The Doctor wandered in the direction of the kitchen. He was still acclimatizing himself to this new, partly human body. Some senses seemed reduced to an infuriating dullness, others raised to hypersensitivity, but his hearing had focused unerringly on one of his favorite sounds in all of creation - the delighted laughter of Rose Tyler. From the giggles and coos, he thought at first that she must be playing with the cat, until Charles Dickens streaked past him with a bottle-brush tail.
"Rose?" he called curiously.
"Aren't you just the cutest little thing?"
He stepped into the kitchen and saw her sitting on the floor, cuddling something…something that emitted funny little high pitched squeaks.
"What have you got there, Rose?"
"Not sure, actually. I got it away from the McAvoy's cat."
He crouched down cross-legged beside her on the floor and saw a little white blobbish creature with tiny hands and feet, and big baby eyes. It was squeaking happily and had a hand wrapped around one of Rose's fingers.
"You're a long way from home," he remarked, slipping on his specs to study it more closely.
"D'you know what it is?" Rose asked, dissolving into giggles again as the little thing grasped a second finger and began to swing itself with rather more enthusiasm than grace.
"That is an Adipose. An infant."
"That good or bad?"
"Depends on how it got here."
Rose glanced up at him worriedly. "That sounds ominous."
"Not necessarily. Different universe. Different circumstances."
Rose frowned, but whatever she'd been planning to say was lost as the baby Adipose tumbled into her lap with a squeal that sounded suspiciously like 'Oopsie!' The Doctor reached across in front of her to steady the tiny thing as it staggered drunkenly to its feet.
"Doctor?" she prompted.
"It's just a baby, Rose. Harmless in and of itself."
"And what if Mum and Dad come lookin' for it?"
He sighed softly and wrapped one arm around Rose, drawing her back against his chest. He couldn't help but smile as the Adipose gave a gurgling little yawn, then curled up in Rose's lap and shut its eyes.
A somewhat uneasy truce reigned in the bedroom. The baby Adipose had taken up residence on Rose's pillow, while Charles Dickens was draped across the Doctor's ankles.
"Rose," the Doctor began haltingly, "this morning, you said something…the Adipose, you said you got it away from the McAvoy's cat. Was that…I mean, by any chance…"
Rose shifted a bit closer to him and reached out to lightly stroke his arm. "Lee and Donna McAvoy. Maiden name Donna Noble."
"She's here, too," he said, wonderingly.
"Yeah," Rose nodded.
"Do you know her? What's she like?" the Doctor asked eagerly.
Rose stilled the motion of her hand on his arm. "She's funny and wonderful, and so, so brave."
"Sounds like my Donna," he said wistfully.
"Not quite," Rose warned him. "In our world, you were the catalyst for her to discover just how amazing she really was…"
"But I don't - didn't - exist here."
"Right."
"So…what happened?"
"Her husband - Lee - he was in a car crash. A bad one. The medics didn't think they'd get him out alive. Then the doctors didn't think he'd make it out of A&E. Then he was in a coma. But everything they said - every single damn thing - Donna just refused to give up or give in. Everything they threw at her, she just dug in her heels and fought tooth and nail for him. Holding his hand and talking to him when he was in the coma, physical therapy, speech therapy - all of it. She's…amazing."
"She always was."
"Yeah. She doesn't like to ask for help or anything, but...well, once a week, I bring them take away."
"Of course you do," the Doctor replied affectionately.
The Adipose chose that moment to gurgle happily and their fingers entangled petting the little creature.
The Doctor bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting at the door to the upstairs flat. He could hear the slow drag of approaching footsteps and waited patiently. Finally, the door opened, revealing a pleasant faced man, far too young to be leaning on a walker.
The Doctor smiled brightly, holding up a pizza box and paper sack. "Hello! You must be Lee. I'm John Smith, from downstairs. I'm Rose Tyler's…um…I'm Rose Tyler's," he concluded lamely.
"I'm D-d-d-d-donna's," the other man replied slowly.
"Well then, I'd say that makes us two very lucky blokes."
Lee grinned broadly and nodded in agreement.
"Rose!" Donna called, slightly out of breath as she hurried across the car park. "There you are…I've been wanting to thank you for dinner. Again."
"It's my pleasure," Rose told her sincerely.
"I really shouldn't let you keep on."
"It's just pizza and beer."
Donna laid a hand on her friend's arm. "No, it's not. It's another hour I can just spend with Lee, instead of having to run around and cook something and then wash up, when I'm already run off my feet from work. You've no idea…"
Rose leaned in and hugged her. "I told you, it's my pleasure. I'm just glad I can do something for you."
"And that fellow of yours," Donna continued enthusiastically, "he's just lovely, he is. He's teaching Lee to play chess. The doctors say it's very good for him, but…I could never quite get the hang of it."
"Me neither," Rose said conspiratorially.
"How'd we get so lucky?" Donna wondered.
Rose choked slightly on that particular choice of words coming from Donna. How could she call it lucky to come so very close to losing her husband forever?
"In all the universe, we found ourselves the two most gorgeous, wonderful, perfect blokes…and they're in love with us. How's that happen?"
"Like you said," Rose replied shakily, "just lucky, I guess."
The Doctor didn't quite understand the ferocity with which Rose embraced him when she stepped inside the flat, so he just wrapped his arms around her and held on tight, content to ride out the wave of her oh-so-human emotions…at least, until the poor Adipose in his jacket pocket let out an indignant squeak at being squished.