You're What?: Chapter Thirty-one

[amberfocus]

                          

                                                                        The Name's the Thing

Rose knocked hesitantly on Mickey’s front door, then decided to stop being such a chicken and repeated the knock more firmly. The door opened and Mickey stood there in his boxers and a t-shirt and just stared at her. “We need to talk this out, Mick,” she said.

He stepped to one side and gestured her inside. It’d been a long time since she’d been inside his flat and she was surprised at how neat it was. She’d never seen it tidy before in her life. Tricia’s handiwork she supposed. “It’s clean,” she commented.

“Yeah, well, I’ve grown up in the last twenty months, Rose. I know it’s only been eight for you in your magical little world of time travel, but the rest of us in the real world moved on without you. I learned to pick up the pieces of my life and the mess in my home without you.” His voice was slightly bitter.

“Mickey…”

“Why are you even here?” he demanded plopping down on his sofa.

She sat down on the other end and turned her body so she could look at him. “You look tired,” she said.

“You came here to tell me that?”

Rose sighed and rubbed her hand across her face. “Is this how it’s always going to be between us?” Rose wanted to know. “Mickey, I’ve known you my whole life. Can’t we just…”

“What? Let bygones be bygones? Put the past behind us? Pretend that you weren’t shagging the Doctor when you were supposed to be my girlfriend?” he snapped.

“I wasn’t shagging the Doctor when I was supposed to be your girlfriend,” she said. He snorted. “Mickey, I wasn’t. I promise you that. We didn’t. You were with Tricia Delaney before I ever slept with the Doctor.”

“But you were in love with him long before I ever slept with Tricia,” he said. “Admit it, Rose. You left me the day you ran into the TARDIS.”

“I didn’t,” she said. “I mean…I wasn’t in love with him then. Didn’t even know him. It wasn’t until…until…when you fired the missile at Downing Street that I even thought maybe…”

“That far back?” he asked indignantly.

“Oh, you’re surprised at that? You just accused me of falling for him the night he took me away! Now you’re upset because it was really a few weeks later.”

“Bloody year for me,” he muttered. “Bloody year where I was wanted for your murder and you weren’t even bloody dead!”

“You act like you wish I had been,” Rose snapped back.

“Oh, no, Rose, never,” Mickey gasped. “No. No.” He took a couple of breaths and his anger left him. “I’d never wish you dead.” He sighed. “We both made a lot of mistakes. You ran out on me. I got lonely waiting for you to come home.”

“What’s done is done and honestly, I don’t want to undo it. I’ll always love you, but…it’s not like I love him and I’m sorry that it can’t be. You and I, you were right when you said it once before, we were nice. But that’s all we were, Mickey. Nice. Not passionate, not go to the end’s of the Earth for each other crazy in love. Just nice,” Rose said. “I want more than that. I want what I have with him.”

“I guess we were holding onto something that was already breaking when he showed up. Never really thought I’d hold your attention forever, Rose. I was your safety net, your rebound guy,” he said.

“No,” Rose said. “Mickey, you weren’t that. I know you picked me up after Jimmy, but you weren’t a rebound guy. I swear that’s not what you were. You were more than that, my best mate and my boyfriend and you were good to me, Mickey, when I needed it. And I’m sorry. I broke your heart and I’m sorry.”

“I always hoped it’d be me and you against the world. Never dreamed it’d be you and someone else against the universe.” He shook his head. “Maybe I should have gone with you when the Doctor asked me along. Maybe this wouldn’t have happened then.”

“When did he ask you along?” she asked shocked.

“After I fired the missile at you, before you left. Said I’d learned to be good in a crisis, that I’d earned a place on board, more or less. But I could see it then, Rose. It wouldn’t have mattered. I would have been there and you still would have fallen in love with him and I’d have had to watch. And that would have been so much worse,” Mickey said. He softened.

“I can’t be mad at you forever. Not you, Rose. And…I’m as guilty as you are. Tricia…well, she’s not you, but I needed someone. I needed someone who appreciated me, who wanted me, and you didn’t anymore. It was hard, Rose, that year you were gone and I tried, I really did, but…we were never going to be the same after that.”

“We should have talked a long time ago, Mickey. Maybe it would have saved us all this grief.”

“Not all of it. Nothing ever would have prepared me for the fact that got you pregnant. Or the fact that we weren’t going to work it out and make a go of it in the end. I wish you would have told me, though. Finding out like I did, from your mum, that you were pregnant…it hurts.”

“I’m sorry, Mickey. I made a mess of things,” she admitted.

“The Doctor helped with that,” he said ruefully.

“He always does.”

“Yeah.”

“So, you think we’ll ever be okay?” she asked him.

“Ah, Rose, it’s you and me. Underneath it all, we’ve always been best mates. It’ll take time, but yeah, we’ll be okay,” he said.

“Can I hug you then?” she asked him.

“I suppose,” he said, but not reluctantly. He held his arms out to her and she moved into them. “We’ll sort it, Rose. One day.” She nodded against him. A moment later he went, “Oof. Wait, Rose, was that…?” He pulled back and looked at her stomach in wonder.

“That’s Charlie. He doesn’t like to be held too tightly.” She smiled softly, hoping to take any remaining sting from her words when she talked about her unborn child.

“Can I?” Mickey asked holding his hand towards her belly and meeting her eyes for permission.

“Yeah.” She reached out and grabbed his hand, spreading it across her stomach. Charlie kicked up hard against the contact.

“Got a footie player in there, I think,” Mickey said with a soft grin.

“Well, it’ll be years before you can even think of taking him down to the pub to watch a match,” she said.

“Can’t expect the Doctor to tend to that part of his education,” Mickey said with a grin. “Hey, maybe when he’s old enough, I can take him down to a match in person.”

“Bet he’d like that, a day out with Uncle Mickey.”

“Kinda like the sound of that. Not quite the same as Dad,” he said a trifle wistfully. “Not like I thought it would be for us, but…yeah. Maybe some day.”

“Yeah.” Mickey pulled his hand back and Rose stood up. “I should be getting back.”

“Okay.” He trailed Rose back to his front door. “Rose?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry, too. We both did things wrong and I’m sorry for my part of that.”

“Thank you, Mickey.” She stood up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek and then slipped out of his flat with a quiet good-night. The Doctor was waiting for her not too far down the balcony.

“Everything all right then?” he asked her.

Rose shrugged. “It’s not perfect, but…I think it’ll be okay. He’s accepting the idea of maybe one day being Uncle Mickey.”

The Doctor pulled Rose into his arms. “I could think of worse men for Charlie to hang around.”

“Yeah.” She tightened her hold on him then pulled back, keeping her arms around his waist but looking up at his face. “Want you to think about something,” she said.

“What?”

“Charlie’s middle name. Want you to think about Michael,” she said.

“After Mickey?” he asked gently.

“He’s a good man. He deserved better than he got. I’d like him to know he’s still important in my life. And since we can’t exactly name him after you…” Rose clucked her tongue. “Charles Doctor Tyler sounds ridiculous, after all. Just think about it.”

“I don’t need to,” he told her. “Charles Michael Tyler is a beautiful name. He’s a good man, your Mickey, and he got dealt a bad hand. He couldn’t hope to compete with someone like me,” the Doctor said with no modesty and full ego. “Least we can do. After all, I get the girl and the family he thought he’d have.”

Rose hugged him tightly to her again and then leaned up for a short, sweet kiss. The Doctor had other ideas and pushed his tongue into her mouth, stroking insistently against hers, his hand trailing down to her bum.

“Oi, you two, get a room,” snapped Mrs. Johansen from down the way as she unlocked the door to her flat.

The Doctor pulled back. “Good idea. Very good idea,” he murmured in Rose’s ear.

Rose laughed at him and laced her hand through his. “Let’s just stop in and say good-night to Mum first.”

The Doctor got a very stubborn look on his face and was about to say something when Rose added firmly, “You bungled things today with telling her about Charlie and us being married. We’ll do things my way where Mum’s concerned.”

He sighed. “All right. But just for a few minutes.” His voice was reluctant. “Because I need to be inside you,” he told her huskily. “As soon as possible.”

She smiled up at him and bumped her shoulder against his. “Not the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

“Nope. One of my best, I think.” She wrapped her arm around his waist and he cradled her shoulders with his as they headed back to Jackie’s flat.

“Well, I’ve got a church booked,” Jackie said the minute they walked in the door. “And Grandma Prentice’s minister has agreed to do the ceremony. It’s in four weeks time. Don’t know what we’re going to do about a dress. Wedding dresses take forever and you can’t wear mine, not with that baby bump in the way. Still, I’m sure we can find something. You can’t be the first pregnant bride getting wed in a hurry.”

“I’ve got a dress I can wear, Mum,” Rose interrupted Jackie’s ramblings. “The Doctor took me shopping for maternity clothes and I’ve a lovely blue dress that’ll do just fine.”

“Blue? But Rose--.”

“Can’t exactly get away with white, now can I?” Rose said impatiently stroking her belly. “And it’s what I want.”

“All right, sweetheart. And what about himself?” she asked.

“What about him?” Rose asked.

Jackie turned to the Doctor. “You’ll not be wearing denim and leather when you wed my daughter.”

“Already wed your daughter and she didn’t mind denim and leather then,” he said grumpily.

“Well, that’s different. This is a real wedding and--.”

“Oi, that was a real wedding!” snapped the Doctor. “Legal in several galaxies.”

Jackie waved that away. “You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t think I do,” he said stubbornly.

“She means it doesn’t matter because if she wasn’t there than she’s not going to consider it a real wedding,” Rose interrupted stepping down hard on the Doctor’s instep. He yelped. “Quit arguing with my mum,” she whispered urgently.

“I expect him to wear a tuxedo,” Jackie continued. “Or at the very least a three piece suit.”

“A suit!” protested the Doctor.

“I’m sure the TARDIS can provide you with something appropriate,” Rose said.

“But Rose, a suit!” He shuddered. “I’m not a suit and tie sort of man.”

“I think you can be for one day. And you know, I think I’d prefer a tuxedo. I can just imagine how gorgeous you’d look in it.” Her voice got very low and the Doctor’s hard expression softened. She whispered, “And I can very much imagine taking it off you piece by piece after the ceremony.”

He nuzzled into her neck, his lips finding the pulse point. “Oi, enough of that, you two. I’m standing right here,” Jackie said with hands on her hips.

“Sorry, Mum.” Rose yawned in exaggeration. “I’m really tired. Think we’ll turn in for the night. I’ll be up in the morning and we can start making more plans.”

“Aren’t you going to sleep here?” she asked.

“No,” Rose said. “Our bed on the TARDIS is much more comfortable to my pregnant body.” Jackie blanched at the words ‘our bed’ but didn’t respond to it otherwise. “Besides all my medication is on the ship.” Rose stepped forward and hugged and kissed her mother good-night.

“All right, sweetheart. I’ll see you in the morning.”

As soon as the door shut behind them the Doctor groaned again. “A monkey suit!” he whined.

“No stupid ape references,” Rose said sharply.

“I wasn’t,” he began but cut himself off at her look. “It’s what people call them, Rose.”

“I don’t care. You know how I feel about that.”

“Yeah. Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “But…a tuxedo.”

“I’ll make it worth you’re while.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Starting tonight.”

“Like the sound of that,” the Doctor said.

“Thought you might.” They hurried down the stairs and then with a grin from the Doctor and a squeal of laughter from Rose, he swooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the ship.

Ch. 32:  http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/135105.html