Author's note: Wow. I had an amazing amount of private messages in response to 'The Woman You Love' - so overwhelming, in fact, that I decided to grant their wishes and continue the story that I'd never really thought of continuing. So, without further ado, here starts the further adventures of the Doctor and Rose...at least, for this fic. :)

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Maybe she'd picked up something at their last stop. It certainly wasn't normal for her to be queasy, he thought. He heard the water run, stop, and then the door opened and Rose came out, pale and shaky. He made up his mind. Walking over to her, he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Stand still, Rose. I'm going to scan you. See if we can't figure out what's wrong so we can fix it." Her eyes widened in worry.

"Doctor, I don't think that-"

"Ahh, but I do, and I am never wrong. May not always be right, but I am never, ever wrong." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver, fiddled with the button, and began to run it aver her head.

"But, Doctor-"

"Shush. You have to be still." He'd moved it from head to chest, totally ignoring her faint protests. "Don't want to get any weird readings, you see." He moved the device over one arm, then the other.

"Doctor-" she tried again, her voice almost panicked.

"Rose, clam down. I'd never hurt you, and this is perfectly harmle-" He broke off, his eyes widening as he looked at his screwdriver where it hovered over her stomach. Silently he scanned her again, then again. His eyes, full of fear and shock, snapped to hers.

"Rose, you..." She would have laughed at hearing him off-balance were she not so scared. Swallowing hard, she spoke in a small voice.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Doctor. This can't be fixed. I...we...we're going to have a baby."

For the second time in as many months, Rose was treated to the strange and amusing sight of the Doctor collapsing to the ground in a dead faint.

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She sat in the library, reading to distract herself from the inevitable conversation that loomed on the horizon. After their tryst those few months ago, they hadn't been intimate again. Not for lack of desire, that was certain. Rose wasn't sure why he was holding back, but she knew she didn't want to push him. She also supposed running for their lives a time or five could have had something to do with it. And then, too, she'd been feeling under the weather for the past few weeks. In fact, it was that last bit more than anything that made her wonder if she might be...well, pregnant. She sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back into the couch, book forgotten for the moment. At least she knew what she planned. Whether or not the Doctor wanted the baby, she did. If it was a problem, she'd just ask to go home.

Home. Her mum was going to explode. Jackie Tyler was all for having passel of grandkids - provided her daughter was properly wed first. Rose shuddered inwardly at the thought of having to tell her mum the news. She turned her mind rom that admittedly disturbing line of thought, resolving to cross that burning bridge when she had to and not a moment sooner. She let her thoughts wonder to more important things. Like what to name the baby, for example. She wasn't picky on gender...she wondered if the Doctor would prefer a boy or a girl. Rose sighed, a bit forlorn.

~Face it, Rose. You don't just want the baby - you want the father too. You want it all.~ That she knew her inner voice was right didn't make it any easier to acknowledge. Especially since she was fairly sure that the Doctor had meant it when he mentioned not 'doing domestic' a while back. ~Such a pretty tangle - what was I thinking?~ Her mind, ever helpful, supplied her with a slew of images from that day, forcing her to admit that her thoughts hadn't gone much past "harder, faster," and "yes, Doctor - right htere!" With a defeated sigh she settled down on the couch and dozed off.