SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Chapter Seventeen Alan opened the front door and peeked out. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Jackie’s door was closed. “Come on, come on, come on,” he whispered to her. Both of them crept out and silently shut the door behind them. They quickly hurried down the stairs. “Hold it right there, buster!” Alan flinched and looked back at Jackie who was standing at the top of the stairs. “Run!” he said to Rose. “You run and I’ll follow you all around the town.” “Um…on second thought Rose, don’t run,” he said. They turned and looked at her. “I want a word with you both,” she said. “Jackie, we are both consenting adults,” Alan said, coming up the stairs. “I’m well aware of that. That’s not why I want to talk to you,” she said. “I want to talk to you about screaming like a banshee when you come.” She rolled her eyes when both of them blushed. “Oh, come off it, like I don’t know what goes on during sex,” she said. “I want to warn you about doing that. I know you haven’t been alive for very long, but apparently you have the Doctor’s memories, so I’m assuming you know that both me and my daughter have been frequently menaced by monsters over the years, which means that when I hear someone yelling I automatically assume someone is getting attacked, which is what I thought was happening to you, which is why I came over and banged on your door.” “Mum, I’m sorry; we didn’t mean to frighten you. We weren’t going to go that far at first, it just happened.” “I don’t wanna know the details,” Jackie said, holding up her hand. “I just want you two to either learn to control the volume or go somewhere where you can scream all ya want.” She glared at Alan. “And I mean it about using protection. I don’t mind if you and she have a child eventually, but if you’re going out on your own, I don’t want my grandchild being toted along with the rucksacks, you got that?” “That’s why I bought some condoms just now, Jackie,” Alan said. “I don’t want to be a father either, at least not at this moment. Rose and I already thought that scenario through, so quit worrying.” Jackie nodded. “Well, just wanted to be sure you knew on both counts. Now, go and do whatever it is you were gonna do and I’ll see you later.” She turned to go back in her room. “Jackie.” She turned back. “Um…thanks…for the money,” Alan said. Jackie smiled. “You’re welcome, Alan,” she said. “Now, go on and get outta here.” She turned and went back in her room. Alan looked over when Rose put her hand on his shoulder. “I am so proud of you for doing that,” she said. Alan felt like his heart burst from his body when he saw the pleased look on her face. “Well, you know, I can be polite when I want to be,” he said. He melted when Rose gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Alons-y Alonzo,” she said, tickling him under the chin. “Yes, ma’am…wait….wait a tic, I’ll be right back.” Rose watched while he unlocked the door and sprinted into the room. Her eyes widened when he emerged a few minutes later wearing the reading glasses. “Almost forgot the brainy specs, thought I would wear them, so you can just ogle at my face for the rest of the night,” he said, locking the door. “Thank you from the very bottom of my heart,” Rose replied. He turned and frowned. “Hold on,” he said. He took the glasses off, popped the lenses out and put them in his pocket. “There,” he said, putting the glasses back on, “that’s better. My vision was kinda blurry and I don’t want to have to wear these things for real. Although…given that I’m going to be aging now, I’m sure I will need them eventually. Anyway, cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, to supper?” “To supper,” Rose said, taking his hand. They hurried down the stairs and walked outside. Alan and Rose sat across from each other in the restaurant. Both of them had tired of polsa and opted to try several other things on the menu and found that everything was delicious. They had finished eating and were sipping beers while Alan told her more about what the Doctor had been doing in her absence. Rose listened, enraptured, as he told her all about his meeting with Martha and their adventures. They sat there, the hours passing by, as Alan talked. She shook her head. “A human Dalek, I would have given anything to have seen that,” she said. “Um, actually it was pretty hideous. Basically a man with a squid’s head.” “And the Doctor wanted to help him? After what they did to those humans, he wanted to help make more human Daleks?” “Well, he figured that perhaps since Dalek Sec had become somewhat human, that maybe the humanity would allow him to do some good in the universe. As for the humans, there was nothing he could do for them, their memories had all been wiped and he couldn’t restore them, so he decided to help and see if perhaps these new Dalek humans would become a better race and supercede the originals. But, then the Cult of Skaro turned against their leader and wanted to make them full Daleks, so the Doctor was forced to barbecue himself, so Time Lord DNA would get mixed in.” “Oh God, Doctor, thank God that didn’t kill or regenerate him.” She shook her head. “From what you’ve said, it sounds like he became more reckless after I left.” “Yeah, well, you were his whole world, basically. I mean, you healed his spirit and showed him that there could still be some joy in his life and he came to rely on you more than any other companion he ever had. Being torn away from him shattered his soul and for awhile, he had a death wish, sorry to say.” Rose put her head in her hands. “And now it’s happened again. Oh God, I hope he’s alright.” “I think he is, Rose. He has Donna and she also was a big influence on his personality. She also brought some joy into his life and I think he’ll be alright as long as she’s with him.” “I hope she stays with him a long time then. I hate to think of him on his own. The poor man, I mean, I’ve never known anyone so strong and yet so fragile at the same time. He’s just the kind of person you wanna throw your arms around and give a big, long hug. I mean, he acts like he’s so independent and tough and strong, but deep down there’s this innocence there that I love.” She smiled. “You have it too. That’s why I fell so hard and so fast for you both. You are both the most remarkable men I have ever known.” “And you…are the most remarkable woman that both of us have ever known…so I guess it’s meant to be, eh?” Rose smiled and took his hand. “Yes, it is,” she said. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. “I just wish…” Alan frowned when she trailed off. “You wish, what?” Rose squeezed his hand. “Please don’t take this the wrong way because I love you so much and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. But, I just wish…you weren’t half human.” “Why?” he said, intrigued. “Because…you’re needed. Just like the Doctor is needed. I mean, he protects the other universe and you should do it as well for us. It’s not fair that you only get one life and that’s it. What if something threatens the universe and you’re not here to save us? I mean, I don’t know if this reality has a Sarah Jane or a Jack or anything like that and Torchwood can only do so much. It’s not fair that someone as wonderful as you has to grow old and die.” Alan wiped a tear from her cheek. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I’m crying. But, you are more than just a human. You’re a Time Lord and you deserve to be one. I don’t care if I die before you, I just want you to be the man you were destined to be, not some ordinary guy raising a family and going to a nine to five job. Oh, Alan, I wish there was some way we could change you.” Alan held her hand, his heart aching. Secretly, he had wished for the same thing but had been afraid to vocalize it in case Rose got upset. Knowing that she wanted what he wanted made him feel more comfortable in discussing the idea that had been floating around in his head for the past day. “There…might be a way,” he said, hesitantly. Rose stared at him. “Yes?” she said. “Every TARDIS comes equipped with a device called a chameleon arch. It…rewrites a Time Lord’s biology and changes them into any species they want. It can make a Time Lord into a human or…” “A human into a Time Lord,” Rose whispered. Alan nodded. He proceeded to tell her the story of the Doctor becoming a human being. Rose listened in disbelief. When he finished, she shook her head. “I can’t believe the Doctor was human for awhile and his memories were in a fob watch. Is that what ‘ll happen to you?” “No, I can program the arch to change my biology without altering my memories. In fact, once it happens, I’ll regain my Time Lord mind and my knowledge of time and space and the time lines, so we could actually change history when we need to without fear of messing with established events.” “And…he remembered me even when he was John Smith?” Alan chuckled. “I told you, you’re imprinted on both our souls. That’s why he fell in love with Joan. She reminded him of you.” Rose’s heart ached and for the thousandth time she wished she had never gotten herself trapped. The more Alan talked, the more she realized how devastating her loss had been to him. “There’s…something else I should tell you.” Rose turned her full attention back to Alan. “This is just speculation. It’s a theory he came up with, but I think it’s plausible,” he said. “The Doctor thinks that when you took the vortex into your body, it altered your body chemistry and slowed down your aging process. Which means that when you are fifty, you’ll look like you do today. If that’s true, then you could live a very long time and by that I mean, 120, 150, maybe even 200 years. Now, I estimate I’m approximately 36 or 37 years old, which means in ten years time I’ll be 47, which gives me about 30, 35 years of TARDIS travel before I die. If the Doctor is right, I will be dead long before you, so bang goes the growing old with you idea. But…if I can use the chameleon arch, I will be able to do just that and it’s reversible, so if I want to become human again, I can. And on top of that, the TARDIS med bay has a rejuvenation machine which the Doctor uses to mend his injuries, cure him if he gets ill and keeps his body functioning. I can ask our TARDIS to make one for us and that will also help keep you young, so with that and the slowed down aging, I think you’ll be able to live for who knows how long. So, it makes sense for me to undergo the change to be with you and ensure that I’ll have the knowledge I need to navigate time and space. So, what do you think?” “I think the coral is the best thing that ever happened to us,” Rose said, wiping away a tear. “But, I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to, Alan. It’s your body…” “No, I want to. I’m sick of being a half and half. I want to be one thing or the other, not some in-between being.” He stroked her cheek. “And if I do this, there will not be any curse of the Time Lords crap where I chuck you out the door the moment you get a gray hair. Right now, to be truthful, I don’t even know if I want to go on living without you. I may change back into a human when I notice that you are nearing the end of your life. I told you before; you are the only companion I want in the TARDIS, no other. I’m not interested in doing what he does and pick up random people just so I can ease my loneliness. You will be the only one who ever flies with me. This is our TARDIS. And by God, you are going to learn how to fly it with me. He gave it to both of us and that means you have just as much right to operate it as I do. This is going to be a partnership, Rose, in every sense of the word. I’m not going to be the lone wolf who occasionally has someone along for shits and giggles. Once the TARDIS is big enough to enter, you are getting flying lessons and I’m adjusting the scanners so the readouts are in English. You are worthy enough to know how to fly a TARDIS, so be prepared because you are going to get the TARDIS for dummies crash course in ten years time. How does that sound?” “Wonderful.” “Good. In the meantime, we can have some fun and you can continue to teach me all about being human because I want to know now if purchasing other things leads to sex.” Rose giggled. Alan looked out the window at the setting sun. “Blimey, we’ve been sitting here awhile. I think we better pay our tab and go find a clothing shop before everything closes.” He waved Freya over, requested the tab, paid it when she returned and both he and Rose left to go find a clothing store.
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