Winnie Is Not Okay

1.0

So Far...

April, 1986

"Rose", Pete whispered to the newborn in his arms.

"Winifred", Jackie whispered to the one in hers.

"Winifred?", Pete whisper-shouted in distress.

"What?", the blonde asked in the same tone, "It was my nan's name!"

"So? It's not the nineteen-thirties", Pete rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, Mister. I squeezed them out, I pick the name. You put Rose Marion Tyler down there. That's not just a horrible name, that's also your Mum's name, and I hate that hag!"

"Don't talk about my mother-"

"Marion", Jackie smiled, interrupting their fight as Pete's parents entered.

Winifred Elise and Rose Marion Tyler kept their names, and it would be the cause of many fights in their lives.

September, 1992

"I don't wanna, Mummy. Everyone will be making fun of me", Winifred Tyler whined, then hissed at the pain on her head at her mum doing her hair for the first day of school.

"No one will be making fun of you, Winifred", Jackie kissed the top of the six-year-old's head.

"It's stupid", she pouted with her arms crossed.

Jackie tied up the second pigtail and hugged her daughter close, looking at her through the mirror in front of them, "If it bothers you so much, you just go ahead and tell everyone a different name. You can tell them your name was Winnie. Or Elise."

"Or Fred", Rose giggled next to them.

Winifred whined once again, causing Jackie to shoo her other daughter out of the room.

June, 2002

It was the night of graduation, and after a party and a couple drinks, sixteen-year-old Winnie entered the Tyler-residence, finding Jackie on the couch with a glass of wine.

"Hey, Mum", she smiled and kissed her mother's cheek.

"Oh, Winifred. You look beautiful", Jackie looked up at her and then broke into tears.

Winnie sighed and sat down, hugging her mother close, "I'm sure Rosie's fine, Mum."

"She- should- have- graduated, too", she spoke through sobs.

"She's with a rockstar, Mum", Winnie mocked her sister's words with a chuckle, "Anyway, whatever it is, it's better than what I'm doing."

"Winnie", Jackie shot up, looking at her daughter's face in shock, "You'll be a nurse. That's wonderful."

"Sure it is", she shrugged, "But isn't it boring? I don't know, Rosie's out to see the world and I'm working towards a job I'll have for the rest of my life."

"You'll have holidays to go out and see things. But at least you'll have a stable base", Jackie wiped her eyes and sat up straight to fully immerse in the conversation with the daughter who was actually there.

"I guess you're right", Winnie breathed out a laugh, shrugged, then took her heels off and left towards her room, "I'll be helping people, saving the world, one blood-draw at a time."

"Go, Winnie!", Jackie woo-hoo'd after her, causing them both to laugh again.

September, 2003

Winnie had gotten off a late shift at the bar. She had started her day when she left for school at seven in the morning, quickly freshened up and had a snack at home around three-thirty and then left for her bar shift at five-thirty. It was now three-thirty at night and she was finally walking up to the Powell Estate.

And there, on the front door step sat Rose Tyler, her face red with tears, hair a mess and a rucksack of her belongings next to her.

Winnie sighed, "Oh, Rosie."

"He- he left me", Rose sobbed into herself.

Winnie dropped her bag on the ground and kneeled in front of her sister to hug her, "It's okay, it'll be okay."

"He met someone else and took her to Amsterdam", Rose let out a heartbroken cry, "I've never been to Amsterdam!"

"Oh, Rosie", Winnie held her tighter and rubbed her back, "I'll take you to Amsterdam one day."

Another heartbroken cry and they sat like that for a good half-hour before Winnie finally got Rose to just own up to her actions and enter the flat. No one had touched Rose's room so after Winnie had helped her get ready Rose could just fall into her own bed.

That night Winnie got to bed at five in the morning. Her alarm rang two hours after that and she had to rush to get to school on time. But at least she managed to avoid a talk between the two other women in the flat.

January, 2005

She got to celebrate with friends and family while she worked at the pub. Rose and Jackie even stuck around until she got off and soon enough the Tyler-women were on their way back home. When it started to snow, Jackie rushed ahead inside, but the sisters stood arm in arm watching.

"I have a feeling it'll be all right this year", Rose grinned.

"Is snow on New Year's a good omen?", Winnie turned her head to Rose.

"I don't know. But you're here. And we're together. So we'll be fine", Rose smiled.

Winnie turned to her and smiled but before she could say anything somebody fell to their right, making a clattering noise.

"Doctor!", they heard a familiar voice whisper in worry.

Instead of questioning it Rose shouted, "You all right, mate?"

"Yeah, yes", he replied but stayed in the fairly dark corner, "Sorry, what day is it?"

The sisters laughed and Winnie replied, "How much have you had? It's New Year's day."

The familiar voice seemed to let out a sob but the man still replied, "New Year's day, of course. Which year?"

Rose grinned, "2005."

"2005", the man had a pained smile to his voice, "I think you're gonna have a great year."

Their smiles grew, "Yeah?"

"Savour it", the familiar voice muttered.

The sisters looked at each other with a smile. Rose leaned her head on Winnie's shoulder and smiled, "I think we will."

Winnie started to pull Rose towards their flat but turned her head back to the ominous pair one last time, "Happy new year!"

"Happy new year", they replied, and caused more clattering noises when they walked the other way.

Little did they know who the pair were and what it meant. Little did Winifred Tyler know she would be in that same spot, years later, crying and wishing herself a happy new year.