SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Chapter One Hundred One Awinita was waiting just outside the front doors when they finally caught up with her. She was holding a medium sized plastic bag in her hand. “Hey guys, have any luck?” she asked. “A bit. Alan found some stuff and then when he helped me out when he found me again.” “Really? So, how long did it take for you to go back to her again?” “About forty minutes.” “You went that long without Rose? I’m impressed. I figured it would only be two minutes before you started looking for her. Congratulations on being able to resist not being with Rose for so long,” she teased. “It was hard but I managed to restrain myself while I shopped,” Alan replied. “But eventually the little sheep had to go in search of his shepherdess.” “Actually, he was going in the book shop and found me there,” Rose said. “So, be fair, he wasn’t intentionally looking for me, but as soon as he saw me, he immediately stuck himself back on my hip.” She laughed when Alan bumped her right hip and smiled. “So, are you guys finished?” “Not entirely,” Rose said. “You?” “I still have a couple of people to shop for,” she said. “Well, do you wanna give it another hour?” Rose asked. She nodded. “I still need to get a couple more things and Alan might want to as well. The sooner we can get this over with, the better.” Awinita nodded. They checked their watches and went back inside. Awinita took a trolley and went off to the left while she and Alan did the same and went to the right. “I guess I can look in here,” Rose said to him. As they walked along an aisle, Rose heard Christmas music being piped in on the store sound system. She slowed and stopped. Alan stopped behind her and gave her an inquisitive look. She looked at him. “Come with me, I just thought of something.” Alan followed her as she led him back to the CDs. She found a display of Christmas CDs near the back. “That music gave me an idea. I think I’ll get a Christmas CD so we can listen while we drive, help us to get into the mood.” “Good idea. Then I can spend my time making up raunchy lyrics to all the songs.” He snickered when Rose gave him a long, hard stare. “What? You don’t like my rendition of Breakaway?” “No, I’m just wondering what your mind will come up with next,” she said. “I’m just thinking that it would be fun to personalize the Christmas carols and make them fit our lives. You know, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to fry the Daleks all damn day! See?” She laughed. “Just as long as you keep the Christmas carols between the three of us. Don’t go scarin’ Awinita’s family,” she said. “Scare? Why would I scare them? I’m as harmless as a kitten.” She giggled when Alan gave her a maniacal look. “Yes,” he said in a deep, sinister voice. “Perfectly harmless. Heh, heh, heh.” “Just help me find a CD, ya nut,” she said. He picked up one of the CDs, turned it over and studied the songs listed. “Any particular song you want?” he said. “Just the classics,” she replied. “Like deck the halls with Rose Tyler’s knickers?” he muttered under his breath. “I heard that,” she said. “Damn, I was hoping you wouldn’t, I was gonna get really raunchy with that one.” “I would say you’re going the right way for a smack bottom but that would make you even randier so I’ll keep my mouth shut before I find my kit thrown all over Super Target,” she said as he snickered. He put the CD he was holding back in the rack and picked up another one. “So with regards to your family’s Christmas gifts, how are we gonna get it to them? Are you waiting until we get back to give it to them?” he asked. “No, I was gonna pack it up in a box and ship it back to them.” He nodded. “Well then I have a thought,” he said. “Yeah?” “If you’re gonna do that, maybe we can send home some of the stuff we’ve collected so we can keep our load light.” “That’s a good idea. I’ll just write a note to mum and tell her what’s ours and what’s theirs. We need to do that now and just before we leave the US since we won’t have the car anymore.” She picked out two CDs and she and Alan walked away. “That way we won’t have to give up any of our souvenirs and mementos,” she added as they walked down an aisle. “We really should send back our summer clothes too so we can get another winter outfit. Although…if we’re gonna be going through the desert eventually…we might need them. Maybe we oughta leave off doing that until we’re ready to leave the US, just in case.” “It’s up to you, whatever you think’s best,” he said. They walked back down the toy aisle. Rose stopped when she noticed a stuffed Bob the Builder. “I’ll get this for him. He looooves Bob the Builder,” she said, putting it in the trolley. She paused a moment and thought. “Okay,” she mused. “Got Tony, Awinita, something for mum, just leaves you and dad, hmmm…” She turned the trolley around. Alan followed her as she left the toy section. “I s’pose I’ll be the one to get dad the cologne,” she said as they walked. “I don’t know what else to get him. He’s got a lot of money and he can get anything he wants.” “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he won’t want something from you.” “I know, but it’s just that…” She stopped and Alan did the same. “He’s a nice guy, Alan, but I think there’s still that little bit of him that still doesn’t accept me. I mean we both were thrown together and even though it’s been two years I still think he sees me as the child of a dead man. He has a lot more affection for mum and Tony than he does me so you know, I just don’t know him all that well.” “That’s why the Doctor was cautioning you the first time you came here. He foresaw that Pete might do that.” “Yeah and now I see that. But, you know, at the time I was just so happy because my dad was alive and I figured that if he gave me a chance he might grow to love me and I think he does care, but it’s not the same as a father loving his daughter. Truth be told, the Doctor was more of a father figure to me than he is.” They started walking again. “These past two years have just been total chaos,” she said. “Not just for me, for everyone. Me, mum, dad, the Doctor, seems like all of us have had our lives turned upside down and inside out. And now you’ve come into the middle of all of it. I think it was good that we went on this trip because I’m not sure if dad’s gonna accept ya either. He was kinda leery of the Doctor because he wasn’t entirely truthful with him the first time he met him. He always thought he was a bit daft which I s’pose he is but I don’t think he liked that this weird man and this girl that claimed to be his daughter invaded his neat and orderly world. He’s never said but I think he blames the Doctor for his Jackie’s death, thinking perhaps he could have done something to save her. I could tell he was relieved when the void closed and left the Doctor on the other side away from him. But now you’re here and I’m sure he thinks the chaos will start up again. So, I’m just warnin’ ya, Alan. He will be civil to ya but I don’t think you’ll ever be true friends.” He shrugged. “If he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t force him to like me. I’ll be civil but that’s all I can do from my end. I hate that he doesn’t accept you fully but I guess I can see why he won’t. He must love you though. He’s paying for you to do this and he’s gonna pay for the wedding when we get back. Like you said, Starlight, it’s been hell on everyone. Now maybe things will calm down at last and he’ll grow closer to you now that there isn’t all this other stuff swirling around our heads. If he doesn’t, you have me and Awinita and your mum and little brother. We’ll more than make up for him.” She patted his cheek and smiled. They turned down an aisle and Rose looked at the men’s colognes. She picked up a gift box that had cologne, aftershave and soap on a rope in it. She handed the box to him. “You ever hear of this brand of cologne?” she asked him. “Taurus?” he said, frowning. “No, I’ve never heard of this.” “Neither have I. I used to buy cologne for Mickey for Christmas and his birthday and I’ve never seen this brand in the shops in the other universe. I think this is one of those alternate universe things. Dad loves this stuff though which is why I wanted to show it to you when I thought you were gonna get him cologne. I knew you wouldn’t know what to look for.” She took it from him and put it in the trolley. “Are there a lot of things that are different from the other universe?” Alan asked. “Besides this and the zeppelins and President Schwarzenegger.” “Um, there are some differences. I’ve noticed there are some actors and singers that I’ve never heard of and there are some buildings that are new to me and some familiar buildings have different addresses from their counterparts in the other London. That’s what I’ve noticed. I’ve been so busy working at Torchwood that I haven’t really had time to take a close look around and count all the differences. Same with most of the other universes the dimension cannon shot me in to. The biggest difference was that totalitarian government I told you about. It was horrifying. It was kinda like what you described when the Master took over the Earth. I feel sorry for the people that were living there.” They turned down another aisle and Rose saw some calendars. She stopped and took a look at them. “I guess I could get mum a calendar too,” she said, shrugging. Her eyes scanned the different choices. She picked a puppy and kitten one and put it in the cart. “Dunno what else to get,” she said to him. “Dad gets her anything she wants. Now she’s just as hard to shop for as he is. It isn’t like we can go to an alien bazaar and get her another bezoolium. I guess this’ll have to do.” “I think she’ll understand if you don’t get her a ton of stuff,” Alan said. “After all, you’re out on the road. She’ll like anything you get her, Rose, because she loves you.” She nodded and checked her watch. “It’s almost time to meet Awinita again so let’s get this paid for and go back to the entrance.” “Oh, I’m so glad we did that,” Awinita said as she settled down on her bed in their hotel room. “Got that out of the way.” “Did you find something for everyone?” Rose asked. “Yeah, I did. What about you?” “I found something for everyone except Alan,” she said. “I found something for everyone and Rose,” he said smugly Rose raised her eyebrow. “Yeah, rub it in why don’tcha,” she said. She looked at Awinita. “We were talking earlier and I’m gonna send a big box filled with the gifts off to London and we’re gonna put in any extra stuff we don’t need like the souvenirs,” she said. “That way we can lighten our load.” “That’s a good idea, maybe I should do the same,” Awinita said. Alan frowned. “You can’t wait until we go back to your house?” he asked. She sighed. “I don’t know if I wanna go,” she said. “I mean I appreciate you guys paying to take me home but…I’d rather be with you guys than I would my family. Seriously, I dread going home to see them. If I did, I would stay by you guys the whole time because I know there would eventually be drunken fights.” “Well, if you don’t wanna go home, that’s fine. We don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” Rose said as Alan nodded in agreement. “If it’s all the same to you I’d rather just do what you’re doing and send a box home. It’s not just my drunken relatives and the fights; it’s having to explain to my mom why I lost my job and why I’m going around the country with you two instead of looking for another.” “You’re gonna find one as soon as you get back to London,” Alan said. “This is just a holiday for you, same as it is for us.” “Yes, but my mom doesn’t believe in that. She thinks that a person should spend their entire life just working non-stop same as my grandmother. It’s what she did until she made herself too sick to work, but even now she tries to keep busy because she can’t stand to be idle for long. She’s a workaholic and she won’t accept me going off and having fun, at least not for months on end. I went to New York to look for work, but also because I wanted to get out from under her thumb so I could do what I want without her being nosy. You guys are the first people I’ve met who didn’t put work above absolutely everything else and I love that about you. You guys will live a hell of a lot longer than my family will because you know that every once in awhile you have to stop working and have fun. And it’s not just me, guys; she’ll be on you too, getting in your business and asking you why you don’t have jobs. I mean, seriously, it’ll be uncomfortable for all of us. And the other thing is I don’t want you guys to double back. We’ve already been through North Carolina and we’ve come this far. We should just keep going so we can get through the US and go on.” Rose and Alan glanced at each other. “It’s your choice, Awinita,” she said. “Whatever you wanna do, we’ll do it.” “Then I just wanna go on,” she said. “I can have a lot more fun with just you two than I will with a whole room full of people.” She nodded. “Okay then, we’ll get some boxes and pack up our stuff. We can send ours back to London and you can send yours home. And we were thinking we’d do it again just before we left the US so we’ll be sure to start again in another country with just our rucksacks.” Awinita nodded. “We can go to a UPS store and get the boxes and then send them there,” she said. “Let’s go ahead and find one then today, then we can go ahead and go eat. Just gather up what we don’t need so we can take it with us,” Rose said.
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