbing his hands together. "Conner, Kari, this is the Doctor, he'll be staying with us. He's a friend of Rose's and we consider him a part of the family."

"Well, then it's wonderful to meet you," Conner said, extending his hand. The Doctor took it, noticing that it was warm and calloused, the sign of hard work. "I'm Connor, by the way, and this is my wife Kari. I take care of the grounds, so if there's anything you need fixing, or to find, just ask."

Kari had stepped forward taking the Doctor's hand while her husband talked. Hers was smaller and softer, but he could still feel the strength in her fingers. "We'll talk more in the morning. I help Mrs. Tyler with the house and I know we'll be getting you settled in properly tomorrow, or rather later today." She smiled shyly at her mistake.

The Doctor nodded. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm sure we'll be talking because I have no idea where anything is."

Rose had taken his hand and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear "Oh come on, you know exactly where the service kitchen is, we had quite the adventure there once." He looked down at her and grinned conspiratorially.

"Yeah, but let's not go there."

They stood for a while exchanging pleasantries. Their trip was fine. Yes they'd gotten a bit of sleep on the way. Jackie filled Pete in on the Doctor, Doctor.1 situation while rocking a sleeping Tony on her shoulder.

The Doctor was awed at her resilience. Not eight hours ago, she had been held prisoner by Davros and threatened by impending death. Yet here she was contentedly rocking her son as if nothing had happened. Just having her youngest in her arms seemed to recharge her and the Doctor got a glimpse of the kind of mother that Rose would be.

***********

After giving him a quick kiss, Rose had gone to bed pleading sheer exhaustion, and Jackie had taken Tony upstairs to tuck him in. The Doctor was sitting on the couch looking out of the double doors, remembering when Cybermen had massed on the lawn with party guests made prisoners.

Pete strode in, clearly a man with something on his mind. He handed the Doctor a snifter of brandy and sat down in the easy chair next to the couch. "To renewal and new beginnings," he said lifting his glass.

"To renewal and new beginnings," the Doctor said and lifted his glass in agreement. Both men took a sip, but there was a palpable silence between them.

"I'd like to have a talk with you, just you and me, without Rose or Jackie. You have to love the Tyler women, but they are a formidable force."

"Agreed," the Doctor nodded. He wasn't sure he'd like what came next but he was a guest in the man's home. He owed him some respect, not to mention gratitude for taking him in.

"Look, this isn't going to be easy, this new world, new earth thing. I watched Jackie struggle through it. Which is something I need to say that I've never been able to until now. Thank you for her. Thank you for giving me a second chance with Jacks. I know most people wouldn't understand, but I couldn't have built this business without her, the original I mean. She was like this rock, tough, practical, tenacious. She taught me and inspired me and along the way she got spoiled and hard. You gave me that Jackie without the spoiled. I can never repay that."

The Doctor was swirling the brandy in his glass, forearms on his knees. He nodded in acknowledgement without looking at Pete. "You're welcome," he replied softly. "I really do have a lot of respect for Jackie. She raised her daughter in very tough circumstances. She may not have been perfect, I mean who is, but she met the challenge head on. Rose is a testament to her good sense."

"Yeah, well, you should see her with Tony. Nothing tops the power of mother love. Which is another thing. Our Rose."

"I love her."

"Yeah, I know. I knew that the minute you put that transporter button around her neck. I could see it in your face that it was killing you, but you put her first. You were willing to sacrifice your own happiness for her safety, without hesitation."

"She didn't exactly see it that way," the Doctor said a bit sadly.

Pete snorted. "Tyler woman. Why do you think I went back for Rose? Decades of training cannot be undone by a mere few years disuse. Jacks found Jackie's hop to buttons in under 60 seconds." Both men laughed and took sips of their brandy and settled into a companionable silence.

"The thing is, Doctor, neither you nor Rose is going to have an easy time of it. Don't be shocked if she backs off a bit. Her mum and I went through that. The same person, yet different. But we got through it and you owe it to Rose to try. She was rubbish without you, and she went through hell to find you. Just don't give up on her. Give her time."

"Thank you. Truly. Thank you," the Doctor said with great sincerity. "I was really afraid that you were going to tell me to shove off."

"The Doctor, afraid. Hard to believe. But I think I like you this way. You're not bigger than life to anyone but Rose. You're a bloke I can have a drink with. Here's to many more."

"To many more," the Doctor raised his glass, this time looking Pete in the eye.

"Well, I see the two of you took no time at all to start the male bonding," Jackie said as she strode in. "Well, where's mine?" she asked as she took a seat in the chair next to Pete's.

"Here you go, Jacks, finish mine." Pete handed her his still nearly full glass. Jackie took it from him with a smile and shake of her head. Then she fixed her gaze on the Doctor, and raised her glass in silent toast. The Doctor reciprocated.

"I won't say welcome to the family until it's official, and I truly think it's too soon. But I will say welcome to the menagerie. Make yourself at home, in the guest room," she said with added emphasis. "And if you try calling me Mum, you'll get a slap your other self will feel all the way over in that other universe."

"I can promise you, Jackie, that I will never call you Mum. Never, ever. And I will behave myself. Actually, though, I think I'm finding out what it feels like to be dead tired. Could someone show me where that guest room is?"

"Absolutely," said Pete. "Right this way. Jacks, you did put a pair of my pajamas and a dressing gown in there for him, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. I know how to take care of my guests properly." Jackie gave Pete one of her hard stares and then winked at him. The Doctor could see Rose in her. He suddenly felt a sense of belonging that he hadn't in many years, since before the war.

"Oh, and tomorrow, I'm taking you shopping. That suit is horrible."

"Don't fight it," Pete whispered, "it will only tighten the noose."

"Point taken," said the Doctor. Now he knew why didn't do domestic. He'd missed it far too much.

Doctor Who Fic: Don't Worry, I've Got You 3/4

2008-07-29T12:17:14Z

Thanks to everyone who has been reading. I've not been very good about replying to comments, for which I apologize. Please know if you did, I really appreciated all of them. Studying for the bar has really cut into my internet and writing time.

I'm reposting part three and part four, then off to Lincoln to take my test. Wish me luck, I will need it.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy!

Title: Don't Worry, I've Got You ¾
Author: Qtrhorserider
Pairings: Ten.1/Rose, Jackie, Pete, Tony
Ratings: PG
Spoilers: last 3 episodes of Series 4
Disclaimers: Not mine, not even close, I just channel them.
Summary: The ride home

“"Save who the embarrassment, because I'll tell you this, mate, I've got no desire what so ever to see what separates your bum from your suit. That said, it's Rose who'll do your laundry. No way am I gettin' involved with those knickers."

Rose's demeanor changed as soon as she set foot on the copter. No longer was she the young woman who traversed different dimensions to find her lost love and then kissed him on the beach. This Rose was a woman in charge.

She went forward, donning a headset so she could talk with the pilots. This was more than the fact that she was now an heiress, she was plainly their commanding officer. After a brief conversation, where presumably they had been given their instructions, she returned to the back and motioned for them to take their seats.

Jackie donned her headset and motioned for the Doctor to do the same. Obviously she was used to this sort of travel too. "So what's the plan?" asked Jackie.

"Well, once we've dropped you home, Rose and I…" began the Doctor but Rose quickly interrupted.

"We were trying to figure out the best way to do this without some sort of media attention," said Rose. "I'm having them radio Dad to meet us at Torchwood. He's going to drive there on his own. Nothing unusual there, but then we'll switch to a Torchwood car. One of them mentioned Dad wanting to bring Tony, so I arranged for one of the unmarked limos so we'll have enough room."

"I'm sorry I interrupted you," Rose said to the Doctor, taking his hand. "But this is the best way with Mum, Dad and Tony involved. Besides, you've shown me so much already, it's time for me to show you what I've learned. Let me take care of things until you get acclimated, ok?"

The Doctor nodded his assent. For the first time in since he was a boy, he was well and truly not in charge. Well except for Midnight and that was terrifying. At least he was with people who had his best interest at heart.

At the back of his mind, though, he could hear Donna. "What's the matter, Martian boy, can't take it when a woman's in charge? Isn't that what you wanted? For her to go on and do her best? Admit it, you're jealous. Get over yourself. Besides, she traveled how far to find you? She loves you. Let her do this for you." That woman had definitely made an impression, not to mention leaving some of herself with him.

He stretched his legs out and looked at Rose and thought to himself, "She is so beautiful. But same man or no, it wasn't me she came after, it was him. It was the guy with two hearts and a TARDIS, not the scaled down, mixed up human version."

Rose smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze. He squeezed back but he wasn't sure if it was for her reassurance or his. He could feel his single heart thumping in his chest, which was another thing. It's not that he felt lopsided, but just not as physically powerful. He was used to feeling the extra energy, the extra life force, from blood that was doubly oxygenated. Now he was aware of his own frailty. One heart, one life. This was going to take some getting used to.

Rose watched him nervously. "I really shouldn't have stepped on him like that," she thought. "He's so used to being in charge and I switch into command mode without any warning." She wanted to scoot over and sit next to him, but she couldn't in the air craft's seats. She wanted the jump seat back. "How is he going to fare without a TARDIS? Will he want to leave me?" She had responsibilities now. Would he want a different traveling companion when she couldn't leave whenever he wanted her to?

Just as she thought they were about to take off, Rose heard the engines power down. "That's odd," she said rising to her feet.

"What is it? What's going on?" Jackie asked.

"Dunno, Mum. Just stay there, I'm going to find out." The Doctor was right behind her as she started for the cockpit. The co-pilot saved her the trip by emerging from the front.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping herself composed.

"Ma'am, we thought we should ask you what to do before we took off and just left it."

"Left what?"

"Once you were on board, the blue box reappeared momentarily. The back was towards us, but when it left, it seems that a trunk had been left behind on the beach. We didn't know if it was dangerous or not, so we're asking you for instructions."

The Doctor was hanging out of the door and gave a gleeful laugh. "I recognize that trunk. It's my old academy trunk. I wonder why he would have left it."

"Well you did come with, if you'll pardon the expression, just the clothes on your back. Maybe he thought he'd better give you some things to get started with. Though that would take some thought on his part."

The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. It gave Rose butterflies to watch the familiar body language. He had a puzzle to solve. "I'll bet Donna made him."

"Bet you're right," grinned Rose. She turned to her staff. "Do a quick scan, just to be on the safe side, but then bring it on board. I think the Doctor's luggage has just caught up with him."

The Doctor and Rose returned to their seats to wait for the results. They hadn't even sat down before Jackie was demanding answers.

"Soo, come on, what is it? Are we under a quarantine or something?"

"Nothing like that. It looks like the Doctor popped back in to leave the Doctor a going away present."

"A present?" Jackie mused. "If Donna had anything to do with it, I'll bet it's underwear. Practical girl that one. I really did like her. I'll miss that one."

The Doctor had managed to cover his face with one hand. He didn't want Jackie to see that her contemplating his underwear was a bit embarrassing. Ok, more than a bit embarrassing.

"Miss Tyler," the co-pilot addressed her as he re-entered the passenger cabin. "We're stowing the trunk now, but this envelope was attached to the top. It's addressed to the Doctor."

"Thank you," she said, taking it and passing it to him.

The Doctor opened the large manila envelope and removed its contents. The letter on top began:

Dear Me,

That didn't quite start out like I'd like it to. Donna reminded me that I shouldn't send you out naked and helpless into the world, so I packed you a few things, well actually more than a few. You should recognize the trunk from our old academy days. Bigger on the inside you know. There are some things for Rose and Jackie too. You may each want to open yours when you're alone, then decide if you want to share or not. Well, not much time, good luck.

The Doctor.

Dear Friend,

I won't call you the Doctor because you are your own person. I made him leave you with some things. He protested, I'll have you know but I set him right. "What's the point of havin' a flippin' time machine if you can't go back until just before you miss your connection?" I said. Like I said, there's stuff for you and also Rose and Jackie. Tell them I'll miss them. I'll miss you to. You've got a little bit of me in you, so you'll be just fine. Take care.

Love,

Donna.

"Well, seems we're to have a bit of Christmas in July then," said Jackie. "Wonder why he wants us to open them alone? You don't think there's anything weird or anything in there do you?"

"Nah" said the Doctor. "Probably wants to save me the embarrassment of having you see my underwear."

"Save who the embarrassment, because I'll tell you this, mate, I've got no desire what so ever to see what separates your bum from your suit. That said, it's Rose who'll do your laundry. No way am I gettin' involved with those knickers."

"Oh my god, you two," groaned Rose. "Tell me I haven't just got a glimpse of the rest of my life."

Jackie and the Doctor laughed with her and they all settled in for the long ride home.

The trio was dead tired. It was several hours from Norway to London, so despite the noise from the engines and rotors, they slept. Rose and the Doctor managed to keep their fingers meshed for most of the trip and it wasn't until one of the pilots called out to Rose that they would be landing in about 10 minutes that she dropped his hand to stretch. The Doctor, noticing the lack of contact, stirred and stretched out himself.

"Needed that," she said to him. He nodded and yawned in agreement. "We'll be landing in 10 minutes or so.

"Mum," she called to Jackie, "wake up, we're almost there."

Jackie stirred in her seat. "Where are we?"

"About ten minutes, well five by now, away from Torchwood. Rise and shine!" Rose teased.

"Don't get cheeky with me, I'm still your Mum, and we still have that crayon on the wall issue to deal with." Jackie gave her daughter a wink and the group dissolved into laughter as the copter descended.

The craft settled onto the ground and they waited for clearance to disembark. Again the Doctor went first, giving a hand to Jackie. Rose gave the crew a small salute before allowing the Doctor to steady her descent. She smiled up at him and took his hand. She was once again "Rose the girl" not "Rose the commander" and the Doctor relaxed. They turned and watched as Jackie sprinted towards Pete.

"They missed each other," said the Doctor.

"Yeah, they're always like that and trying to pretend their not. Act like you didn't notice."

"Were you that glad to see me?"

''Course I was, what a silly question," she replied. "Where'd that come from?"

"I guess what I was wondering was, are you happy that it's me? Rather, is it okay that it's not him? I mean, I'm him, just a bit different, and I can't take you places in space anymore and…"

She put her fingers to his lips and hushed him. "Thought we went over this on the beach? I'm here for you. I haven't been off planet for years and I'm surviving. And yes, I am glad it's you. We just have to get used to each other. I've changed too, you know."

"Yeah, I kinda noticed. Rose Tyler – Defender of the Earth, with guns included. The helicopter and pilot team sold separately."

"Does that bother you? Did it bother him?"

"Yeah, him a bit, but when he was running towards you, he chose not to see it, and just saw you. I only know that because I was still him then. Does it bother you that I killed all the Daleks? Can you accept a man who did something that horrible?"

"I vaguely remember doing the same thing once. I guess birds of a feather, you know."

By then they were at the car. Rose dropped his hand to give her Dad a hug. Pete gave him a serious look before breaking into a grin and shaking his hand. The two pilots stowed the trunk in the boot of the car while they were greeting each other. Then they saluted Pete, turned and strode towards the waiting aircraft.

"We'll need to pile in quietly," Pete said. "Tony slept all the way here and only woke up a bit when I switched his car seat. The kid can usually sleep though anything but he's crabby if you wake him when he's not ready."

"Yeah, you really don't want to hear that all the way home," said Rose. "He's got Mum's lungs," she said mostly to the Doctor, though the joke wasn't missed by the rest of the entourage.

"I'm going to ground you if you keep it up," Jackie said in her best "Mum" voice. "Where did we go wrong with her, Pete? She's got that cheeky streak, writes on walls, and rumor has it that she tags space stations."

"That's one story I'll have to hear, but first, let's get home. It's been a long night.'

"I agree with that," the Doctor said, shutting the door to the limo. As soon as they were all buckled in, Pete signaled the driver to proceed.

The Doctor and Rose sat in one seat in the back of the limo holding hands. Pete and Jackie, with Tony between them in his car seat, took up the other. The Doctor and Rose were both sound asleep almost as soon as the car started moving. Tony, too, was asleep, having never woken up during the car ride to retrieve his mum and sister.

"Look, Pete, all the kids are asleep," said Jackie with a giggle. "I always wanted to say that," she told him wistfully. "When my other Pete and I got married, we talked about having a lot of kids and car trips to the country on Saturdays. Never got that with him. But here I sit with you, my new improved Pete. I don't care, really, if we're in a limo or some rusted mess of a car. Just look around, you're all here. My whole family and I'm so lucky."

"That you are," said Pete stretching his arm over the top of Tony's car seat so he could rest a hand on Jackie's shoulder. "You do anything like this again, you go and get yourself mortally wounded, and I'm going to kill you. You scared me, Jacks. I'm serious. I was here when my other Jackie got taken by the Cybermen. I found her inside of one of those abominations. I can't bear the thought of going through that again."

Jackie reached up to hold his hand. She turned her head so she could look Pete in the face as she nodded her assent. "I promise," she said softly.

Just then, Tony stirred a bit. "Mummy," he asked, "is Sissy 'Ose going to be a mummy now too?"

"Where'd you get that idea?" she asked in a low but amused voice.

"'Cause she's holding his hand."

"Why does that mean she's going to be a mummy?" asked Pete, equally confused.

"Because Mummy holds my hand because she's the mummy. She holds your hand because you're the daddy. And he isn't Sissy 'Ose's little boy, so he must be a daddy and that means she's a mummy."

Pete and Jackie gave each other that universal look that all parents give each other when their child has just done something that they find terribly cute or amazing. "Well, I don't think that they are going to be parents for a long while yet," Jackie told her son, smoothing down the strawberry blond fluff that covered his head. "But holding hands is a good place to start." She gave Pete's hand a firm squeeze and counted her blessings.

Silly Fun with Doctor Who

2008-07-27T00:18:40Z

Got this from AmberFocus - Fill in the blanks - have fun!

Doctor Who/Deadliest Catch cross over fic

2008-07-24T01:08:53Z

For Kalleah, because she was afraid I really had written it.

Title: The Deadliest Match
Author: Qtrhorserider
Pairings: Ten/Donna and the Crew of the Northwestern
Ratings: PG
Spoilers: Nope
Disclaimers: Not mine, not even close, I just channel them.
Summary: The Doctor promised Donna an Alaskan Cruise

“This. Is not. An. Aurora. Borealis."

THE DEADLIEST MATCH

“You promised me a cruise! A nice vacation. Cruise around Alaska, see the Northern Lights, you said. You promised me a bloody Aurora Borealis. This. Is not. An. Aurora Borealis!”

“Well, it is Alaska, well, the waters off the coast of Alaska, well, more precisely, the Bearing Straight, but I’m sure you could see Northern Lights from here.” The Doctor gave Donna his best “but you’ll still be my friend” grin but it wasn’t working. Just then a 30 foot wave launched itself across the bow of The Northwestern. It was followed by the shouts of the crew as they pulled a crab pot over the side, dumping the contents to be sorted.

That’s when the Captain noticed he had stowaways. “Who the hell are you and how the hell did you get on my boat?” he yelled over the intercom. The crew stopped to see what he was ranting about. “Don’t stop working!” he yelled.

“My name is Donna Noble.” It was frightening that she could be heard over the crashing waves without any help at all. “Pretty lousy accommodations if you ask me.”

“Well I didn’t ask you. This is a crab boat, not a f***ing hotel, and you are not supposed to be here.”

“Crab boat! Crab boat!” She turned to look at the Doctor wide eyed, and even wider mouthed. “You’ve brought me on holiday on a cruise where the men all have crabs?”

“Donna, that’s not what he meant.”

Donna was again shrieking at the Captain. “In isolation are you? Does the cold kill them?”

Just then another wave washed over the deck, larger and more forceful than its predecessor. It knocked both travelers into the TARDIS door, which the time ship opened to let them fall through. Water washed through the grating as the pair was slammed into coral struts and then the console. The TARDIS siphoned off the water in her interior while her passengers recovered their feet.

“Donna, that’s not the kind of crabs the captain was talking about,” the Doctor said, rubbing the spot on his head where it had collided with the console.

“Oh I know,” Donna replied. The she grinned a rather cheeky grin. “But you should have seen the look on your face.”

Fic: Don't Worry, I've Got You 3/4

2008-07-23T23:56:44Z

Title: Don't Worry, I've Got You 3/4
Author: Qtrhorserider
Pairings: The Tyler troop
Ratings: PG
Spoilers: through Series 4
Disclaimers: Not mine, not even close, I just channel them.
Summary: The copter ride home, with a slight delay

Rose's demeanor changed as soon as she set foot on the copter. No longer was she the young woman who traversed different dimensions to find her lost love and then kissed him on the beach. This Rose was a woman in charge.

She went forward, donning a headset so she could talk with the pilots. This was more than the fact that she was now an heiress, she was plainly their commanding officer. After a brief conversation, where presumably they had been given their instructions, she returned to the back and motioned for them to take their seats.

Jackie donned her headset and motioned for the Doctor to do the same. Obviously she was used to this sort of travel too. "So what's the plan?" asked Jackie.

"Well, once we've dropped you home, Rose and I…" began the Doctor but Rose quickly interrupted.

"We were trying to figure out the best way to do this without some sort of media attention," said Rose. "I'm having them radio Dad to meet us at Torchwood. He's going to drive there on his own. Nothing unusual there, but then we'll switch to a Torchwood car. One of them mentioned Dad wanting to bring Tony, so I arranged for one of the unmarked limos so we'll have enough room."

"I'm sorry I interrupted you," Rose said to the Doctor, taking his hand. "But this is the best way with Mum, Dad and Tony involved. Besides, you've shown me so much already, it's time for me to show you what I've learned. Let me take care of things until you get acclimated, ok?"

The Doctor nodded his assent. For the first time in since he was a boy, he was well and truly not in charge. Well except for Midnight and that was terrifying. At least he was with people who had his best interest at heart.

At the back of his mind, though, he could hear Donna. "What's the matter, Martian boy, can't take it when a woman's in charge? Isn't that what you wanted? For her to go on and do her best? Admit it, you're jealous. Get over yourself. Besides, she traveled how far to find you? She loves you. Let her do this for you." That woman had definitely made an impression, not to mention leaving some of herself with him.

He stretched his legs out and looked at Rose and thought to himself, "She is so beautiful. But same man or no, it wasn't me she came after, it was him. It was the guy with two hearts and a TARDIS, not the scaled down, mixed up human version."

Rose smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze. He squeezed back but he wasn't sure if it was for her reassurance or his. He could feel his single heart thumping in his chest, which was another thing. It's not that he felt lopsided, but just not as physically powerful. He was used to feeling the extra energy, the extra life force, from blood that was doubly oxygenated. Now he was aware of his own frailty. One heart, one life. This was going to take some getting used to.

Rose watched him nervously. "I really shouldn't have stepped on him like that," she thought. "He's so used to being in charge and I switch into command mode without any warning." She wanted to scoot over and sit next to him, but she couldn't in the air craft's seats. She wanted the jump seat back. "How is he going to fare without a TARDIS? Will he want to leave me?" She had responsibilities now. Would he want a different traveling companion when she couldn't leave whenever he wanted her to?

Just as she thought they were about to take off, Rose heard the engines power down. "That's odd," she said rising to her feet.

"What is it? What's going on?" Jackie asked.

"Dunno, Mum. Just stay there, I'm going to find out." The Doctor was right behind her as she started for the cockpit. The co-pilot saved her the trip by emerging from the front.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping herself composed.

"Ma'am, we thought we should ask you what to do before we took off and just left it."

"Left what?"

"Once you were on board, the blue box reappeared momentarily. The back was towards us, but when it left, it seems that a trunk had been left behind on the beach. We didn't know if it was dangerous or not, so we're asking you for instructions."

The Doctor was hanging out of the door and gave a gleeful laugh. "I recognize that trunk. It's my old academy trunk. I wonder why he would have left it."

"Well you did come with, if you'll pardon the expression, just the clothes on your back. Maybe he thought he'd better give you some things to get started with. Though that would take some thought on his part."

The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. It gave Rose butterflies to watch the familiar body language. He had a puzzle to solve. "I'll bet Donna made him."

"Bet you're right," grinned Rose. She turned to her staff. "Do a quick scan, just to be on the safe side, but then bring it on board. I think the Doctor's luggage has just caught up with him."

The Doctor and Rose returned to their seats to wait for the results. They hadn't even sat down before Jackie was demanding answers.

"Soo, come on, what is it? Are we under a quarantine or something?"

"Nothing like that. It looks like the Doctor popped back in to leave the Doctor a going away present."

"A present?" Jackie mused. "If Donna had anything to do with it, I'll bet it's underwear. Practical girl that one. I really did like her. I'll miss that one."

The Doctor had managed to cover his face with one hand. He didn't want Jackie to see that her contemplating his underwear was a bit embarrassing. Ok, more than a bit embarrassing.

"Miss Tyler," the co-pilot addressed her as he re-entered the passenger cabin. "We're stowing the trunk now, but this envelope was attached to the top. It's addressed to the Doctor."

"Thank you," she said, taking it and passing it to him.

The Doctor opened the large manila envelope and removed its contents. The letter on top began:

Dear Me,

That didn't quite start out like I'd like it to. Donna reminded me that I shouldn't send you out naked and helpless into the world, so I packed you a few things, well actually more than a few. You should recognize the trunk from our old academy days. Bigger on the inside you know. There are some things for Rose and Jackie too. You may each want to open yours when you're alone, then decide if you want to share or not. Well, not much time, good luck.

The Doctor.

Dear Friend,

I won't call you the Doctor because you are your own person. I made him leave you with some things. He protested, I'll have you know but I set him right. "What's the point of havin' a flippin' time machine if you can't go back until just before you miss your connection?" I said. Like I said, there's stuff for you and also Rose and Jackie. Tell them I'll miss them. I'll miss you to. You've got a little bit of me in you, so you'll be just fine. Take care.

Love,

Donna.

"Well, seems we're to have a bit of Christmas in July then," said Jackie. "Wonder why he wants us to open them alone? You don't think there's anything weird or anything in there do you?"

"Nah" said the Doctor. "Probably wants to save me the embarrassment of having you see my underwear."

"Save who the embarrassment, because I'll tell you this, mate, I've got no desire what so ever to see what separates your bum from your suit. That said, it's Rose who'll do your laundry. No way am I gettin' involved with those knickers."

"Oh my god, you two," groaned Rose. "Tell me I haven't just got a glimpse of the rest of my life."

Jackie and the Doctor laughed with her and they all settled in for the long ride home.

The trio was dead tired. It was several hours from Norway to London, so despite the noise from the engines and rotors, they slept. Rose and the Doctor managed to keep their fingers meshed for most of the trip and it wasn't until one of the pilots called out to Rose that they would be landing in about 10 minutes that she dropped his hand to stretch. The Doctor, noticing the lack of contact, stirred and stretched out himself.

"Needed that," she said to him. He nodded and yawned in agreement. "We'll be landing in 10 minutes or so.

"Mum," she called to Jackie, "wake up, we're almost there."

Jackie stirred in her seat. "Where are we?"

"About ten minutes, well five by now, away from Torchwood. Rise and shine!" Rose teased.

"Don't get cheeky with me, I'm still your Mum, and we still have that crayon on the wall issue to deal with." Jackie gave her daughter a wink and the group dissolved into laughter as the copter descended.

The craft settled onto the ground and they waited for clearance to disembark. Again the Doctor went first, giving a hand to Jackie. Rose gave the crew a small salute before allowing the Doctor to steady her descent. She smiled up at him and took his hand. She was once again "Rose the girl" not "Rose the commander" and the Doctor relaxed. They turned and watched as Jackie sprinted towards Pete.

"They missed each other," said the Doctor.

"Yeah, they're always like that and trying to pretend their not. Act like you didn't notice."

"Were you that glad to see me?"

''Course I was, what a silly question," she replied. "Where'd that come from?"

"I guess what I was wondering was, are you happy that it's me? Rather, is it okay that it's not him? I mean, I'm him, just a bit different, and I can't take you places in space anymore and…"

She put her fingers to his lips and hushed him. "Thought we went over this on the beach? I'm here for you. I haven't been off planet for years and I'm surviving. And yes, I am glad it's you. We just have to get used to each other. I've changed too, you know."

"Yeah, I kinda noticed. Rose Tyler – Defender of the Earth, with guns included. The helicopter and pilot team sold separately."

"Does that bother you? Did it bother him?"

"Yeah, him a bit, but when he was running towards you, he chose not to see it, and just saw you. I only know that because I was still him then. Does it bother you that I killed all the Daleks? Can you accept a man who did something that horrible?"

"I vaguely remember doing the same thing once. I guess birds of a feather, you know."

By then they were at the car. Rose dropped his hand to give her Dad a hug. Pete gave him a serious look before breaking into a grin and shaking his hand. The two pilots stowed the trunk in the boot of the car while they were greeting each other. Then they saluted Pete, turned and strode towards the waiting aircraft.

"We'll need to pile in quietly," Pete said. "Tony slept all the way here and only woke up a bit when I switched his car seat. The kid can usually sleep though anything but he's crabby if you wake him when he's not ready."

"Yeah, you really don't want to hear that all the way home," said Rose. "He's got Mum's lungs," she said mostly to the Doctor, though the joke wasn't missed by the rest of the entourage.

"I'm going to ground you if you keep it up," Jackie said in her best "Mum" voice. "Where did we go wrong with her, Pete? She's got that cheeky streak, writes on walls, and rumor has it that she tags space stations."

"That's one story I'll have to hear, but first, let's get home. It's been a long night.'

"I agree with that," the Doctor said, shutting the door to the limo. As soon as they were all buckled in, Pete signaled the driver to proceed.

The Doctor and Rose sat in one seat in the back of the limo holding hands. Pete and Jackie, with Tony between them in his car seat, took up the other. The Doctor and Rose were both sound asleep almost as soon as the car started moving. Tony, too, was asleep, having never woken up during the car ride to retrieve his mum and sister.

"Look, Pete, all the kids are asleep," said Jackie with a giggle. "I always wanted to say that," she told him wistfully. "When my other Pete and I got married, we talked about having a lot of kids and car trips to the country on Saturdays. Never got that with him. But here I sit with you, my new improved Pete. I don't care, really, if we're in a limo or some rusted mess of a car. Just look around, you're all here. My whole family and I'm so lucky."

"That you are," said Pete stretching his arm over the top of Tony's car seat so he could rest a hand on Jackie's shoulder. "You do anything like this again, you go and get yourself mortally wounded, and I'm going to kill you. You scared me, Jacks. I'm serious. I was here when my other Jackie got taken by the Cybermen. I found her inside of one of those abominations. I can't bear the thought of going through that again."

Jackie reached up to hold his hand. She turned her head so she could look Pete in the face as she nodded her assent. "I promise," she said softly.

Just then, Tony stirred a bit. "Mummy," he asked, "is Sissy 'Ose going to be a mummy now too?"

"Where'd you get that idea?" she asked in a low but amused voice.

"'Cause she's holding his hand."

"Why does that mean she's going to be a mummy?" asked Pete, equally confused.

"Because Mummy holds my hand because she's the mummy. She holds your hand because you're the daddy. And he isn't Sissy 'Ose's little boy, so he must be a daddy and that means she's a mummy."

Pete and Jackie gave each other that universal look that all parents give each other when their child has just done something that they find terribly cute or amazing. "Well, I don't think that they are going to be parents for a long while yet," Jackie told her son, smoothing down the strawberry blond fluff that covered his head. "But holding hands is a good place to start." She gave Pete's hand a firm squeeze and counted her blessings.

Doctor Who Fic: Don't Worry, I've Got You Chapter 2

2008-07-16T03:05:22Z

As before, it's spoilerific for the end of Series 4 folks!

Title: Don't Worry, I've Got You, Ch. 2
Author: Qtrhorserider
Pairings: The Tyler Troup
Ratings: PG
Spoilers: the last 3 episodes of Series 4, and some minor references to Series 2
Disclaimers: Not mine, not even close, I just channel them.
Summary: Jackie has a moment with her thoughts before taking the kids home

"Oh, and for a good time call Reinette. I couldn't believe that one."

Jackie spotted them walking towards her, hand in hand, when she got back to the beach with the tea. She was sure that tea would make a fine start to fix what was coming. "That's what family is for, to catch you when you're falling. Well we'll have them both. Lot's of tea, TLC, and a kick in the pants when they need it. Like it or not, he's one of mine now."

Jackie was glad to have had some time alone with her thoughts. It was all a bit of a shock to her too. "I was just a mum" she mused, "just a widow with a flat in the Powell Estate, and a smart, pretty daughter. The most fantastical and exciting it got was when Mo's mum got a microwave and we all went over to watch it boil water. Now I'm standing on a beach in Norway, in an alternate universe, the man my daughter loves just took off in a spaceship that looks like a blue box and left her with a copy of himself. Sometimes it's a little hard to sort out."

She watched them as they drew closer. "That's better," she thought, "they aren't all over each other, but they aren't avoiding each other either." She sighed because she knew something of what her daughter was about to go through. She'd been through it with Pete. "The same man, but not the same. Older than I remembered. Hands not quite as rough. Actually has some concept of manners. In the end though, he was still your Dad, Rose, not exactly the same man, but he was. Can't explain it, but it was still my Pete in there. I'm sure you'll find your Doctor in there, too, I'll help you find the way."

The wind buffeted her as the helicopter put down on a clear patch of beach, a little ways away from them. "Safety first, even if we have to walk a klick to get there. Oh well, we'll all be home soon."

Jackie put on a smile as the couple approached. "There you are Rose Tyler. I've been talking to your Dad, and he's told me something very disturbing."

"What, Mum, what's wrong? It isn't Tony is it?" Rose took one of the take away cups of tea from her and handed it to the Doctor before taking one for herself. The Doctor nodded in thanks to her and took a sip.

Jackie took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Well that depends on what you mean doesn't it. It seems your little brother's been talking. Spilled the beans about how his sister draws on the walls with crayons, he did."

"What? I never…what?"

"Oh you must be tired. You should see the look on your face." Jackie smiled at her eldest. "Come on, let's get in the air before the two of you drop from fatigue." She took Rose's arm, and the Doctor, in a chivalrous moment, offered his arm to Jackie, who managed to take it without losing her cup of tea. They had to shout to continue their conversation as the wind and sound from the copter assaulted them.

Rose was blushing. "Mum, I can't believe you did that!"

"I can't believe you fell for it."

"And strictly, Rose, it is true." the Doctor said.

"What are you on about?" Rose turned her attention on him.

"Remember Sanctuary Base?"

"Yeah, where they had 'welcome to hell' written on the wall? That Sanctuary Base?"

"I seem to remember, you did a little interior decorating yourself in the short time you were there." The Doctor leaned a little forward and around Jackie and gave her that knowing look where he raised his eyebrows and the tip of his tongue found the roof of his mouth. Suddenly she felt warm. Those were her Doctor's gestures, and she had just kissed that mouth.

"Oh yeah" she said hoping her mum would attribute the pink in her cheeks to embarrassment over her actions and not any thoughts she might be having about that mouth.

"Rose was here. And here, and here, and here. On and on down the hall. Also seem to remember for a good time call Cassandra, the trampoline woman. Oh, and for a good time call Reinette. I couldn't believe that one."

"I was bored" she protested, "and nobody noticed, 'cept you obviously. Besides we really can't talk about it because it was, after all, a Torchwood mission and we can't give away the future and all."

"Nice save." the Doctor acknowledged.

"The thought of my daughter, roaming time and space, just so she could vandalize space stations. Get into this helicopter, the pair of you. Don't make me leave you."

"Yes ma'am" they said in unison. The Doctor jumped in and offered his hand first to Jackie, who gave him a "you'd better behave look," and then to Rose, who blushed like a teenager.