12/23/15-06/09/16 : A Different Sort of Adventure by @followthebadwolf
The same adventure we all know, seen from a different point of view.
So, at long last I am done with A Different Sort of Adventure. This fic has been a joy to be able to review. It was one of the first pieces of fanfic I read after I became a Whovian in spring 2013. As soon as I was through all seven seasons, I started reading fanfic once again and I haven’t looked back yet.
For me this fic has everything I could want. I am heavily into introspection and followthebadwolf does it so brilliantly. She is able to realistically dive into the mindset of a nine hundred alien who not only has issues of not feeling he deserves love and has a fear of commitment as it will undoubtedly bring loss, but also one who has been running for centuries and has the blood of billions on his hands. Yet is he worthy, and slowly but surely Rose is able to tear down his walls and show him he does deserve it and that she feels the same love and devotion for him.
One thing I adore about this fic that isn’t in every Ten x Rose story is that it begins with Nine. I absolutely love Rose’s first Doctor and as much as I do love Ten and Rose, I was thrilled to see the early days of their friendship/relationship. The early days of their relationship was so touching and even though the Doctor’s exterior was tougher then, he was still absolutely falling for his amazing companion even if he never fully acknowledged it.
I also liked how this story provided not just some insight into canon adventures of the Doctor and Rose, but also new ones that were never on screen but set between them. The reoccurring picture bit that was used was perfect and I loved every new scene we got. The ending was also quite unique and one that makes me smile happily any time I think about it.
For anyone looking for a good Doctor x Rose fic with that combines both canon and new adventures, and shows , I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot.
- by HanLuvr ☆
For all of you who’d like to read along with us ;-)
Journal of Hanluvr‘s FF reading experiences (x):
Could contain spoilers…
12/23/15 - Chap.1
01/02/16 - Chap.2
01/11/16 - Chap.3
01/24/16 - Chap.4
02/01/16 - Chap.5
02/10/16 - Chap.6
02/17/16 - Chap.7
02/24/16 - Chap.8
03/02/16 - Chap.9
03/14/16 - Chap.10
03/21/16 - Chap.11
03/28/16 - Chap.12
04/04/16 - Chap.13
04/12/16 - Chap.14
04/18/16 - Chap.15
04/25/16 - Chap.16
05/02/16 - Chap.17
05/09/16 - Chap.18
05/16/16 - Chap.19
05/24/16 - Chap.20
06/01/16 - Chap.21
06/09/16 - Chap.22
To learn more about the fic, A Different Sort of Adventure, through Quotes, Comments, Author’s notes or reviews (x)
To learn more about the author, FollowTheBadWolf, through Quotes, Comments, Author’s notes, reviews and fics rec (x)
«"So you mean you'd... You'd give up the stars and everythin' for me?" Rose asks uncertainly, not quite sure what he truly meant. The Doctor nods slowly in response as he says,
"Weeell, not necessarily give up. I'm sure I could get the TARDIS to travel around this universe, too. But... I would give up the stars. If it meant that you were happy," his voice is so soft and sincere that a lone tear appears in her eye, only to be brushed away gently by his thumb as his hand cups her cheek. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, 'course," she says with a touched smile, "It's just pretty sweet of you to say. I'm surprised."
"Rose Tyler, are you implying that I'm not usually sweet?" he inquires with mock-indignation.
"You have your moments," she admits and kisses his frown away, but then returns to their previous subject. "But no, Doctor. I mean, I will miss Mum and Tony and Pete and Mickey, I'll miss them so much, but I know you. I know you want to go back. 'Cause you do, don't you?"
They share a wordless look that speaks volumes. He doesn't have to say yes for her to know that he does want to return, that it feels right, that this is not their universe, that they don't truly belong in Pete's World.
But she does have to say it, so she wastes no time.
"Me too. That universe needs you, Doctor. It's our home, and we ought to go back."»
- A Different Sort of Adventure, by @followthebadwolf (Chap.21)
«All of time and space, [the Doctor] thinks, observing [Rose] as she bounces happily on the bed in their little cottage and insists that he joins her, all smiles and giggles and Rose, All of time and space. Different faces and different lives and so much good, but not enough to soften the bad. Not until you. Not until you, Rose Tyler.
Trustingly letting his hearts dream of eternity, the Doctor flops down on the bed next to his Rose. It was all like a dream, being with her, and not the nightmares he had prior to meeting her, no, this was a lovely version of reality that he never thought he'd be granted.
He allows that one lone tear of joy to travel down his cheek as he closes his eyes when she leans in to thank him properly for the brilliant surprise, marking a beginning to yet another chapter of this brilliant adventure that they both wouldn't have missed for the world.»
- A Different Sort of Adventure, by @followthebadwolf (Chap.22)
A Different Sort of Adventure, by @followthebadwolf (Chap.22)
View reading experience of Chap.21
Beware : Spoilers under the cut.
Summary: The last chapter of the story, the epilogue explores the lives of the Doctor and Rose after they find their way back home from Pete's World.
Now we’ve finally made it to the very end. The Doctor and Rose have been reunited and returned their home universe. Now what lies ahead for them in the future?
So, yes. Months passed. A few months back in their home universe. They saved planets and people and stray dogs and they saved themselves and it was perfectly right. Eventually, they attempted to go back to Pete's World, estimating that around a year must have passed for Rose's family left back there.
Admittedly, it was a bit of a stretch, the whole traveling-between-universes thing. Very taxing on the ship, a tad dangerous, but they both loved danger. Although, the Doctor hated putting Rose in danger, but that is precisely why he made very sure that it wouldn't be all too dangerous. Plenty of safety measures, a lot more calculations than on his first trip, a huge amount of energy just in case the ship loses its hold on the Time Vortex again...
So, Pete's World. His calculations were a tad off and they arrived two years after their departure. Jackie was in tears, even Pete shed one or two, little Tony recognized Rose only from the photographs his parents kept but she was quick to steal her little brother's heart once more.
They stayed a week and then went back home. Their departure was still as heart-wrenching as the first time, but Rose felt more certain that she might still see her family again, and the Doctor would never deprive her of it.
Back home they ran into Jack and found out that he was the Face of Boe, they ran into Donna Noble and they ran into Martha Jones and saved the world on numerous occasions, but in the end, they preferred to be on their own. Although they've made a couple of trips with Jack who incessantly teased them about starting a family and having little Time Lord babies on the TARDIS, they've let him go back to his job at Torchwood at the end of it all. They visited, mind you, but they never stayed.
At the end of the day, it was just the two of them, and that was exactly how the Doctor liked it best.
This makes me so happy. I know the Doctor wanted to be able to give Rose the chance to visit her family once in a while but to see that it succeeded is wonderful. I also enjoy that even though most of the time it’s just the two of them, they still stay in touch with Jack, Donna, and Martha.
After a few visits to Pete's World, just as the Doctor was finally starting to get the hang of this whole parallel universe travel thing, Jackie and Pete surprised both Rose and the Doctor with the decision to move back to Jackie's home universe. Tony was old enough to travel, nearly four years old, and Pete, after confirming that they do in fact use the same currency in the other world's London, was certain that their family would be just fine. Many hours of arguing against it and presenting all the downsides, the Doctor observed with a sigh as his TARDIS sheltered the entire Tyler family, ready to take them on a trip across the universes.
Rose thought that Mickey would follow, but Pete left him in charge of Vitex, not to mention the fact that Mickey was actually married. He met Martha Jones, a wonderful, ambitious doctor, and just six months later he was a happily married man awaiting his firstborn child. The Doctor observed the happy couple fondly, remembering the woman he saved a hospital with and recognizing many of the same traits in this parallel Martha, and Rose couldn't help but feel overjoyed for Mickey. He has finally found his way in the universe, as did she.
So, the whole Tyler clan made their way across the universe in order to be closer to Rose, and although it was a bit of a bumpy ride, it gave little Tony Tyler an experience he would never forget. Opting to settle somewhere else than London as to avoid being too out in the open, Pete and Jackie moved to Scotland, where Pete quickly started up a profitable business that gave his family everything they needed.
YES!!! WAHOO!!!! Rose’s family returns to the home universe and Mickey has found love with the parallel Martha Jones. That is just perfect. Fictional characters they may be, but I’m so happy for him! Plus Rose getting to see her family whenever she wants. Also, there is a bit about how much Tony Tyler likes the Doctor and even gets to see the stars with them a few times. That’s perfect and feels so right.
But still the mystery remains, what exactly is up with Rose? She’s not quite the same as she was before taking the Vortex into herself and the Doctor finally gets an answer to that:
The TARDIS no longer registered Rose as fully human. Not Time Lord, still about 99% human, but not quite completely, and the Doctor needed no further proof for his most-favorite theory.
Kissing her in absolute ecstasy, he took her hands in his and started dancing around the infirmary as Rose laughed and tried to ask what was going on, never getting a reply other than his disbelieving chuckles. Finally, he calmed down just enough to run an additional scan. Thirty seconds later, the results that came up on one of the screens made him grin from ear to ear even more.
"Doctor, when're you gonna tell me what's goin' on?" Rose insisted, giggling at his silly antics.
"Rose! Oh, Rose, this is-this is-err, this is-"
"Go on then, what?"
"Oh, but Rose, but this is amazing!" He exclaimed, kissing the top of her head and then keeping his hands firmly on her shoulders, beaming at her in delight. "Rose, you are- You- You have traces of Time running through your veins, Rose! Time!"
Rose is still mostly human, but the traces of time running through her veins has given her a much longer lifespan. It was what I (and the Doctor) had been hoping for and our wishes have been granted. But not just that…
"Yes, yes I did, but you see, this is much, much different, because the TARDIS confirms it. You are, weeell, a little different. No human is meant to be infused with the essence of Time itself, but you, Rose Tyler, you most certainly are!"
The Doctor couldn't quite believe his own luck. Of course, the inevitable would still... Happen... One day. One day very, very far away. But for now, he would have his Rose, he'd have her for a very-
"And? What's that mean then?"
"It means that when you last connected to the TARDIS, she left you with a... A... A present, of sorts. She altered you very, very slightly. Now, don't look so concerned! It's nothing bad, certainly not. She... She slowed down your ageing process, Rose. By a... I suppose a... A whole lot. Not like Jack, mind you, but it means that we... That we-"
Rose gasped in disbelief, not quite sure what he truly meant. She scanned his face intently with a small frown, unable to decide if she should be happy or frightened. A space ship tinkered with her DNA and slowed down her ageing process. Could that even be true? Well, she's seen a whole lot of completely mad things with this man, but none of them directly changed her.
Wait. 'course they did. Each and every one of them. All their adventures, they all made her better. He made her better.
She opens her mouth to ask for a better explanation, but he senses her confusion across their mental link and beats her to it. "A small, very tiny fragment of Time remained, Rose, and it took a while to form, to-to fuse with your system, that's why I couldn't be sure of it up until now. But now-Now, it means that we will... We will have a whole lot more time together, Rose. Much, much more."
"So am I like... A... Time Lord or somethin'?"
"Time Lady," he corrects absentmindedly but then shakes his head, "No. You're human, just with a much longer lifespan. And I dare say that is quite brilliant! And this, this also means... I think it might mean that we-that we could be, err, compatible. If you'd ever want, weeell, a little Tony Tyler of your own-not that I-err, I mean-"
"Really?" she breathes out and he nods, feeling a strange warmth wash over his hearts as he senses a spike of happiness across their link. It's still nothing for them to consider, but the Doctor is... Not opposed to the idea. "So we could..." she continues hesitantly, looking at him intently.
His smile fades as he takes in her serious expression, matching it with one of his own. He can sense all her questions, he can sense that she doesn't know how to feel about all this, but underneath the confusion, he also senses a strong surge of joy.
"So we could have... A family?"
Pardon the long copying once again but this is great. The Doctor and Rose don’t just have a loooooooonnnnng future together, but now it just might be possible for them to have a family together. The issue of children has been brought up in the past and Rose always dismissed it for various reasons, but now that it’s a viable option and they have all these years ahead of them, it is very nice to think it’s possible, if they want it. Not right now, but someday. I like them having that option if they want it.
Finally we have come to the last scene. The Doctor and Rose’s home and life is on the TARDIS, but inspired by their little home in Pete’s World, he gives her surprise, a retreat just for the two of them. Where they can relax and just be together for a little bit without the worries of the universe making demands on them:
She gasped in a complete awe as she scanned her surroundings, eyes jumping from one sight to the next in under a second, each new view taking her breath away all anew. She stood on a paved road, laid out among the crisp green grass. Twin suns shone in the sky, illuminating the trees of silver and blue and purple and orange, and as if she had just regained not only her sight but also her sense of hearing, she suddenly heard music. Songs sung by hundreds of birds, distant echoes of an ocean, the beat of her Doctor's hearts, all mixed into one delightful melody.
That was not all of it, though. The paved road led up to three windows, each suspended in the air. Next to every window there was a red button, and behind them, she saw different sceneries. One was a beach: the sea was wonderfully turquoise, the sand was white as snow and looked very soft and strangely endless. In the corner of the beach, she spotted a tiny stone house with a blue chimney, which did not quite fit its surroundings but still looked lovely all the same. The other window was the exact opposite of the first scenery; behind it were mountains covered in snow, very steep, and in a valley between them stood that same house from the beach. The last window hid perhaps the biggest surprise. That exact same little house, surrounded by stars, suspended in space, floating around planets and suns and asteroids in perfect harmony, as if it too was carved out of the same celestial material as they were.
Lastly, she took note of the fact that the paved road continued past these strange gates to different worlds, all the way up to the house she was already familiar with, only this time it was right before them and not behind a window. That same blue chimney, blue door, charming little cottage made up of gray stones and blue window panes. TARDIS blue. On the sides of the road grew flowers like the ones she has first found in one of their gardens, beautiful flowers with a name which she could not pronounce even though he tried to teach her so many times, the flowers she started referring to as Doctories because they happened to be his favourite. They instantly became her favorite too, but he did not call them Roses to match her little nickname for the plants. Rose was much more beautiful than any silly flower, and surely Yariejakeras is not that hard to pronounce, so why would he do that?
When she stopped admiring the surroundings, she finally looked at him. Her Doctor; he was all anticipation and happiness and excited sparks in his chocolate brown eyes, hand joined with hers just the way it always was, feeling more than ready to answer any questions she might have.
"Is this..." she trailed off, unsure of what to call everything that was before her eyes. Paradise? Heaven? A dream?
"A planet. A planet with no citizens. Weeell, apart from us, I s'pose," he beamed at her, "And this, Rose Tyler, this is our home. Homes," he corrects himself, pointing at the three windows and the paved road leading up to the fourth house.
Tears glisten in her eyes as she smiles and shakes her head, admiring the area again before turning back towards him. "But... How... I mean, home? What about the TARDIS? And these-these windows, they're-"
"Tiny little worlds in a box! Isn't that clever? I first saw them on this planet in the corner of Otiera, lovely little galaxy, not very remarkable, but not everything can be, now can it? I actually had to fight a rabid space lion for it, Rose, but it was worth it! It's brilliant, that's what it is! You know, in case we ever get bored of having just one home. Now, we can have many! Why have just one if you can have plenty? If we ever want to, I don't know, take it slow. Not often, mind you, that's just boring, but- but sometimes. A day here and there. If you like?"
Of course Rose likes it. That goes without saying. So do I. Just the thought of them in their own little space, just being together, and in love, is so perfect to me. I adore it.
"And this one?" She tilts her head towards the house hidden among the colourful willow trees, and his expression softens even more. "It reminds me of what I've seen in your memories," her voice is quiet and careful as her eyes intently scan his, searching for signs of pain. She does find a faint trace of guilt and sadness, but it is replaced by love as he cups her cheek in her favourite way, allowing her to lean into his hand as he strokes her skin gently.
"Weeell, that's... I... I thought you'd like it. It's not exactly the same. It couldn't be," he whispers, "But it's similar. I've seen your home and I guess I... I wanted to-to show you mine. And this one," he briefly tilts his head towards the cottage, "This one could be ours."
She beams at him and wraps her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest as he makes a happy sound at the back of his throat.
"So this was a good idea, I assume?" He murmurs, embracing her and kissing the top of her head.
"It's lovely. Thank you," Rose says, her feelings pouring into the words, a few tears of joy and affection travelling down her face.
"I'm glad," he says and then asks, "Now! Take your pick, Rose. Which one today? Mind you, we can go to them all, if you like. We could even go to all of them at once, although that is a little tricky, but-"
Smile on her lips, she pulls away and takes hold of his hand, running towards the house that is not hidden behind any window, the one under the twin suns, and then drags him into their own little corner of heaven, ready for all the days that are yet to come.
I know this isn’t Gallifrey, but still. The Doctor showing her something as close to it as he can and proclaiming it theirs is just so beautiful. It’s the perfect way to end this lovely story. The Doctor and Rose, together in every way, just as it should be.
«[The Doctor] was still in an awe at everything [Rose] did, everything she said. Every time their lips met he wondered if this time he will wake up from this breathtaking dream, but he never did. And Rose was much the same.
She grew, matured, lived by the values that she has always had but was afraid to follow prior to meeting her Doctor. She loved helping others and she loved their life among the stars just as much as she loved their quiet evenings on the sofa, in bed, by the fireplace, sitting on the fluffy carpet that she just had to have and spent thirty minutes convincing him to get. In her old bedroom, both staring at her very own stars, or sitting at the exit of the ship, drifting calmly in the Vortex, snuggled up to him as he kissed her forehead and told her about the many wonders of the universe they were still yet to see.
There were still times they were mere inches or seconds away from losing one another, but they always prevailed, always found their way back together, and with time, even he started to believe that even though the events keep trying to split them up, they never ever will.»
- A Different Sort of Adventure, by @followthebadwolf (Chap.22)
«Rose looks absolutely lovely, and [the Doctor] cannot help feeling that he is robbing her of something rather important by taking her back to their Earth, back to their universe.
Not that Earth was ever his, of course not. Gallifreyan by blood and by hearts, that's what he is, but weeell, home is where his Rose is. Brilliant little saying!»
- A Different Sort of Adventure, by @followthebadwolf (Chap.21)
A Different Sort of Adventure, by @followthebadwolf (Chap.21)
View reading experience of Chap.20
Beware : Spoilers under the cut.
Summary: At long last reunited, the Doctor and Rose face difficult choices as they try to find their way back from Pete's World.
This is it. After many months this is the last ‘full’ chapter and only the epilogue remains after this. How will the Doctor and Rose make out leaving Pete’s World behind?
Two months have passed since the Doctor and Rose were reunited in Pete’s World. They have been living life on the slow path in their own little home but in no way is it boring. They are together.
Two months. What have they been doing?
The first few days are a complete blur of events and emotions. Love and longing and so much loneliness waiting to be disposed of; they rarely did anything but gaze one another in the eyes like a pair of love-crazed teenagers, and the Doctor, although uneasy without his ship, did not feel out of place when he came home with Rose at the end of the day. All those human things such as cooking and watching the telly and an awful lot of sleeping (for Rose. He caught up on lost sleep within a few nights and often just stayed awake to admire her peaceful features as she slept), they did all of that. But Rose knew him so well, and he knew her so well, too. It just wasn't them; not always, not forever, so in between those calm moments, they still had plenty of things to do.
First of all, taking care of her little brother. But we'll get there in a moment.
Second of all, Torchwood. The Doctor harboured a lot of angry feelings towards the Torchwood Institute, subconsciously blaming them for the loss of Rose, but she stubbornly insisted that the institute on this version of the Earth was perfectly fine. Eventually, he budged, and soon enough he saw for himself that the people working in Torchwood were quite passionate about what they were doing and were definitely not driven by money or power. From that realization, it was just one short step to assisting them with their work.
Although they both didn't want to be employed full time which would keep them away from each other for far too long, they were valuable as freelancers of sorts, and the Doctor was happy to help the people that came to Rose's aid when she worked on the dimension cannon. She never got to finish it in the end, but she tried, and these people helped her. For that, he most certainly owed them a favour, so once every few days they'd pop into Torchwood. He'd end up tinkering with some broken alien machinery while ordering everybody around, Rose would help in the alien cultures and defence departments, and then they'd be off on their merry way, hands always joined as they walked across the streets of Pete's World London.
I really love this. That this full-Time Lord of Rose’s got to live some of the day to day life in a way he never did before (because even when he was exiled to Earth in his third incarnation, he didn’t have the love of his lives beside him). Whether a person takes the TARDIS coral as canon or not in what the show provided, Tentoo does get the domestic life the Doctor longed for (even if he never would admit it) with his Rose. It’s nice that fic gave that to the two of them as well, before they head back out.
Together, they endured it, and together, it wasn't half bad.
They'd do all those very human things together, like sit on the sofa while Rose absentmindedly flipped the channels on the telly, cook dinner or help their elderly neighbour bring in her groceries, or proudly nod when asked if they are married. Well, that last one was all the Doctor; Rose instead looped her arm through his and smiled.
They went about their day in regular ways, finding excitement in each other's presence instead of their usual adventures, and although they both longed for the stars, they tried to substitute in the best of ways.
Sometimes, they'd go on little trips. They'd go wherever Rose's car or their own feet would allow; one night he took her outside the city, up on a small hill. They looked at the stars together, coming up with new names for each and every one or deciding which one of them they would visit once they finally can.
It was brilliant, really. Odd, but brilliant nevertheless.
Three, a resemblance of normalcy: helping people. This version of the Earth was slightly more advanced and thus attracted a lot more alien attention. Who could deal with all that better than the Doctor and his Rose? Thus, sometimes they'd be busy running for their lives or saving somebody else's, just as usual, and that was really, really great.
Other times, they'd head straight to the Tyler residence for reasons that were much more human and down-to-earth.
Which brings his thoughts back to Tony Tyler.
The Doctor shuts the TARDIS door behind himself as he leaves and walks the streets at a quick pace, eager to see his Rose and to some degree, her family.
Rose loved her little brother at first sight. She told him once that she didn't really like kids, but even if she didn't exactly like them, she was still quite brilliant with children, and the Doctor couldn't help thinking...
Much as I enjoy the Doctor and Rose living in Pete’s World though, the Doctor himself has his concerns. He’s going to take Rose away from her mum, from her baby brother (whom she loved instantly and is wonderful with even though she insists she has no interest in children), from the Pete she has come to know, as well as Mickey.
He actually considers staying with Rose in Pete’s World, travelling in the TARDIS with her in that universe instead of returning to their home. But he ultimately knows that isn’t the thing do, that he must return them to their home universe. And while he knows it’s what she wants, it still bothers him. Which gets his brilliant mind working on some way around the predicament.
Not only does Rose assure the Doctor that she wants to return home, she also brings up that she and her mum discussed another option, the Tyler clan accompanying them back to the prime universe. But as they all have a life there, she tells them they should stay. And then the Doctor brings up the following:
"Quite right, too. It wouldn't be safe for little Tony to travel through time and space, not yet at least; too young, his brain hasn't been fully developed yet. Anyway! Rose, d'you know how I said that Time Lords used to be able to travel between universes? It was all ours, all of it! The whole of the sky and beyond, at the very tips of our fingers. Have I mentioned that my race happened to be rather brilliant? Right, so, since the TARDIS will be able to fly us out of here, I thought, weeell, why not fly us back in, too? And I-"
"Wait. Do you mean that we could..."
"Come back? Yes, occasionally. Mind you, it won't be very often, it is rather, err, taxing on the ship, but yes. Sometimes. Pop in to visit and then back out! You see, my people made travel between the universes forbidden during the... The... The Time War," he looks away as he mentions it and she softly takes hold of his face, bringing it close to hers and kissing his lips briefly. Remaining close, forehead to forehead, they sit in silence for a moment before he picks up again. "So, yes, it's not technically legal, but it is possible, and-and I'm the last of them, the last of the Time Lords, so I s'pose I can decide what's legal and what's not, can't I? Just some work with my magnificent ship and it's all done! She's used to this universe by now, my TARDIS. A little risky, a little energy consuming, but completely, positively plausible!"
"So you mean... You mean we could, I dunno, visit sometimes? Every now and then?" Rose asks in disbelief, moving her face away to take a good look at the Doctor. This was so much more than she could ever hope for, and if it could ever work out, she couldn't be any happier.
"I'm pretty sure that we could. If you like," he says casually and then observes the most amazing smile in the universe as it spreads across her face. The sight fills him with all sorts of brilliant emotions, such as, well, love and serenity and also a hint of pride. Being able to make her smile like that was worth every treasure the universe had to offer, and even then it wouldn't be enough.
WAHOOOOO!!! This makes me so happy. Like the Doctor, I’m not fond of what she would be giving up if she never saw her family again, but would accept it as her choice and what she wants (and of course I DO want the Doctor and Rose together most of all), but if she can still see them once in a while... that is everything I could hope for. I love it.
Finally, it is time for them to leave Pete’s World and so they say goodbye to Rose’s family:
"I tried my best, Jackie, and I think-I'm almost positive that we will make it back here. But you have to keep in mind, this universe is ahead of ours. It will be quite some time before you will see Rose again."
His voice is serious but not gravely so, and Rose's mother nods through her sobs. Pete walks over to her and embraces her, kissing the top of her head.
"How long d'you-d'you reckon it's going to be though, Doctor? Oh, Rose, sweetheart," Jackie cries as she leaves Pete's side and embraces her daughter. Salty drops spill from Rose's eyes as they both sob; Rose quietly, Jackie - the opposite.
"Errr, I-I cannot say, but it will probably be a... A year. More or less. Although, if you factor in the recovery time of the engines-"
"Oh, just shut it, you daft man," Jackie laughs through her tears and lets go of Rose with one arm, extending it to the Doctor, "C'mere, will ya? One last hug before you two run off on that mental journey of yours?"
A warm smile spreads across his face and for once, he obliges without moaning about it, wrapping one arm around Jackie, the other around Rose. He rests his chin on Rose's head, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo, and smiles helplessly at Pete Tyler who stands beside the three of them, rocking little Tony back and forth in his cradle.
What I love about this isn’t just the fact that they leave with hope now that they believe they can return. It’s more than that. The Doctor has truly found not just a home with Rose, but a family. He and Jackie might drive each other crazy, but there is deep affection between the two. I love seeing that and that he, once again, is able to tell her he’ll do everything he can to protect Rose and also bring her back. That makes me so, so happy.
The rest of the goodbyes are said, and off the Doctor and Rose go.
"Let's check where we landed, yeah?"
"We should probably see what's outside. If everything went well, it will be London, Earth, the Solar System, but weeell, travel between universes, it's a little unpredictable, you see! So yes, we'd best check. Checking is good, very good, even! I always make sure to check. And double check. And triple. Unless I, err, forget."
A small giggle escapes her lips and they walk together, slowly, hand in hand, to the entrance to the ship. Sharing one more look and a nod, they wordlessly agree to just go for it. See where they are. Give it a shot.
It couldn't possibly be worse than being on Bad Wolf Bay, so they should be fine.
With a deep breath, the Doctor busts the door open and reveals a familiar, if unimpressive, sight that takes both of their breaths away.
London, the Powell Estate. That little playground they often parked on when they visited Jackie.
Home.
Their perfectly apparent happiness mixes together, both sensing the joy of the other through their mental bond as they step out of the time ship, alive and well and most of all, together.
Finally, at long lost, they have made back together. <3
"Are you happy?" Rose whispers, "To be home, I mean."
Was he happy?
What sort of a question is that?
"Home?" he asks with a sincere smile, pulling her closer. "Home? I've been with you, Rose Tyler. I've been home all along."
Fully accepting the truth of his own statement, he takes hold of her hand and leads her along the gray streets in no particular direction, feeling as though their real adventure has only just begun.
What a gorgeous ending. I know there is a still the epilogue, but I am so happy with the main closure to this story. It’s been a hard journey but end result is so worth it.
«"Are you happy?" Rose whispers, "To be home, I mean."
Once again fixing his gaze on her, [the Doctor] smiles down lovingly and allows his mind to travel far into their past for a few seconds.
"Run!" he said that day as he grabbed her hand, and he never truly let go of it since then. He too was running, he was running from himself, and once he met her, he ran with her and from her at the same time.
So very scared of loss, so very scared of the consequences, so very besotted with this pink and yellow human girl that, even in those early days, was still the very image of perfection to this old, broken Time Lord. They ran through streets and meadows and frozen seas and through entire planets, and at the end of their every adventure, he only fell even deeper in love with her.
He changed from the brooding man in a leather jacket into this talkative, slightly manic, slender man with a whole lot of hair, but his hearts remained just the same. They remained hers.
When he changed, he kept running, but not for long. No, it all caught up to him eventually, his feelings for her, ever growing, so very constant.
It strikes him now that it was probably always meant to be this way. From the very moment when he told her to run, from that very second, he was destined to be hers.
And so, he'd always be hers. A love that lasts through any disaster, so unlike the norms of his race, yet so very right for this particular Time Lord.
A sense of home, of having a place to belong to, no matter which corner of the universe they'd end up in, stuck or not stuck.»
- A Different Sort of Adventure, by @followthebadwolf (Chap.21)
