Dirty Little Secrets

A/N: So…I came up with this idea ages ago and finally got around to writing this. If you like it, let me know, if you think it's just stupid, do the same. I wrote this sort of a prologue so everyone understands the background and what's going on. Tell me in a review whether I should finish writing this story!

Disclaimer: DON'T OWN DOCTOR WHO OR MAXIMUM RIDE. Duh…

Oh! And the whole thing is probably going to be written in Rose's POV. If that ever changes, I'll be sure to put it in an author's note at the beginning of each chapter.

#DW#

"Thanks, Mum," I say as she hands me a cup of tea.

"Not a problem, love," she smiles. Mind you, she's not exactly my real mother but she's the closest I've ever had to one. Ever since the day she found me on the streets at fifteen…

~FLASHBACK~

I sit in the corner of the alleyway, hugging my knees and whimpering. My brown hair is caked with dirt and grime, as is the rest of me. I can't remember the last time I've eaten, showered, or slept. I'm living on the run, ever since Fang…well, since the dirt bag left me. And the rest of the Flock. It hit me pretty hard, and I sort of fell out of it. Then my heart broke even more when the Flock asked me to leave.

Sitting on the filthy ground, with no hope and a broken heart, I'm about to drift off to a night that will surely be full of nightmares. Then I hear a voice from the street.

"Are you alright, love?" says a female voice. I just stare at my knees and hope she'll get the hint that I want to be left alone. I'm done trusting people. Jeb, Fang, the rest of the Flock…I don't need the list of betrayal to get any freaking longer than it already is. Yet I hear footsteps becoming louder as the woman comes closer.

"I'm fine," I say coldly – or at least, I attempt to. My voice cracks and I sound awful, and I'm absolutely positive I look it as well. Even worse than usual. I look up to give her the infamous Maximum Ride "get away from me glare". I take in her features more clearly. Hair that's dyed blonde, from the look of her dark roots. Bright blue eyes that let me read her like a book. They show sympathy and kindness…two traits I haven't seen in any person I've met in a long time. But it's more likely my mind is playing tricks on me because I'm so desperate.

"Come on, sweetheart, you don't look fine," she says softly. Wow, that's a nice vote of confidence. "Where are your parents?"

What, Jeb and Dr. Martinez? I think not. They'll never be my parents. Not in a million years. "Don't have any," I mutter.

"Guardians?"

"Nope."

"What's your name?"

I hesitate. The last thing I want to say is "Maximum Ride". I don't want to be Max anymore. If I have any chance of turning my life around, I need to change. The whitecoats will surely come looking for me at some point. Maybe even the Flock. Honestly, I don't want to be found. So I lie and say the first thing that comes to mind.

"Rose," I decide. Sharp, but beautiful. Exactly what I want it to be.

"Will you let me help you, Rose? You don't have to come with me, not if you don't want to. I'm on my own too, lost my husband about ten years ago. Do you want to be alone together?"

Living the life I have, you learn to pick up on whether someone is telling the truth or not. This woman surely isn't lying.

"That sounds nice."

~END FLASHBACK~

She helped me up and brought me back to her apartment at the Powell Estate. I learned her name is Jackie. She gave me the first home cooked meal I'd had since Jeb, and a bed to sleep on.

She didn't ask me about my past. She could tell I was reluctant to trust people at first. She let me settle in, waited for me to open up on my own. That took about six months.

She was shocked, to say the least, about the wings. And the other powers I've developed with them. Even since she's found me, I've discovered new abilities I didn't even know I had. I cried that day. Not because I was sad – because I was happy.

For the first time in my life someone didn't look at me any differently. To Mum, I'm not a freak, or a mutant experiment – I'm just Rose – and that is the best thing I could have asked for.

Another six months passed. I started attending the local school, and made friends with Mickey Smith. I spent most of my time with him. As much as I wanted to change, I'm still not a people person. I even dated a guy named Jimmy Stones for a while. Long story short, that relationship didn't end well. He tried to force himself on me and ended up with a broken face. Literally.

I didn't get bothered by the whitecoats once. I was no longer Maximum Ride. I became Rose Tyler.

~FLASHBACK~

I wake up to the smell of pancakes. Turning over to look at the clock, I note the time. Six in the morning? Jackie never wakes up this early to make breakfast. What's the special occasion? I decide to find out.

Walking into the kitchen, my stomach grumbles. Unexpected as they are, those pancakes smell great.

"Jackie?"

"Oh, hello, love. How did you sleep?"

"Um…great. Can I just ask…why are you up so early making breakfast?" She turns to smile at me.

"You remember how you told me you don't have a birthday?" she asks. I nod, remembering how I explained that I don't know when I was born (or created, or whatever word suits your fancy).

"Well, it's today. Exactly a year ago, I found you in that alley. Since we don't know when you were actually born, I figured that it would be a good day to choose," she says. Tears come to me eyes.

"You mean…you're doing this for me?" My voice cracks with emotion. Jackie looks up at me in surprise.

"Of course, what's the matter love? Is there something wrong with it?"

"No one has ever… done anything for me before. I've never had a birthday, or a holiday, or anything. I just…" I can't even figure out what to say. I settle on two simple words: "Thank you." I throw my arms around her neck and squeeze the life out of her. I don't know how long we stand there until she pulls back and plates the pancakes and sets them on the table. I dig in happily.

"So, what do you want to do today, Rose? Your special day, whatever you want!"

I look up at the woman who has done so much for me in the past year and realize how close we've become. How much I want to be just like her.

"Actually…I was thinking of going blonde," I smile widely.

She smiles right back.

~END FLASHBACK~

Then not long after that was when she became "Mum".

~FLASHBACK~

It slips out, really. I don't even mean to say it. I'm just thinking about how Jackie is more of a mother to me than anyone I've met, then realize I need her to grab my magazine from across the room because my toenails are wet.

"Mum!" I call loudly. She comes in looking confused.

"Did you just call me Mum?" I blush.

"Sorry, Jackie, won't happen again," I mumble as I look away.

"Rose, look at me," she says quietly. I turn my head toward her slowly.

"I'm sorry," I say again, then open my mouth to say more but she cuts me off.

"I'd be the happiest person on Earth if you'd accept me as your mother." My eyes widen, and for a second time, I feel tears of joy bubbling up inside me. I smile wider than I ever have.

"You're the best Mum I ever could have asked for." She smiles right back at me.

"Now, did you need something, love?"

"Oh! Yeah, could you grab my magazine?" I point to it on the dresser and she hands it to me.

~END FLASHBACK~

It was that exact moment when I knew my life had changed for the better.