Revelations

SIX

AN: Okay, so here we are, the chapter I'm pretty sure you've all been waiting to read since chapter 2. Considering I've had quite a busy month (Uni Work and seeing Don Juan last weekend - very good! Go see it if you haven't already!) I'm amazed it's only taken me about three and a half weeks to write this. I thought it'd take longer.

I hope it explains adequately enough why the Doctor never remembered Rose in the first place since that was the main thing that people have been wondering for most of the story. I've had the reasons why written down since about chapter 2 or 3, so they've been in my mind for a while now.

I'm not sure anymore how much there's left to go. Initially this was going to be the final chapter with the possibility of an epilogue or something at the end. But it's not worked like that; you start writing something and realise: 'oh, hold on, there needs to be a bit more depth to that' or 'oh, that needs explaining a bit further'. So here we are, chapter 6 of what I had initially thought was going to be a 5-part story with some more to come for definite. Typical. :D

Some things just never go to plan, do they?

Enjoy! :D

Previously:

"So go on, tell me. Who is in this picture next to my daughter?"

The Doctor looked right back at her. His expressions firm and without insincerity. Once again, Jackie caught a glimpse of all the nine hundred years he had lived in his eyes. And there was something else, too. Something she couldn't quite make out. Guilt? Regret? Sorrow?

"Doctor...?" Jackie asked, her voice more gentle now. "How is he?"

"He's me."

~oOo~

There was nothing but a deafening silence between the two of them before after the Doctor's shock revelation. Neither of them quite knew what to do now, or what to say. Both of them needed a moment or two to allow for the news to sink in, but it didn't take long for Jackie's reaction to take hold. The Doctor had merely used the silence between them to mentally prepare for the inevitable.

And was when he felt the hard sensation of Jackie's palm colliding with cheek. He'd been expecting it, so didn't react. He knew it was well deserved.

"What do you meant this is you?!" Jackie asked, her voice rising to a level the Doctor would usually be uncomfortable with, but felt right given the circumstances. She had turned the photograph round to face him, as if he didn't already know what it was of.

For once in his life, the Doctor found that he was speechless. What was he supposed to say in a situation like this? He had been in many battles over the years and had faced many foes, but there was nothing that terrified him more than finding himself in such a difficult situation as he was now. He had never expected - had never conceived such an idea - for something like this happen. Surely he was still in the TARDIS and there was just some telepathic intrusion that had meant his mind had come up with this, quite frankly, barbaric situation. After all, he had been thinking about that time in his life a lot more lately. In fact, it had started cropping up again not long after he had first met Rose. But that didn't mean anything, surely?

"Doctor, you had better answer me or I swear to God I will...!"

"I don't know!" The Doctor said suddenly, coming out of his own thoughts in order to confront the woman in front of him. He knew he couldn't stay silent forever.

"You don't know?" Jackie's voice was patronising in tone now. "You don't know what, Doctor?" She dropped the question, shaking her head angrily. She didn't know if she was more angry with him for what he had just said or the fact that there was just no reaction from him. Usually, he would have said something by now, try to get himself out of the shit he had found himself in by saying something clever. But there was none of that. Jackie was almost discouraged by the fact that he was making this almost too easy.