Conversations and Slaps - Sequel to Forgiveness

The Doctor watched as Jackie Tyler paced in front of him. He thought about saying something witty and clever like he always did, but decided against it. His cheek still stung painfully from the slap she had given him after seeing him and Rose doing something she clearly did not approve of. He glanced nervously at Rose who looked like she was torn between amusement and anxiety. He failed to see what could possibly be so funny.

Suddenly Jackie turned towards him, anger visible in her face. The Doctor fought the impulse to cover his face and run as fast as he could to the TARDIS.

"You snogged my daughter," Jackie said. Well, there was no way he could deny that. After all, Jackie had seen it herself, then marched over to them, pulled him away from Rose and slapped him so hard he saw stars, galaxies and supernovas.

"Yes, yes I did," he said as calmly as he could.

"Why? Was it a part of some weird alien ritual? Or did you just want to shag her?"

"Well," he started. It was probably not a good idea to tell Jackie that Rose had died and then had come back to life. Not if he valued his own. "We had just gone to Sciir, the planet with the most hairdressers in the Universe, although I have heard that Hassor is catching up with them… anyway, Rose wanted to try something new, don't ask me why, and I thought she looked so… beautiful with her brown hair. And then I decided it was a good time to snog her."

"What?" Jackie said. Rose stared at him too, surprised by his straightforwardness. "That's what you do, eh? Just snog random people 'cause they change their hair a little bit. Is that what time lords are, a bunch of snoggers?"

Rose snorted with laughter. The Doctor glared at Jackie, "No, of course not. I don't snog random people. You know, just because I'm an alien doesn't mean I don't have a heart. I actually have two of them."

"So are you two… together?" Jackie looked from Rose to the Doctor.

"No!" he quickly said. "I mean, we're together as in friends together, but we're not together which would imply we had been together in the most together-ish way two persons can be together. So yes, we're together as in two friends who travel through space and time, but we're not together together."

There was a moment of silence.

"What?" Jackie said.

"You know, Doctor, there are times when you can just say no," Rose said.

The Doctor didn't seem to take notice, as he continued his ramble,  "To sum up, yes, I snogged Rose, but we're not a couple. I mean, Rose is very beautiful and attractive, but friends do not do that, and yes I am aware I did do it, but that was just a moment of weakness from my side, because friends-slash-companions don't normally do that, no matter how beautiful and amazing and compassionate and… well, no matter what the other person is, you just don't do it…"

"Oh, he's making my head hurt!" Jackie said. "Can't we put something over that big mouth of his? Anything?"

"I think you slapped him too hard, mum. You rattled his brain-"

"Oi! My brain is not rattled!"

"-so why don't you go for a walk and I'll take care of him."

"Leave you two alone? So he can snog you again? Listen Rose, I don't want to know what happens down in the big blue box of his-

"Nothing is going on!" the Doctor said. "Why won't anybody listen to me?"

"-but here in the apartment, there will be no snogging."

"Oh, trust me, there'll be nothing of the sorts," he said. "Not after I felt this pain."

Jackie was torn between several things. First, protecting her daughter from the big, bad, snogging alien. Second, slapping the Doctor again, and third going for a walk, which meant going down to visit Howard. Apparently she preferred the latter, because she marched out of the apartment and slammed the door behind her with a loud bang.

"Oh, thank Rassilon," the Doctor said. "For a moment there, I thought she would slap me again."

"Your face," Rose laughed. "When you saw her standing there, it was hilarious. And when she'd slapped you again… the look… it was priceless!"

"Well, your mother's slaps tend to hurt. Maybe we should take her with us. Daleks, cybermen, slitheens, even Cat Nuns, they would all run when they found out just how much your mother's slaps hurt. The Oncoming Slap, oh, we should call them that. The Oncoming Slaps from Hell."

"Doctor," Rose said. "Why did you tell her we weren't together?"

"Are we?" he asked. "Really?"

"I thought it was implied in the 'It would change everything', but I guess I was wrong. Do you even want a relationship with me, since we're just friends and friends don't do that, no matter what?"

"Oh, Rose," the Doctor said and grabbed her hand tightly. "I-I would love it, but I can't, because I don't deserve you. You need someone who is far less broken than me. Someone you can settle down with and have a couple of children with. I can't give you that. All I can offer you is time and space and a life full of danger and hurt. And someday, you'll grow tired and long for a domestic life with a house, a mortgage and carpets and… and doors. All things I cannot give, things I don't want to give to anyone. Maybe some hundreds years ago, but now, I can never stop running."

"I don't want all that stuff," Rose said. "I just want you. I want to run with you through all of space and time. I want to hold your hand through fire and ice. And yes, I know this probably won't be the last time I get hurt, and I know that I might have to take care of you when you're hurt. But that's why I'll never leave. A domestic life is so predictable, but with you every day offers something new. A new planet, a new adventure. I love travelling with you and, what's even more important, I love you."

The Doctor's head shot up at the three last words. "What…what did you say?"

"I said I love you? I'm sick and tired of hiding it from you. I don't want to pretend all I want is your friendship. And even if you don't love me back, I won't leave you. Because guess what, you're stuck with me! I won't leave you, ever!" Her voice raised as she punctuated every word.

"You better not," the Doctor laughed, but quickly turned serious again. "Rose, there is a moment, when you meet someone. Someone so, so very special, you can barely remember how you lived without her. And then you realize that this, this is the person I've been looking for my entire life.  When I thought you'd died, I didn't know what to do. All that was running through my head was anger at myself for letting that happen to you and for being such a big old coward. I never told you what I should have said a long time ago. I am so in love with you it scares me. I love you, Rose Tyler, and I hope you'll live up to what you just said, because I will hold you to it."

Rose smiled, her eyes shining with tears of happiness. She leaned forward and their lips met in a soft kiss. The Doctor immediately deepened it and for a blissful moment it was just the two of them in the Universe.

The kiss could easily have become more… serious, when the front door opened. They jumped apart as Jackie entered the room. She looked, or rather studied the two of them, and the Doctor tried to think about anything, but the kiss.

"So," Jackie said. The Doctor was reminded of his strict professors at the Academy whenever he had done something wrong. Which was often. "Did you two have a nice… chat?"

"Oh, yes," he said, "It was nice. Quite enjoyable."

"And no snogging?"

"Absolutely no snogging," Rose said.

"Then, tell me, Doctor, why is your face covered in lipstick?" Jackie glared at him and he couldn't help but flinch. Oh, he knew that glare. The glare which could scare the crap out of every living creature in the Universe. It was her special pre-slap glare. He already could feel his remaining regenerations burn away as she prepared her Oncoming Slap From the Deepest Pit of Hell, so he did what any other man in his position would have done.

He grabbed Rose's hand, and yelled, "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE ROSE! SHE SLAPS TO KILL!" and then she ran with him, but not without sending an apologetic look to her mother, who couldn't help but smile.

She loved her daughter, and she had always known she was in love with the Doctor. She had always worried if he would break her heart. But now, she knew that would never happen. Mainly because if he did, Jackie would live on as a ghost just to slap him into his last body.