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Voyages of Discovery (Chapter Four)
As I promised, no spoilers. Chapter Four has perhaps a lighter tone. Stay tuned for a very, very eventful Chapter Five.
Wow, is that mean of me or what?
Previous Chapters
Wow, is that mean of me or what?
Previous Chapters
"No my friend, darkness is not everywhere, for here and there I find faces illuminated from within; paper lanterns among the dark trees."
Carole Borges
Rose awoke gradually, languidly tangling her legs in the sheets and drawing in a deep breath. The fire had long since spluttered out, leaving the fireplace cold and dark. She yawned, sat up, and stretched her arms over her head. She felt alive and vital this morning, as if she could run a marathon. After the past two nights, it was refreshing to wake up with such optimism in her blood. Why? she thought curiously, and shrugged to herself. Best not to ask too many questions.
She took a long, hot bath. One of her mum's objections to this room was the lack of a proper shower. Rose didn't mind. She found her leisurely morning bath to be a source of renewal and a few moments for her to clear her mind and let physical sensation rule her thoughts. In a concession to Jackie, she had allowed the installation of a shower hose and did rather enjoy the ability to sit up to her breasts in hot water and rinse out her hair. In their council flat, Jackie would have yelped at the amount of hot water she used. Rose smiled.
She dressed in jeans and a thin cotton sweater, leaving her hair loose. As she applied her makeup, she studied the dark circles under her eyes and resolved to take better care of herself. Maybe she would see if Jackie wanted to indulge in a little mother-daughter bonding before the baby came.
It was Saturday. She had nowhere to go, nothing to do in particular. She had loads of work to do for her next session with Tim, but she felt a distinct lack of motivation to delve into the mysteries of philosophy or even English poetry.
She slipped on some shoes and padded down the long hallway to find her mother in the kitchen, clad in a bright pink maternity shirt and some white leggings, contemplating the contents of the refrigerator.
"Oi," said Rose, "You'll cool the whole house down like that." She gave Jackie an affectionate kiss on the cheek.
Jackie closed the door and gave a great sigh. Pregnancy had enhanced her natural ability to sigh theatrically. "I just want something I can taste," she grumbled.
"Want to go out for a bit?" offered Rose.
"What, you think I need something like pickles and ice cream?" asked Jackie testily. "Just because I'm pregnant."
Rose thought of all the varied items she had seen her mother eat over the years and decided pregnancy hadn't really given Jackie any odder than usual cravings. "No, Mum, I just thought you might like to get out, maybe go get a facial, something like that?"
"Oh," said Jackie, mollified. "Well, yeah, that'd be lovely, sweetheart." She beamed. "I'll just make a call." Jackie Tyler, Vitex wife, did not need to bother with anything so trivial as an appointment. "We'll get our nails done too. My ankles are like sausages, aren't they?"
Rose refrained from comment but put on a supportive face as Jackie disappeared around the corner to retrieve her mobile phone. No more earpieces for this family, or for anyone else for that matter.
"Emily?" Jackie chirped happily into the phone. "Rose and I want to come down, can you fit us in? ... Oh, that would be great. Facial and nails for both of us. Yeah, a pedi too, thanks! We'll see you in a few minutes." She hung up. "Rose, can you let the driver know we're going? I'll tell Pete."
"Sure," said Rose, and, smiling, found Pete's driver and let him know about the royal outing. When Jackie finally appeared, they settled into the back of the car.
"So glad we're doing this, just you and me. What got into you? Not that I mind," Jackie backtracked.
"Just woke up on the right side of the bed," answered Rose, "and wanted to do something nice today. That all right?"
"Absolutely."
When they arrived at the spa, it took both Rose and the driver to help Jackie out of the car, which caused no lack of fussing and groaning about her swollen ankles and sore back. The receptionist greeted Jackie warmly and gave Rose a sympathetic look.
"Got to find a loo," said Jackie, none too quietly. While she did so, the receptionist (presumably Emily of the phone conversation) whisked Rose off into a little room redolent with the scents of herbs and flowers. Jackie followed some minutes later and made quite a production of settling into the chair and getting her shoes off.
A white-clad woman with oddly colored red-and-black hair cinched up in a knot atop her head appeared and made cooing sounds over Jackie's belly, then introduced herself as Miriam. She gave them terrycloth headbands to pull their hair back and proceeded to apply some gritty green goo on their faces. As she rubbed in the mixture, first on Jackie, then on Rose, she nattered on about the cleansing and detoxifying properties of some kind of seaweed. Rose felt the urge to taste the goo and wondered, with a dull pang, if the Doctor would have done so. Probably.
While they marinated, Miriam and another woman, Robyn, went to work on their hands, and then feet. Jackie made soft cries of delight and continued her earlier explanations of how swollen her feet were, and both women uttered appropriate exclamations of sympathy. Forty nails were carefully painted (hot pink for Jackie, pastel for Rose). Miriam then rinsed the goo off, leaving Rose's skin feeling tight and shiny. She rubbed in some cool, cucumber-scented lotion that Miriam offered her and felt her skin suck it up greedily. She felt exfoliated, buffed, and moisturized enough for several lifetimes.
Beside her, Jackie was glowing. She smiled angelically at Rose and stood with the aid of both Miriam and Robyn, who complimented her endlessly. Jackie reveled in it, and Rose couldn't help smiling back to see her mother so happy. I did a good thing today. It made her glow a little herself.
Back at the mansion, Jackie deposited herself into a winged chair with a huff and Rose peeled her shoes off for her. Pete's head appeared around a doorway, followed by the rest of him, and he gave his wife a solicitous look. "Have a good day?" he asked.
"Oh, it was wonderful," sighed Jackie happily. "Look at my toes." She wiggled her bare, pink toes at him and he grinned.
"Rest of you looks nice, too," he said, catching Rose's eye. She smiled back, caught in the warmth between her not-quite-father and her mum. Pete was a good man. "I was thinking," he added, after a thought. "After the baby's born, once you've had time to get settled, we could have a party."
Jackie Tyler, in either universe, had never said no to a party in her life. "Yeah, sure! For everyone to meet the baby?"
"Yes, and I was thinking, we could get married then." His eyes sparkled.
Jackie leaped -- or rather, staggered -- to her feet and he came in two big steps to put his arms around her. "You daft man," she said into his shoulder. "You could have asked any time."
While they were occupied, Rose slipped from the room and back down the hallway to her own room. She shut the door behind her and fixed her gaze on the photo of the Doctor. "You would have had such a time with us today," she giggled. "Mum and me with green goo all over our faces and getting our nails painted. Very domestic, yeah?" She sat down and traced the edge of the frame. "I miss you."
Carole Borges
Rose awoke gradually, languidly tangling her legs in the sheets and drawing in a deep breath. The fire had long since spluttered out, leaving the fireplace cold and dark. She yawned, sat up, and stretched her arms over her head. She felt alive and vital this morning, as if she could run a marathon. After the past two nights, it was refreshing to wake up with such optimism in her blood. Why? she thought curiously, and shrugged to herself. Best not to ask too many questions.
She took a long, hot bath. One of her mum's objections to this room was the lack of a proper shower. Rose didn't mind. She found her leisurely morning bath to be a source of renewal and a few moments for her to clear her mind and let physical sensation rule her thoughts. In a concession to Jackie, she had allowed the installation of a shower hose and did rather enjoy the ability to sit up to her breasts in hot water and rinse out her hair. In their council flat, Jackie would have yelped at the amount of hot water she used. Rose smiled.
She dressed in jeans and a thin cotton sweater, leaving her hair loose. As she applied her makeup, she studied the dark circles under her eyes and resolved to take better care of herself. Maybe she would see if Jackie wanted to indulge in a little mother-daughter bonding before the baby came.
It was Saturday. She had nowhere to go, nothing to do in particular. She had loads of work to do for her next session with Tim, but she felt a distinct lack of motivation to delve into the mysteries of philosophy or even English poetry.
She slipped on some shoes and padded down the long hallway to find her mother in the kitchen, clad in a bright pink maternity shirt and some white leggings, contemplating the contents of the refrigerator.
"Oi," said Rose, "You'll cool the whole house down like that." She gave Jackie an affectionate kiss on the cheek.
Jackie closed the door and gave a great sigh. Pregnancy had enhanced her natural ability to sigh theatrically. "I just want something I can taste," she grumbled.
"Want to go out for a bit?" offered Rose.
"What, you think I need something like pickles and ice cream?" asked Jackie testily. "Just because I'm pregnant."
Rose thought of all the varied items she had seen her mother eat over the years and decided pregnancy hadn't really given Jackie any odder than usual cravings. "No, Mum, I just thought you might like to get out, maybe go get a facial, something like that?"
"Oh," said Jackie, mollified. "Well, yeah, that'd be lovely, sweetheart." She beamed. "I'll just make a call." Jackie Tyler, Vitex wife, did not need to bother with anything so trivial as an appointment. "We'll get our nails done too. My ankles are like sausages, aren't they?"
Rose refrained from comment but put on a supportive face as Jackie disappeared around the corner to retrieve her mobile phone. No more earpieces for this family, or for anyone else for that matter.
"Emily?" Jackie chirped happily into the phone. "Rose and I want to come down, can you fit us in? ... Oh, that would be great. Facial and nails for both of us. Yeah, a pedi too, thanks! We'll see you in a few minutes." She hung up. "Rose, can you let the driver know we're going? I'll tell Pete."
"Sure," said Rose, and, smiling, found Pete's driver and let him know about the royal outing. When Jackie finally appeared, they settled into the back of the car.
"So glad we're doing this, just you and me. What got into you? Not that I mind," Jackie backtracked.
"Just woke up on the right side of the bed," answered Rose, "and wanted to do something nice today. That all right?"
"Absolutely."
When they arrived at the spa, it took both Rose and the driver to help Jackie out of the car, which caused no lack of fussing and groaning about her swollen ankles and sore back. The receptionist greeted Jackie warmly and gave Rose a sympathetic look.
"Got to find a loo," said Jackie, none too quietly. While she did so, the receptionist (presumably Emily of the phone conversation) whisked Rose off into a little room redolent with the scents of herbs and flowers. Jackie followed some minutes later and made quite a production of settling into the chair and getting her shoes off.
A white-clad woman with oddly colored red-and-black hair cinched up in a knot atop her head appeared and made cooing sounds over Jackie's belly, then introduced herself as Miriam. She gave them terrycloth headbands to pull their hair back and proceeded to apply some gritty green goo on their faces. As she rubbed in the mixture, first on Jackie, then on Rose, she nattered on about the cleansing and detoxifying properties of some kind of seaweed. Rose felt the urge to taste the goo and wondered, with a dull pang, if the Doctor would have done so. Probably.
While they marinated, Miriam and another woman, Robyn, went to work on their hands, and then feet. Jackie made soft cries of delight and continued her earlier explanations of how swollen her feet were, and both women uttered appropriate exclamations of sympathy. Forty nails were carefully painted (hot pink for Jackie, pastel for Rose). Miriam then rinsed the goo off, leaving Rose's skin feeling tight and shiny. She rubbed in some cool, cucumber-scented lotion that Miriam offered her and felt her skin suck it up greedily. She felt exfoliated, buffed, and moisturized enough for several lifetimes.
Beside her, Jackie was glowing. She smiled angelically at Rose and stood with the aid of both Miriam and Robyn, who complimented her endlessly. Jackie reveled in it, and Rose couldn't help smiling back to see her mother so happy. I did a good thing today. It made her glow a little herself.
Back at the mansion, Jackie deposited herself into a winged chair with a huff and Rose peeled her shoes off for her. Pete's head appeared around a doorway, followed by the rest of him, and he gave his wife a solicitous look. "Have a good day?" he asked.
"Oh, it was wonderful," sighed Jackie happily. "Look at my toes." She wiggled her bare, pink toes at him and he grinned.
"Rest of you looks nice, too," he said, catching Rose's eye. She smiled back, caught in the warmth between her not-quite-father and her mum. Pete was a good man. "I was thinking," he added, after a thought. "After the baby's born, once you've had time to get settled, we could have a party."
Jackie Tyler, in either universe, had never said no to a party in her life. "Yeah, sure! For everyone to meet the baby?"
"Yes, and I was thinking, we could get married then." His eyes sparkled.
Jackie leaped -- or rather, staggered -- to her feet and he came in two big steps to put his arms around her. "You daft man," she said into his shoulder. "You could have asked any time."
While they were occupied, Rose slipped from the room and back down the hallway to her own room. She shut the door behind her and fixed her gaze on the photo of the Doctor. "You would have had such a time with us today," she giggled. "Mum and me with green goo all over our faces and getting our nails painted. Very domestic, yeah?" She sat down and traced the edge of the frame. "I miss you."